Falling in love again

I might be falling in love again.

It has happened many times with my wife of nearly four decades. With work, children, church, social obligations and problems of busyness and money, we’ve sometimes fallen into times when the love remains, but the passion wanes. Then something happens. I hear a song we listened two as college students. My wife shakes her head that particular way she does, or says a word of special meaning.

Flash: In my eyes she is 22 years old again, walking down the aisle in that beautiful white dress to become my wife. I remember every wonderful thing about her and my heart aches for her. She is my best friend and the love of my life.

I’m having a similar experience today with Regnum Christi. Nearly two decades ago (thanks to my wife), I met the Movement. And I fell in love with its spirit and people.

Perhaps you could say that I clicked with the charism of Regnum Christi. But I honestly don’t know. As Dr. Jorge Lopez, head of our consecrated men said today, a charism it like time – you know what it is but you can’t explain it.

My Regnum Christi love had few rough spots until a little more than four years ago when events occurred that put a strain on our relationship. No, I never stopped loving the Movement – but there were days when I didn’t like it very much.

But being at a conference in Rome with so many dedicated Regnum Christi members (include Legionaries) takes me back to when I met the Movement. Our vicar general, Fr Sylvester Heereman LC, gave a rather rousing opening talk about loving Christ, forming apostles, militancy and the freedom that comes with our faith. He encouraged us to rediscover who we are and fall in love again with Regnum Christi.

For me, that happened at Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Velasio de Paolis, our apostolic delegate. It was a beautiful, elegant Mass, with several hundred Legionaries singing and dozens of our priests concelebrating. The chapel is large at the Legion’s center for high studies in Rome, and it was filled with people from many countries and cultures, all part of my spiritual family.

Still, I might have resisted the rekindled passion, but for the recessional. The singing become not the army of Legionaries, but a combined choir of Legionaries and consecrated women, standing together, voices blending in beautiful harmony.

The traditional, majestic Mass, combined with the unity of the family joining in song, brought a tear to my eye. Old beauty and truth. New beauty and truth. Being part of Regnum Christi will be a wonderful ride.