Sent: Friday, January 17, 2014 2:40 PM
Subject: REGNUM CHRISTI NEWS OF THE WEEK -- January 17
REGNUM CHRISTI NEWS OF THE WEEK
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Ask a Priest -- Fr Edward McIlmail LC
Angel for a Day – Washington, DC
Boys on a Mission – in El Salvador
The past week in Regnum Christi Live!
Christ the great healer – by Paola Trevino
The heart is their eyes – by Paola Trevino
A pat on the back – by Paola Trevino
Christmas Story: Thornwood, Christmas Baby, Chapter – Br John Choi LC
Drawn Toward the Rising Sun – by Ashley Osmera
Treasure in jars of clay – by Br Antonio Lemos LC
Mt. Alfred – by Fr Simon Devereux LC
Prayer, a glance towards… my watch? – by Mirianna Sternhagen
Blessed are the poor in spirit – by Fr Michael Sliney LC
Christ the great healer.
Regnum Christi Live – January 11
By Paola Trevino
Today the gospel talked about the leper that Christ cleanses. Leprosy is a neurological illness that numbs your body, especially the extremities. They go numb, you can't feel anything. Aren't we all leapers in so many ways? Aren't we numb to the needs around us, aren't we numb of the reality of the world, nothing fazes us. Like one missionary shared with us, "I was asleep and Haiti was an awaking moment for me". In Haiti Christ cleans not only physical leprosy, but especially the leprosy from us missionaries. He heals us, so we can feel again. So we can feel the needs of others; so we can feel His presence in our lives now and through all our lives; so we can feel and love. With the love that's true. So we can feel and start searching for the meaning in our lives; so we can feel and start living with a positive attitude; so we can feel and be joyful and thankful.
Let’s ask our Lord, today and every day, like the leper: “Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean”.
The heart is their eyes
Regnum Christi Live – January 12
By Paola Trevino
We just finished our first mission in the year 2014 here in Haiti. 31 young missionaries are on their way home after a week of service. We stay with another 20 to continue the work.
Last night we had our reflections to share the things that we will "pack" to take back home. I was amazed by how full those hearts were after a week with the poorest of the poor. I would like to share with you a couple of ideas that help me, hoping it will help you.
In Haiti the sick babies, the dying, the sick people, they see through their heart. Their heart is their eyes. They see past our physical appearance, our past, our present, our future, our imperfections, our weaknesses, our sins...They see us from who we really are, sons and daughters of God created out of love to give love.
Another idea was a word to describe the mission: a tree. Yes, a tree. I thought the same as you when I heard it, but let me explain. A tree represents life, growth, a tree has roots. Here in Haiti you discover your roots, you discover who you really are, and what you can become; just like a tree with deep roots gets stronger and gives much fruit. We need to go deeper to discover our roots and growth and build from there, so we can start giving life.
I hope that all of you Mission Youth Missionaries can continue the experience once lived in Haiti or in Mexico; learn to see with our hearts and go deep to our roots to discover who we are. So we can GO to SERVE and BUILD. Go out of our comfort zone to serve those in need and build the Church.
A pat on the back
Regnum Christi Live – January 13, 2014
By Paola Trevino
During my lunch break I went to pray a rosary with a sick little boy who had just arrived. Chenidel, is 17 months old and weighs 2.8 kg. All the weight is in his head; his tiny body is so fragile that he doesn't have the strength to hold his head or sit. As I started praying, the baby from the crib beside started crying, so with one hand I started patting his back. Soon enough, he settled. The baby in the crib in front also began to cry, so I moved and followed the same technique, a pat on the back. Sure enough, he was silent before I knew it; well before I knew it, all the babies in the room, like 20 of them, had found the trick. So there I was, holding Chenidel with one hand, going around from crib to crib, patting the babies. When I was in the 5th mystery of the rosary, 15 minutes had passed, when I realized that all the ladies of the staff were having the laughter of their time, watching me with carrying little Chenidel in one hand and going around patting the kids that obviously they were playing with me.
A simple pat on the back. I started thinking. Was it my patting or the fact that I was praying the rosary out loud and it was the soothing sound of the Hail Mary, or it was Mary herself, the Mother of all the babies, patting them on the back?
Wow, it was a beautiful image that came to mind, Mary walking around all her sick babies, patting them on the back to calm down their pain.
When we get cranky, or sad, or lonely, or we feel sick, we just need to give a little cry and Mary will pat us on the back and with a soft, gentle voice she will whisper: Do not be afraid my child, everything is going to be ok, am I not here, that I am your Mother? And then all will be ok, just like for the babies, soon enough we will calm down and be happy in our "little cribs".
A Christmas Story: Thornwood, the Christmas Baby and the General Chapter
Regnum Christi Live – January 13, 2014
By Br John Choi LC
About a month ago friends from New York said a sad goodbye to the Legion's center in Thornwood, NY. At first I took it neutral. I hadn't spent much time there so it didn't really say anything to me. If anything, my memories of the Westchester area house were a bit depressing. We'd go "down" to Thornwood for our LC Get-togethers in those days when we were on edge, tense...really tense. For some time I sort of blocked those days out of my mind so as to sleep better at night.
Forest walkway in Thornwood LC Center
This Christmas I began to see it differently. With another beautiful Ordinations Mass (Dec. 15, 2013) and the coming of Christmas I got to see something really beautiful happen - as every year - the Birth of the Christ-child. I followed the Ordinandi from the time they boarded the bus right to the Basilica of St. John Lateran for the imposition of hands snapping photos of them all along the way.
Fr. Josef Hare and Fr. Jess ngel Lopez on the way to their Ordination
A priestly ordination is like watching someone "be born anew". According to Fulton Sheen "a Priest is Not His Own" and emphasis on the is. The priest is a new born child and despite the appearances he is the Christ-child in Person.
Prostration during the Litany of Saints during the Ordination Rite
With a gush of joy in our hearts there is no way not to be filled with hope. And hope is contagious. Some of the moments throughout Christmas were like living the Ordination Rite over and over again. The wait, the quiet, dizziness of movements, the Child in a Manger. This brings me back to Thornwood again. Forgotten memories uninterred, I think Thornwood was and is not a failure. It is sad to see the closing of a Religious formation house, very sad. Pope Francis recalled in his past conversation with heads of religious orders entitled,"Wake up the World!"he mentioned that despite the ephemeral "passing" of "works" the Charism of a religious congregation "remains". The most important "works" of an order are its own houses of formation. Besides the Papal Fact - and this, most importantly - was that despite its closing Legionary Fathers and Brothers see same "grain of wheat" rise anew with hope towards the future.
Manger scene at the Legion's Center for Higher Studies - Rome, Italy
Being a Religious - and furthermore, as a priest - there is one great mission that we share - to bring hope in the midst of darkness.
On January 8th we began our General Chapter. God knows what He wants; and I know that God gets what He wants. I pray that each and every one of us can bring out the Joy of the Gospel in the midst of these days ahead and place our hope in the Child born for us.
Drawn Toward the Rising Sun
Regnum Christi Live – January 14, 2014
By Ashley Osmera
The earth is still,
Covered in a blanket
As black as coal.
When the eyes of all have just begun to believe
That the darkness will be eternal,
Small purple flowers
Begin to bloom in the eastern sky,
Their petals stretching across the horizon.
As time passes,
Their tips are kissed first by a dark maroon,
And then a fiery red and orange.
The dawn has come.
Soon the focal point
Becomes an increasingly bright point
In the center of the eastern horizon.
Something brilliant is struggling to be born
From the depths of the swirling colors.
Suddenly it breaks, spilling over the clouds,
Instantly flooding all,
And at once the dawn
Is overcome by the sun.
Yet the beautiful, humble dawn
Is not jealous,
And slowly fades,
So that the sun may shine all the brighter,
Filling all the earth and sky
With his awesome warmth and light.
What child precedes his parents; or what son can be born before his mother? Yet it is truly the sun which comes before the dawn, and in fact, creates its breathtaking display. The sun has noneedof the dawn. But the sun asks for the dawn, and even pleads for it, because without it, the long darkened eye would be blinded by the dazzling light of the sun, if it sprang directly into the darkness of night without warning.
We also know of a Son who preceded his mother. In truth, he also had noneedof her. Yet he chose to allow her to participate intimately in his incredible plan, in order to prepare all hearts and eyes clothed in darkness for the coming of the Son’s light. The love and touch of the mother, the dawn, is gentle and soothing, and fills the trembling heart with a desire and longing for the One who is even more perfect and beautiful than she. She draws us to the spot from which her Son will appear. And then, when he arrives in all his glory and splendor, she quietly bows out of the spotlight. Yet she is not forgotten. Oh, no; the eye remembers vividly her beauty, and the heart her gentle guidance. So when, in our darkness, she appears once more, we turn to her with awe, trust, and expectation, knowing that the dawn will never fail to lead us, and gentle lift our chins, so that our gaze may be directed and drawn toward the rising sun.
Ask a PriestU. S. A. | WHO WE ARE | NEWS
RCSpirituality.com invites you to send your queries on the faith to Fr. Edward McIlmail, LC
- I am in love with a married man. What do I do?
- How can I handle constant criticizing from a spouse?
- As a Catholic, is it OK to use or display the word “Namaste?”
- Are we baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity or in the name of Jesus?
- Is it bad to wear a cross sideways?
- How can I fulfill my vocation while being homebound?
- Why does God allow so much pain and suffering?
- How often can I go to confession?
“Over the years many people have been helped by the meditations offered through Regnum Christi websites,” said Fr. Edward. “I welcomed the chance to help with a question-and-answer for RCSpirituality. It seemed to be a good way to help people in their particular situations. The spiritual life is a battlefield, and the wider culture isn’t making it any easier to follow in the footsteps of Christ.
“With God’s grace, theAsk a Priestcolumn will be able to answer that need,” he said. “In the short time the feature went live
Fr. Edward McIlmail LC
online, we decided to try to be open to any and all questions. Readers haven’t disappointed us, sending questions ranging from how to improve their prayer life, to how to live in relationships chastely and well, to deep theological questions. All this indicates a hunger for knowledge of the Catholic faith. Deep down, people want to hear the truth.”
Fr. Edward requests the RCSpirituality.com readers, and all RC members, keep him, and the RC Spirituality.com website in their prayers, and he asks patience if all questions are not answered immediately.
“Rest assured that every question is read and pondered,” he said. “And you are all in my prayers.”
To contact Fr. Edward at "Ask a Priest", go to the following link: or send him an email .
Treasure in jars of clay
Regnum Christi Live – January 15, 2014
By Br Antonio Lemos LC
One of the perks about being a Legionary Brother is to live 24/7 with priests. It is such a blessing. More than anyone else, we are always in touch with their human side and with the mysterious presence of Jesus Christ, Priest and Victim, in their souls. We have Mass with them every day; and minutes later we are cooking pancakes and eating breakfast together; we receive spiritual direction and are mentored by them; and we disassemble our Christmas tree as a family; we can ask them for confession whenever we need; and sometimes we play flag football at the beach with them.
Last week I experienced this mystery in a very special way. Two brothers and I went with my superior, Fr Brian, to do some exercise in the local park. As we arrived at the park, each one went running in a different direction. I decided to go to a trail I had not explored before.
As I was running through the woods, in a very narrow part of the trail I saw a group of people ahead, maybe 10 or 15. I thought they were having some kind of outdoor class, since they were all quiet and in a serious mood while a woman talked. As I approached them, I realized that there was a man lying on the ground and a person was doing CPR on him.
“Is this some kind of outdoor paramedic class?” I asked myself (I live in California, and this would not surprise me). I realized that the woman was actually talking on the phone and asking for help, and that the man lying was unconscious. It was a very awkward moment. Everyone was quietly observing the CPR procedure, no commotion at all, and I was wondering what to do. I felt really impotent; I wanted to help that man but did not know how. I started praying a Hail Mary for him. “If I were a priest… I could really help him…” I said to myself. Then, I suddenly remembered that Fr Brian was running somewhere in the park.
I ran as fast as I could and prayed to my guardian angel to bring me to Fr Brian, but to no avail. I did not find him on the other trails. Little did I know, Fr Brian was already with that man (way to go guardian angel!!!). He arrived minutes after I left the scene, together with the paramedics and the ambulance. He was able to give a conditional absolution to the man, who passed away minutes later.
Experiences like this make me contemplate in awe the mystery of the priesthood, which is a real sign of the Divine Mercy in our lives. Jesus works through the lives of his priests and it is almost hidden in their ordinary lives, like a treasure hidden in a jar of clay.
I am so grateful for the example and the service of all my brother legionary priests! Thank you, padres!
By the way, it happened to be the first Friday of the month!
Mt.Alfred
Regnum Christi Live – January 15, 2014
By Fr Simon Devereux LC
When you are going through hell, keep on going. Never never never give up. – Winston Churchill
Today my brother, Fr. Matthew, and I hiked up Mt.Alfred. It was a three hour walk to the 1300 metre summit. I certainly didn't enjoy the pain of the ascent, but the view from the top made it all worth while (as you can see from the photo).
Sometimes in our spiritual "hike" we tell Jesus that we want to give up; that it's too hard. In these moments, we have to trust that he has something absolutely amazing in store for us at the top. Don't give up! You may be closer to the summit than you realize!
Angel for a DayU. S. A. | WHO WE ARE | NEWS
Annual tradition in WashingtonDC draws 200 children and their families
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2. More than 200 children and their families enjoyed the annual Angel for a Day event in WashingtonDC.
3. The “three wisemen” ushered everyone to St. James Church to see the Christ Child and to pray the rosary.
More than 200 children and their families enjoyed the annual Angel for a Day event in Washington, DC, held at St. James parish on January 4, 2013.
“It is great to see how much joy you can bring others with just a little bit of effort and love!” said Br. James Wilson LC who serves in the Washington, DC area.
Sixty volunteers, including members of the parish and local Regnum Christi members, played games with the children and handed out presents in honor of the Christmas season.
A highlight of the event was the visit of the “three wisemen” who ushered everyone to St. James Church to see the Christ Child and to pray a few decades of the rosary.
Prayer, a glance towards… my watch?