March 4, 2024

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

Blessed Placide Viel

Dear Valerie,

Stress and anxiety, my very dear niece, have a remedy.  Well, maybe “remedy” is not the best word.  We can’t completely eliminate them in this life anymore than soldiers can be completely freed from tension as long as a war is still going on.  But we can harness them; you can find a deep, constant, flowing peace of heart even in the middle of life’s struggles and demands.  And today’s saint shows you how.

Her aunt, St Marie Madeliene Postel, founded the Sisters of the Christian Schools.  From an early age, Placide (her name before joining her aunt’s Congregation was Eulalie) felt a mysterious attraction to her aunt and the work she was undertaking.

But Placide’s family was poor – peasant farmers.  And his humble background only exacerbated her naturally shy temperament, making her an unlikely candidate for Aunt Marie’s group of nuns.  Even so, and even though she had had no schooling, her aunt let her join the Congregation when she was 18.  After a few years of formation she worked in the administration of some of their schools, and proved so diligent and virtuous that she was made assistant-general for the whole Order when only 26.  As you can imagine, such a public post painfully grated against her retiring temperament.  Add to that the indignant envy of some of the older sisters and you have a perfect recipe for stress and anxiety.

To make matters worse, she was named second superior general of the Order when her aunt died.  She was only 31.  She held the post for the next 30 years.  During that time she not only had to win over the envious nuns by heroic, persevering charity, but she had to devote much of her time to raising funds for the fledgling Congregation.  That required a steady string of appointments with the most illustrious figures of French society – for a shy peasant girl from Normandy, nothing could have been more stressful.

Besides fundraising, she ran the Order’s convents, orphanages, nursery and elementary schools.  She opened 36 new schools, and she secured papal approval for the Order.  She passed away having worked herself to death tending wounded soldiers during the Franco-Prussian war.

The circumstances of her life were as rough as a stormy sea.  She knew what stress and anxiety were all about.  But she also knew that she was fulfilling God’s will.  That simple fact enabled her to find strength and joy, way down in the ocean depths of her heart.  That’s the secret.  If you know you’re doing God’s will, if you know you’re where he wants you to be, no amount of stress or anxiety can disturb the peace of the inner chamber of your heart.  They just can’t get in; the door’s locked with one of those “do not disturb” signs on that doorknob – at least, that’s the case when you really love God.

Your loving uncle,

Eddy

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March 4, 2024 – Unwelcome Homecoming

 

 

 

 

Monday of the Third Week of Lent

 

 

Luke 4:24-30

 

Jesus said to the people in the synagogue at Nazareth: “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But he passed through the midst of them and went away.

 

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, as I prepare for Easter during this Lenten season, I turn to you once again in prayer. I believe that you are my Creator and that you have created me to know, love, and serve you. I believe that you want to help me fulfill my purpose in life; that is why you came to earth to suffer and die. I offer you my prayer today as a small token of my gratitude, a small token of my desire to live my life for you. I know that sometimes I can let things get between us. Now, during this time of prayer, I want to give all my attention to you so that you—and not my egoism or passions—may govern my life choices.

 

Petition: Lord, help me to have the humility to accept your will for my life.

 

  1. No Special Privileges: Jesus’ fellow townsmen are upset with Jesus for pointing out that there were times in history that God showed his favor to Gentiles and not just Jews. They are upset because they had put their security in their Jewish heritage and the promises made to their people through the Patriarchs. They want to think that because they are Jews somehow God must show them more favor than the Gentiles. We, too, can make this mistake. We think that because we belong to this or that organization, or because we have this or that position, somehow God must give us more attention and special privileges. Isn’t this often the cause of indignation in our lives? We are upset when we do not receive preferential treatment. We think that we are deserving of more. Does that indignation ever grow so strong that I try to rid myself of Christ?

 

  1. Seeking God’s Blessings: Why did God send Elijah to help the widow in Zarephath and Elisha to cleanse Naaman the Syrian? Surely it was not because they were more important or holier people. God chose them because they welcomed him. The widow in Zarephath happily went to fetch Elijah a drink of water when he asked for it and obediently gave him the last of the food she had. Naaman repented from his indignation and went to bathe in the Jordan as Elisha told him to do. God gives his gifts to those who welcome him.

 

  1. Willful Acceptance of Christ: Christ is perhaps too familiar to his townsmen. They are not able to recognize who he really is. They are upset with the way he speaks, and so they do not accept him. Will I accept Christ in my life? Perhaps he is too familiar to me. I think I know who he is. Perhaps I am unwilling to accept his teachings. Perhaps I am indignant that he has blessed others more than me. The people of Nazareth tried to throw Jesus over a cliff, but they could not get rid of him. Their assault was futile. Christ simply walked away. Christ cannot be gotten rid of. Perhaps there are times in my life when I want to get rid of Christ, but I can never destroy or blot him out of existence. He is always there waiting for me to accept him.

 

Conversation with Christ: Lord, please help me so that my ideas about how things should be will not cloud my vision of who you are. As I prepare for the approaching Easter, help me to purify myself of all egoism, sensuality, vanity, and pride so that I can accept your love with an open heart.

 

Resolution: I will look for an instance during the day when I can welcome Christ’s teaching into my life.

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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!