The rise of Legio Maria from
Roman Catholic is something many Legios are still proud of till today. Like
early Christians, the current Legio Maria faithful stand in a transition
moment. They face ridicule for claiming that Simeo Ondeto is God just as early
Christians faced massive ridicule. They face opposition from almost all
Christian denominations because of their unique claim to have a Son of God
whose name is not Jesus but Baba Simeo Ondeto. This too is similar to the
predicament of early Christians who were the only ones to follow the claim that
they had a messiah, son of Yahweh, incarnated as a man.
Religion
Is Spiritual
While religion is purely a
spiritual affair, many early Christians never considered it so. Indeed, some
held to the belief that Jesus was a human and political Messiah who would soon
return to give Jews their long cherished kingdom. They never fully comprehended
the difference between a spiritual Messiah and a physical Messiah. Therefore,
during the time of Paul, we see him plant a spiritual religion only to be
opposed by Judaic sympathizers who considered Christianity incomplete without
the Law of Moses. The famous Jerusalem Council under the guidance of James saw
a huge leap forward for Christianity. James and the principal apostles endorsed
a spiritual religion and distanced themselves from compelling Gentile converts
to be circumcised.
So, through the incisive
intellect of Paul, a spiritual religion emerged and got nurtured. Paul nursed
early Christianity by supplying the initial theological arguments for its
independence as a religion. Paul's letters inspired early Christians to
recognize their unique position in history and to stand for a spiritual
conception of religion.
Legio
Maria Faithful Should Seize Their Moment
For Legio Maria members, the
same old challenges that faced early Christians have returned. They are told
that Simeo Ondeto cannot be the Son of God because Jesus has not returned
physically on the clouds. This argument by Christians appears favorable for use
in denouncing Legio Maria and Simeo Ondeto, but it is also an argument against
the same Christians. If Christians insist that a true return of Jesus Christ
must be as predicted in the scriptures, then they should carry the same
argument to the foundations of Christianity.
At the beginning of
Christianity, the Jews argued against Jesus being the Messiah because he did
not physically fulfill all the biblical prophesies about the expected Messiah.
To overcome the arguments for a physical messiah, Christians made flight to the
spiritual Messiah. So, here, Christians and Legio Marias are all the same.
Their Sons of God are both spiritual and not the physical fulfillment of the
coming of the son of God. Religion serves the spirit. Yes, it does serve the
body too, but both Christians and Legios alike would agree that they are
seeking a heavenly Kingdom and not an earthly Kingdom.
The
Destiny of Legio Maria
Legio Maria is destined to
being one of the world's religions. Its claims, while based on the foundations
of Christianity, will not always be justified through the Christian Bible. The
Christian Bible cannot justify the return of the Son of God as a human being
again because it is not a record of what God revealed in the age when the bible
was written but is what God is revealing today. While the Bible is a record of
truth, it is deficient in some truth because there are things about the second
coming of Christ that had not been revealed at the time of the composition of
the Bible. Therefore, the Bible will not justify the appearance of both Mary
and her son on African soil, and the filling with the Holy Spirit at John
Baru's home, because such events had not been revealed to early Christians and
writers of the Bible.
So Legio Maria members must
take heart. They must know that theirs is a new way that is explaining certain
truths that were unknown to the past ages. And they must know that while the
road ahead for Legio Maria is long, it is not impossible for Legio to grow into
what God has planned it to be. All world religions began with opposition, with
small congregations, and with rejected claims. They overcame the storms through
clarifying their theology and through missions. Legio Maria needs to publish
its books and not to depend on the Roman Catholic Church Tassera and prayer
books. It needs to tell the world about its history, its beliefs, its
prophecies, its morals and its God. Then, God who is faithful will do the rest.
“Our
Lord Simeo Melkio, lead us in ministering your word to those who do not know
you. Amen.”