Regnum Christi

November 17, 2023

Novena to Christ the King Day 1 | A Kingdom that is Not of This World

℣. Come, let us worship Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

 

℟. Come, let us worship Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

 

℣. The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and all that is in it. It is he who set it on the seas; on the waters he made it firm.

 

℟. Come, let us worship Jesus Christ, the King of kings.

 

A Kingdom that is not of this world, but is in this world created by God.

 

Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth.

John 18:36-37

(moment of silence)

 

Reflection

Christ’s Kingdom is “consecrated in the truth,” and Christ invites us to go beyond human logic and securities to live according to the logic of the Kingdom. By living in truth, we are able to live with the faith, joy, peace, and trust that come only from him. He invites us to collaborate with him creatively in the mission of making him present in this world that he has created, that he saw was good, in which he invites us to discover the redeeming power of his love to make him present by going out to meet the needs of others.

 

Concluding Prayer

℣. Let us pray:

Lord Jesus, guide us along your way so that we may be faithful to our identity and charism, becoming witnesses to the life of the Kingdom that you desire for us and that is already present among us because it is you yourself, and you are alive. Through Christ our Lord.

℟. Amen.                                                                                                                                                 

℣. Christ, ruling with truth and integrity,

℟. Thy Kingdom Come!

November 17, 2023 – Living My Encounter with Christ

 

 

 

 

 

Memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious

 

Luke 17:26-37

 

Jesus said to his disciples: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, someone who is on the housetop and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and likewise one in the field must not return to what was left behind. Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left.” They said to him in reply, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.”

 

Introductory Prayer: I believe in you, Lord, my companion and strength. I believe that you come out to meet me each day, asking me to depend more on you and less on creatures. I hope in you, Lord, as the one who fills my longing to love and be loved. I love you here and now with my prayer and with my desire to be faithful and generous in the little things you ask of me.

 

Petition: Lord, help me to put you first in my life.

 

  1. They Were Eating and Drinking: In the time of Noah and of Lot, God’s judgment was said to come down upon man. Yet the real moment of judgment for each one of us comes immediately upon our own death. It is then that the Kingdom will be fully revealed to us, and it will be decided whether we will be part of it or not. But it is in the course of my own life that my option for being received into the Kingdom is decided. God comes to me today. How will I respond? My response now and each day determines my eternal place in the Kingdom.

 

  1. Do Not Return to What Was Left Behind: In most disasters people have little chance to collect belongings; those who try are often lost as a result. The same will be true of the Final Judgment—or at our own death; when Jesus comes, will I be ready? What do I most cherish? What I must hold on to is my relationship with Christ. And this implies in so many ways losing “my life” here. Do I live with the attitude of losing my life a little more each day, detaching myself from things, activities and people, so as to be freer to love, serve and be with Christ?

 

  1. Where the Body Is: “Where, Lord?” the disciples ask; where will the day of the Son of Man take place? It will take place, says Jesus, wherever you are. Whether we die and encounter Christ in a personal judgment or are alive to encounter the Lord at his Second Coming and the Final Judgment, the reality is the same. Standing next to a saint or a sinner will not alter our fate. Who we know or what contacts we have will do little. Where we are in our relationship with Christ will be the only real determining factor. Where am I, Lord, today, in relationship with you? May this be my only concern!

 

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, increase my desire to live my life in close relation with you. Order all my activities according to your will, and my relationships according to your heart. “I want whatever you want, because you want it, the way you want it, as long as you want it” (Prayer of Pope Clement XI).

 

Resolution: I will give priority to my relationship with Christ. I will make prayer my first act today before every meal.

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Alex Kucera

Atlanta

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!