Until Christ Be Formed in You: An RC Essay on our approach to Formation in Regnum C

I do not pretend to have any special qualifications to write this essay. I’ve never been a formator in a seminary, never been a superior in a Legionary community, and certainly was never a “formator” in Regnum Christi before joining the Legion. But I suppose I’m like one of those mountain adventure writers who has never scaled Mount Everest, but has a smidgen of firsthand experience climbing and has observed enough of the success and failures of others to be able to write a compelling story.And the story of formation in Regnum Christi is a critical one. After all, none of us is perfect. We all need formation. There’s a whole chapter about it in the RC Member Handbook (nn. 385 to 391), and numerous references throughout the entire text, such as these two numbers which give us the proper context for understanding the importance Regnum Christi places on formation:356 In order to be able to offer an effective service to the Church, Regnum Christi knows that it must have well-formed members, motivated and trained to take on the great challenges of the apostolate in today’s world. This is an unavoidable demand since nothing can take the place of formation.357 The formation the Movement offers its members seeks to be as well-rounded as possible, addressing their spiritual, intellectual, human and apostolic preparation. This takes into account the need to prepare the person in all his dimensions so that God can forge him into a true apostle. Formation in Regnum Christi is formation for the mission. It seems to me that three questions about formation in Regnum Christi have been fairly adequately answered already: we know why we seek formation (for the mission), what kind of formation to seek (integral), and we know the tools at our disposition to form ourselves (cf. 388-390 RCMH). But there is another question that seems less adequately resolved: how do you form someone? When you are personally motivated, it’s simple enough for you to seek out formation and better yourself. But what do you do when you are in a position to help others, or when you have a responsibility for your own children, the formation of students, employees, youth, or RC section members? When someone is lacking knowledge, will, drive, experience, passion – or even the desire to attain what they are lacking – how can we move them toward the fullness God wants for them? That how isn’t so clear. In the pages that follow, we’ll explore this how in three chapters: (1) How not to form someone, (2) How Jesus formed his disciples, and (3) Implications for Regnum Christi. By the end of this essay, you won’t have all the answers, but you’ll have a clearer picture about how to form someone.