Saturday April 20
Gospel
Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:5-6).
From the Magisterium
To walk together is the constitutive way of the Church; the figure that enables us to interpret reality with the eyes and heart of God; the condition for following the Lord Jesus and being servants of life in this wounded time. The breath and the pace of the Synod show what we are, and the dynamism of communion that animates our decisions. Only from this perspective can we truly renew our pastoral ministry and adapt it to the mission of the Church in today’s world; only in this way can we address the complexity of this time, thankful for the journey accomplished thus far, and determined to continue it with parrhesia (…) on this path we will be able to reshape our proclamation, which radiates first of all with charity. Let us move with the confidence of one who also knows that this time is a kairos, a time of grace inhabited by the Spirit of the Risen One: we bear the responsibility of recognizing Him, receiving Him and to following Him obediently (Pope Francis, Address to the Italian Episcopal Conference, May 22, 2017).
Prayer (all together)
Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!
Sunday April 21
Gospel
As he continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met [him]. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voice, saying, “Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!” And when he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice (Luke 17:12-15).
From the Magisterium
We would do well to set aside our own outer armor, our defensive barriers, and take a good bath of humility, mindful that all of us are vulnerable within and in need of healing. All of us are brothers and sisters. Let us remember this: the Christian faith always asks us to walk alongside others, never to be solitary wayfarers. Faith always urges us to move beyond ourselves and towards God and our brothers and sisters, never to remain enclosed within ourselves. Faith invites us to acknowledge constantly that we are in need of healing and forgiveness, and to share in the frailty of those who are near to us, without feeling ourselves superior (Pope Francis, Homily, October 9, 2022).
Prayer (all together)
Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!
Monday April 22
Gospel
I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
From the Magisterium
It means learning to find Jesus in the faces of others, in their voices, in their pleas. And learning to suffer in the embrace of the crucified Jesus whenever we are unjustly attacked or meet with ingratitude, never tiring of our decision to live in fraternity. There indeed we find true healing, since the way to relate to others which truly heals instead of debilitating us, is a mystical fraternity, a contemplative fraternity. It is a fraternal love being, of tolerating the nuisances of life in common by clinging to the love of God, of opening the heart to divine love and seeking the happiness of others just as their heavenly Father does. Here and now, especially where we are a “little flock” (Luke 12:32), the Lord’s disciples are called to live as a community which is the salt of the earth and the light of the world (see Matthew 5:13-16). We are called to bear witness to a constantly new way of living together in fidelity to the Gospel. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of community! (Evangelii Gaudium, 91-92).
Prayer (all together)
Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!
Tuesday April 23
Gospel
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means Teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon (John 1:38-39).
From the Magisterium
It is so important to be able to discern: great choices can arise from circumstances that at first sight seem secondary, but turn out to be decisive. For example, let us think of Andrew and John’s first encounter with Jesus, an encounter that stems from a simple question: “Rabbi, where do you live?” — “Come and see”, says Jesus (see John 1:38-39). A very brief exchange, but it is the beginning of a change that, step by step, will mark their whole life. Years later, the Evangelist will continue to remember that encounter that changed him forever, and he will even remember the time: ‘It was about four o’clock in the afternoon’ (v. 39). It is the hour when time and the eternal met in his life. And in a good decision, correct, there is an encounter between God’s will and our will; there is an encounter between the present path and the eternal. Making the right decision, after a path of discernment, is to make this encounter: time with eternity. (Pope Francis, Catechesis on Discernment, August 31, 2022).
Prayer (all together)
Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!
Wednesday April 24
Scripture
The Lord God gave the man this order: You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. From that tree you shall not eat; when you eat from it you shall die (Genesis 2:16-17).
From the Magisterium
We’ve often had this experience: choosing something that we thought was good and wasn’t. Or to know what our true good was and not to choose it. Man, unlike animals, can make mistakes, he may not want to choose correctly. The Bible proves this from its very first pages. God gives man a precise instruction: if you want to live, if you want to enjoy life, remember that you are a creature, that you are not the criterion of good and evil, and that the choices you make will have a consequence, for yourself, for others and for the world (see Genesis 2:16-17); You can turn the earth into a magnificent garden, or you can turn it into a desert of death. A fundamental teaching: it is no coincidence that it is the first dialogue between God and man. The dialogue is: the Lord gives the mission, you must do this and this; And man at every step he takes must discern what decision to make. Discernment is that reflection of the mind, of the heart that we must make before making a decision (Francis, Catechesis on Discernment, August 31, 2022).
Prayer (all together)
Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!
Thursday April 25
Gospel
I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you (John 16:12-14).
From the Magisterium
Discernment is demanding but indispensable for living. It requires that I know myself, that I know what is good for me here and now. Above all, it requires a filial relationship with God. God is Father and He does not leave us alone, He is always willing to advise us, to encourage us, to welcome us. But He never imposes His will. Why? Because He wants to be loved and not feared. And also, God wants children, not slaves: free children. And love can only be lived in freedom. To learn to live, one must learn to love, and for this it is necessary to discern: what can I do now, faced with this alternative? Let it be a sign of greater love, of greater maturity in love. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to guide us! Let us invoke Him every day, especially when we have choices to make (Francis, Catechesis on Discernment, August 31, 2022).
Prayer (all together)
Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!
Friday April 26
Gospel
Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
From the Magisterium
I dream of a “missionary option”, that is, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that the Church’s customs, ways of doing things, times and schedules, language and structures can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world rather than for her self-preservation. The renewal of structures demanded by pastoral conversion can only be understood in this light: as part of an effort to make them more mission-oriented, to make ordinary pastoral activity on every level more inclusive and open, to inspire in pastoral workers a constant desire to go forth and in this way to elicit a positive response from all those whom Jesus summons to friendship with himself. As John Paul II once said to the Bishops of Oceania: “All renewal in the Church must have mission as its goal if it is not to fall prey to a kind of ecclesial introversion” (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 27).
Prayer (all together)
Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!
Saturday April 27
Gospel
It was already late and his disciples approached him and said, “This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” He said to them in reply, “Give them some food yourselves.” But they said to him, “Are we to buy two hundred days’ wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?” (Mark 6:35-37).
From the Magisterium
I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security. I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and which then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning and a goal in life. More than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: “Give them something to eat” (Mark 6:37). (Evangelii Gaudium, 49)
Prayer (all together)
Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!
Sunday April 28
Gospel
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another. (John 15:16-17).
From the Magisterium
Though it is true that this mission demands great generosity on our part, it would be wrong to see it as a heroic individual undertaking, for it is first and foremost the Lord’s work, surpassing anything which we can see and understand. Jesus is “the first and greatest evangelizer.” In every activity of evangelization, the primacy always belongs to God, who has called us to cooperate with him and who leads us on by the power of his Spirit. The real newness is the newness which God himself mysteriously brings about and inspires, provokes, guides and accompanies in a thousand ways. The life of the Church should always reveal clearly that God takes the initiative, that “he has loved us first” (1 John 4:19) and that he alone “gives the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). This conviction enables us to maintain a spirit of joy in the midst of a task so demanding and challenging that it engages our entire life. God asks everything of us, yet at the same time he offers everything to us (Evangelii Gaudium, n. 12).
Prayer (all together)
Jesus Christ, gathered in your name as a spiritual family and apostolic body, we place ourselves in your presence. You have revealed to us the mystery of the love that burns in your Apostolic Heart for all people, and your desire to reign in our souls and in society. We feel called to know the gift of Regnum Christi more deeply so that it may be fruitful in our lives and in the world. We ask you to send your Spirit: may he be a light to understand our charism with mind and heart, and to be always ready to respond to the needs of the Church and the world as apostles of your Kingdom. Following Mary’s example, we want to discover and welcome the action of your Spirit, accepting your plan with faith and singing your praise for the great works you have done and continue to do. Lord Jesus, you are the center of our lives. With renewed love, today we say to you: Christ our King! Thy Kingdom Come!
