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RC DAILY MEDITATIONS
RC DAILY MEDITATIONS

“Ask a Priest: Does God send people into my life, or is it free will?”

Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC
Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Ask a Priest
Q: I consider myself religious and believe god has a plan for us with regards to who he brings in and out of our lives .
But I have a question. On earth, do each of us have free will to do what we want ?
Does God control people’s actions ? Or do we all have free will?
How can I know that God will place people in my life for a reason without it just being their free will to come and go ? Which is it?

Answered by Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC

A:

Thanks for your note.
It might help to think of life like a football game.
God gives us a rulebook (the Commandments, etc.), but he doesn’t micromanage every play. He lets the quarterback (each of us) call the plays.
We certainly have free will. God can work with that to bring about certain things. It could happen that he sends little inspirations here and there to nudge people in a general direction.
But our free will remains. That is why we are responsible for our sins. God won’t force his will on us.
That’s an answer in a nutshell, but one that I hope is helpful.

 

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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!