Regnum Christi

Joseph was an extraordinary ordinary Joe.

I’ve been thinking about him a lot the past couple weeks as 2015 was winding down and I have drifted into new stages in life. Like Joseph, I’m a husband and father, although serving a comparatively minor role in the story of the human race.

Of course, the Joseph I’ve been thinking about is the husband of Mary, Mother of God.  Joseph doesn’t get many lines in the Bible, although he played a pivotal role in protect Mary and Jesus and forming the human part of Christ.  He accepted an expectant virgin as his wife and fled with her to a distant land when warned by an angel in a dream. Continue reading →

Making conversation with a three year old can be a little interesting.

Especially when you’re trying to walk them back to their classroom while distracting them from the fact they’re separated from their parents.

Their insights, however, are often off the radar. My all-time favorite is as follows:

“Wow, today’s going to be so much fun!”

No response.

“Your friends are going to be so excited to see you!” Continue reading →

Today along with the feast of the epiphany, my congregation, the Legion of Christ, is celebrating the 75 years of our history.  Our history is full of many mysteries, but none that the mercy of God can’t resolve. Today, as the Church celebrates the Epiphany, this feast can shed some light on our anniversary.  We could try to see what the kings did, their travels and gifts, but we don’t get too far. Rather today is about Christ’s journey to encounter humanity, and the gift the world received in Christ. In the history of our congregation (or even looking back on each of our lives), we could focus on what man has done, sometimes his errors and at others his successes, but rather we celebrate what God has been able to do through our congregation and her members. We can celebrate the feast today, looking back on our lives, not just at our errors or success; but rather how God has been able to work marvels in our life, despite us and with us. Our lives and all of history is full of many mysteries, only understood under the light of the star (Christ) that the kings saw and followed. That light continues to shine for us today, may we never lose sight of it no matter how dark it is.

On Christmas morning, I boarded the metro for St Peter’s Square with over a hundred of my Legionary brothers. The doors of the subway had barely closed when the brothers in the next car down from mine burst into song. It was Christmas carols, flash-mob style. We all joined in as the other passengers crowded round and took out their phones to film. It was our little Christmas morning gift to Rome: hundreds of young seminarians sharing our joy at the gift of the Newborn King. The next day we were out again, this time doing street missions in the Eternal City. We went to one of the most popular tourist sites in the city: Piazza Navona. We hit the plaza with everything we had. There was hot chocolate, cookies, and a cross to which people could nail their prayer intentions/Christmas wishes for Baby Jesus. On one side we had jazzy Spanish Christmas songs, complete with saxophone, bongos, tambourines, maracas, etc. Continue reading →

In the context of Christmas, the Church gives us the chance today to reflect on the family. We look at this family and they didn’t have anything special, rather they looked pretty dim on a human level. They only had each other. Only a family can give you this. This is what made the Holy Family great and what makes each family special. Therefore, if one is lost, the family is lost. Jesus was in the temple teaching, but away. If one is missing from the family, not just in presence but also in a certain sense not being who he is meant to be, then the whole family suffers. The family can only flourish when all do what we were created to do.

I’m struck by the many blessings in my life:  faith, family, friends and a mission.  These are among the beautiful gifts enhanced by Regnum Christi.

When you ask me what I consider comfort food, bananas and hardboiled eggs isn´t what comes to mind… but I think that I´ve recently moved them into that category. The other morning I was surprised at how much nostalgia entered my memory as each bite of my breakfast entered my mouth. After a few minutes, I realized that hardboiled eggs have a certain nostalgia of Sunday breakfasts in Greenville, and that bananas were a staple donation for several months during my candidacy. Since I hadn´t had either of them very often since arriving in Spain, I suddenly made the click. I realized that something as simple as hardboiled eggs and bananas had made their way into my little comfort zone, sealed in with good memories and a feeling of home. As I started off to leave for class that morning, I thanked Our Lord for his little gift to make me smile. Continue reading →

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:4-7

Gospel video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr—byu2ucs

Thank you, Jesus for coming!  Thank you for the gifts of the Sacraments, especially for the Eucharist and Confession that strengthen us so much for our daily journey.  Thank you for remaining with us in the tabernacles in so many Catholic Churches.  Thank you for leaving us your mother to be our mother…what a huge blessing! Thank you for calling your priests and nuns and consecrated to be clear instruments of your love in so many ways.  Thank you for showing us the path to heaven and thank you for leaving your heaven so we could join you for all eternity!  Merry Christmas to all!

As I was studying for my Introduction to Christianity exam, I came across a paragraph in the professor´s notes that made me want to turn to the person sitting next to me in the library and say DO YOU GET HOW AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL THIS IS?!?!?

“Sometimes we believe that faith is our faithfulness to God. No! It is the encounter of two fidelities: that of a faithful man, and that of a faithful God. It is the encounter of two faiths: the faith of God and the faith of man. Henri De Lubac points this out: ´this encounter, faith as an encounter of two fidelities, evokes the reciprocal gift of the spouses: faith entails a certain dimension of “spousality” with God.´ This spousal dimension is something that is characteristic of faith. It is a particular spousal relationship, because it is not a relationship between equals. In faith, God always takes the initiative. God´s fidelity always comes before our own, and it sustains our fidelity.” Continue reading →

We are just a few days away from Christmas day! Christ is not only eager to be accepted and born in our hearts, but to come into this world through us for others. God wants to enter the lives of others through us as He entered this world through Mary. He wants to come into our lives through the encounter with others.  I think this is the best way to celebrate Christ at Christmas time, by bringing Him to others and discovering Him in others. Christ’s presence is made real among us when we bring Him into this world through our love for one another. Many will be getting together with family and it isn’t always easy, but we can make this time of sharing be a time when the love of God is made manifest through our actions.