"A Catholic who does not aspire to be a saint, what does he aspire to?"
"The life of prayer, personal and group, is necessary to put Christ at the center, so that only He lives and reigns in being and doing." This is clearly and concisely stated in the Statutes of the Christ the King Apostolic Movement, whose adult members in Spain have been asking the same question throughout the pastoral course that José Gras already asked his readers in El Bien in February in 1908: "A Catholic who does not aspire to be a saint, what does he aspire to?"
Builders and Communities of the Kingdom have been questioning themselves for months: What do we aspire to? What do we want? What is the desire of our heart? Having aspirations helps us develop our potential to the fullest. Often, one has professional, academic and even physical aspirations, but not spiritual aspirations. In a time when the role models are influencers, singers or footballers, Catholics are lucky to have a huge catalog of fragile, vulnerable and ordinary people, people who have gone through life doing good, serving the Church and making the world a better place. Women and men who, despite difficulties and setbacks, have coherently lived the Gospel, making the construction of the Kingdom their life project. From September to May, the Cristo Rey lay people have been discovering the testimony of saints from recent and past history, martyrs from early times, apostles who knew Jesus. People who, in the words of Pope Francis, "encourage us not to stop along the way, they stimulate us to continue walking towards the goal", holiness in this 21st century. In September they began with the hand of Saint Teresa of Calcutta and the "I thirst" of Jesus on the cross that marked her life so much; considering the desires and desires of the heart at the beginning of the pastoral course. In the month of October, under the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi, they committed themselves to the care of the Common Home. In November, Saint Andrew helped them renew their commitment from that "Follow me" that made him radically change his life and that he continues to repeat to each of the Builders and Communities of the Kingdom today. They prepared their hearts during Advent in December, with Saint Lucia, under the desire to be light in the darkness that surrounds the current "society wounded to death."
In January, Pope Francis proclaimed 2024 as the Year of Prayer, feeling that the Movement walks in line with the Church, they have since joined that invitation of the Holy Father. The first month of the year was dedicated to Truth with Saint Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church, who invited them to a life based on authenticity. In February, they began Lent by freeing themselves from bondage, like Saint Josephine Bakhita, and breaking the chains that imprison the heart. The days before Holy Week, in March, they prayed the Via Crucis, reflecting on the side of the peripheries, like Saint Óscar Romero.
They lived Easter in April remembering Saint Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church, and her example of being instruments of peace in the face of a belligerent, polarized and divided humanity. During the Marian May, the testimony of Saint Simon Stock helped them to live trusting in the hands of our Mother, clothed in the traditional scapular that, in the case of MAR, used the images of Christ the King and Mary Immaculate.
In addition to the monthly community prayer, throughout the pastoral course Builders and Communities of the Kingdom have two very marked institutional dates on the calendar, Saint Agnes and Saint Joseph, in which the lay people of the Movement join the religious of the Institute in thanksgiving for the Mother and the Father, respectively.
