November 21, 2023

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Ask a Priest

“Ask a Priest: What If I’m Tempted to Turn to Tarot Cards?”

Q: When things don’t go the way I hope they will (such as failing a class even when I try very hard), or when I feel distant from God, I often feel a temptation to deliberately sin (not against others, more against God’s law, such as lately dwelling on the idea of using tarot cards) just to provoke him or get his attention. So far, I haven’t actually done this, but I’m concerned that I might. Do you have any advice on how I might be able to deal healthily with this and resist sinning, instead of dwelling on and risking sinning, and also on how to persevere and stay faithful and keep hope that God is good even when things are not improving? Thank you, Father. — Emma

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It’s good to remember that God only wants your happiness and holiness.

If he allows difficulties in your life, it’s because he can bring something good out of them.

Failing a class can be a motivation for us to study harder, plan more systematically, or just be humbler.

You can be sure that God is close to you and knows what you are going through. You don’t need to get his attention; you as his beloved daughter already have it. Perhaps Our Lord wants you to show more patience and confidence in him.

It wouldn’t be a good idea to fool around with tarot cards. It could bring on some nasty problems.

The last thing you want to do is open a door to let the devil in your life. He proves to be a very disruptive guest.

What would be good is to start praying for an increase in faith and hope. Try to give thanks to God for one particular gift a day: your family, your health, your country, the food on your table.

Cultivating a spirit of gratitude will help you recall how much God showers his graces on you. This is a God who loves you dearly.

And stay close to the Blessed Virgin Mary through the rosary. She will intercede for you. Make use of the sacrament of confession, too; it’s a great source of grace. Count on my prayers.

 

“Ask a Priest: What If I’m Tempted to Turn to Tarot Cards?” Read More »

The Gift of a (Gr)Attitude Adjustment Present with a bow

The Gift of a (Gr)Attitude Adjustment

“I never met a bitter person who was thankful. Or a thankful person who was bitter.”  —Nick Vujicic

 

Gratitude is not just a polite obligation ingrained into us by our parents as we learn our manners. It’s a powerful and transformative gift from God, an attitude adjustment we all need multiple times daily.

 

Focusing on what we can be grateful for in any situation lets us experience our daily reality in a different way. It’s like going from treading water in the ocean waves to scuba diving below the surface and discovering a world of beauty that exists all around us, just out of sight. When we are grateful, we see more deeply into our lives, the world around us, and other people’s hearts, getting past the superficial and circumstantial. We discover hidden treasures that only gratitude can dig up. 

 

Here are five of them.

 

1.Something in us changes when we are grateful. A sense of gratitude, especially gratitude to God, gives us a peace and contentment that shifts our perspective on our lives. Gratitude is a powerful cure for when you’re irritated with someone or in a bad mood. Reframing our mindset to focus on what we are grateful for in the situation lifts our perspective and attitude. It calms us and helps us see things (and people) in a more positive light.

 

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil 4:6-7

 

2. Being grateful implies an essential truth: I am not alone. To be grateful means I am grateful to someone else, someone who has impacted me with goodness. I am connected to God and others, and I know it deep inside, no matter how alone I may feel in my daily circumstances.

 

 “To be grateful is to recognize the love of God in everything He has given us — and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.” – Thomas Merton

 

3. I am grateful for what I am given, not for something I have accomplished. Gratitude shows me that I need the help of God and others. I am not self-sufficient, no matter how I may be tempted by pride to see myself as the author of all the good that is in my life or as the sole accomplisher of all my achievements. Gratitude gently reminds my heart that this is not true and that I am loved for who I am, not for what I do.

 

 “If only everyone weak and imperfect like me felt as I do, no one would despair of reaching the heights of love, for Jesus does not ask for glorious deeds. He asks only for self-surrender and for gratitude.” – St. Therese of Lisieux

 

4. Being grateful means I am free. I am free to be thankful and to see the good around me regardless of any other circumstances in my life. Nothing can stop gratitude. It’s a prayer that breaks chains and allows us to lift our hearts to God no matter what situation we find ourselves in – joyful or sorrowful. Gratitude raises us above current events to be more present to the giver of all gifts.

 

 “Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint.” – Henri Nouwen

 

5. Being grateful builds hope in us. Taking a break for a ‘gratitude adjustment’ during my day often brings a smile to my face. If not always to my face, then at least to my heart. And the smile is the promise of hope. I am loved by God, who reaches into me, into my life, into the world around me, and makes all things work for good. And I can confidently trust that he isn’t going to stop doing that.

 

“Remember the past with gratitude. Live the present with enthusiasm. Look forward to the future with confidence.” – Pope St. John Paul II

The Gift of a (Gr)Attitude Adjustment Read More »

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Dear Virgil,

I think your résumé looks just fine, though I would increase the font size on the left hand column if I were you.  Other than that, no changes.  A thought occurred to me while I was reading over it: how little of you really comes through.  I happen to know you quite well, and thanks to our correspondence over the years, I am also familiar with all the various achievements and positions you mention in your résumé.  The ones that appear most impressive on paper are the ones that were actually most tedious in reality!  And the experiences that have really shaped your character and your spirit (like our pilgrimage to Our Lady Guadalupe, that fishing trip to Alaska with your dad, and your years as an altar boy in the Cathedral) don’t even make it onto the list at all.  Ah, the irony of this crazy world…  I’m not too worried about you and your senior year job search; I am confident that you have discerned the proper priorities in life and have the metal to live in accordance with them no matter where you end up (as long as you keep on praying and going to confession regularly, that is).  Nevertheless, I would suggest that you take advantage of today’s feast in order to renew your awareness of God’s perspective on your résumé.

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin in the Temple is one of those odd memorials that sneaked into the liturgy even though there is little historical evidence supporting the actual fact of the occurrence.  Some of the apocryphal (non-canonical) Gospels depict the scene, describing how Joachim and Anne (Mary’s parents) took the child Mary to the Temple when she was three years old, and the priest kissed and blessed her, and she danced on the altar’s steps, and she stayed there in the Temple from then on, serving the Lord until her betrothal to Joseph.  Only later in the game (sixth century in the East and eleventh century in the West) did the commemoration become regular and widespread. But even so, it reminds us of an undeniable spiritual truth: God has a plan for each of our lives from the very beginning of our existence.  He doesn’t create us and than later on try and come up with something for us to do.  Not at all.  In his mind, our lives are one with our mission within the Church.  Just as a master architect knows in advance how every stone will fit into the Cathedral and oversees the production of every detail of the edifice, so our Lord makes each of us with a particular mission in mind.  The drama of life, then, consists in freely discovering and embracing this plan, this unique mission that only I can fulfill, this singular role that only I can play in the history of salvation.  The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary illustrates this truth by showing how her special place in God’s story was known even before she had reached the age of reason.  Thanks be to God she decided to cooperate fully in her mission once she did reach the age of reason.

So every time you send out that résumé of yours, and every time you get a letter back, remind yourself that God has something he’s hoping you’ll do in life, and you’ll experience incomparable fulfillment and meaning if you discover and embrace it.

Your loving uncle,

Eddy

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Read More »

November 21, 2023 – Jesus Is My Guest

 

 

 

 

 

Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Luke 19:1-10

 

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.” And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

 

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are the Alpha and the Omega. You have given me life and offer me eternal life with you. You deserve my honor, gratitude, and love, and yet you never impose yourself upon me. Thank you for respecting my freedom so that I can offer myself to you. All that I have is yours; I return it to you.

 

Petition: Lord, increase my faith.

 

  1. Zacchaeus up a Tree: Yesterday and today’s Gospel passages speak eloquently of the need to encounter Christ at all costs. The blind man we read about yesterday would not stop shouting until he was brought to the Lord. Today a short and very unpopular man named Zacchaeus runs back and forth among the crowd until finally, in his determination to encounter Christ, he breaks all protocol and scrambles up a tree. Jesus wastes no time in entering this tax collector’s life decisively and transforming it. This resembles our own encounter with Christ. At times different obstacles stand in our way and prevent us from seeing Our Lord and his action in our lives. Above all we lack determination. How easy it is to craft excuses: “I am just too short,” “Maybe Jesus is too busy,” “I am just a sinner.” If we really want Our Lord to stay at our house, he will, but there may be trees that we need to climb first.

 

  1. Welcoming Jesus: Few people ever welcomed Jesus with the joy and exuberance as did this little man. He came down from the tree, gave half of his wealth to the poor, and promised to restore any fraudulent transactions four times over. Zacchaeus has truly been like that merchant in search of fine pearls (cf. Mt 13:45-46). He is willing to sell all he has to buy the pearl of great price: friendship and intimacy with the Lord. How many times has Jesus looked up at us and asked us to remain with him? How many times have we had the immense grace of receiving the King of Kings into our hearts in the Blessed Eucharist? Do we offer merely a corner of our hearts for him, or do we reserve the presidential suite? How pure do we maintain our souls for our Guest?

 

  1. Of Sinners and Saints: What makes someone a saint and someone else a sinner? Certainly, it is not the grumbling of the jealous crowd who are unwilling to climb up the tree to see Jesus yet are quick to criticize anyone who does. In fact, everyone is a sinner. St. Paul writes, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Of these I am the foremost” (1 Tim 1:15). Yet St. Paul, Zacchaeus, you and I all go from being sinners to saints when we encounter Christ and are faithful to his friendship. Salvation came to Zacchaeus’ house when Jesus entered it, and salvation comes to us through the graces received at baptism, renewed in the Sacrament of Penance, and nurtured in the Eucharist.

 

Conversation with Christ: Jesus, help me to be willing to do whatever it takes to grow in a deeper friendship with you. Don’t allow me to worry about the murmurings of the crowd, but only to listen to your voice and respond to it with generosity.

 

Resolution: I will make a point to go to confession at the next possible opportunity, asking Jesus to forgive me my sins and to help me to turn from being a sinner into being a saint. I will make it a real encounter with Jesus.

November 21, 2023 – Jesus Is My Guest Read More »

Scroll to Top

Looking for another country?

RC Near You

News & Resources

News & Resources

The Regnum Christi Mission

The Regnum Christi Identity

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!