Many people nowadays talk about a shortage of priests and dwindling numbers of consecrated men and women. Does this mean that God has stopped calling young men and women to serve him and his Church with the total gift of self? Certainly not. In this Retreat Guide on Vocation and the Calling of St. Matthew, we will go back and reflect on what it means for every single one of us to hear and heed the voice of the Lord in our lives:
The First Meditation will look at some of Jesus’ teaching about what a vocation really is.
The Second Meditation will focus on the calling of St. Matthew and its unforgettable depiction in Caravaggio’s masterpiece baroque painting.
The Conference will give some practical guidelines that we can all use to discern our own vocation, or to help others discern theirs.
The Personal Questionnaire/Group discussion questions are available in the Companion Guide Book or Small Group Companion Guide. Either download the PDF Companion Guide Book or purchase it. The Companion Guide Book is available for purchase in Kindle or Paperback from Amazon. Pause the video at any moment to go to the Companion Guide Book or continue to the next meditation.
Click here to purchase your copy of The Better Part: A Christ-Centered Resource for Personal Prayer. This book should be declared a national treasure! We lead tremendously busy lives, with 1,001 things to do. Even so, every saint and renowned spiritual director through the ages has said the same thing: If we desire to become saints, we must spend time daily in meditation. With this book (which is in its fourth printing!), Father Bartunek has created an extensive, Christ-centered resource to serve as a daily meditation companion. Part I is an incredibly practical explanation of Christian meditation (along with a cheat-sheet!). Part II contains material to use during your meditations. The resource is a Bible study on the four Gospels, a survey of saints’ writings, a guide to prayer, and a fresh introduction to Jesus rolled into one. The Better Part enables us to read, meditate, absorb, and apply the Gospels to our lives. It serves as a catalyst to personalize times of prayer, enabling us to follow the Holy Spirit’s lead along the path of holiness. The portable resource has a ribbon to mark your place and contains detailed indices to help you meditate either on the liturgical seasons or the virtues you feel most in need of developing. All four Gospels are included inside the resource, divided into 303 sections, with each section divided into six parts: 1. the Gospel text, 2. Christ the Lord, 3. Christ the Teacher, 4. Christ the Friend, 5. Christ in My Life, and 6. questions for small group discussion. There are quotes from saints and popes at the beginning of each section and references to the Catechism following the discussion questions. Each section is about 4 pages long, totaling 1024 pages.
UPDATE:Â The Better Part is now available as four separate books, one for each Gospel.
Seeking First the Kingdom: 30 Meditations on How to Love God with All Your Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength is full of practical examples and down-to-earth wisdom which will show you how to bring Christ into each facet of your life. In these 30 meditations, you’ll learn:
• How to bring every dimension of your being into your relationship with God
• How to handle the emotional roller coaster of everyday life
• How to overcome spiritual obstacles and roadblocks
• Ways to develop virtue and grow in holiness
Along the way, you’ll discover how to cultivate a deep and joy-filled friendship with Christ—an adventure that begins today, here on earth, and continues for all eternity.
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Seeking First the Kingdom – Q & A Video with Fr. John Bartunek, LC
Alex Kucera has lived in Atlanta, GA, for the last 46 years. He is one of 9 children, married to his wife Karmen, and has 3 girls, one grandson, and a granddaughter on the way. Alex joined Regnum Christi in 2007. Out of the gate, he joined the Helping Hands Medical Missions apostolate and is still participating today with the Ghana Friendship Mission.
In 2009, Alex was asked to be the Atlanta RC Renewal Coordinator for the Atlanta Locality to help the RC members with the RC renewal process. Alex became a Group Leader in 2012 for four of the Atlanta Men’s Section Teams and continues today. Running in parallel, in 2013, Alex became a Team Leader and shepherded a large team of good men.
Alex was honored to be the Atlanta Mission Coordinator between 2010 to 2022 (12 years), coordinating 5-8 Holy Week Mission teams across Georgia. He also created and coordinated missions at a parish in Athens, GA, for 9 years. Alex continues to coordinate Holy Week Missions, Advent Missions, and Monthly missions at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Cumming, GA.
From 2016 to 2022, Alex also served as the Men’s Section Assistant in Atlanta. He loved working with the Men’s Section Director, the Legionaries, Consecrated, and Women’s Section leadership teams.
Alex is exceptionally grateful to the Legionaries, Consecrated, and many RC members who he’s journeyed shoulder to shoulder, growing his relationship with Christ and others along the way. He knows that there is only one way, that’s Christ’s Way, with others!