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Aspirancy

Fr. Joseph Brickner Aspirancy notes

May 20

Thy Kingdom Come!

Hello again everyone and it was great to see many of you on the call. Here is the next reading, & jot down a thought or two for this coming Thursday. ---For the videos; one is Fr Shawn from yrs. ago; he is now our Territorial Director. The song is about Ecyd, = how we form kids to foster brotherhood & communion w/Christ & others already at their age. Lastly, the novitiate in Monterrey, Mexico; it’s in Spanish but the images speak for themselves! With my prayers, In Christ Fr Joseph

Fr Shawn vocation (3’)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93JzbLut9pQ⁠

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RC Music Collective, Friends (5’)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BOuFko2zoU⁠

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Novitiate Monterrey (9’)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmnmJMihmac⁠

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E. Dimension of Communion⁠

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275. Religious are called to be “experts in communion” in the Church and in the world.

“In fact, in a world frequently very deeply divided and before their brethren in the faith, they give witness to the possibility of a community of goods, of fraternal love, of a program of life and activity which is theirs because they have accepted the call to follow more closely and more freely Christ the Lord.”

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276. Every Legionary forms himself to be an “expert in communion,” beginning with the reality at hand, his community. This reality ripples outward to include the whole Congregation, the members of Regnum Christi in its diverse vocations, and finally overflows into the life and mission of the Church and the entire human family.

277. Promoting communion and esprit de corps is an expression of charity and is therefore at the heart of the Gospel. The communion Legionaries live with their brothers is a work of love, for “with eternal love the Father created us and called us to be his sons, the Holy Spirit though the vows has gathered us together in unity, and Christ has sent us to fight for his Kingdom, giving us the Eucharist as food and Mary as Mother.”

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God, the source of this fraternal communion, also “calls together all men, scattered and divided by sin, into the unity of his family, the Church”.

[3]⁠

Legionaries aspire to be instruments in God’s plan of bringing all men to a participation in the communion of the Trinity. Therefore, they give everything to promote communion, for otherwise the coming of the Kingdom of God might be delayed or remain sterile.

278. A Legionary does not act on his own. Rather, he feels responsible for promoting true communion wherever he is, convinced that all form “one body and one Spirit” (Ephesians 4:4) in Christ. He rejects individualism—a dominant trait of our current culture—and welcomes his brothers as gifts, believing them to be “those who are a part of me.”

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279. This dimension of formation has three objectives: to form oneself to be a brother in the community; to form oneself to be a member of the Congregation and Regnum Christi; and to form oneself to be an instrument of communion in the Church and in the human family.

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1. Learning to be a brother among brothers: spirit of community⁠

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280. A religious’ inner circle of relationships is his community. The community, therefore, is the first and most important place in which he lives communion. In this environment, a Legionary should develop the following attitudes:

a. Living in communion with others through his relationship with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit;

b. Living the mission in communion with others, convinced that their witness of unity is already apostolate;

c. Participating in all community activities with interest;

d. Learning to give and receive, contributing who he is with humility and joy;

e. Knowing how, whenever necessary, to ask for forgiveness and forgive without holding grudges.

281. Community life is not based on a need for organization, nor is it simply a way to facilitate participation and collaboration for the sake of efficiency on the mission. Rather, it is an essential element of religious life. It does not hinder, but empowers our drive for holiness and the apostolate. Community life is not mere uniformity, but a gift of the Spirit that helps us live unity in a diversity of personalities, ages, cultures, and opinions.

“We stay together in community not because we have chosen one another, but because we have been chosen by the Lord;”

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this is why we are called brothers. Blood brothers are united by virtue of their blood. Religious communities are “born not ‘of the will of the flesh’, nor from personal attraction, nor from human motives, but ‘from God’ (John 1:13), from a divine vocation and a divine attraction”

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The same God who brings religious together always nourishes their fraternal communion: “Our relationship with God is the heart of our community life. The Eucharist is therefore the community’s spiritual center.” (GCC 2014, 52).

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[1]⁠

RHP 24.

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[2]⁠

CLC 1994, 256.

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[3]⁠

CCC 1.

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[4]⁠

Novo Millennio Ineunte, Apostolic Letter, John Paul II, 2001, 43.

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[5]⁠

FLC 41.

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[6]⁠

FLC 1. The Code of Canon Law distinguishes two elements of union and of unity among the members of the community:

a. one, the more spiritual: “fraternity” or “fraternal communion,” which arises from hearts animated by charity. It underlines “communion of life” and interpersonal relationships; (CIC 602)

b. the other, more visible: “life in common” or “community life”, which consists of “living in one’s own lawfully constituted religious house” and in “leading a common life” through fidelity to the same norms, taking part in common acts, and collaboration in common services. (CIC 608, 665 §1). (FLC 3).

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May 12

Thy Kingdom Come!

Greetings All! After a great vacation with my LC community in the mountains I am looking forward to catching up with you next Thursday. We are moving into the next theme, “Discernment & LC brotherhood” Here are a few paragraphs to read from our formation handbook & a video---the video has some depth, it is not action-packed! so plan on reflection time with the video and enjoy.

*Note at least 2 take-aways from the reading…

*Note what helped you from the video & the 4 steps he gives…

Video, 15’, How to discern

https://rcspirituality.org/video/how-to-discern-a-vocation/⁠

(you might have to register on the RC site to see it, but is free)

Reading from Christ Your Life (Ratio Institutiones), our Formation Handbook:

CHAPTER SEVEN

The Process of Vocational Discernment

What shall I do, Lord? (Acts 22:10)

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678. “Jesus ‘went up into the hills, and called to him those whom he desired; and they came to him’ (Mark 3:13). On the one hand, we have the completely free decision of Jesus; on the other, the ‘coming’ of the Twelve, their ‘following’ Jesus. […] The absolute primacy of grace in vocation is most perfectly proclaimed in the words of Jesus: ‘You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide’” (John 15:16).

679. This Ratio does not claim to develop a systematic vocational theology. Church teaching on the matter emphasizes right intention and suitability.

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Thus the Church begins with the presupposition that desire and capability are sufficient conditions to consider a possible vocation.

A young man’s experience of an intimate relationship with Christ reveals his desire: his longing to belong totally to him, his inner drive to work for the salvation of mankind, his attraction to fraternal life, or other similar interior movements. Often, at the beginning of this journey, these good motives are tangled with others that are less pure: an attraction to a human exemplar, an idealized concept of the priesthood, a desire to be in the spotlight, etc. Over time, God will purify these lesser motives.

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His capability is verified both by the absence of impediments and by the possession of certain necessary qualities. These are found in the Code of Canon Law 355 and in the Constitutions as objective points of reference by which young men and their formators can discern the presence of a Legionary vocation.

680. We use the word discernment because prudent judgment is necessary in matters of vocation. In this process, we evaluate whether the traits the Constitutions speak of are sufficiently present in the candidate, while keeping in mind that he is also going to undergo a long process of interior growth. This process is different for each person: for some, the conviction of their call is obvious from the start, while for others this moral certainty comes only after a long, painful journey. For this reason, personal, attentive, supernatural and fatherly accompaniment are crucial in every stage of formation.

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681. For a young man to participate in the candidacy, he must show signs of a possible call from God. The purpose of this stage is an initial verification of these signs through the experience of life as a candidate. The program and activities of the candidacy must take this purpose into account, incorporating some elements of religious life in the Legion.

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682. If the young man feels the stirrings of a possible call throughout the candidacy, and if the initial verification sufficiently shows that he possesses the qualities described in the Constitutions and does not have any apparent impediments, the candidate may enter the novitiate. Special consideration should be given to his generosity and his willingness to live the spirit and community life of the Congregation and carry out its apostolate (CLC 66 §2, 5°). Finally, the requisites indicated for admission to later stages should be present in some way from the beginning.

The novitiate requires at least a modicum of serenity, positive spirit and interior freedom to allow oneself to be formed in a new way of life with docility. If one has persistent doubts during candidacy, he should evaluate with his formator whether it would be most helpful to continue discerning outside the Legion or to take on this new experience.

355 For admission to an institute of religious life, besides the required age, universal law calls for the health, suitable character, and sufficient qualities of maturity to embrace the life of the institute (see CIC 642); the factors for invalid admission are found in Canon 643, among them, not having completed 17 years of age. In addition, the requirements for admission to the seminary should be taken into account, admitting “those who are judged qualified to dedicate themselves permanently to the sacred ministries”, considering their “human, moral, spiritual, and intellectual qualities, their physical and psychic health, and their correct intention.” (CIC 241)

In the Constitutions, admission to the novitiate (CLC 66), to religious profession (CLC 85), to perpetual profession (CLC 93), to the ministries (CLC 106) and to holy orders (CLC 107). The intellectual ability for the university studies required for ordination; a strong and steadfast will; prudence in making commitments; and determination, courage and constancy in keeping them; integrity, a balanced psychology and good health; discretion, affability, good social skills, sincerity and loyalty.

Apr 20

Thy Kingdom Come!

Greetings everyone. (& Guests feel free to read along as well if interested) This is a great section from the formation handbook (The Ratio; Christ Your Life)…as you read, look for what the name “Legionary” means, and what “Christian militancy” means…how would you explain those?

In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

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D. Legionary of Christ: A Particular Style⁠

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106. The name “Legionary of Christ,” rather than identifying the particular mission of the institute, points to a particular style that distinguishes its members.

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107. The words “of Christ” underscore that a Legionary is a disciple and friend of the Lord, with whom he knows he is united forever—as the psalm says, “I am yours”(Psalm 199:94). Far from formalism or rigidity, there is a freshness and closeness in his daily contact with Him: “I have called you friends” (John 15:15). In this friendship, cultivated and deepened throughout life, seeking in all things the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls, a Legionary discovers the uniting and driving principle of his existence.

A Legionary has experienced the love and call of Christ Jesus and has responded by centering his life on him “through a real, personal, manly, and passionate love for him” (CLC 3, 1°), making Christ the standard and example of his life. This personal relationship is the heart and source of our Legionary identity.

Therefore, a Legionary bears the name of his Redeemer with pride—“your name we bear” (Jeremiah 14:9)—and finds comfort in pronouncing his Name. It moves him to give of himself and is a consolation in moments of temptation or suffering.

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108. On the other hand, in the word “Legionary” there resounds the echo of Saint Paul’s often-used image of a Christian: “Bear your share of hardship […] like a good soldier of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). Religious life, as a distinguished form of Christian life, has identified itself from its beginnings as militia Christi.

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The Legion of Christ considers itself part of this tradition.

109. Saint Paul himself affirms that “our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens” (Ephesians 6:12) that loathe mankind and draw us into evil, sowing hate and tears in the world. Jesus came into the world “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). Legionaries share this same mission: to invite people to accept the Kingdom of Christ into their lives and destroy the works of the evil one. That is why we put ourselves under the protection of Saint Michael the Archangel.

If the enemy is spiritual, the weapons with which we fight him are also spiritual. (see Ephesians 6:13-18)

110. The work of the devil is disobedience—he said, “I will not serve” (Jeremiah 2:20)—and so he attempts to incite in us a spirit, not of a son, but of a slave. The word “Legionary” reminds us of the opposite attitude, prompting a particular love for the virtue and vow of obedience in imitation of Christ’s redemptive obedience: “He humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). For just as through the disobedience of one man came the breakdown of the human family, so through the obedience of Christ, the New Man, its reconstruction was begun (see Romans 5:19).

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111. When we call ourselves Legionaries, we also proclaim our willingness to be sent wherever we are needed: “Here I am, send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). “Jesus went around to all the towns and villages […] proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 9:35). During the years of his public life, Jesus never stopped walking. He sowed his seed wherever he went and never stayed to watch it grow. A Legionary too is a man always on the move, with a missionary spirit diametrically opposed to every form of laziness.

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112. The Constitutions (CLC 14, 1°) describe a Legionary’s love for the Church as “passionate.” A Legionary acquires through this love a sixth sense for the needs of the Church and looks for ways to address them, even though he may have little time to spare, for “[love] feels no burden, makes light of labor, desiring to do more than it is able.”

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This love does not allow a Legionary to sit cross-armed before the sufferings of the Bride of Christ. He suffers from the errors committed by those in the Church and rejoices tremendously at the moments of grace that the Lord gives to His people.

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A Legionary has a magnanimous and fighting heart. He gives himself with passion, desires to do more, wants to go farther. Therefore, attentive to the signs of the times, “making the most of the opportunity” (Ephesians 5:16), he works with zeal and creativity. He seeks out new paths, advances to the front lines of the Church—both pastoral and intellectual—aware that every day of fatigue for the Kingdom is a precious gift from God that will never return and that time is given to us in order to gain eternity. We call this attitude “militancy.”

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113. The word “Legionary,” far from any hint of superiority, expresses a sincere desire—born out of love for Christ—to live one’s mission with a spirit of sacrifice and redemptive suffering and to never abandon one’s assigned post. In the daily Celebration of the Eucharist, we learn from Christ what it means to love “to the end” (John 13, 1).

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Our institutional past is itself a message for the men of our time. We show that although there are wounds in one’s life, Christ can still work wonders with those who trust in his love: “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

114. By virtue of the Congregation’s proper vow (CLC 37) Legionaries live detached from all desires to obtain positions or assignments in the Congregation. They embrace their assignments with a spirit of service, leave them with the same spirit when the time comes to serve in another mission, and live with the peace, joy and fraternity of rank-and-file soldiers.

Indeed, the term “Legionary” implies a strong comradery. For Legionaries, this is expressed in our esprit de corps with our brothers, who are called by Christ to the same mission and with whom we work and pray. Through daily witness of unity in diversity, Legionaries love their brothers to the point of sacrificing anything to assist them and never abandoning them, even when they have fallen.

115. “Hacer Legión” is then considering oneself “a living and active part of this large family, contributing his particular gifts to the mission entrusted to her.” (CLC 16)

116. As a corollary to the identity of a Legionary, we recall the words from the Song of Songs: “Who is this that looks forth like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army with banners?”(Song of Songs 6:10).

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The bride in the Song of Songs is the Church, whose awesome beauty derives from the different vocations and charisms deployed for battle, terrifying to Satan. The Legion, a “united and organized body” (CLC 3) in the heart of Regnum Christi, is beautiful as an army in battle array inasmuch as it is faithful to its particular gift, to “the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7).

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117. “Caritas Christi urget nos”—“The love of Christ impels us” (2 Corinthians 5:14). This expression of Saint Paul synthesizes and recalls the traits which are most characteristic of a Legionary: Christ as the center of our interior life, charity as the cohesive strength between us as brothers, the sense of joyful urgency as our style of apostolate.

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[1]⁠

Religious families “offer their members […] fraternal association in the militia of Christ” (LG 43).

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[2]⁠

The Imitation of Christ, III, 5, newly edited by Clare L. Fitzpatrick, Catholic Book Publishing Co., New York, 1993, p 108.

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[3]⁠

“Our paternal word of greeting and congratulation is now directed to a group of recently ordained priests from the Roman university of the Legionaries of Christ […] For years you have been preparing yourselves through prayer, study, and meditation for this solemn moment of your definitive self-giving to God and the Church, choosing Jesus as the sole end of your youth and your entire lives. But choosing him under this trait of militancy. You are Legionaries, that is, not passive people that sit back to see what might happen, but rather people that desire to imprint upon things a force and give Christianity an expression that is proper to it, militancy. Legionaries, that is, combatants for the name of Jesus. May God bless you and may God preserve this character in you that desires to be conquering—this word is proud but goes well when referred to Christ; Legionaries to fight and defend, Legionaries to conquer and call the other brothers to this same faith communion with the Lord.” (Paul VI, Audience, January 2, 1974).

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[4]⁠

TN: Revised Standard Version.

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[5]⁠

TN: Revised Standard Version.

Apr 15

Greetings All and here are some brief reflections from our formation handbook, “Christ Your Life.” & Divine Mercy Sunday tomorrow!…23 yrs. ago (St.) JPII gave this gift to the whole Church. In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

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3. Third trait: Legionaries serve the Church and Regnum Christi as religious and priests

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98. A Legionary is always a member of Regnum Christi, and wherever he is, Regnum Christi is present. (GCC 2014, 32). The particular contribution Legionaries bring to the Movement in its service to the Church derives from their two-fold state as religious and priests.

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99. As religious, Legionaries consecrate themselves totally to Christ. “The evangelical basis of consecrated life is to be sought in the special relationship which Jesus, in his earthly life, established with some of his disciples. He called them not only to welcome the Kingdom of God into their own lives, but also to put their lives at its service, leaving everything behind and closely imitating his own way of life.”

[1]⁠

Those called by Christ to live in community around him become brothers as they undergo “the daily experience of communion of life, prayer and apostolate”

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“with one heart and mind” (Acts 4:32).

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100. A Legionary loves souls and gives himself for them, but as one who has died to the world—“for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3); and has broken away from its false values: “do not love the world or the things of the world” (1 John2:15). Only salt that retains its taste can offer something new to the senility of sin (see Matthew5:13). At the same time, a Legionary is a man of his day who understands his contemporaries and is attentive to the new paths the Holy Spirit opens.

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101. The three evangelical counsels are a gift from God, a special path of transformation into Christ and the specific way for us to be salt of the earth. Even before Legionaries speak or impart formation, the other members of Regnum Christi benefit greatly from their witness of fidelity to their religious vocation, which gives “a much-needed incentive towards ever greater fidelity to the Gospel” and “powerful support on their journey towards the heavenly home.”

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102. As a member of a clerical institute, a Legionary is also a priest. There is therefore an intimate connection between his spiritual life and the fruitful exercise of his ministry.

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“Priests exist and act in order to proclaim the Gospel to the world and to build up the Church in the name and person of Christ the head and shepherd.”

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Priestly identity is expressed in the service we are called to carry out for the faithful: the priest is a minister of mercy, gives to men “the bread of God that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (John 6:33), and preaches the Word. Given that he communicates the things of God, he can find only his fulfillment if he is truly a “man of God” (2 Timothy 3:17)

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The Eucharist in particular “is the principal and central raison d’etre of the sacrament of the priesthood, which effectively came into being at the moment of the institution of the Eucharist, and together with it […] The priest fulfills his principal mission and is manifested in all his fullness when he celebrates the Eucharist.”

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103. There are many ways of growing closer to the mystery of the priesthood of Christ. A Legionary feels particularly called to welcome this gift as an alter Christus, conforming his heart more and more to the Heart of Christ so that He be the one who shines through his poor humanity.

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As a faithful friend, a Legionary is glad to disappear so that Christ be the center of all hearts: “the one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens to him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice” (John 3:29).

104. Thus, a Legionary’s apostolic and missionary spirit proceeds from his contemplative spirit, from his long hours at prayer in imitation of Christ. From Jesus’ example, he knows that the work of building the Kingdom in the hearts of men is a supernatural endeavor, done above all by interceding for men before the Father.

105. This mission reaches its perfection in laying down one’s life for others. The priest is called in a special way to be crucified with Christ (see Galatians 2:19): “what takes place on the altar of sacrifice, the priestly heart must make his own.”

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In the Mass, he comes to understand that he is not called to succeed in life, but to give his life—like salt that dissolves as it gives flavor or light that disappears as it shows that Christ is the way (see Matthew 5:13).

“Only from union with Jesus can you draw that spiritual fruitfulness which generates hope in your pastoral ministry. Saint Leo the Great recalls that ‘our participation in the Body and Blood of Christ aspires to nothing other than to become what we receive’. If this is true for every Christian it is especially true for us priests. To become the Eucharist! May precisely this be our constant desire and commitment, so that the offering of the Body and Blood of the Lord which we make on the altar may be accompanied by the sacrifice of our existence.”

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[1]⁠

VC 14.

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[2]⁠

RHP 24.

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[3]⁠

See GS 11.

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[4]⁠

VC 3 passim. As a practical reminder, every day when Legionaries put on their habit they can remember their vow of poverty with their cassock according to the words Saint Paul: “if we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that” (1 Timothy 6, 8). They are reminded of their vow of chastity with the white collar, the color of a resurrected life: “at the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). They are reminded of their vow of obedience with the sash with which they are girded, which makes them think of the Jesus’ words to Peter indicating how they would be fully identified with each other: “another will gird you” (John 21:18- RSV).

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[5]⁠

See PDV 24.

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[6]⁠

PDV 15.

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[7]⁠

TN: Revised Standard Version.

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[8]⁠

Dominicae Cenae, Letter, John Paul II, 1980, 2.

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[9]⁠

“Priests are called to prolong the presence of Christ, the one high priest, embodying his way of life and making him visible in the midst of the flock entrusted to their care.” (PDV 15).

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[10]⁠

PO 14.

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[11]⁠

Homily on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Benedict XVI June 11, 2009.

Apr 14

Thy Kingdom Come!

Thanks for a good zoom call yesterday. Many prayers! Here are a couple of videos to watch for the next Thursday discussion---I will send the reading later on as well. In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

Ecyd (5’)----What strikes you about Ecyd?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBtYNS_yWR4⁠

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LC Mission (10’) ------What’s one thing you learned from Fr Bartunek, & what did you learn from the 3 Legionaries in the video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0dpLivwa-E⁠

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Mar 30

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear All in Christ,

Many prayers as we prepare for Holy Week! Here are a few videos to watch in the next couple of weeks. No readings, dive into Holy Week and all it has to offer. Our next discussion is Easter week….THURSDAY, APRIL 13th …7:05 Central, I will send a link later on. ** = Discuss graces from Holy Week, & a highlight from each video.

A word of welcome to Leyton who will be joining us when he can, and Zak & Joseph will also have more opportunities to join us since we are moving to Thursdays. In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

Philly Locality 5’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ph8K6RKdWQ⁠

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Magdala Project 12’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOoBpm57j4E⁠

Fr Bannon LC 7’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDfld_pfLi0⁠

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Mar 19

TKc!

Laetare greetings to all; our half way point to celebrating the Lord’s total victory over sin and death! Since we are on the LC mission theme, thought you might like to see this. In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

Fact Sheet for the USA Territory

2022

† 23 LC communities (USA, Canada, Korea, Philippines)

† 160 Priests and transitional deacons

† 3,000+ RC members in 50+ dioceses with apostolic works and RC-inspired outreach

† Mission Youth Holy Week Missions, 18 cities, 2,500 missionaries

† College chaplaincies at Duke, Florida Tech, NC State, & Benedictine

† Other institutions: schools, parishes, retreat centers, Guadalupe Radio, Divine Mercy U. for postgrad psychology

† Fr Shawn Aaron Territorial Director, Fr David Daly Vicar with other counselors Fr Steven Reilly, Fr Juan Jose Hernandez, and Fr John Bartunek based in Atlanta

† United with 8 other Territories: (Chile/Argentina, Columbia/Venezuela, Brazil, Mexico South, Mexico North, Spain, Italy, and Central Europe

Mar 17

Thy Kingdom Come!

Good morning everyone, get some popcorn for this one (and watch it over the weekend if fasting today)…history of our foundation in Germany, 65’ long so you might want to break it into 2 parts but a good look into our LC spirit and mission. We’ll discuss your highlights on Tuesday.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrNPvq3_JSg⁠

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In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

Mar 16

Tkc!

Dear All in Christ,

Here are the readings for this week---as mentioned we are now moving into LC Identity & Mission for the weeks ahead. The readings below are from our formation manual, “Christus Vita Vestra” (Christ is Your Life). If you read & reflect on just 2 or so numbers / paragraphs a day you’ll be all set for Tuesday.

---¡Christopher, voy a enviarle las lecturas aquí abajo en español!

Will send a couple videos as well. In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

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CHAPTER TWO⁠

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Identity of a Legionary of Christ

“Who are you? (…) What do you have to say for yourself?” (John 1:22)

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A. Vocation and Identity⁠

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58. God’s loving gaze is at the origin of every vocation: “With age-old love I have loved you” (Jeremiah 31:3). A Legionary is someone who has discovered with astonishment that from all eternity God “knows him” with the full weight of intimacy that this word bears in Sacred Scripture. So, our whole life is dedicated to “knowing” the God who called us. This task, the noblest that a man can undertake, in a way entails already living heaven on earth: “Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3).

59. “Hail, favored one” (Luke 1:28). We have all received the vocation to life. Discovering why fills our existence with light and joy because it allows us to accept God’s wonderful plan for us. This vocation—manifested in time to each person, but eternal in the mind of God—is the revelation of our personal identity.

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60. The Legionary charism is then, for whoever is called to embody it a source of personal identity and a revelation of who God has envisioned him to be from all eternity. A Legionary will truly be himself in the measure that he becomes fully Legionary, and he will be fully Legionary in the measure that he becomes truly himself.

61. Saint John’s Gospel portrays John the Baptist as a man with a clear awareness of his identity and mission: “Who are you?” (John 1:19), they ask him. He reveals through his successive answers that there are many things he is not and only one that he is. The strength and drive for the mission come from clarity about who we are and understanding that there are things, good in themselves, which do not correspond to what God calls us to be or to embody.

[1]⁠

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Thus, whoever receives a call from God to the Legion can truthfully say, “The Legionary identity is my authentic self; it is what I should and want to be.” A successful formation process entails accepting this identity and making it one’s own, not merely as formation of external or conformist behaviors, but as growth from within toward personal plenitude.

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62. Having a clear identity and building our lives upon it—who we are and who God calls us to be—is a source of peace, joy, freedom and decision:

a. of peace, because it unifies us and gives us a positive and true vision of ourselves;

b. of joy, because it shows that God has the confidence to call us and allow us to s pend our lives in the greatest mission that can exist: spreading Christ’s Kingdom;

c. of freedom, because it frees us from attachments to work, places and relationships, which are not needed as a source of personal identity;

d. of decision, because it both allows us to make free and conscious decisions that express and develop our personal identity and helps us persevere through hardships.

63. A Legionary with a clear identity can be recognized by his profound openness to the Church in all the multiplicity of gifts and charisms that the Holy Spirit gives to his Spouse. The Church, following the image of the psalmist, is the bride led to the king in embroidered apparel, “in vestibus variegatis” (Psalm 45:14), that is, with a variety of precious threads woven in a single dress.

[2]⁠

A Legionary, as a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, gives of himself with simplicity precisely because he is sure of his identity. He appreciates the gifts of others that enrich him and help him grow.

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B.Identity and Charism⁠

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64. “They said to him, ‘Who are you?’” Jesus did not want to answer this question of the Jews with a definition, title or concise description. “Jesus said to them, ‘What I told you from the beginning’” (John 8:25). The entire Gospel, “all that Jesus did and taught” (Acts 1:1), just as the apostles have transmitted it to us, is a revelation of his identity.

“A profound ardor of love to be conformed to Christ in order to give witness to some aspect of His mystery”

[3]⁠

stands out in every charism that God gives to his Church. Since a Legionary is called to reflect Christ himself, under a particular facet, if he is asked, “Who are you?” he cannot answer with a set formula or sound bite. An authentic charism surpasses any limited definition.

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65. Being a Legionary is a dynamic synthesis of many elements: it means being a man of God, a passionate apostle of Christ, a formator of apostles, a proclaimer and witness of God’s merciful love, a well-rounded man, a creative evangelizer, a lively and magnanimous innovator. It means living each day, every act, as a joyful response to God’s love experienced personally in an intimate encounter with Christ. It is a way of apostolate—per Regnum Christi—with a single aim—ad Gloriam Dei. To be a Legionary of Christ is to receive God’s call to a religious and priestly life that embraces all this and more. Therefore, a charism is a living reality that is more easily described than defined.

66. The Constitutions are a wellspring or starting point for describing the charism. Following the course of these waters, this document—and not only the present chapter—aims to unpack this Legionary identity from a pedagogical viewpoint.

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C. Essential Traits of Legionary Identity⁠

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67. Christ gathers his Legionaries around him, reveals to them the love of his heart, forms them and sends them out to collaborate with him in building up his Kingdom (see CLC 4). The Legionary identity has three essential traits:

a. A passionate love for the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God made man.

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A mission that possesses him and urges him on, that is, that directs and drives all the acts of his life, and is the same mission that Jesus Christ received from his Father: proclaim the Kingdom of God and form apostles who invite others to enter it.

c. A religious and priestly spirituality, by which he puts himself with a sense of communion at the service of the Church and, in a special way, of the other members of Regnum Christi.

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1. First trait: A Legionary loves Christ passionately

68. For a Legionary, Christ is everything: “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6). A Legionary’s way is Christ. We do not follow a pre-determined path. Rather, our path is a living person, the Lord Jesus, and our journey along itis our daily relationship of love with him. A Legionary’s truth is Christ. We do not settle for an intellectual understanding of him, but rather aspire to an experiential knowledge so as to identify totally with him, the perfect man

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who brings us to our human fullness. A Legionary’s life is Christ: “Christus vita vestra” (Colossians 3:4). Our desire is to decrease so that Christ may increase in us (see John 3:30) in such a way that others see in us the Heart of Jesus.

69. “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man” (Luke 5:8). An authentic vocation begins with an encounter with Christ the Redeemer, who searches us out in our weakness and saves us. Thisexperience of mercy creates between Christ and his Legionary a bond so strong that “neither death, nor life […] will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).

“Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (Luke 5:10). Mercy makes us new and entrusts to us “the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18), that is, it moves us to “proclaim to all people God’s merciful love and bring them to a redemptive encounter with Christ” (CLC 3).

70. Christ is a Legionary’s center, standard and example (See CLC 8). This has strong implications for our life since it places before us the only one who is absolute. In dialogue with him we learn to give only relative value to structures and methods, which must become the object of proper personal and community discernment.

71. The Kingdom of God can be described as the life of Christ’s Heart that overflows into the heart of his disciples, leading them to obedience to Jesus and to the Father by the working of the Holy Spirit. The two main currents of our Christ-centered spirituality come together in this experience of the Kingdom: devotion to the Sacred Heart, which puts a Legionary into life-giving, intimate and personal contact with Christ the Redeemer, full of mercy; and devotion to Christ the King, which impels him to proclaim with passion his Kingdom of love, that is, the obedience that makes menfree. The first nourishes his interior life; the second inspires and expresses his mission.

72. Through Christ we gain access to the mystery of God’s inner life, to the Trinity: “For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit” (John 3:34). Speaking God’s words, Jesus reveals to us both the Father and our divine sonship, which trains us in the spiritual fatherhood proper to the priest and teaches us to treat each other as brothers, for we all have the same Father in heaven. Communicating the Spirit to us in an overflowing fashion, Christ gives us an advocate and friend, an outstanding craftsman of holiness who guides us and sculpts in us the traits of the Beloved Son.

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73. The Incarnate Son of God came to the world to wed himself to mankind that he might become one flesh with us (see Ephesians5:31)—that is, that each person might become a member of his Body. The Church is not merely Christ’s work; it is one with him, and so Legionaries love her as Christ himself. They take her to be their mother whom they love, respect and obey in the persons of the Pope and the shepherds who represent Christ the Head. They take her to be their spouse, giving their life for her, enveloping her with care, defending her and nourishing her with the Word and the sacraments. As Christ “loved the church and handed himself over for her” (Ephesians5:25), so Legionaries love the members of the Church. In the Church they become fathers of many spiritual children, who they nurture in the faith, bring to vocational plentitude, and lead to eternal life in heaven.

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74. Mary is the Mother of the Redeemer, the perfect image of the Church. Christ gave her to us as our Lady of Sorrows at the foot of the cross (see John 19:27), where “in [a] singular way she cooperated […] in the work of the Savior in giving back supernatural life to souls. Wherefore she is our mother in the order of grace.”

[4]⁠

Experiencing his weakness, inconstancy and credulity in the ways of the spirit, a Legionary knows that letting himself be formed in the school of the Blessed Virgin is the gentle, sure, and certain path to quickly acquire the sentiments of the Heart of Christ (see CLC 15 §1).

75. A Legionary is a passionate apostle of Jesus Christ because he knows the infinite value of each soul, redeemed “not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb” (1 Peter 1:18-19).

In his apostolic life he embraces the Legion, “growing in love for it” (CLC16), as a personal gift, his path to heaven lovingly set out by Christ in the Church. “To love one’s vocation is to love the Church, it is to love one’s institute, and to experience the community as one’s own family.”

[5]⁠

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76. The “five loves” of a Legionary—love for God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; love for the Blessed Virgin Mary; love for the Church and the Pope; love for all our brothers and sisters; and love for our vocation in the Legion and Regnum Christi—are summarized in love for Christ and for what He loves.

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[1]⁠

“…[I]t is necessary to preserve the identity of each institute so securely, that the danger of an ill-defined situation be avoided, lest religious, failing to give due consideration to the particular mode of action proper to their character, become part of the life of the Church in a vague and ambiguous way.” (MR 11) “The genericism which reduces religious life to a colorless lowest common denominator leads to wiping out the beauty and fruitfulness of the many and various charisms inspired by the Holy Spirit.” (FLC 46).

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[2]⁠

See Commentary on Psalm 44: 11, Cassiodorus: “Ista est ergo varietas unitatis,” (PL 70, p 324); and Saint Bernard, speaking about various religious orders, said, “Laudo enim omnes et diligo, ubivunque pie et iuste vivitur in Ecclesia. Unum ipere teneo, cæteros charitate” (PL 182, p 903, Apology to Guillelmus from Saint Theodericus, Abbot).

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[3]⁠

MR 51.

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[4]⁠

LG 61.

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[5]⁠

FLC 37.

Mar 11

Thy Kingdom Come!

Greetings Men. Here are the video links for these days. Also, being Saturday, we make a visit to Mary today at an image of her; entrust your day to her, your Lenten resolutions, your imitation of Christ! Including all of you in my visit today as well. In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

Vocation story, 22’

https://rcspirituality.org/video/vocation-and-calling/⁠

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Into the Breach, Masculinity 12’

https://www.kofc.org/en/campaigns/into-the-breach.html⁠

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Mar 3

Tkc!

Greetings again everyone. Here are the links for these days; again focusing on Christian manhood, simple but foundational. “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” -I Cor 13:7 In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

3’, Fr Bartunek, Power in Speech

https://rcspirituality.org/spiritual_smoothie/spiritual-smoothie-the-power-of-the-way-you-talk/⁠

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14’, Peterson Rules for Life

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApC0faRYabI⁠

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Mar 2

Greetings everyone. This coming Tuesday Fr Stephen Dyas LC will lead the discussion on charisms & gifts. John will send the zoom invite soon. For your reflection pray with the passages below:

There are three primary lists of gifts in the New Testament (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4)

& if you want more information you can see the Siena Institute which provided his study:

https://siena.org/⁠

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*There will also be a couple more videos to watch.

Many prayers as we continue pushing forward with Lent’s graces!

In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

Feb 23

TKc!

Dear All, Lenten greetings! Here are the videos for the week, again our focus on Christian manhood; & Inoh, Zak, Aenghus just fyi in case interested:

13’ Bishop Barron, Attachments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90gP3d-K920⁠

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8’ Getting Things Done:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCswMsONkwY⁠

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Feb 18

Greetings All! Here are the video clips for Tuesday’s discussion as well:

16’, Admiral’s speech:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBuIGBCF9jc⁠

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2’ Forming the boys here at Camp Bocamb…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0-v7KHi2tc⁠

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Many prayers…& “be strong & courageous” in daily prayer, that is where the Lord does his best work in us. There is no other way. In Christ, Fr Joseph LC

Feb 12 (from Diego)

Hello to all Aspirants,

I want to share this interview I came across with Bishop Bill Bryne of Diocese of Springfield, Massachusetts on a program of Life on the Rock, EWTN.

He talks about his vocation story and gives advice. I found it uplifting and positive, so I share it with you all! Enjoy!

Diego Perochena

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DXlUHdvV-s⁠

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAE2S0NaGYA⁠

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