On May 7th, 2023, Jorge Lam, who is in his first year of candidacy with the Consecrated Lay Men of Regnum Christi, had the opportunity to visit the Legionary of Christ’s seminary in Cheshire, Connecticut (USA). During his visit, he gave the Sunday Talk to the novices and humanities students, in which he spoke of the vocation of the Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi. In his presentation, he explained that, in order to understand this vocation, it is necessary to grasp three concepts: layperson, Regnum Christi, and consecrated.
“Personally, it was very enriching experience… I think it was very accurate to choose points of reference and explain his identity to us. It has helped me to understand his vocation better in many ways.” – Br Marcelo Castro Páez, LC
He began the talk by describing the lay vocation and its role of redeeming temporal realities, that is, to transform all the aspects of our lives, such as work, family, rest, communication, the economy, politics, health, education, ecology and art, among others, so that they become spaces where we can encounter God, freeing them from the influences of sin and egoism. Thus, laypeople have a fundamental role in bringing the Gospel to all areas of society in order to transform it from within. Then, Jorge shared his perspective about how Lay Consecrated Men are “one of the people,” and this allows them to have a close relationship with people when evangelizing and sharing the faith. In this sense, Lay Consecrated Men act as the leaven of the dough, as an image of Christ by their words, their work, and the offering of their lives in everyday issues. He then shared his vocational testimony, explaining how he feels called to place his professional talents at the service of the Church, to evangelize by means of digital media. In this way, he highlighted the importance of using and developing our gifts professionally in order to reach people and bring them the message of the Good News.
“In the lifestyle of the Lay Consecrated Man, he spoke about professionalism. This is an aspect that I have always noticed when I see a Lay Consecrated Man, but I never knew it is a key part of their vocation.” – Br Mateo Marín, LC
In the talk, he touched on Regnum Christi as a family in which each vocation contributes something unique. Whether or not the members know each other, when they meet, be they Legionaries, Consecrated Women, Lay Consecrated Men, or laypeople, they naturally treat each other as family. The simple fact that they are united in the mission invites them to value each vocation, and this impels Regnum Christi to create and encourage a vocational culture, in which all vocations are promoted.
Finally, he discussed the prophetic witness that Lay Consecrated Men give through the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. He emphasized that this lets them remind laypeople of the true meaning of temporal realities and their self-giving and total readiness for Regnum Christi’s mission.
“The Lay Consecrated Men of Regnum Christi was an almost unknown reality for me… I really liked the professionalism of the presentation; I think this is something very characteristic of Regnum Christi. Something that struck me about the Lay Consecrated Men is that they specialize in a specific area of society, and so they can evangelize in a more effective way. It gives me great joy to share my vocation to Regnum Christi with my consecrated brothers, working for the same mission.” – Br Nahym Márquez, LC
Ultimately, Jorge’s visit to the seminary was a great experience of communion for everyone present. Each encounter among the different branches is a gift of God that gives us the opportunity to keep reflecting on and contemplating the charismatic beauty of Regnum Christi.
You can see the entire video in the link below.
