Faith to conquer the world

The concluding prayer of the Legion of Mary has these wonderful sentiments:   Confer, O Lord, on us, that fullness of faith to which it is given to conquer the world.  Grant us a lively faith, animated by charity, a faith, firm and immovable as a rock, a faith which will be our Legion's Pillar of Fire

Faith is of two kinds: Faith in doctrine and faith in action: Faith in the truth of God and faith in the God of truth

Faith is putting all your eggs in God's basket, then counting your blessings before they hatch. Ramona C. Carroll

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. Martin Luther King Jr.

The Legion speaks of taking Symbolic Action. That is a matter of taking the first step in faith and trusting that the Lord will honour your trust.

It is clear from the Concluding prayer that the faith presented to the Legionary of Mary is something that springs from the fire of charity and moves out courageously to become a pillar of fire. The chosen people in the desert followed the Pillar of fire until it led them into the Promised Land to conquer it for the Lord. Legionaries are in the fore-front of those Chosen people leading them into a place of eternal hope.

As faith is strengthened there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit. Emmanuel Teney  This is one of the benefits of being in an organization like the Legion of Mary. You don’t need to be in control. Like Our Lady, you yield in faith to the unknown and the human impossibility: Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Let your word be done unto me.

You are not setting to conquer the world on your own or in your own strength. You are part of that Pillar of Fire which is of God’s making and is continually fanned into flame by the grace of your weekly meeting and the support of your officers and fellow members.  The faith written of in our concluding prayer is very much a faith that steps out taking the next peaceful step in faith.

 You may have heard the story of the watch bought in for repair: “I had great faith in that watch,” said the client to jeweller.  "I’m afraid," he replied,  “Like Grandmas old clock, it has stopped short—never to go again. Faith’s fine but without good works its not much good. So while trusting the Lord in everything, we still have to expend all our energy in God's service and do everything that is in our human power.