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RC DAILY MEDITATIONS
RC DAILY MEDITATIONS
Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

St Henry II

/ Uncle Eddy

Dear Hank, Your sense of relief is somewhat disturbing.  I commend you for your generosity in giving God and the Church the first chance, but now that two years of seminary have made it clear to the rector that God is not calling you to the religious life or the priesthood, that doesn’t mean you’re “off the hook,” as you half-jokingly put it in your last note.  However you end up putting your considerable talents to use, your first obligation remains holiness; just because God is not calling you to the cloister does not mean he is not calling you to be a saint. As a matter of fact, he needs you to be a saint; how will you be able to fulfill the mission in his Kingdom that he has reserved just for you if you fail in your relationship with God?  St Henry never made that mistake (happy saint’s day, by the way), and I beg him to give you enough prayer cover so you don’t either. They say that Henry once approached the abbot of a monastery in Verdun, France (the Holy Roman Empire at the time included parts of modern Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungry, and France – the poor Emperor had a lot on his agenda) and entreated him to let him make a vow of obedience and become a monk.  The abbot accepted his vow of obedience and then proceeded to order him (under obedience) to continue ruling the Empire in a way worthy of and pleasing to God. So he returned to the throne and wielded his considerable power strictly to serve the good of his subjects, establishing new churches, rectifying church-state relations, uprooting corruption, providing for the peace and security necessary for prosperity – in short, dispatching the duties of his office in accordance with his status as a child of God and soldier of Christ.  When he died at the young age of 54 and met his Lord (the real Emperor) face to face, then he received the true, everlasting crown, which he had won by his fidelity to God’s will. So you see, my dear nephew, the great adventure of your life is just beginning; vacation won’t come until you get to heaven. Your devoted Uncle, Eddy

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26-07-13-DM

July 13, 2026 – A Love That Is Worthy of Jesus

/ Daily Meditations

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

 

Matthew 10:34-11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

Opening Prayer: Lord, I pray that I may value and put my friendship with you before every other human attachment or relationship, confident of your love and your faithfulness.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Stirring: Jesus isn’t afraid to stir things up. He calls out and challenges us to sincerely choose, which can cause a real struggle in our hearts every day. Out of love for us, he is jealous for our absolute allegiance. Jesus wants us to put no other security, dependence, or attachment before our friendship with him. He knows nothing can compare to the profound happiness and fulfillment that comes from intimacy with God alone. Jesus is how God restores his friendship with fallen humanity. He seeks us out. “Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything” (Pope Benedict XVI).

     

  2. Taking Up the Cross: Christ’s demands can seem tough. To be a follower of Christ requires a capacity for self-denial and total trust in him. Yet, Jesus never asks us to do more or give up more than what his grace can sustain or provide for. To be faithful to his will, we must embrace the necessary difficulty and hardship. We look at Jesus who has gone before us carrying the Cross. We must take up our crosses, leaning on his promise to walk with us and never leave our side.

     

  3. Giving and Receiving: At the end of illustrating what it takes to be one of his followers, Jesus points out what should be our motivation for attracting others to Christ. Only if we are convinced that an encounter with Christ is what every heart needs will we be able to find the strength to overcome any nervousness, hesitancy, or fear to introduce others to Christ. Anyone who knows me should be getting to know the love of Christ through my virtue, goodness, and charity.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, you talk about rewards for those who persevere in carrying the cross. Through your suffering, I gained eternal life. There can be no more worthy task than offering my crosses so others may know you. Help me to be a faithful friend by accepting your will and holding nothing back in reflecting your goodness and love to others.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will go out of my comfort zone to extend an invitation to someone to get to know you better by sharing with them a book on prayer, inviting them to join me to pray, visit a church, or attend Mass.

For Further Reflection: Delve deeper by reading more from Pope Benedict’s homily, April 24, 2005: “Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that he might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? And once again the Pope said: No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ—and you will find true life. Amen.”

Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.

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Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

St Veronica

/ Uncle Eddy

Dear Nicky, Thank you for trying so hard to send me that beef jerky (funny how you remembered my immense like for that low-regarded delicacy).  Unfortunately, the guards gleefully waved it over the edge of my cubicle and then fed it to a rather unimpressive canine companion that they enjoy abusing.  I am certain it was heartily enjoyed. The amazing thing, of course, is that the package got here at all; such a sketchy address: “Uncle Eddy – Imprisoned somewhere near Moravia or Muhurtsia.”  I can only chalk it up to a miracle, born of your sincere love for our Lord and heartfelt compassion for his poor unworthy disciples like myself. It is positively uncanny that such a miracle would have happened today, of all days, your birthday and your saint’s day.  It was just such a miracle that made your namesake famous. To be completely honest, many people doubt that the incident ever even occurred, but I’m not one of them.  In fact, a curious and little known association lends credence to the story that has come down to us through the ages.  You are familiar with the sixth Station of the Way of the Cross, where the holy woman Veronica wipes Jesus’ bloody, sweaty, dirty, battered, and hardly recognizable face with a cloth, and she later discovers that he had rewarded her by imprinting on it the image of his sacred visage.  Now, in some dubious histories of the early Church published in the fourth and fifth centuries, this Veronica is identified with the woman whom Jesus cured from a hemorrhage (she was the one that touched the hem of his garment; if you don’t remember go back to Mark’s Gospel, Chapter 5).  In the East, this woman with a hemorrhage was called “Berenike,” independently of any associations with the image of the Holy Face. The name “Berenike” bears a remarkable auditory resemblance to the name “Veronica,” doesn’t it? And would it be hard to believe that someone who received so much from the Lord would not want to be close to him and comfort him during his own sufferings?  And would it be inappropriate for our Lord to teach Christians for all time to come (by the reward of a holy image) how greatly he appreciates the slightest service rendered him out of love? And to top it all off, Veronica’s cloth (the one that lays claim to being Veronica’s at any rate) has long been kept as a relic in the Basilica of St Peter in Rome (now it is reputed to be in a Church in northern Italy) … It’s not a dogma of faith or anything, and it doesn’t really matter too much if the facts are really facts (though I like to think they are).  The important thing is that you have learned your namesake’s lesson – you have learned to recognize and serve Christ even when he appears under the most shocking of guises, like that of a distant relative (me) wasting away because of imprudence and miscalculation.  Keep on keeping the faith, my beloved niece, and he will bless many souls by your hands. Love, Uncle Eddy

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26-07-12-DM

July 12, 2026 – Sowing and Growing

/ Daily Meditations

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

Matthew 13:1-23

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them. But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, may my heart be always open to receive your word and to find in the Scriptures food for my soul, so that in knowing you I can be an instrument of your grace for the world.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Always Sowing and Growing: Jesus came to establish his Kingdom. He desires that the seed of his truth, love, and mercy take root and grow in every heart, family, and community. With absolute confidence, he is always sowing, knowing that his Kingdom will endure and withstand any obstacle. As to where the seed falls and what type of soil it takes root in, this is up to us. Jesus wants the soil of our hearts to be fertile. Since the Kingdom of Christ is alive and is always taking root and growing, how in my heart is this soil rocky, thorny, or rich to receive it?

     

  2. What Do We Hear and See: Jesus’ presence and the words he spoke were appealing, enthralling, and mesmerizing to so many. He spoke of the mysteries of heaven using parables, not to convince minds, but to open and change hearts. He invites us to recognize him in his Lordship not as a wielding or forceful commander, but as a gentle, hidden, and quiet presence within the recesses of our hearts. We understand, “To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Mt 13:12) as the seed of his Word dwelling within us.

     

  3. The Fruit and the Yield: From a seed, the word that is heard and understood bears in our hearts fruit that is out of proportion to its humble beginnings and our efforts. This truth reminds us that our faithfulness to the movements of grace in our souls has eternal consequences. Souls that are filled with Christ’s love are spreading God’s goodness far and wide, and the full effects will only be known in heaven. In our daily endeavors, let us always labor with the hope of future fruits for the Kingdom of Christ.

Conversing with Christ: Open my ears and my heart, Lord, to see and think of things not according to my earthy perspective but according to your grace. Let not the scandal of seeing the weeds surprise or discourage me, but rather strengthen my resolve to accept your will and seek to do good in whatever way I can today. Help me to be patient, not to worry, and to trust you are in control through your Word taking root and bearing fruit in my life.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace, I will spend an extra moment reflecting and noting in my journal the ways your grace is growing in my soul, within my family, and in my community.

For Further Reflection: Delve deeper with this video on The Parable of the Sower by Fr. John Bartunek, LC from “Strength of Thousands: A Retreat Guide on the Sacrament of Confirmation,” a free, do-it-yourself retreat available in video format, audio, and PDF download. 

Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.

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Weekly Digest of the Regnum Christi Daily Meditations: July 12th – July 19th, 2026

/ Weekly Meditations

WEEKLY DIGEST OF rc
DAILY MEDITATIONS

Week July 12 - July 19, 2026

Sunday, July 12, 2026 – Sowing and Growing

Monday, July 13, 2026 – A Love That Is Worthy of Jesus

Tuesday, July 14, 2026 – Reproach for Repentance

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 – Revealed to the Childlike

Thursday, July 16, 2026 – The Yoke of His Mercy

Friday, July 17, 2026 – Desire for Mercy

Saturday, July 18, 2026 – Selfless Servant

Sunday, July 19, 2026 – Weeds in Good Soil

July 12, 2026 – Sowing and Growing

26-07-12-DM

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 13:1-23

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” The disciples approached him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” He said to them in reply, “Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away. This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says: You shall indeed hear but not understand, you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them. But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, may my heart be always open to receive your word and to find in the Scriptures food for my soul, so that in knowing you I can be an instrument of your grace for the world.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Always Sowing and Growing: Jesus came to establish his Kingdom. He desires that the seed of his truth, love, and mercy take root and grow in every heart, family, and community. With absolute confidence, he is always sowing, knowing that his Kingdom will endure and withstand any obstacle. As to where the seed falls and what type of soil it takes root in, this is up to us. Jesus wants the soil of our hearts to be fertile. Since the Kingdom of Christ is alive and is always taking root and growing, how in my heart is this soil rocky, thorny, or rich to receive it?

     

  2. What Do We Hear and See: Jesus’ presence and the words he spoke were appealing, enthralling, and mesmerizing to so many. He spoke of the mysteries of heaven using parables, not to convince minds, but to open and change hearts. He invites us to recognize him in his Lordship not as a wielding or forceful commander, but as a gentle, hidden, and quiet presence within the recesses of our hearts. We understand, “To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away” (Mt 13:12) as the seed of his Word dwelling within us.

     

  3. The Fruit and the Yield: From a seed, the word that is heard and understood bears in our hearts fruit that is out of proportion to its humble beginnings and our efforts. This truth reminds us that our faithfulness to the movements of grace in our souls has eternal consequences. Souls that are filled with Christ’s love are spreading God’s goodness far and wide, and the full effects will only be known in heaven. In our daily endeavors, let us always labor with the hope of future fruits for the Kingdom of Christ.

Conversing with Christ: Open my ears and my heart, Lord, to see and think of things not according to my earthy perspective but according to your grace. Let not the scandal of seeing the weeds surprise or discourage me, but rather strengthen my resolve to accept your will and seek to do good in whatever way I can today. Help me to be patient, not to worry, and to trust you are in control through your Word taking root and bearing fruit in my life.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace, I will spend an extra moment reflecting and noting in my journal the ways your grace is growing in my soul, within my family, and in my community.

For Further Reflection: Delve deeper with this video on The Parable of the Sower by Fr. John Bartunek, LC from “Strength of Thousands: A Retreat Guide on the Sacrament of Confirmation,” a free, do-it-yourself retreat available in video format, audio, and PDF download. 

Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.

July 13, 2026 – A Love That Is Worthy of Jesus

26-07-13-DM

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 10:34-11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” When Jesus finished giving these commands to his twelve disciples, he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

Opening Prayer: Lord, I pray that I may value and put my friendship with you before every other human attachment or relationship, confident of your love and your faithfulness.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Stirring: Jesus isn’t afraid to stir things up. He calls out and challenges us to sincerely choose, which can cause a real struggle in our hearts every day. Out of love for us, he is jealous for our absolute allegiance. Jesus wants us to put no other security, dependence, or attachment before our friendship with him. He knows nothing can compare to the profound happiness and fulfillment that comes from intimacy with God alone. Jesus is how God restores his friendship with fallen humanity. He seeks us out. “Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything” (Pope Benedict XVI).

     

  2. Taking Up the Cross: Christ’s demands can seem tough. To be a follower of Christ requires a capacity for self-denial and total trust in him. Yet, Jesus never asks us to do more or give up more than what his grace can sustain or provide for. To be faithful to his will, we must embrace the necessary difficulty and hardship. We look at Jesus who has gone before us carrying the Cross. We must take up our crosses, leaning on his promise to walk with us and never leave our side.

     

  3. Giving and Receiving: At the end of illustrating what it takes to be one of his followers, Jesus points out what should be our motivation for attracting others to Christ. Only if we are convinced that an encounter with Christ is what every heart needs will we be able to find the strength to overcome any nervousness, hesitancy, or fear to introduce others to Christ. Anyone who knows me should be getting to know the love of Christ through my virtue, goodness, and charity.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, you talk about rewards for those who persevere in carrying the cross. Through your suffering, I gained eternal life. There can be no more worthy task than offering my crosses so others may know you. Help me to be a faithful friend by accepting your will and holding nothing back in reflecting your goodness and love to others.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will go out of my comfort zone to extend an invitation to someone to get to know you better by sharing with them a book on prayer, inviting them to join me to pray, visit a church, or attend Mass.

For Further Reflection: Delve deeper by reading more from Pope Benedict’s homily, April 24, 2005: “Are we not perhaps all afraid in some way? If we let Christ enter fully into our lives, if we open ourselves totally to him, are we not afraid that he might take something away from us? Are we not perhaps afraid to give up something significant, something unique, something that makes life so beautiful? Do we not then risk ending up diminished and deprived of our freedom? And once again the Pope said: No! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great. No! Only in this friendship are the doors of life opened wide. Only in this friendship is the great potential of human existence truly revealed. Only in this friendship do we experience beauty and liberation. And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ—and you will find true life. Amen.”

Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.

July 14, 2026 – Reproach for Repentance

26-07-14-DM

Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin

Matthew 11:20-24

Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And as for you, Capernaum: Will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to the nether world. For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, let me never tire in spirit or become interiorly resistant to see where your love is calling me to ask for your forgiveness. May my help and my salvation be always to lean more deeply upon your mercy and to be more spiritually aware of what in my life causes your heart sorrow.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Repentance: Throughout this discourse, we can detect in the voice of Jesus a note of exasperation. His heart is lamenting the unrequited love of stubborn hearts unwilling to repent; the ingratitude, indifference, and rejection of such hearts in this moment of anguish. He finds no comfort in hearts who betray him and cannot see what mighty deeds he has done for us.

     

  2. Rejection and Remorse: The spiritual battle going on in our hearts is real. There are difficulties, struggles, and hardships that we have to conquer to be faithful in courageously living for Christ’s Kingdom of justice and love. We are all caught up in this drama. While following the Lord, I have fallen and turned away from him and resisted his will. At times, I have said “no” out of fear, defiance, and greed. Lord, I come to you and humbly ask for your forgiveness and mercy. Forgive me my sins. Do not let me turn away from you.

     

  3. Judgment Day: The hour is coming, our hour to be welcomed into the eternal embrace of the Father. It will also come with a settling of accounts where we will see the truth of our lives in the full light of God’s merciful love. Jesus’ passionate exhortation invites us to look into our hearts now, to imagine our final reckoning. This practice can be a good remedy against any inclination we have to pass judgment on others. It can help to soften the harshness or stubbornness of our hearts.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, be with me throughout this day, guiding my mind and heart to see the wonders of your actions, the great things you are doing in my life. Grant me the courage to face whatever happens today by responding in a way that pleases you so that I can see the Father’s plan for me more clearly. Open my heart and mind to be attuned to your presence both within me and through those around me today.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will be quick to seek forgiveness of any fault or harm I may cause you or others, and I will make a special effort not to judge others, asking for your grace to dismiss any harsh thoughts or criticisms.

For Further Reflection: Check out “The Last Four Things,” a YouTube video by Fr. John Bartunek, LC. 

Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.

July 15, 2026 – Revealed to the Childlike

26-07-15-DM

Memorial of Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Matthew 11:25-27

At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I don’t want to ever reject you, but always to give you comfort by accepting your word. Thank you for giving me a glimpse into God’s love as my Father and his desires for me as his beloved child. May I pray with renewed eagerness to learn and discover what awesome plans the Father has for me today.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Knowing the Father: God sent us his beloved Son as the very revelation of himself. He wants to be known and loved by us. Jesus Christ is the window through which our human hearts can know God. Christ’s very identity derived from his being from God. The more we go to Jesus—look to him, learn from him, speak with him, listen to his words—the more we will be discovering God the Father and how much he loves us. Jesus always turns to the Father expressing praise, awe, and thanksgiving. How much we can discover God’s love by turning our hearts and words in gratitude to him for all he gives and does for us!

     

  2. Simplicity of Heart: Our hearts yearn to enter into this intimate relationship with God the Father and Son. Yet, the more we try to figure out, understand, or grasp it, the more elusive it can seem. There is only one condition needed to experience, know, and accept this knowledge of God. It is revealed to us by way of encountering it, not as an intellectual exercise or the result of an achievement, but by becoming childlike, being simple. Jesus teaches us that intimacy with God requires letting go of any self-sufficiency. A childlike heart believes what the Father says is true, trusts in his promises, and knows what he asks us to do is for our good. The more we put our trust in God, and not in ourselves, the more we will encounter him and experience his love.

     

  3. Trust in God: Jesus knows who he is and from whom he has received what has been entrusted to him. His confidence is in the assured knowledge of his Father’s love. We are about to begin another day’s work. It can be tedious and wearisome to set out on our own. Having a good friend in Jesus at our side lightens the load considerably. Whatever burden, self-sufficiency, or challenge lay ahead, we know Jesus Christ wants to bear them with us. We are not alone; he is there to shoulder every joy and sorrow. He reminds us to keep turning to our Father, whose love provides and takes care of all we need.

Conversing with Christ: I want to be closer to you, Lord. I want to know what is on your heart, what concerns you, and what gives you joy and consolation. I want to know how happy you are with me and how pleased you are for creating me. I want to see your face and to encounter you in all things. Lord, let me see you and know you better through the events and people I encounter today.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will see everything as a gift of your love for me. Turning to you with thanks and praise, I will not begin anything today without first inviting you to be with me and strengthen me.

Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.

July 16, 2026 – The Yoke of His Mercy

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Thursday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I come to you with my weariness and disillusions caused by placing trust in things that are not essential and distancing myself from you who matter most in my life. Grant relief and consolation for my soul to place my trust in you and my energy at the service of doing good.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Come to Me with Your Burdens: Jesus speaks with unique tenderness in this Gospel. He has come to heal, set captives free, and lift up those who are ailing. He calls people with many needs who are weary of life and burdened with hardships and difficulties. We hopelessly rely on our own means and are slow to put our trust in God. He invites us to follow him from where we are. To follow him along the journey of continual conversation as his disciple, we must first allow ourselves to experience his mercy. The Lord’s mercy is immense and inexhaustible! At Jesus’ invitation we find a response for our aching hearts: a life’s purpose as his disciple and a promise of finding rest in this life and the next.

     

  2. “Learn from Me”: Jesus is not suggesting that we live free from any yoke. Rather, Jesus places upon us his Jesus’ yoke is to fulfill the New Law, to love each other as he loves us. He wants to teach us that we will discover God’s will through him. Thus, receiving “Jesus’ yoke,” each of us enters into communion with him and makes sense of our sufferings by uniting them in the mystery of his Cross and in his work of salvation. It becomes lighter and easier to accept and take up what God has entrusted to us to carry if we do it with Jesus. We learn from Jesus, who made himself little and humble: “He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8).

     

  3. “I Will Give You Rest”: Throughout the Gospels, we see that Jesus is patient with human limitations and complaints. Jesus understands each of us better than we understand ourselves. He wants us to share with him our burdens, one by one, aware of our need to find rest, peace, and consolation. As he did with his first band of followers, he invites us to come apart to a quiet place and to rest a while. This “rest” of being known, understood, accepted, and accompanied banishes weariness and renews our energy. He shoulders it all with us. Jesus wants us to invite him to help with whatever we are carrying.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me not be afraid of carrying the cross and enduring any weariness or burden united with you. Let me not be scandalized or frustrated in accepting my sinfulness and limitations. Teach me to be more understanding, patient, and merciful with others who suffer and are overwhelmed. Show me how you want me to be an instrument of mercy by offering rest and help for others. Keep my eyes fixed on you, learning how to be merciful and forgiving.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will be a courageous instrument of mercy to reach out to someone I know who needs a shoulder, offering to help them carry their cross before I have to be asked.

Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.

July 17, 2026 – Desire for Mercy

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Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 12:1-8

Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.” He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry, how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering, which neither he nor his companions but only the priests could lawfully eat? Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath and are innocent? I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice, you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to be free from any anxiety, fear, or burden that inhibits me from receiving the gift of your unconditional mercy and love.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Good Conflict: Throughout the Gospels, we can feel the rising tension and conflict escalating between Jesus and the religious authorities of the time. Jesus fearlessly provoked and probed them to unveil the vain obligation behind their religious practices regarding fasting, purity, observance of the Sabbath, etc. He didn’t use biblical arguments with his enemies to prove them wrong, but rather desired for them to experience him as love itself: the very objective of the Law. Jesus proclaimed himself greater than the temple, even Lord of the Sabbath itself. In our day, many conflicts arise regarding faith practices and moral obligations. Where there is healthy conflict there is the opportunity to understand and question our motive to love God above all else. Conflicts form part of our faith journey in our ongoing process of conversion.

     

  2. A Relationship of Love: What happened in the hearts of the Pharisees can easily happen to us. We can become so attached to our efforts to pursue pious practices that we lose sight of why we are doing them in the first place. Worse still, we can then be quick to point out where others are falling short in fulfilling rules, obligations, and practices. From Christ’s perspective, religion is above all else a relationship of love with him. We express our love for him with the affections of faith through our devotion to him in all activities that shape our lives. Let us ask for the grace to see where we may have fallen into a hollow routine, false assumptions, or criticism of others to receive God’s mercy and start again with the right intention.

     

  3. Mercy above All: For God, deeds of goodness, generosity, and kindness will be favored over the mere performance of dutiful obligations. In all things, he calls us to love in the way we see ourselves and others, and the way we relate with God and with all creation. The law has found its fullness in Jesus: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill it” (Mt 5:17). Jesus walks with us to instruct our hearts not solely to sacrifice, but to make evident God’s tender mercy. We are to pride ourselves on how we give ourselves in love, not just in what we accomplish or do.

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, do not let me get stuck in complacency or in any habit of finding fault with others. Show me, Lord, where I am falling into a routine and taking the graces you give me for granted. Help me to listen, to turn to your Word calling me to live in the freedom to do everything out of love for you.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will renew my covenant of love with you by respecting how I dedicate my time each Sunday to prepare for Mass and spend time in prayer and rest.

For Further Reflection: Delve deeper with any of the Retreat Guides on mercy at regnumchristi.com.

Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.

July 18, 2026 – Selfless Servant

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Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Matthew 12:14-21

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place. Many people followed him, and he cured them all, but he warned them not to make him known. This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet: Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I shall place my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not contend or cry out, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope.

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask you to show me how to embrace your Word with a humble heart. Help me to grow in my awareness of being here for a greater purpose than just my own gain. Mold and secure my heart in a true humility that listens to your voice, follows your command, and is open to your healing grace.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Closed Minds: When he was a baby during the reign of Herod, powerful people had been out to destroy Jesus. In this Gospel, it was the Pharisees, in their persistent arrogance and self-sufficiency, that perceived him as a threat. They had become more firmly fixed on judging as they pleased, despising and dominating others, as they began to plot Our Lord’s death. Their pride inhibited any humble curiosity or ability to recognize their Savior. We are either with him or against him. Let us ask for the grace to adopt an attitude of humble awe that seeks to obey Our Lord and King.

     

  2. Open Healing: Jesus communicates and reveals the heart of God the Father. As soon as his enemies began plotting his death, Jesus quietly removed himself from the public eye, not out of fear or anger but to focus on the purpose for which he had come. Full of gentleness and compassion, he went about healing and quietly instructing his disciples about his Kingdom. Rather than engaging in futile clashes with his enemies, he prepared the foundation of the Church by guiding the faithful in hope, forgiveness, and truth. Let’s consider the opportunities where we can imitate Our Lord as instruments of healing rather than division.

     

  3. Suffering Servant: Each day Jesus urges us to take up our cross and follow him on the path of total love of God the Father and of humanity: “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Mt 10:38-39). We all suffer and have the opportunity to patiently tolerate some kind of hurt, injustice, or misunderstanding. Our strength to face suffering comes from a deep and intimate union with Christ. It is a gift of grace that enables us, out of love, to give our life for Christ and for the Church, hence for the world. To each one of us has been entrusted a mission that we can accept freely, to be a servant of God with the task of serving.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, you call me to serve. I am a sinner who falls many times. Thank you for putting up with me, forgiving my selfishness and arrogance. Show me where you are leading me along the path of spiritual maturity, the path of selfless service. Jesus, you were a faithful servant, whose vocation was to serve even to the point of death on the Cross. Lord, I pray for the grace to persevere as your humble servant.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will take an extra moment at the end of the day to make a thorough examination of conscience to acknowledge where I need to be more attentive to serving those around me with a humble heart.

For Further Reflection: Delve deeper by reflecting upon the words of the Prayer of Saint Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me sow love
Where there is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy

O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood, as to understand
To be loved, as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
And it’s in pardoning that we are pardoned
And it’s in dying that we are born to Eternal Life

Amen.

Lucy Honner is a Consecrated Woman of Regnum Christi and the Assistant Director of Campus Ministry at University Catholic, a community of students in the Nashville area who are serious about their faith. Since 1998, she has exercised her apostolate as a speaker, spiritual director, integrated health coach, and retreat director throughout North America.

July 19, 2026 – Weeds in Good Soil

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Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Matthew 13:24-43

Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’” He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’” He spoke to them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened.” All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world. Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” He said in reply, “He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, open my ears to hear your Word. Please teach me the meaning of your parables as they apply to my life of faith.

Encountering Christ:

  1. Mercy and Justice: We would like God to “fix” all the sinful situations that surround us in this world, and pluck out all the weeds, but for reasons only God knows, he allows the weeds to grow alongside the wheat. Jesus told us that God the Father “makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Mt 5:45). Each of us also has weeds in the soil of our own hearts. So what can we do about all these weeds? In our own field, we can focus on faithfully receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation to tame the weeds of our soul. For the weeds in our culture, we can pray, especially for people who sin and cause others to sin—those who are blind to their sinful behaviors. And we can console ourselves by remembering that Our Lord says that one day there will be no more evil, sinfulness, or unfairness. “She [the Church] will not be wounded any longer by sin, stains, self-love, that destroy or wound the earthly community. The beatific vision, in which God opens himself in an inexhaustible way to the elect, will be the ever-flowing well-spring of happiness, peace, and mutual communion” (CCC 1045).

     

  2. Children of the Kingdom: It can be easy to lose our peace when we think about all the sinful behaviors and outright evil happening in our society today. Trusting that God has a plan for all of his creatures can give us the ability to react peacefully to the weeds we see. We can focus on being “children of the Kingdom” by doing God’s will and working to spread Christ’s Kingdom here and now. We practice the virtue of prudence when we mind our own business and remain focused on cultivating our own “rich soil” (Mk 4:8).

     

  3. Intentional Plantings: Any gardener will tell you that rich, loamy soil is not immune to weeds. In fact, some pretty hearty weeds can grow in good soil if left to take root! The best defense against weeds are intentional plantings. Whatever weeds—sins and vices—we pluck out should be replaced by their opposite virtues. We can ask God to plant new virtues in our hearts, especially after Confession. Those virtues may start out like tiny mustard seeds, but God can use even a tiny speck of faith to grow them into a beautiful reality. With our tending, watering, and pruning, the virtues we strive to cultivate can become fruitful, just as the mustard plant was, filled with the birds of the sky.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you are justice and mercy. Please remove the weeds in my heart and cultivate it so that I might be fruitful. Help me to avoid being judgmental of people who are caught in sinful behavior. Instead, help me to pray for them and charitably admonish them to bring them back to the life of grace, if I feel called by the Holy Spirit to do so.

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will consider what weeds are growing in the soil of my heart and offer them to you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Carey Boyzuck is a wife, mother, freelance writer, and a lay member of Regnum Christi. She blogs at word-life-light.com.

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DAILY MEDITATION ARCHIVE
WEEKLY MEDITATION ARCHIVE

Weekly Digest of the Regnum Christi Daily Meditations: July 12th – July 19th, 2026 Read More »

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

St Benedict

/ Uncle Eddy

Dear Benny, My young nephew, you are a foolish man.  Go ahead, get mad if you like, get indignant, get outraged even, it doesn’t change the foolishness of your decision to join that “little club” that you tried to downplay in your last note.  I am quite familiar with that fraternal organization, and as fraternal organizations go, it is a bad one. Besides that, the Church has forbidden (except in special cases) her sons to join Masonic lodges and their affiliates (which have traditionally plotted against the Catholic Church), of which your new secret society is one.  I know why you did it; it’s a ticket to success. Politics, banking, entertainment, industry – all doors to wealth and power will be more easily opened to you if you are a member of the right groups. I know you don’t plan on participating in any weird rituals or pagan practices, but what concerns me is your anxiety about “success.”  You seem to have forgotten that Christ alone can give us happiness, and that he enjoined his disciples not to worry so much about their security and stability in this life: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” (Matthew 6:33) A case in point is today’s saint. Benedict appeared to be a typical son of sixth-century Italian nobility.  Sent with his nurse to Rome in order to get an education, he was appalled by the moral and religious laxity all around him.  His fellow students caroused in every way and left their faith (those who had any faith to begin with) to wither for neglect or perish for pagan atrocities.  The deplorable behavior of Rome’s youth reflected the general disarray that had spread throughout the western Empire since the first waves of barbarians sacked the Eternal City.  Schisms, war, plague, and heathen comebacks afflicted a civilization that seemed to teeter on the verge of implosion (sound familiar? …). By the grace of God, Benedict was not drawn in.  He left Rome and his aristocratic future behind and made his way to an isolated cave on a mountain called Subiaco. There he lived in austerity and solitude, battling temptation and filling his soul with divine light for three years, coached in the spiritual life and materially aided by a veteran hermit named Romanus.  Once discovered, he began to receive numerous visitors seeking the benefit of his wisdom and his miracles (which were numerous). Then the disciples started trickling in, and he began the project that Providence had assigned him: the creation of a rule of life that would enable monasticism to spread throughout Europe, providing Christianity and western civilization with fertile ground not only to maintain the greatness of its past, but to grow a vast new garden of holiness, culture, and prosperity. Any history book will outline the progress and development of the Benedictine Order, but no book can adequately describe the influence it has had on the world.  Only in heaven will we see the countless souls who came to Christ directly and indirectly through the mediation of this nobleman turned monk and his many spiritual sons and daughters.  By “seeking first the Kingdom of God” this young man saved both souls and civilizations; I pray that God will grant you the grace to do the same. Hopefully your Uncle, Eddy

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July 11, 2026 – Teacher and Master

/ Daily Meditations

Memorial of Saint Benedict, Abbot

 

Matthew 10:24-33

Jesus said to his Apostles: “No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. Even all the hairs of your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

Opening Prayer: Lord, I’m here with you again in spirit to have a heart-to-heart conversation. Help me to open myself up to you, so that you can inflame my faith, hope, and charity. Help me to see that everything I am is in your hands and that nothing I do, nothing that happens to me, goes unnoticed by you. Lord, increase my trust!

Encountering Christ:

  1. Disciples Like the Master: “No disciple is above his teacher,” Our Lord says in today’s Gospel. However, he does make a qualification: “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher.” For the Apostles and for us, this is the essence of our Christian lives—transformation into other Christs. We are transformed when we go about doing good, suffering, loving, and blessing as he did despite obstacles. Our Lord had many enemies, so we might also, right? Christ simply tells us, “Therefore do not be afraid of them.” Instead, we pray, “Jesus, I trust in you.”

     

  2. All in God’s Hands: Christ tells us that two sparrows are practically worthless from an earthly perspective, yet “not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge.” Everything that happens to us, everything we do, happens under the loving gaze of God the Father. What an enduring source of comfort! Nothing in our life is meaningless, because the Lord knows and loves us—he knows the number of hairs on our heads and he promises we are “worth more than many sparrows.”

     

  3. Acknowledging Christ: The relationship Jesus offers us transforms us to the degree that we open ourselves to his love. As we are filled with his love, our hearts can’t help but love reciprocally! And what person who truly finds himself in love keeps that love hidden? It seems unthinkable. Jesus tells us that when we acknowledge our love for him before others, he acknowledges us before the Father. May we be evangelists—souls so in love with Christ that we share his truth without fear or hesitation.

Conversing with Christ: Lord, may my life be a process of transformation into you; help me to consciously work toward this goal. Help me to see how the Father holds me in his hands with love, and sees everything in my life with the greatest understanding. Lord, give me the strength to proclaim your name boldly to others, propelled by your love!

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will take a moment to pray before I start and end my work.

Brian Flanagan is a Regnum Christi member from Atlanta, Georgia.

July 11, 2026 – Teacher and Master Read More »

DMH_Brochure

Divine Mercy Hospital to Provide Healthcare Access to the Poorest of the Poor in Kenya

/ Christian Life, Divine Mercy University News, Legionaries of Christ, Legionaries of Christ News, Regnum Christi, Regnum Christi News

For generations, the people of Ndalani have faced dangerous, days‑long journeys to reach the nearest hospital. Divine Mercy Hospital is bringing accessible, quality health care and, with it, hope for a healthier community.

Ndalani, Kenya, lies 150 miles east of Nairobi, in the bush. Its inhabitants are poor farmers and hunters. Into that unlikely place, God reached down his hand and inspired a young woman to consecrate her life to him. Her name is Sr. Stephen Kiluu, a member of the Little Sisters of the Poor.

In 2020, as COVID swept across the world, she was sent to the Holy Family Residence of the Little Sisters in St. Paul, Minnesota. Here she met Fr. Walter Schu, LC, while caring for his mother, Anna. At the age of 91, Fr. Walter’s mother was in the final years of her life, and entering what he calls “that dark and lonely tunnel of Alzheimer’s disease.”

“Sr. Stephen, with her lighthearted sense of humor, forged by long years of suffering and dedication, knew how to treat Mom. She had the right touch and the right heart. Soon they became best of friends.”

Fr_Walter_SchuFr. Walter’s mother died on the eve of All Saints’ Day in 2023, surrounded by her family of seven children and their spouses, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Close by, accompanying her and her family in prayer, were Sr. Stephen and her fellow sisters.

From Tragedy to Hope for Ndalani

A short time after the passing of Fr. Walter’s mother, Sr. Stephen revealed to him that she had lost her own mother on the 90-mile journey to the nearest hospital from Ndalani. A few years later, her older brother died on the same journey.

These two deaths ignited in Sr. Stephen’s heart a burning desire to build a hospital for her community, so that no one else from Ndalani would die from lack of accessible, timely, and quality care.

Sr. Stephen’s mother had already left her a property in her will on which to build such a hospital, and she turned to Fr. Walter for help. With the aid of a generous initial donation from some close friends of Fr. Walter and his mother, all the necessary permissions for the hospital were obtained, the architectural plans drawn up, and the foundations laid.

DMH_Construction

“Sr. Stephen wanted it to be called Divine Mercy Hospital, after the movement started by St. Faustina Kowalska of Poland, and given to the universal Church by St. John Paul II,”

says Fr. Walter.

“This also happens to be the name of the graduate school in psychology where I teach: Divine Mercy University!”

 A Place of Healing and Hope

Many of the people in sub-Saharan Africa face overwhelming challenges in accessing even the most basic medical care:

  • The majority of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, making health services unaffordable.
  • Many roads are poor or inaccessible; people have to travel long distances on foot to access care. Emergencies often end in tragedy.
  • 1 in 13 children will die before their 15th birthday (16 times more than children in countries like the US).
  • Many people have no access to health education or preventive services, leading to major problems that could be avoided or easily cared for at earlier stages.

DMH_foundation

The groundbreaking of the Divine Mercy Hospital in August of 2025, and the laying of the foundations in February of 2026, usher in a new chapter in healthcare in Ndalani. Once completed, the hospital will provide:

  • Maternal and child healthcare (with a maternity ward and infant nursery)
  • Family medicine and pediatric care
  • Emergency and trauma care
  • Inpatient and outpatient services
  • Preventive health programs
  • Community health education
  • Laboratory and pharmacy services

In rural communities where access to quality health services is a major challenge, particularly for women and children, Divine Mercy Hospital will provide accessible and affordable care, serving vulnerable populations and significantly reducing preventable deaths. With construction already underway, the hospital brings long-awaited hope and will have a long-term impact on the Ndalani and surrounding communities.

DMH_blueprint

How You Can Help

The success of Divine Mercy Hospital relies on collaboration between communities, partners, and supporters in order to bring hope and create real, lasting change in Ndalani. For this reason, they’ve partnered with Catholic World Mission, a registered Catholic nonprofit and a Regnum Christi apostolate that strives to extend the Church’s missionary outreach by serving people living in spiritual and material poverty worldwide. They do this through faith-centered service that focuses on the dignity of the individuals they serve, forming partnerships rooted in Catholic values, and working toward long-term transformation rather than short-term fixes.

To help Sr. Stephen realize her dream for her people, and to leave a legacy for the poorest of the poor in Kenya, please support Catholic World Mission’s giving campaign to bring healthcare to Ndalani.

“With God, all things are possible.”

(Mt 19:26)

Fr-Walter-Schu2Fr. Walter Schu, LC, grew up on a small farm in southwestern Minnesota, the second of seven children. He entered the Legionaries of Christ in 1982 and was ordained a priest in 1994. For most of his priesthood, he has been involved in the ministry of formation and education, serving as a teacher and director of studies at schools, seminaries, and universities in the United States and in Rome. He is currently an assistant professor and chaplain at Divine Mercy University.

Divine Mercy Hospital to Provide Healthcare Access to the Poorest of the Poor in Kenya Read More »

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A Week of Prayer for All of Our Priests and Consecrated Members: July 12th – 18th

/ pray weekly, Regnum Christi News

Regnum Christi invites our entire spiritual family and all our friends to join us in praying especially for our brothers and sisters living the consecrated vocations of Legionary priests, Consecrated Women, and Lay Consecrated Men in our territory.

Each week throughout the year, we will pray together for a different group of Legionaries and Consecrated, spanning all the communities across the territory, as our “Priests and Consecrated of the Week.”

Our Consecrated members are men and women who have said yes to Christ’s call to follow him, leaving everything behind to dedicate their entire lives to him and to join him in the mission of building his Kingdom. We come together to support them with our prayer, asking our Lord to strengthen them, hold them close to his Sacred Heart, and give them his deep joy as they live their mission each day.

 

This Week We Pray for

Swallow_headshot Jill Swallow grew up in Versailles, Ohio and was consecrated in 2001. Jill spent the first eight years of her consecrated life at Mater Ecclesiae College in Rhode Island as both a student and a dean of students for the freshman and sophomore classes. Before her assignment in Houston, Jill served within ECYD and Regnum Christi in the Ohio Valley, and as formation director at Everest Collegiate High School and Academy in Clarkston, Michigan. In Houston, she serves in vocation support and is the section director of RC young women. She is also on the leadership team for RC Music Collective.

Faria_headshotFr. Ícaro de Faria, LC is from São Paulo, Brazil and was ordained in May of 2026. He entered the novitiate after high school, when he was 18 years old. He was atracted by the fraternal spirit, formation and fidelity to the Church in the Legion. He spent his formation in Brazil, Mexico and Rome, enriching his experience of the Regnum Christ spirit across different places and cultures. He currently works as a professor and formator in the Novitiate and College of Humanities in Cheshire, CT.

Torres_headshotBr. Ángel Torres, LC is from Zamora, Mexico. His vocational journey began when he was 12 years old and entered the apostolic school in Guadalajara. There, he came to know God in a personal and profound way, through prayer, the sacraments, his friends and mentors, and, above all, Legionary charity. After high school, he entered the novitiate, and today he is a first-year humanist at LC Cheshire.

Fontaine_headshotYvonne Fontaine was born in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada and gave her life to Jesus as a Lay Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi in 2006. For many years, she has supported youth programs in Dallas, Austin, Denver, Australia, and Detroit. She then moved to Atlanta and became the high school campus minister at Holy Spirit Prep and served on the leadership team. Currently Yvonne lives in our Detroit community. She is studying and offering spiritual direction to women.

Picard_headshotFr. Michael Picard, LC is from Lake Charles, LA and was ordained December 12, 2011. He joined the Legionaries of Christ 2000 spent first two years as a brother in Cornwall Novitiate and returned to Cornwall for his first two years as a priest. Spent 10 years as ECYD Director in Dallas, TX.He is currently a member of the LC community in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he serves as the assistant chaplain at Clear Water Academy and is the Chaplain/director of ECYD in Western Canada.

Syren_headshotFr. Kermit Syren, LC was born in Anchorage, Alaska and was ordained to the priesthood in 1991. Fr. Kermit founded Camp Kodiak in 1996. He had a dream of combining outdoor adventure with faith formation. Fr. Kermit wanted boys and their dads to experience together what he had enjoyed as a boy: the Catholic faith and the beauty of God’s natural creation. Fr. Kermit is currently the men’s section chaplain for Regnum Christi Dallas.

Prayer for Priests and Consecrated Members in Regnum Christi

God our Father,
We thank you for our spiritual family of Regnum Christi, and for those within it that you have called to total consecration as Legionaries of Christ, Consecrated Women, and Lay Consecrated Men.

We ask you to renew their encounter with your Son Jesus Christ,
who goes out to meet them and reveals the love of his heart to them.
Deepen their personal love for Christ
and their trust in his love for them.
Gather them close to him,
form them,
and send them out accompanied by your Son,
in the mission of forming apostles and Christian leaders who make your Kingdom present in hearts, in families, and in society.

Send your Holy Spirit to sanctify and strengthen them,
And to help them respond generously and courageously to their mission each day.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Week of Prayer for All of Our Priests and Consecrated Members: July 12th – 18th Read More »

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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!