Ave Spratt

When I was asked to share some reflections regarding my experiences within the Movement, I thought to myself, “How am I going to say all that I want to share and express in a short 5- 8 minutes? There is so much to say and I love to talk and I am very longwinded! 5- 8 minutes??”

Two short years ago I was Protestant and after spending a year in RCIA I was excited to be a new Catholic. It had been a giant step in faith! To leave behind a lot of things I had been taught for 38 years was at times truly difficult, but God helped me through those times and he kept blessing me every step of the way. So I became a Catholic, fully welcomed into our faith. I felt great, I thought I would try to help the Church when and where I could, and life would be simple & easy. The only problem with that was that it was my idea, but not God’s idea! I hadn’t a clue idea what God had in store for me!

To be perfectly frank, when I met Regnum Christi I didn’t fully understand what all this would mean for my life. I definitely did not have a clear perspective of what it all meant, or what its mission & goals were or what it involved. I didn’t even know it meant Kingdom of Christ. But most of all I was unaware of the blessings that I would receive after I said yes to God and his call for me to join the Regnum Christi Movement. I remember looking at a group of men while attending a retreat, and saying to myself –“These men, they seem to be so nice, humble and very holy!” And the Legionaries seemed so saintly and pure! They were so at peace and so positive, humble and full of joy! I wondered why? I think it was because I sensed a peace and a joy that was real and truly sincere. I didn’t fully understand it all, but I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I thought to myself, if I can only be half as peaceful and joyful as these people surrounding me at this retreat, then I would truly be blessed. What got me to this retreat in the first place was of course my dear wife. In life, it is always best if we learn and grow by following someone’s lead or example.

Priscilla had joined Regnum Christi about a year earlier and I had witnessed first-hand the peace and serenity that had become an integral part of her life. She was a good example. And there were also these men that had me attending Gospel Reflections and meetings every week. They persevered and called me, never relenting in their pursuit. Every time they called I would dodge them and come up with some hair-brain excuse as to why I could not attend the retreats or meetings or whatever they asked me to do. But every time I said no, God gently asked me why I was avoiding their request. I knew they were not just their requests, but God’s. The men were just God’s messengers.

These messengers always seemed so energetic and enthusiastic about Catholic life and I quickly became aware that they were Regnum Christi members. So between my dear wife’s example and these invitations to everything under the sun, God was asking me to listen to his call and follow him within the Regnum Christi Movement.

Obviously God had to send me many people to make me understand, as I was a little slow in my response and understanding of his call. Another experience I remember was when Priscilla and I were fortunate enough to have some Regnum Christi members visit our home for a luncheon, and once again I remember seeing that peace and joy in the eyes in of all who were there. Admittedly I couldn’t figure out why time after time these Regnum Christi people always seemed so peaceful and humble. At that point and time in my life I was too obsessed with other things and quite full of pride and vanity. I bluntly and blatantly avoided God’s call to join, and for that matter wouldn’t even consider it, but God was patient with me.

When I finally opened the door and asked God to guide me to a deeper spirituality, he led me right to Regnum Christi. I must tell you that while it was happening I probably wasn’t aware of it. Only in hindsight can I see God’s hand in everything along my journey. It was God’s way of gently feeding me. The more I gave him my life, the more blessings I received. It is said that the more we give of ourselves, the more we receive. This is so true!

We all have been blessed with talents. God has given each of us these individual talents to go out and to re-christianize our world. This is a huge responsibility, one that must be taken seriously and joyfully. At times we become scared and somewhat negative in our thinking that friends, relatives, coworkers and peers are not willing to hear about Christianity. I too at times have let that get in the way of my duty to help re-christianize the world but what I have found is absolutely the opposite! I believe everyone desires to know our Lord. They might not realize this fully yet and that is where we as Regnum Christi members come in. If you knew someone was in search of Christianity and you did nothing to help them, what a disaster that would be, and how we would have let our Lord down with “what we had failed to do.”

Does this sound familiar? We must witness to everyone every day, not only with our words but with our actions, and our testimony as well. Christ was the perfect example, and an example we must follow. It would be impossible to share with you all of the blessings I have received from our Lord since joining Regnum Christi! But I do have a question that I would like you to consider:

If you want to experience these same blessings then you need to ask our Lord if he can use you within the Church and how. For us as members of Regnum Christi this is one unique path for us to follow God and be part of His plan. We are all just lay people trying to obey God and trying to fulfill his will here on earth. It is a commitment that is everlasting and never-ending, just like God is. Funny how that works!

Here in the Edmonton area we are but a few good men & women trying to re-christianize our little bit of the world. But if you ever think that we are small and insignificant then you need to see what we witnessed in Rome when we were surrounded by 14,000, a mere few of fellow Regnum Christi members from all over the world. Oh what a feeling that was to know God is at work everywhere.

Our Lord has blessed me with my fellow Regnum Christi team members and I have learned so much. These people are truly my brothers and sisters in Christ and it is a wonderful family, a family that I know will continue to grow with some effort on our part and most of all God’s blessing. So if God sends you one or two or several people in your life who invite and invite, I would highly suggest you listen up, because if you don’t, you’ll miss all those special blessings. I thank our Lord for his many blessings and hope and pray that all people in the world may receive him.

Ave Spratt
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada