The Philosophy community of the legionaries of Christ in Rome dedicated some days to deepen the vocation of the laity in the Church, called to holiness and mission, as a response to one of the formative objectives of the stage: to deepen the identification with the apostolic charism of Regnum Christi.
Mary Patt Pirie, consecrated of the Regnum Christi, The day was led by María José Chávez, a consecrated member of Regnum Christi, and various guests who connected virtually from different places.
After offering an introductory talk, with the fundamental lines on the theme, and a time for study and personal reflection, there was a round table discussion, led by Fr. Juan José Pérez-Soba, diocesan priest of Madrid and professor of family pastoral care at the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for the Sciences of Marriage and the Family in Rome; at the round table, six lay people shared their testimony of Christian life and their apostolate in various areas of ecclesial, family, social and cultural life, whether as a mother and academic, father of a family and businessman, young university student, or social volunteer. Men and women of different ages and countries of origin explained how they perceive their own vocation in the Church and how they see themselves walking together with priests, religious and consecrated persons in their search for holiness.
On the second day, a conference was held with Daniela Leggio, Head of Section of the Congregation for Institutes of Life.
Consecrated and Societies of Apostolic Life, and a married couple from Spain. The focus of this conference was the vocation to love, represented in two expressions: celibacy and marriage.
These days renewed in the religious in philosophy studies the desire to continue preparing for their next stage of formation, the apostolic practices, where they will have the opportunity to experience firsthand collaboration with the laity in the mission of Regnum Christi.
«It was a very good experience to deepen this vocation to life, to the divine life, the life of grace that develops in every believer. It also made me appreciate the role of the laity in society and with very vivid examples, since we had contact with some lay people scattered around the world. It was beautiful to contemplate how God lives in these people, and really makes changes in favor of a society based on love», commented Brother Iván V. Manzano, LC.
«I think of the lay vocation as a call to holiness through the daily activities of a normal life: friends, family, work, learning the art of perceiving God's call in everything and offering everything to Him. A vocation to share daily life with God, to transform the structures of society and culture so that it is open to receive the Gospel. A vocation to be a transparency of Jesus for those who do not yet know Him» said Brother Diego Lopez, LC.
