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Discovering the Reign of –

Thy Kingdom Come!. Discovering the Reign of –. Christ. Our Mission in Life and in the Church. Women’s Regional Convention Colorado Springs October 13 th – 16 th , 2011.

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Discovering the Reign of –

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  1. Thy Kingdom Come! Discovering the Reign of – Christ Our Mission in Life and in the Church Women’s Regional Convention Colorado Springs October 13th – 16th, 2011

  2. “not to lose sight of the fact that [our] vocation, which originates in Christ's call and is driven by the ideal of being witnesses of His love to the world, is a genuine gift from God, a treasure for the Church, and the indestructible foundation upon which each of them can build their own future and that of the Legion.” May 1, Pope Benedict XVI

  3. I. The Kingdom of Christ is within you Neither do they say, 'Behold, here it is!' and 'Behold, from here to there!', for behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.” Lk 17:21

  4. What is the Kingdom of Christ? • A spiritual state from within, in which the life of God and of heaven is made accessible to us through: • The gift of Baptism & the Sacraments • The indwelling of the Holy Spirit: all the virtues and graces of the sanctifying gifts of the Holy Spirit • Charity

  5. 2. What is it to enter into the Kingdom of Christ? • Coming into full possession and enjoyment of Christ’s presence. A reality of the kingdom where heaven comes to earth and is made present NOW. • Prayer • Life of Grace • Sacrifice and self giving

  6. 3. What is it to receive the Kingdom of Christ? • To receive the Kingdom into my heart before I am fit to be entrusted with all the power and glory it offers me. • Childlike simplicity • Purity and openness of heart • Humility • Gratitude

  7. To believe that Christ dwells within me • When we accept Christ dwelling within us, be sure and accept the whole Christ. Let him possess my entire being • Accept him by loving him with all our heart, mind and will • Count upon the indwelling Christ to do all in our heart that needs to be done • Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it gives light to all that are in the house. Mk 5:15

  8. “Thus, the apostles' adventure began as a gathering of persons who open to one another reciprocally. A direct knowledge of the Teacher began for the disciples. They saw where he lived and began to know him. They would not have to be heralds of an idea, but witnesses of a person. Before being sent to evangelize, they would have to "be" with Jesus (cf. Mark 3:14), establishing a personal relationship with him. With this foundation, evangelization is no more than a proclamation of what has been experienced and an invitation to enter into the mystery of communion with Christ (cf. 1 John 13).” - Pope Benedict XVI, March 22, 2006

  9. II. Discovering Christ Within Me • CCC #798 The Holy Spirit is "the principle of every vital and truly saving action in each part of the Body.” He works in many ways to build up the whole Body in charity:by God's Word "which is able to build you up"; by Baptism, through which he forms Christ's Body;by the sacraments, which give growth and healing to Christ's members; by "the grace of the apostles, which holds first place among his gifts"; by the virtues, which make us act according to what is good; finally,by the many special graces (called "charisms"), by which he makes the faithful "fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church.

  10. II. Discovering Christ Within Me • What is a Charism? • gift of grace, favor bestowed, benefit, with the meaning varying according to the context: privileges granted (Rom 11:29), rescue from danger (2 Cor 1:11), gift of redemption (Rom 5:15-16); • as a concrete manifestation of grace in the form of extraordinary powers given to individuals, often in the plural gifts, special abilities (Rom 12:6); • Where does it come from? • as the result of a gracious act of God, a gift of his spirit and his love. • Charisms are graces of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world.

  11. For the common good • Spiritual & material benefit of the Church SELF-IDENTIFICATION SELF-REALIZATION • Knowledge of self = qualities, strengths, weaknesses, gifts, talents, limitations • Self awareness in relation to others • Maturity – • experiences • Education & formation • Affective & emotional development • Spiritual growth CHARISM • Identity as an apostle • Holiness: perfection of charity • Fulfillment • Spiritual Maturity • Personal Charisma • Sense of belonging: team life, family, community • Mystical experience: prayer, sacraments etc. • Aesthetical practices: virtues, habits, styles • Apostolate: sense of mission

  12. My Mission: • to make Christ known & loved • "Lumen Gentium" defining the lay vocation and mission in the Church as rooted in baptism and confirmation, and oriented to "seek[ing] the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God" (No. 31). • "For each one of you, as for the apostles, the encounter with the divine Teacher who calls you friends may be the beginning of an extraordinary venture: that of becoming apostles among your contemporaries to lead them to live their own experience of friendship with God, made Man, with God who has made himself my friend."- Pope Benedict XVI, UNIV Congress, April 10, 2006

  13. My Mission: • to make Christ known & loved • To know, live and to transmit the experience of Christ’s personal love for humanity. • #42 of the Handbook: “The service Regnum Christi renders to the Church and society consists in forming apostles who will build the civilization of Christian justice and love.”

  14. NEEDS OF THE CHURCH (Christ’s Suffering Body) Personal experience of the Spirit of God CHARISM – experience of the Spirit Specific understanding and focus on the mystery and life of Christ through the Gospel. Following Christ – who suffers through others REALIZATION OF CONCRETE WORKS: spiritual and material works – apostolate, spirituality, relationships with others etc.

  15. What is our ‘special grace’? • Personal relationship with Christ and employing all the means to grow in intimacy with him and identifying with his heart. • A sense of belonging. Being apart of a team, having a community life to deepen in experiencing, learning and sharing the love of Christ. • Integral Formation – reshaping the whole person in the likeness of the Son who gives himself to the Father for the good of humanity. • A sense of mission – forming apostles.

  16. Character of our Charity • Value of one soul and apostolic dynamism – we are apostles and we form apostles. RCMH #351-355 • Personal attention through team life and forming family, communities. RCMH #338-346 • Speaking well of others RCMH #93 -95 • Unity forged in common goals and through heroic obedience • The incarnation of all this in a militia Christi

  17. "Apostolic and missionary fruitfulness is not principally due to programs and pastoral methods that are cleverly drawn up and "efficient", but is the result of the community's constant prayer (cf. "Evangelii Nuntiandi," 75). Moreover, for the mission to be effective, communities must be united, that is, they must be "of one heart and soul" (cf. Acts 4:32), and they must be ready to witness to the love and joy that the Holy Spirit instills in the hearts of the faithful (cf. Acts 4:32)."Pope Benedict XVI, Papal Message for World Youth Day '08, July 24, 2007

  18. Th y Ki n g d o m Co m e ! “The kingdom aims at transforming human relationships; it grows gradually as people slowly learn to love, forgive and serve one another. Jesus sums up the whole Law, focusing it on the commandment of love (cf. Mt 22:34-40; Lk 10:25-28). Before leaving his disciples, he gives them a "new commandment": "Love one another; even as I have loved you" (Jn 13:34; cf. 15:12). Jesus' love for the world finds its highest expression in the gift of his life for mankind (cf. Jn 15:13), which manifests the love which the Father has for the world (cf. Jn 3:16). The kingdom's nature, therefore, is one of communion among all human beings-with one another and with God. The kingdom is the concern of everyone: individuals, society, and the world. Working for the kingdom means acknowledging and promoting God's activity, which is present in human history and transforms it. Building the kingdom means working for liberation from evil in all its forms. In a word, the kingdom of God is the manifestation and the realization of God's plan of salvation in all its fullness.” Redemptoris missio, JPII

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