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RC DAILY MEDITATIONS
RC DAILY MEDITATIONS

January 21, 2025

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Ask a Priest

“Ask a Priest: What Can I Do to Evangelize More?”

/ Ask a Priest
Q: I want to spread the word of God daily, but I have a lot of fear that results in my anxiety. I’ve started small by putting on my account in Discord (a social media website), “Thank God for another day.” I think that’s good, but should I do more? How much should I do? I can’t keep letting my spirit of fear hang onto me. I’m ready to break out! Any advice? – Joshua

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A: It’s great that you want to spread the Word of God.

You speak of your fears and anxiety. That might be an issue that needs deeper attention than can be offered through an e-mail.

For now, let’s focus on your desire to evangelize.

Here you want to remember that it’s the Holy Spirit who does the heavy work. The Spirit works best when he has something to work with.

In practice that means you need to cultivate a solid prayer life and sacramental life.

Also crucial is to form yourself. That is, learn your faith well. This won’t happen overnight, but with a plan you can progress steadily.

A few suggestions:

Read the Youth Catechism (YouCat) and/or the Compendium of the Catechism and/or the Catechism itself.

Make Scripture reading a part of each day. You might begin with the Gospels and the other books of the New Testament, then work your way through the Pentateuch and the historical books of the Old Testament.

Worthwhile biblical resources include Father Mike Schmitz’s “Bible in a Year” videos (on YouTube) and Jeff Cavins’ Bible Timeline.

A fine resource for apologetics questions is the Catholic Answers site. Another site worth considering is that of St. Paul Street Evangelization.

Also, tune in to Catholic radio. Let Church teaching seep into your bones. Then it will be easier and more natural for you to share the faith.

Start doing some or all these steps, and the Spirit will guide you down the path of evangelization. Count on my prayers.

 

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Inexplicably Drawn to Jesus

/ Regnum Christi News, Weekly Message, Weekly Message Blog

Dear Friends,

 

How many times have we read the accounts of the feeding of the multitude in the Gospels?

Hundreds, I am sure. What caught my attention recently was not the presentation of the miracle, but what happened before it. Jesus and the Apostles had slipped away on a boat to eat and rest, but the crowds raced on ahead of them from all the towns, and when Jesus saw the crowd, he “had pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

I pondered what drew the crowds to Jesus? What made them follow him for miles without human provisions? My mind drew forth two distinct memories where I am certain Jesus took pity on me.

One was a mission I did in Haiti shortly after the devastating earthquake of 2010.  We were serving in the poorest community I have ever seen. The suffering of the people was so great, but the presence of Jesus was even greater. I was hungry, tired, hot and my body ached from hours on my feet, holding small children, carrying supplies etc. Despite my discomfort, I didn’t want to “risk” leaving and, perhaps, lose the presence of the Lord so palpable in the moment. Maybe the followers in the Gospel felt the same. Maybe they feared that if they returned to the cities to eat and rest, they might sever what was drawing them to Jesus.  

I remembered, too, a moment during adoration where the Lord was very present to my soul, and my phone was vibrating, reminding me of a pending work obligation I had to keep. I didn’t want to leave and miss this intimate time with Jesus and felt tears stinging my eyes as I packed up to return to work. I can’t to this day remember anything of the time in prayer except the huge pull on my heart to remain.

In our Gospel story, I am certain that Jesus touched hearts like no one had before.  Some felt truly “known” for the first time. For others, a light inside of them was lit, and the fear of turning back threatened a return to the darkness in which they lived before meeting Jesus. I assure everyone reading this reflection that Jesus knows our hearts. He knows we are inexplicably drawn to him, and he is drawn to us.

Yours in the Heart of Jesus,

Donna

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January 21, 2025 – Eyes Fixed on My King

/ Daily Meditations

 

 

 

 

Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

 

 

Mark 2:23-28

 

As Jesus was passing through a field of grain on the Sabbath, his disciples began to make a path while picking the heads of grain. At this the Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” He said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and he and his companions were hungry? How he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of offering that only the priests could lawfully eat, and shared it with his companions?” Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”

 

Opening Prayer: Lord, every day I come to you and every day you have something new to show me. I know that I need your word today so I can be strengthened for the mission you have for me. Help me be penetrated and transformed by your word.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

  1. David Ate the Bread of the Offering: As often happens in the Gospels, Jesus was challenged because he didn’t observe the Sabbath as strictly as the Pharisees thought he ought to. In this case, his response had a special twist to it. Instead of encouraging the Pharisees to be more humble or have more faith, Jesus compared himself to David, who made an exception to the law for himself and his companions by virtue of his kingship. We can imagine that this comparison was shocking to the Pharisees. But Jesus didn’t say this by accident. He wanted to reveal to them, his disciples, and to me that he is greater than David. He is the fulfillment that David was only meant to point to as a prophet. David was a preparation for the true King who would surpass him infinitely in power and authority.                                                                                                                                                                                                    
  2. The Sabbath Was Made for Man: Jesus was teaching us about the meaning of the Sabbath. If we were made for the Sabbath, we are meant to serve it, respect it, and honor it. But Jesus tells us that the Sabbath was made for us. Our Sunday observances—Mass attendance, time with family, rest and refreshment—are supposed to help us grow in holiness, in our relationship with God. How well do we observe the Sabbath?                                                        
  3. The Son of Man Is Lord of the Sabbath: Jesus was using this occasion to reveal his Kingship, to reveal his authority, and to reveal himself also as Lord of the Sabbath. He clearly and unequivocally wants to be King of our lives. When is Our Lord not our King?—when we harbor false idols. The Pharisees had made idols of their religious practices, requiring the people to follow hundreds of dos and don’ts. The letter of the law was more important to them than the spirit of the law. We can make idols of almost anything, including our own religious practices. Perhaps Jesus is asking us here to purify our intentions with every action we take and every word we speak. May our hearts always be oriented toward him!

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for giving me your friendship! Thank you for teaching me not to get lost in the many little practices that make up my devotion to you, so much so that I could lose sight of you and your friendship. Help me to observe Sundays in a way that glorifies you and truly refreshes me.

 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will make a conscientious effort to focus my eyes on you as my King and my friend, and not have an attitude of accomplishing my prayer for the sake of fulfilling a commitment.

 

For Further Reflection: In Introduction to a Devout Life, chapter II, St. Francis de Sales exhorts us to use the imagination in prayer: https://ccel.org/ccel/desales/devout_life/devout_life.iv.ii.html.

 

Fr. Adam Zettel, LC, was ordained in 2017 and worked for three years as a high school chaplain in Dallas, Texas. Now he resides in Oakville, Ontario, serving youth and young adults.

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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!