Thy Kingdom Come!
REGNUM CHRISTI
GENERAL DIRECTIVE COLLEGE
June 16, 2023
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
To all members of Regnum Christi, Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, and lay members
Dear friends in Christ,
Greetings on this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a feast so meaningful to all of us and a reminder that we are called to put him at the center of our lives.
We want to share the publication of the essay Married Life in Regnum Christi: Making the Kingdom Present with you. It was prepared by the Life and Mission area of the General Directorate, and it seeks to deepen the experience of this sacrament in the heart of our spiritual family. The purpose of this document is to offer all members, both married and unmarried, some reflections on marriage and how it relates to the charism of Regnum Christi. It is currently available in pdf format (English and Spanish) and audiobook podcast, and will soon be available in print.
The essay consists of three parts:
- The first chapter develops a reflection on the sacrament of marriage, the domestic church, how marriage is an effective sign of Christ’s love for his Church, and the presence of the Kingdom of Christ in the world.
- The second chapter is on the relationship between the sacrament of marriage and the charism of Regnum Christi. This chapter seeks to express how the charism of Regnum Christi is a gift for married people, helping them to discover their own identity as cultivators of the Kingdom of Christ and learn to live their communion with Christ more deeply, as the foundation of conjugal spirituality. It also contemplates the gift that marriage is for Regnum Christi and for the world since marriage is a luminous witness of Jesus Christ’s love for union and charity among the members of the family (cf. SRCF, 6) and a school of masculinity and femininity in reciprocal communion. It also explains the characteristic virtues of marriage: unconditional love, sacrificial self-giving, the capacities for listening and forgiveness, kindness, patience, understanding, service, and shared prayer. All of these are valuable witnesses and aids to the other vocations of Regnum Christi.
- The third chapter presents some practical guidelines on the relationship between marriage and the way of life proposed by Regnum Christi. It offers a visualization of how sections and localities can go out to meet married couples, providing them with the support and means necessary to facilitate the experience proposed.
Although marriages, and married life itself, have been present in the life and mission of Regnum Christi in different ways since its inception, this essay seeks to mature the ideas, proposals, and experiences that have existed in this core area of life in recent years, as the result of a long process of discernment and reflection. Thus, enlightened by the richness of the Church’s Magisterium, it seeks to offer guidance looking towards the future and encouragement for us to continue deepening our experience of this reality. We hope that this reflection will help us to value the gift of marriage even more and motivate us all to welcome and accompany each other vocationally so that, as a spiritual family we may help each other to live fully our baptismal vocation as witnesses of Christ’s love.
With our prayers and commending everyone to the Sacred Heart of Jesus,
The Regnum Christi General Directive College