Instituyó a doce para que estuvieran con él y para enviarlos a predicar
Las comunidades de apóstoles en el Regnum Christi
Instituyó a doce para que estuvieran con él y para enviarlos a predicar Read More »
January 9, 2026
Aquí estoy, porque me has llamado
Cultura, pastoral y promoción vocacional en el Regnum Christi
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Here I am, Because You Called Me!
Vocational Culture, Vocational Work, and Vocation Promotion in Regnum Christi
Every vocation – lay, married, consecrated, or priestly – springs from that personal love that God has for us and that he reveals to us in Jesus Christ; from the encounter with the Heart of Christ that calls, consoles, and sends us. “The personal experience of Christ’s love produces an interior urging in our hearts that impels us to passionate self-giving in order to make his Kingdom present.” (SRCF 10). As a spiritual family, we need to continue to deepen our knowledge of Christ, his heart, our identification with him, and how we welcome that call in our lives and in our communities.
This essay reflects in greater depth on how we live, understand, and promote life as a vocation in the different environments of Regnum Christi.
The Heart of Jesus continues to say today: “Come to me”. In accepting his invitation, may we renew our vocation and help others to do the same: “Here I am, send me” (Is 6:8)
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Communities of Apostles in Regnum Christi
He appointed twelve that they might be with him and he might send them forth to preach.
A community of apostles is a group of disciples who, gathered around Christ, are sent to make his Kingdom present in the world. Regnum Christi is a community of apostles that forms other communities of apostles. This identity, which defines and shapes our spirituality and mission, is rooted in the Gospel and in the experience of the first Christian communities. The goal of this essay is to shed light on this trait of Regnum Christi’s identity, starting from its biblical foundation, specifically the way in which the Lord acted during his public life with his disciples, in order to then apply this teaching to the daily life of our communities, according to the charism of Regnum Christi.
This path aims primarily to help communities renew their awareness of being sent out and to strengthen their bonds of communion, so they can discern how to respond, in their specific circumstances, to Christ’s call to be communities of apostles for today’s world.
Check back to purchase the book.
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St Marciana
Dear Marcia, I know that it is hard to keep living the demands of your faith in the middle of that decadent campus culture. I know that temptations ceaselessly assail you, and your defenses get worn down. (Of course, that’s why you should keep reading my emails every day.) But when fidelity to Jesus, our best and wisest friend, demands heroic efforts, it yields its most marvelous results. If you and your band of fellow Catholics fight bravely on, taking care firstly of your prayer and sacramental life, secondly of your duties as students and members of the campus community, and thirdly of your call to spread in creative and effective ways the truth of Christ, you will give our Lord opportunities to win over the hearts of those who don’t know him or have abandoned him. It is hard, I know, but it is the only thing worth striving for – fidelity to Jesus and his Church. Your namesake knew it, and she lived it. Perhaps recalling her example will encourage you. Marciana was from North Africa, you will remember, and when the Emperor Diocletian’s diabolical persecution of Christians broke out at the turn of the second century, she forfeited her enviable social position (with all the trimmings) in order to proclaim her loyalty to a higher Emperor, Jesus Christ. To wear her down (you see, you are not alone in feeling the wear and tear of staying faithful to our Lord), they beat her with clubs. When that didn’t work, they threw her to a group of hardened gladiators for their “entertainment.” Even then her chastity was miraculously defended, and one of the criminals was converted to the cause of Christ. Finally they made bloody sport of her by exposing her to a starved wild bull and a leopard in the local amphitheatre. She was torn to pieces, but died with the name of Jesus on her smiling lips. Think of her as you weather your own storms, and ask for her prayers. And be sure that just as her fidelity strengthened her fellow Christians and saved the soul of that brutal gladiator, so your fidelity will bear abundant and luscious supernatural fruit. Your affectionate uncle, Eddy
Ask a Priest: “Do Seminarians Need to Live in a Seminary?”
Q: I’m thinking of going to the seminary after college to pursue priesthood, but some factors are pulling me away. First, can I live outside of the seminary, and if not, can I go off campus at all? What are rules about watching TV and going on the Internet? How often will I get to see my family and friends outside of the seminary? Will my grades in college matter whether I get in? Can I have or own a phone? – B
Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC:
It’s good to hear about your interest in the priesthood.
My quick advice is to speak with a vocation director in your diocese or speak with your pastor or another priest you trust.
Seminarians generally need to live in a seminary; that’s part of their formation. In a seminary it’s easier to pray and to interact with priests and other seminarians and to get a feel for the life.
Preparation for the priesthood requires a certain level of intelligence, given the nature of the studies (philosophy, theology, etc.). In any case, if you go to college first, put your heart into your studies.
Seminarians go off campus at certain points, for ministry or family visits. And there is probably some kind of access to TV and the Internet in most seminaries.
But don’t get too focused on maintaining your comfort zone.
The priesthood is a demanding life, so you need to get accustomed to sacrificing your preferences early on.
A book you might want to get is To Save a Thousand Souls.
For now, intensify your prayer life and sacramental life. Try to attend daily Mass when you can and spend time in Eucharistic adoration.
I hope some of this helps. Count on my prayers.
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January 9, 2026 – Touch Me, Lord
Friday after Epiphany
Luke 5:12-16
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was; and when he saw Jesus, he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said, “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.” Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, “I do will it. Be made clean.” And the leprosy left him immediately. Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but “Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.” The report about him spread all the more, and great crowds assembled to listen to him and to be cured of their ailments, but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
Opening Prayer: Lord, I assume the position of the leper, prostrate before you, pleading with you to enlighten me and make relevant to my life this Scripture, as I reflect on the cure with which you blessed this man two thousand years ago.
Encountering Christ:
- Touch Me, Lord: The leper in this story broke lots of societal rules to obtain his cure from Jesus. First, he approached Jesus. Lepers at the time were forced to live apart from the community because they were considered unclean both physically and morally. Second, the leper failed to announce himself by declaring he was “unclean,” a requirement of the law. Third, the leper prostrated himself and worshiped (cf. Mt 8:2) a “man,” knowing that good Jews worshiped only God, never man. What courage he had! Or was it total desperation that motivated him? Jesus knew the leper’s mind and willed to make him clean. The scene recalls those closing moments at Benediction when, being blessed by the monstrance, Jesus reaches out to touch each one of us and then bless the whole world. No matter how “unclean” we are, whether we’re absolutely desperate or full of faith, Jesus will never hesitate to stretch out his hand to give us a restorative blessing.
- Prostration: Lepers were prohibited from carrying their contagion into inhabited places, much less prostrating themselves before anyone healthy. There’s something very beautiful about this man’s prostration before the Lord. Priests prostrate themselves as part of their ordination. They also prostrate themselves during the Good Friday liturgy. I’ve occasionally seen people prostrate themselves before the monstrance at our parish adoration chapel. Prostration evokes a prayerful attitude of humility. Whether prostrated, kneeling, or sitting in a favorite prayer chair, our bodily posture can put us in the proper disposition for prayer by helping to quiet our senses.
- A Pattern of Holiness: The last line of this Gospel reading tells us that Jesus interspersed chaotic preaching and healing ministry with times for solitude and prayer. We too live chaotic lives full of meaningful activity, all of which hopefully gives glory to God. But do we also schedule a regular time for solitude and prayer? By his example, Jesus teaches us that prayer—the deep, mental, focused, dedicated kind—is essential for living all other aspects of our lives in accordance with God’s will. Our worldly duties and responsibilities often scream for our attention while Jesus whispers, “I miss you. Have you prayed today?”
Conversing with Christ: Lord, I believe that you want to touch me profoundly each day when I pray, but it can be so hard to meet you there. Help me, Lord, to make my daily time of prayer habitual. I know that the blessings you shower upon me in my solitude with you help me to maximize the rest of my day and give glory to you.
Resolution: If I’m not praying regularly, today by your grace I will choose the best time of my day and “make a date” with the Lord. If I have a regular prayer time, I will review my habits to see how I can improve my attentiveness (hide the phone, set a timer, etc.).
For Further Reflection: I will review the four step structure for prayer laid out by Father Bartunek, LC in The Better Part:
- Concentrate
- Consider
- Converse
- Commit
Maribeth Harper celebrated paying the last tuition bill for her kids’ college by writing a book for parents who have college-aged young adults: A Spiritual Toolbox: Tips for Parenting through the First Year of College. She is a wife of thirty-five years, mother of four, and grandmother of twelve and counting.
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