THE WEEKLY DIGEST
OF REGNUM CHRISTI
DAILY MEDITATIONS

January 26, 2025 - Fulfilled in Our Hearing

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

 

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received. Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.”

 

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to be your disciple, faithful to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit and courageous in sharing your glad tidings.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

  1. We Are All Theophilus: Luke “investigated everything accurately anew,” speaking with eyewitnesses, in order to provide his friend a chronicle of the greatest story in history. Luke, presuming that Theophilus (in Latin, Lover of God) wanted to discover the richness of the life and teachings of Jesus, wanted to guard him from error. Thanks to this singular focus on this particular “Lover of God,” the Church has been gifted with a masterpiece of storytelling. Without Luke, we wouldn’t have knowledge of the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Prodigal Son, or the appearance of Our Lord in the breaking of the bread on the road to Emmaus. We wouldn’t have the corroboration of the miracles and the Passion account told to us by the other synoptic Gospel writers, and the added depth of understanding Christ’s sweating blood or the banter of the two thieves. The riches of the Catholic faith, provided to one Lover of God, are blessedly available to all, so we too can know and love God.

 

  1. From Daybreak to Midday: The Jewish people knew their laws, they knew their customs, and they understood from where they came. A morning occupied by listening to the Torah proclaimed was time very well spent. We, on the other hand, are looking at our watches if an hour has gone by and our priests haven’t gotten at least to the announcements, if not the final blessing. Back then, before God’s word was available at the touch of a button, and even long before it could be carried around in book form, the Chosen People knew in their hearts that they needed to be instructed. They, like us, though, needed also to be reminded that what they were hearing was more than an instruction manual; it was truly Good News—that the Lord God, creator of Heaven and earth, had chosen man to be his supreme creation, and had laid out his plans for us to live in harmony with him. Ezra the prophet implored his listeners, and us, to revel in this understanding, to celebrate God’s infinite goodness and his abundant mercy.

 

  1. Anointed with the Lord: “Well did Isaiah prophesy.” Indeed, the One who was to come is here, and he fulfills this prophecy. We who are poor have abundance; the Eucharist sustains us always and everywhere. We who are captives to our brokenness are free; he draws us to himself in the sacrament of Reconciliation. We who are spiritually blind have been given our sight; anointed in Baptism, we live as one body in the light of Christ. And we who are oppressed by the evil one have certainty that he has been defeated, and we have been delivered, through the supreme act of love, love from the cross. Roll up that scroll, Lord, in this acceptable time, and send me out to do your will!

 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of your word, which is spirit and life. Help me to welcome this gift daily and share it with others. Give me courage and wisdom to live out my baptismal promises and be a channel of your grace to others.


Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will be attentive to opportunities to share the Good News with others through my words, deeds, and silent prayers.


For Further Reflection: Scripture Is All About Connections by Dr. Jeff Mirus.

 

Andrew Rawicki and his wife JoAnna live in Irving, Texas, near seven of their nine grandchildren. A convert from Judaism, Andrew entered the Church in 1991 and has been a member of the Regnum Christi spiritual family since 2001. He has served as the Regnum Christi Local Director for Dallas since July 2020.

January 27, 2025 - Maintaining a Strong House

Memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

Mark 3:22-30

 

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables, “How can Satan drive out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand; that is the end of him. But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness, but is guilty of an everlasting sin.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

 

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to be your humble servant, attentive to my faults and full of hope in the promise that you will be with me always, until the end of the age. Thank you for sending your advocate to be the sweet guest of my soul as I make my pilgrim’s journey towards you.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

1. Strong Man: At the age of thirty, David was anointed king, and the first reading proclaimed that he grew in power since the Lord was with him. David cultivated the gifts he was given, and his strength, already legendary since his slaying of Goliath, grew immeasurably throughout his forty-year reign. This strong man, however, when he eventually let down his guard, allowed sin to enter in—first lust, then sins of the flesh, then even murder of the tragic figure Uriah. Did the Lord abandon this strong man, leaving him to his own devices? No, David turned his gaze away and fell. Our history of salvation includes many such fallen men and women. Thankfully, David, a man after God’s own heart, came to terms with his evil deeds, and showed each of us how to be meek and humble before God.

 

2. Merciful Messiah: The Pharisees wanted to detract from Jesus to keep their own power over the people. They desperately wanted to discredit his works of mercy: “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them” (Mt 11:5). The Pharisees knew that these were the works of the Messiah that Isaiah had prophesied (cf. Isa 29:17-19, 26:19, 35:5-6). We recognize Jesus as our merciful Messiah, and we have the honor and joy to continue his redemptive mission through our own works of mercy.

 

3. The Sweet Guest: The scribes accused Jesus of having an unclean spirit because they did not understand that his power over demons, over illness, even over death, came from the God that they exhaustively studied but did not yet adequately understand. We can make similar mistakes when we fail to attribute our blessings to God, commit offenses against him, and conclude that he will never forgive us. The Holy Spirit, the endless love of the Father for the Son and the perfect reciprocal love of the Son for the Father, wants us to invite him to be the guest of our soul. He wants to bring us power, light, and life, and to forgive even the most wretched of our sins. In the company of the Holy Spirit, we need not fear pharisaical denials of God.

 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, the sweet guest of our soul. Help me to be attentive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, particularly as I reflect on how I have been living out my Christian faith. I sincerely want to fortify “my house” with your word and your sacrament; let me not be distracted from opportunities to do just this today.

 
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace let me perform a good examination of conscience, and see where I have opportunities to improve.

 

For Further Reflection: Catechism of the Catholic Church 1864, on the mercy of God.

 

Andrew Rawicki and his wife JoAnna live in Irving, Texas, near seven of their nine grandchildren. A convert from Judaism, Andrew entered the Church in 1991 and has been a member of the Regnum Christi spiritual family since 2001. He has served as the Regnum Christi Local Director for Dallas since July 2020.

January 28, 2025 - Loving Obedience Gathers God’s Family

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church

Mark 3:31-35

 

The mother of Jesus and his brothers arrived at the house. Standing outside, they sent word to Jesus and called him. A crowd seated around him told him, “Your mother and your brothers and your sisters are outside asking for you.” But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

 

Opening Prayer: Lord, help me to pray as a true disciple, as one who prays out of obedience—not obedience forced by a tyrant, but obedience given freely to someone I love in order to please him.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

  1. Make the Family Proud of You: Throughout the world in Jesus’s time and even in many places still today, the most important relationships were blood relationships. Each person was seen primarily as a member of a group related by blood. They were a member of a particular tribe, clan, or family and were expected to work to benefit that group. Nothing was more important.

 

  1. Cousin Jesus Is Embarrassing Us: Jesus had begun to act in a strange way. Reports about him were getting back to Nazareth, and his family group didn’t know what to make of it. It sounded like he had gone crazy and was doing things that might bring shame upon the family, so they sent out a group to bring him back home and make him stop behaving so strangely. Perhaps they brought Mary along with them because they hoped she would talk some sense into him.

 

  1. Water (of Baptism) Is Thicker Than Blood: Jesus made clear that he was teaching something new—that family ties were no longer the most important relationship a person can have. Instead, he replaced them with a stronger bond—the bond of obedience that ties us to God. In doing this, he was rejecting the claim of these “brothers” over him, but not Mary’s, because no one was ever more lovingly obedient to God than she was.

 

Conversing with Christ: Lord, you give me the opportunity to be your child, not because I am related in any physical way to you, but through my childlike obedience. Children obey because they love their parents and want to please them. Help me to please you through my obedience and become your true child.

 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will try to live obedience to your will in every moment.

 

For Further Reflection: I Believe in Love by Father Jean C.J. d’Elbée.

 

Father James Swanson is from Miles City, Montana, joined the Legionaries of Christ in 1983, and currently works in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys books, craft beers, and extreme birding.

January 29, 2025 - Bearing Abundant Fruit

Wednesday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Mark 4:1-20

 

On another occasion, Jesus began to teach by the sea. A very large crowd gathered around him so that he got into a boat on the sea and sat down. And the whole crowd was beside the sea on land. And he taught them at length in parables, and in the course of his instruction he said to them, “Hear this! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed 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 and it produced no grain. And some seed fell on rich soil and produced fruit. It came up and grew and yielded thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.” He added, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.” And when he was alone, those present along with the Twelve questioned him about the parables. He answered them, “The mystery of the Kingdom of God has been granted to you. But to those outside everything comes in parables, so that they may look and see but not perceive and hear and listen but not understand in order that they may not be converted and be forgiven.” Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown. As soon as they hear, Satan comes at once and takes away the word sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground who, when they hear the word, receive it at once with joy. But they have no roots; they last only for a time. Then when tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Those sown among thorns are another sort. They are the people who hear the word, but worldly anxiety, the lure of riches, and the craving for other things intrude and choke the word, and it bears no fruit. But those sown on rich soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”

 

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, merciful sower of all that is good, grant me the grace to receive your word with humility and obedience. You have created me in your image and invited me to be part of your Church, where “those who have ears ought to hear.” Enable your words to take root in me, and spur me to spread your Kingdom.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

1. Pass It Down: How beautiful a grandmother’s faith is! Many of us can joyfully recall the way our grandmother had devotionals stuffed in her well-worn Bible, straining the binding or even demanding a rubber band around the whole bundle. St. Paul deeply appreciated the grandmother and mother of his precious friend, Timothy, and how they passed along their sincere faith to him. Lois and Eunice today are recalled by all of us who read the Apostle’s second letter to Timothy, and we can dream about what St. Paul would include about us if he were to write to our children or grandchildren. Have we set a courageous example that can be emulated by those who come after us? Do our words and deeds point toward Christ being at the center of our life? Would our pastor know our name as somebody who tirelessly serves our family and the Church?

 

2. Preparing for the Seed: The parable of the sower presents a broad array of potential dispositions of each seed that the sower drops; where the seed falls almost appears random. We, though, who are the beneficiaries of sacred Scripture, are blessed to have this parable explained to us again and again as our fallen nature requires. We know from the Lord’s patient explanation that where the seed falls is certainly not random. We need grace to steer away from a fruitless path of concrete indifference. We need to discover the rich deposit of faith that provides depth for planting. We need to detach from material goods that threaten to choke off our branch from the life-giving vine. May we cling to the sower so that we bear abundant fruit for the Kingdom.

 

3. Greeting the Sower: Today’s Gospel acclamation is a fine distillation of the well-known parable of the sower. The seed is the word of God—the living, breathing, and life-giving force that we have at our disposal at any moment. How much of the word of God echoes in our daily conversations? Christ is the sower—and we hear in today’s psalm that he deserves our glory and praise for his marvelous deeds, which include making this world for us firm, “not to be moved.” How grateful are we for this foundation? Lastly, the acclamation goes right to the ripe harvest, assuring the faithful that all who come in good conscience to Christ, the just and merciful sower, will live forever. What have we done to cultivate an ever more delicate conscience, driving sin from our life so as to come ever closer to the Lord?

 

Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for placing grandparents, godparents, parents, and friends in my path to help me to cultivate good soil. You know that I sometimes allow the thorns and brambles to creep in, but you, in your mercy, continue to plant good seeds. Give me the grace to humbly acknowledge my faults and strip my planting field of anything that inhibits your good seed from growing.

 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will perform a good examination of conscience during my night prayers.


For Further Reflection: The Holy Father Pope Francis’ prayer vigil on the eve of the Rio De Janeiro World Youth Day, 2013.

 

Andrew Rawicki and his wife JoAnna live in Irving, Texas, near seven of their nine grandchildren. A convert from Judaism, Andrew entered the Church in 1991 and has been a member of the Regnum Christi spiritual family since 2001. He has served as the Regnum Christi Local Director for Dallas since July 2020.

January 30, 2025 - Let It Shine

Thursday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Mark 4:21-25

 

Jesus said to his disciples, “Is a lamp brought in to be placed under a bushel basket or under a bed, and not to be placed on a lampstand? For there is nothing hidden except to be made visible; nothing is secret except to come to light. Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear.” He also told them, “Take care what you hear. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you. To the one who has, more will be given; from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

 

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank you for calling me to this time of prayer, and I ask that you silence the distractions around me and just let me be in your presence. I know that you have something to say to me today that will be for my benefit. I want to hear you, and I want to do your will.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

1. The Source and Our Hope: In the first reading, King David humbly came into the Lord’s presence with absolutely no misunderstanding of who was in charge. The awesome power granted to David had a source, and as shrewd, skilled, and courageous as David showed himself to be, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that it had been God’s hand at work all along. With great gratitude, the king acknowledged his good fortune. But in a lesson to us all, he didn’t stop there. He looked to the future with hope—hope that the promise that his Lord made to his servant would truly be fulfilled. We, too, baptized into the multitudes of the chosen, cry out similarly in hope, thankful that the Lord, Our Father, keeps his promises.

 

 

2. No Hiding: One hundred years after the song “This Little Light of Mine” was penned for children, a television commercial in 2020 was thanking our health care workers with pandemic video footage backed by the chorus: “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” Civil rights figures of the 1960s borrowed the words to animate nonviolent opposition to oppression. Sometime in between, most of us sang the refrain, maybe as a child or as a Sunday school teacher, perhaps tracing out motions in the air signifying light, an emphatic “No!”, or the world. In “light” of today’s Gospel reading, we may recall the four verses that the songwriter, Harry Dixon Loes, shares about “it” (the light freely given to us by God): Hide it under a bushel? No! I’m gonna let it shine; Don’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine; Shine all over the whole wide world, I’m gonna let it shine; and Let it shine til Jesus comes, I’m gonna let it shine. Lord, how, and to whom, would you like my light, which is your light, to shine today?

 

 

3. Growing Capacity: We might find it odd when Christ tells his disciples, “to those who have much, more will be given.” This claim, at first, is hard to reconcile with Our Lord’s teachings about detaching from possessions, or that the “first shall be last.” Consider, though, this wisdom from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “God is love and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in his own image…God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion” (CCC 2331). As we grow our capacity to love, we shouldn’t be surprised when God gives us more to love. Welcoming children in the womb, fostering or adopting children, or otherwise brightening the lives of children (ours or others) are beautiful means by which we finite beings can grow our capacity to love selflessly, and begin to image God in his infinite love. “Let the children come to me” (Mt 19:14).

 

Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for your light in the world and in my heart. I recall your words to your disciples recorded by St. Matthew: “Your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mt 5:16). Give me the grace to be your disciple and fulfill these words today.

 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will think of three gifts I have been given by you and assess which one I can put more clearly at your service.


For Further Reflection: Read sections 2331-2336 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, exploring the capacity to love.

 

Andrew Rawicki and his wife JoAnna live in Irving, Texas, near seven of their nine grandchildren. A convert from Judaism, Andrew entered the Church in 1991 and has been a member of the Regnum Christi spiritual family since 2001. He has served as the Regnum Christi Local Director for Dallas since July 2020.

January 31, 2025 - Mysteries of the Kingdom

Memorial of Saint John Bosco, Priest

Mark 4:26-34

 

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the Kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” He said, “To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

 

Opening Prayer: Lord Jesus, I come before you today sinful and sorrowful, but also full of hope in your mercy. You spoke in parables to the men and women with whom you walked this earth, but you speak the truth clearly to me through your Church. You are the King of the universe, but you have loved me from all eternity. Give me the grace today to look at the mysteries of your Kingdom and see what you would have me see.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

1. Veiled: Jesus began this parable on the Kingdom of God by reminding us that there will be things that occur, but we “know not how.” Perhaps yesterday, in solidarity with the whole Church, you prayed the luminous mysteries of the rosary, meditating for one decade on the Proclamation of the Kingdom. Perhaps you focused on scenes from the Gospel like the one today. Perhaps your mind wandered to mysterious occurrences in your own life or in history. How did a friend or relative beat a serious illness? How did a child manage to maintain their faith in the midst of overwhelming secular influences? How did people survive the Holocaust, or the Rwandan genocide, or the Soviet gulags, and not harbor hatred in their hearts? Max Glauben, a survivor of the Warsaw ghetto and then six Nazi labor camps, spent time each year of the last decade accompanying young people on a March of the Living, retracing many of his steps from seven decades earlier, recounting his memories and asking others to join his fight to eradicate hatred. One participant once mentioned to him, “You’re the reason I believe in God now.” In our own search for reason and meaning, let us lift the veil on the mysterious, the miraculous, and the mundane, and see where we are being called to a closer encounter with Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (cf. Jn 14:6).

 

2. When the Grain Is Ripe: God, in his mercy, often adds years to our life so that we can learn wisdom and produce in our actions fruit that is worthy of eternity. How much do I value the opportunities I have each day to do simple acts of charity or leave messages that have a beneficial effect on others? How often do I pray for others? Each day I should be attentive to the small and big opportunities the Lord gives me to help establish his Kingdom more deeply in my soul and in the souls of others.

 

3. From Small Seeds: Researching any kingdom, we might want to study its ruler, its intent, and its extent. In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents an image to us which, on the surface, doesn’t tell us much about these key attributes of a kingdom. However, the brief discussion of a mustard seed’s life cycle, whether we are gardeners or not, is well worth contemplating. Who can discern the smallest of seeds, and who might plant one? The ruler of our Kingdom, Jesus Christ. For what intent would such a small seed be planted? So that it could be nourished to reach its potential. To what extent might this seed expand? Jesus tells us that it will grow surprisingly large and will be a place of safe harbor, of shade and respite from the burning sun. Elsewhere in the Gospels, Jesus compares not the Kingdom but the theological virtue of faith to this same mustard seed: “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed…” (Mt 17:20). With a faith sown by Christ himself, with an intent to nourish this faith with prayer and the sacraments, and a willingness to extend this faith to those I encounter, why should we doubt that we can move mountains?

 

Conversing with Christ: Lord, thank you for the workings of your grace in so many souls. I want to be united with your grace throughout this day and throughout my life. Help me to use this day in such a way that I will be planting your love around me.

 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray the rosary with my family, taking time to contemplate each of the mysteries and what they might be saying to me personally.

February 1, 2025 - Be Still

Saturday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Mark 4:35-41

 

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

 

Opening Prayer: Heavenly Father, you have sent your Son into your world out of infinite love. Your will is that he befriends me and draws me close to his Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of his mother. I am continually in awe of your work in my life, and I ask you never to cease asking me to come away with you.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

1. Coming Away with Jesus: As nightfall came, the disciples of Jesus must have been mentally exhausted. For hours, their master had been speaking in parables to the crowds, suggesting to everyone how they could attempt to understand the Kingdom of God. They worried about enemies that could be lurking in these crowds, and they had concerns that Jesus’ parables could be misunderstood by many. They were likely quite pleased when their master finally invited them to come away with him, and only him, on a boat across the Galilee. Jesus invites us to come away with him also. The destination is not particularly important; it is all about the company. Not only has God become man, but a man that wants to spend time with us, who wants to be in communion with us: “I no longer call you slaves… I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15).

 

2. Stormy Seas: This scene of the boat being tossed in the squall is the subject of a famous Rembrandt masterpiece. The artist depicts that moment when some of the disciples went to Jesus to implore his assistance. Other disciples are seen furiously fighting against the wind and waves, bailing out water, cowering in fear, or retching over the side of the boat. Rembrandt has painted himself into the picture along with the twelve disciples and Jesus. He looks out to me from the centerline of the boat; those to his right are furiously working, and those to his immediate left are focused on Christ. The artist seems to be asking me where I would be in this scene. This question evokes Jesus’ words to Martha when her sister was quietly sitting at Jesus’ feet as Martha served, “Mary has chosen the better part” (Lk 10:42).

 

3. Unshaken Faith: Mark’s Gospel accounts are replete with events that caused witnesses to shake their heads in amazement. At the end of today’s Gospel, the disciples were in awe of the calming of the seas they had just experienced. While a sense of wonderment is understandable and admirable as we reflect on our awesome God, the preceding words of Jesus suggest that a lack of faith might contribute to our sense of constant amazement. We recall that the resurrected Christ admonished “Doubting Thomas” with these words: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” (Jn 20:29). On this Saturday, as we look for a model of unwavering faith, let us recall the words of Saint Thomas Aquinas, whose memorial we celebrated Tuesday: “Since the Resurrection took place on a Sunday, we keep holy this day instead of the Sabbath as did the Jews of old. However, we also sanctify Saturday in honor of the glorious Virgin Mary who remained unshaken in faith all day Saturday after the death of her Divine Son.”

 

Conversing with Christ: Lord, through the intercession of your Blessed Mother, grant me a steadfast faith like she showed throughout her life, even through your Passion and Death. I want to see this world through the eyes of faith, so as not to be overly concerned when trials and tribulations come my way. Give me the grace to call on you, and you alone, to calm my storms.

 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary with a focus on the trials that our Blessed Mother was able to endure without having her faith shaken.


For Further Reflection: Read more about what Rembrandt seemed to be showing us in his painting of A Storm on the Sea of Galilee in this story from the Augustine Institute’s Tim Gray.

 

Andrew Rawicki and his wife, JoAnna, live in Irving, Texas, near seven of their nine grandchildren. A convert from Judaism, Andrew entered the Church in 1991 and has been a member of the Regnum Christi spiritual family since 2001. He has served as the Regnum Christi Local Director for Dallas since July of 2020.

February 2, 2025 - A Place of Holy Encounter

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Luke 2:22-40

 

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph took Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord, and to offer the sacrifice of a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons, in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord. Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying: “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in the sight of all the peoples: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted. And you yourself a sword will pierce, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.

 

Opening Prayer: Jesus, help me to encounter you in your word, just as Simeon and Anna encountered you in the temple. Fill me with your energy and vitality to serve and glorify you as they did.

 

Encountering Christ:

 

1. Israel’s Encounter: Imagine this picture of the Holy Family coming to the temple in a spirit of sacrifice and obedience. Mary and Joseph arrived at the temple to offer their sacrifice of poverty, not the sacrifice of the wealthy (cf. Lev 12:8). They presented their firstborn son to consecrate him to the Lord. St. John Paul II said, “These words resound in the temple of Jerusalem, as forty days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph prepare to ‘present him to the Lord’ (Lk 2:22). By emphasizing the contrast between the modest, humble action of the two parents and the glory of the event as perceived by Simeon and Anna, the Evangelist Luke apparently wanted to suggest that the temple itself was waiting for the Child’s coming.” This is the moment when God revealed Christ, the true High Priest (cf. Heb 9:11), to the temple itself. It is the moment of Israel’s first encounter with Christ. Simeon and Anna represent Israel: both of these elderly, faithful Jews had waited their whole lives to see this child who had suddenly been brought before them in the temple. Israel had been waiting in expectant joy for the advent of Christ for hundreds of years. As Isaiah prophesied, the child Emmanuel (cf. Isa 17:14) is also Israel’s righteous King (cf. Isa 9:1-7). As our first reading today promises: “And the lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple; The messenger of the covenant whom you desire—see, he is coming! says the Lord of hosts” (Mal 3:1).

 

2. Simeon’s Encounter: God promised the righteous, devout Simeon the gift of sight: to see the Lord with his own eyes. This is the beatific vision that, God willing, we all will experience when we see God face-to-face in Heaven. Simeon wanted to see with his own eyes this light that would shine on all the nations. He longed for God to come, bringing his mercy, justice, and truth to the broken world. Like Job, he longed to see Christ incarnate on the earth: “As for me, I know that my vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust… my own eyes, not another’s, will behold him” (Job 19:25, 27). Simeon received the blessing of holding the Lord in his arms! Simeon also encountered Mary, offering her a type of “second” Annunciation. Through God’s gift of spiritual sight, he announced Jesus’ true mission on the cross and that Mary would have her own share in the suffering of the cross. We who are Christ’s disciples will also share in his redemptive suffering.

 

3. Anna’s Encounter: Anna was an inspiring woman of heroic virtue. She was known as a prophetess, meaning she was also blessed with spiritual vision. Luke mentioned her heritage, from the house of Asher, along with her father’s name. She was married and widowed, then spent her life serving God in the temple, constantly worshiping, praying, fasting, and watching for the Messiah. When she saw Jesus, she knew that it was the time of God’s visitation. This was unlike many Israelites, who “did not recognize the time of [their] visitation.” (Lk 19:44). When she encountered Jesus, she immediately assumed her prophetic role: “And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem” (Lk 2:38). Do we have this expectant confidence in the Lord? How do we encounter Christ in prayer and the sacraments and then allow others to encounter Christ through us?

 

Conversing with Christ: Jesus, I marvel at your coming to us in history, as in this Gospel passage. I am in wonder at you coming to me in mystery under the veil of the Most Blessed Sacrament and in your word. I am in awe of the moment when you will come again in majesty, when all flesh shall see your salvation, just as Simeon did (cf. Lk 3:6). Inspire and lead me with the Holy Spirit as you lead Simeon and Anna. Fill me with zeal for building up your Kingdom of Heaven, and so prepare for your coming.

 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will imitate Simeon and Anna by worshiping and praying in your presence in front of the Blessed Sacrament.

 

For Further Reflection: Watch this video: Fra Angelico, “The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple by Christian Art, which explores the details and facts about this famous painting.

 

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

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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!