St Pelagia the Penitent

Regnum Christi Spirituality Center Uncle Eddy

Dear Penny,

I just got a panicky note from your twin sister, who is extremely anxious about the state of your soul. I realize that she tends to overreact, but some of the things she mentioned are worth going over a bit, even though I need to be quick about it (this new warden is determined to “break down my defenses” as he puts it, and another “dialogue session” starts in just a few minutes).  The main point is your vanity.  Don’t be alarmed; I have long known how eagerly you seek recognition and praise from your peers.  Some people are too proud to care about their popularity; you, on the other hand, tend to exert yourself too much to attract the crowds.  The story of today’s saint, though its historicity seems spurious, will be quite instructive for you.  Here’s it is in a nutshell.

Pelagia was a Palestinian actress who lived the great ancient city of Antioch.  She was “equally celebrated for her beauty, her wealth, and her disorderly life” as one biographer eloquently put it.  It so happened that the Patriarch of that city had called a synod (kind of a board meeting) of his bishops.  One day the bishops were gathered in the portico (kind of a front porch) of the great basilica, listening to the words of St Nonnus (bishop from Edessa), when Pelagia and her retinue of slaves and accomplices drove by.  She spied the clerics and pulled up beside the portico, whereupon all the bishops lowered their eyes to avoid seeing her audacious glances and her provocative attire – all except St Nonnus, that is.  She tarried only for a few moments, then laughed at them and moved on.  St Nonnus kept looking at her until she was out of sight.  Then, much to the astonishment of his fellow pastors, he queried, “Did not that woman’s beauty please you?”  The other bishops were nonplussed, and they didn’t answer.  St Nonnus continued, “I was well pleased to see her, for it seems to me God sent her as a lesson to us.  She goes to an infinity of trouble to keep herself beautiful and to perfect her dancing in order to please men, but we are considerably less zealous in the care of our dioceses and of our own souls.”

And that, my dear niece, is my point.  If you tend to seek inordinately the approval of your peers, your teachers, and everybody else, it is a weakness, and the tendency will never completely disappear.  But why not simply redirect that desire to please, so that you are equally (if not more) concerned about pleasing your Lord?  In all things, occupy yourself with winning his approval and pleasing him, and you will be a saint before the semester is out, guaranteed!  (Pelagia soon repented, by the way, and was baptized by St Nonnus).  You will have much more peace (because our Lord is easier to please than your peers – though harder to satisfy), and you will be storing up great treasure in heaven.

I have to go.  Count on my prayers.

God bless,

Uncle Eddy

Uncle Eddy Introduces the Saints

Navigating today’s world is tough and all of us could use a nudge in the right direction. Figuring out the right path to take at work, at college, or in social situations is not always easy. Looking to the lives of the saints can give us the insights we need.

Written by Fr. John Bartunek, LC, Uncle Eddy’s Saint of the Day is a fictional series of letters written by a man who has been imprisoned for the Catholic Faith. Using the saints of the day as examples, Uncle Eddy pens a daily letter with spiritual advice to his many nieces and nephews.

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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!