The Ascent Pathway
A curated and guided pathway of the Regnum Christi Encounters with Christ
THE STORY BEHIND THE ASCENT PATHWAYThe reason and purpose for this pathway is to provide a curated, guided experience of the Regnum Christi Encounters with Christ. It is designed to help participants navigate their spiritual journey through structured sessions that emphasize living the mission of Jesus Christ, engaging in apostolic discernment, and developing a deeper understanding of real needs and personal encounters in the mission field.
INTRODUCTION AND MODERATOR GUIDE
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Primary Aim: To form adults in a lived encounter with Christ that naturally overflows into apostolic mission.
Target Audience: Adults within Regnum Christi inviting non-RC peers to experience the RC spirituality and community, especially who are seeking deeper faith and community, and a renewed missionary purpose. This pathway may also be used for high school groups that are beginning their RC/Encounter journey.
Core Outcome:
Participants grow in:
● Personal relationship with Christ
● Apostolic awareness and zeal
● Discernment of their role in the Church’s mission
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● Pathway Leaders
○ Trained adult members of Regnum Christi
● Role of Leaders
○ Facilitate discussion and prayer
○ Guide discernment process
○ Provide personal accompaniment as needed
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● Duration
○ 6 sessions (1 ½ hours each session)
● Framework
○ Each week corresponds to one stage of the Regnum Christi mission:
1. Go out to encounter people
2. Reveal the love of Christ’s heart
3. Gather them as a community
4. Form them as disciples
5. Send them out as apostles
6. Accompany them on mission
● Progression
○ A single, intentional movement through the disciple to apostle experience
○ Emphasis on clarity, depth, and lived application
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Each session includes three consistent elements (pillars):
1. Gospel Reflection
○ Encountering Christ through Scripture
■ Possible ways of doing this:
● Lectio Divina format
● Using the guide questions provided in the guide
○ Thematic connection to the current session
2. Commitment Review (Participants reflect on commitments)
○ During the first session, the group decides on 5 commitments they will all live out throughout the Ascent journey:
■ Prayer commitment (specific special prayer commitment)
■ Community commitment (serving the community, etc.)
■ Mission commitment (specific service/mission commitment)
■ Formation commitment (a Catholic formation resource to go over throughout the Ascent journey)
■ Accompaniment and accountability (commit to both spiritual guidance and a possible accountability partner to meet up with frequently)
○ From the second session onwards, the group talks about how each of their commitments went.
■ Different ways of doing this:
● One by one rating each commitment from 1-10 (10 being the most positive rating) and giving a one phrase explanation of why.
● One by one going through the highs and lows of living the commitments
3. Apostolic Discernment
○ Guided reflection on real-life situations
○ Identification of where Christ is inviting mission
○ Practical next steps for engagement
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Week 1 – Go Out to Encounter People
○ Theme: Overcoming fear and inertia in evangelization
○ Focus: Trust in Christ’s initiative
○ Main Question: Who is Christ sending me to?
Week 2 – Reveal the love of Christ’s Heart
○ Theme: Seeing others with Christ’s love
○ Focus: Personal witness and authenticity
○ Main Question: How does Christ love people through me?
Week 3 – Gather Them as a Community
○ Theme: Recognizing and inviting those who seek belonging
○ Focus: Building meaningful connections
○ Main Question: How do I help people belong?
Week 4 – Form them as disciples
○ Theme: Accompanying others in growth of faith
○ Focus: Intentional spiritual guidance
○ Main Question: How do I help people grow?
Week 5 – Send them out as apostles
○ Theme: Encouraging others into mission
○ Focus: Multiplication of apostolic impact
○ Main Question: How do I empower others for mission?
Week 6 – Accompany them on mission
○ Theme: Perseverance in relationships and mission
○ Focus: Faithful presence over time
○ Main Question: How do I remain faithful over time?
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Regnum Christi discernment
○ Participants enter a period of intentional discernment
○ Begin formal discernment with a Regnum Christi spiritual guide
○ Deepen understanding of vocation within the movement
○ Association to Regnum Christi
○ Entry into a sustained, structured life of RC
Long-Term Vision
Formation of missionary disciples who:
○ Live the Regnum Christi charism intentionally
○ Evangelize within their everyday environments
○ Accompany others into a life of faith and mission
SESSION ONE: LIVING THE MISSION OF JESUS CHRIST WHO GOES OUT TO PEOPLE
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INVOCATION TO THE HOLY SPIRIT
THIS PRAYER MAY BE USED OR A SPONTANEOUS PRAYER MAY BE DONE
Moderator:
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.
Community:
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created,
and you shall renew the face of the earth.
Moderator:
Let us pray.
O God, who have taught the hearts of the faithful
by the light of the Holy Spirit,
grant that in the same Spirit we may be truly wise
and ever rejoice in his consolation.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry - Mark 1:14-34
After John had been arrested,* Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:
“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
The Call of the First Disciples
As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen.
Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Then they abandoned their nets and followed him.
He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets.
Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.
The Cure of a Demoniac
Then they came to Capernaum, and on the sabbath he entered the synagogue and taught. The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.
In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit; he cried out, “What have you to do with us,* Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority. He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
The Cure of Simon’s Mother-in-Law
On leaving the synagogue he entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John.
Simon’s mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her.
He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them.
Other Healings
When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons.
The whole town was gathered at the door.
He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him.
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Being the first encounter, the team discusses and decides on 5 concrete commitments that they will do their best to do throughout their Ascent journey.
These commitments should fall under these 5 elements:
Prayer/Sacramental:
- A specific prayer commitment that each one will do on a regular basis. It should be something more than the obligatory Catholic commitments (Sunday mass, etc.)
- Examples: Holy hour each week; Daily rosary; weekday mass twice a week
Community/Team:
- A specific commitment of service to the community
- Examples: Gathering with one or more members of the team between sessions for fellowship/prayer.
Accompaniment:
- Seeking moments of accompaniment from a spiritual guide and, if possible, an accountability partner
- Examples: Committing to regular spiritual guidance
Formation:
- Deciding on Catholic formation resources to go through during the Ascent journey
- Examples: Each one choosing a spiritual book to start reading more regularly
Mission/Apostolate:
- Committing as a team or personally to some service/ministry/mission project to be done during the Ascent journey
- Examples: Visiting nursing homes; letter evangelization outreach; parish ministry involvement; family evangelization initiatives
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In Regnum Christi, Apostolic Discernment of Reality is a structured process for teams and communities to observe, interpret, and respond to the needs of their world through the lens of the Gospel and the Kingdom of Christ
SESSION ONE THEME:
Imitating the Missionary Heart of Christ Who Goes Out to People
At the center of Jesus Christ's mission is a simple but unsettling truth: He does not wait for people to come to Him. He goes out. He crosses boundaries. He enters people's homes, walks their roads, sits at their tables, and meets them exactly where they are. Not when they have everything figured out. Not after they have overcome their struggles. Not when they are finally "worthy." He meets them in the middle of their questions, failures, wounds, and hopes.
This is the rhythm of the Gospel. Before Zacchaeus ever climbed down from the tree, Jesus was already looking up. Before Matthew ever left his tax booth, Jesus had already called his name. Before Peter became the rock, Christ entered his ordinary fishing boat. Divine initiative always precedes human response.
Regnum Christi invites us to contemplate this missionary Christ so deeply that his way of loving becomes our own. The Statutes describe our spirituality as centered on "personal, real, passionate and faithful love for Jesus Christ" (Statutes of the Regnum Christi Federation, no. 8). That love is not merely sentimental or private. It transforms the way we see every person because we begin to see others through the eyes of Christ Himself.
The Statutes also state:
"The member of Regnum Christi knows Christ's love for him personally. This experience leads him to surrender himself in love to Christ and to make the Kingdom of Christ present in hearts and in society." (SRCF, no. 12)
Everything begins with being loved personally by Christ. Evangelization is never simply the transmission of ideas or the execution of programs. It is the overflow of an encounter. We cannot bring people to someone we have not first allowed to encounter us. Because Christ came looking for us, we now become people who go looking for others.
This is why Regnum Christi understands mission as much more than organizing apostolates or inviting people to events. It is adopting Christ's own posture toward every person. The Statutes explain that we are called "to make present the mystery of Christ who goes out to people, reveals the love of his Heart to them, gathers them together and forms them as apostles and Christian leaders, sends them out and accompanies them" (SRCF, no. 13). If you noticed, the mission does not begin with what we do. It begins with what Christ does: He goes out. He reveals His heart. He gathers. He forms. He sends. He accompanies. This becomes the pattern of every authentic apostolate.
Our first question is no longer, "How do we get people to come?" but rather, "Where is Christ already waiting for us to go?" The workplace. The neighborhood. The gym. The coffee shop. The sports field. The dinner table. The family member who has drifted away from the Church. The young adult carrying hidden loneliness. The successful friend quietly wondering whether there is more to life. Christ is already there, inviting us to join Him.
The temptation is to build something that attracts people toward us. Christ instead teaches us to become apostles who move toward them.
This missionary movement also requires deep interior freedom. Going out is not about increasing numbers, building our reputation, or proving the success of our apostolates. It is about allowing Christ's own compassion to shape our gaze. The Statutes remind us that Regnum Christi seeks "to give glory to God and make the Kingdom of Christ present in the hearts of all people and in society" (SRCF, no. 7). The focus is never ourselves. The mission is always the Kingdom.
To live this spirituality is to ask different questions every day: who is Christ already looking at today? Whose name is he already calling? Who feels invisible? Who has stopped believing that God still seeks them? Where is Christ inviting me to leave the comfort of waiting and instead take the first step?
Because that is exactly what He did for us.
***Below you will find six possible discussion topics based on this theme. Choose which of these topics your group would like to do. You may do more than one if time permits.
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Personal Discernment Questions
Who are the concrete people God may be asking me to go out to right now?
Where am I playing it safe in my apostolate?
What fears or attachments are limiting my missionary availability?
Do I approach people with genuine curiosity or hidden agendas?
Practical Apostolic Questions
What is one intentional step I can take this week to encounter someone outside my usual circle?
How can I better understand the real needs of those I serve?
In what ways can I adapt my approach to better engage the current culture?
Who can I accompany personally rather than just “include” generally?
Commitment to Action
Identify one person
Take one concrete step
Offer one intentional act of reaching out this week
APOSTOLIC DISCERNMENT OPTIONS
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Christ’s love is not selective, even if ours tends to be.
Key Insight: A missionary heart sees everyone as someone worth encountering.
Discussion points:
Jesus engages tax collectors, sinners, the poor, the powerful, the outsider. No curated guest list.
How did Jesus have a heart that refused to exclude?
What virtues did He live out to foster a non-exclusive heart?
Why should everyone be given a chance to encounter Jesus?
My role and responsibility in being the heart of Jesus for others
Who am I unconsciously ignoring that I need to reach out?
Have there been opportunities for me to reach out to others to bring them closer to Jesus? How did that go? What did I learn from it?
Universality doesn’t mean generic outreach. It means real openness to each person.
How are my relationships with those I encounter on a daily basis (family, friends, co-workers, etc.)?
Can I say that my relationships with them are deep and strong?
How can I deepen the relationships that God has put in my path? To know them better, love them better, etc.
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Jesus doesn’t wander aimlessly hoping to bump into people. He decides.
Key Insight: Mission is not accidental. It is chosen, prayed over, and pursued.
Discussion Points:
Christ calls disciples by name. He enters specific towns. He seeks individuals (Zacchaeus didn’t “happen”).
What other moments in the gospel do I see Christ being very intentional in his encounters? What attitudes or virtues did he have in being intentional?
Intentionality requires: Prayerful discernment + Clarity of mission + Personal initiative
How much do I actually do each of these in my life?
How can I live these things more and better?
Intentionality also needs to be fostered by a more active attitude of encounter rather than passively waiting for things to happen.
Am I waiting for opportunities, or creating them?
How can I engage people better in an evangelizing way?
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Jesus constantly crosses boundaries: social, cultural, religious.
Key Insight: If it’s always comfortable, it’s probably not missionary.
Discussion Points:
Samaritans, lepers, pagans. None of these were “safe” interactions for Jesus.
How did Jesus go beyond what was comfortable to encounter people?
What motivated him to do that?
Growth in mission happens outside: familiar environments, preferred groups, predictable outcomes
What are my “safe” zones that can keep me from reaching out?
Why would I (or others) have a hard time breaking out of their comfort zone?
Discern how to go beyond my comfort zone
What should be the right motivations for me to go beyond my comfort zone?
Where do I feel God inviting me to go outside of my comfort zone to encounter people?
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Jesus listens. Observes. Encounters. Then responds.
Key Insight: Mission begins with understanding, not fixing.
Discussion Points:
The blind man is asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” (as if Jesus didn’t already know).
How did Jesus seek to understand the people he ministered to?
Give examples from scripture.
People’s deepest needs are often hidden, misarticulated, different from what we assume, etc.
How have my needs been misunderstood, misarticulated, etc.? How has God reached out to me and sought to know my needs? How have I been able to express my needs to God?
Apostolic discernment includes: listening deeply (to God and to others), suspending judgment, letting the person reveal themselves
How can I do my part in better understanding the people I encounter on a daily basis (family, friends, co-workers, etc.)?
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Jesus speaks in parables drawn from everyday life. He enters culture instead of rejecting it wholesale.
Key Insight: To reach people, you must understand the world they live in.
Discussion Points:
Jesus spoke using parables that brought people into understanding the lessons he wanted to teach
Which parables come to mind that brought in elements of the culture that Jesus understood well?
What other moments from the gospels show how Jesus understood the culture he ministered to?
Culture shapes how people think, relate, and believe.
Reading culture involves:
■ Awareness of trends, values, and fears
■ Understanding generational differences
■ Recognizing both the good and the broken
Can I point out concrete characteristics of the culture I currently live in? What aspects do I observe that are of value to my culture?
Evangelizing this culture starts with seeing the needs of the culture.
What part of my culture do I feel the need to engage in an evangelizing way? In other words, what part of this culture I live in needs to be evangelized more? How can I do my part in making that happen?
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Jesus changes lives through relationship, not systems.
Key Insight: The heart of the mission is encounter, not efficiency.
Discussion Points:
Christ forms individuals, not crowds alone.
Where in the gospels do I see Christ encounter people in a very personal and deep way?
Apostolic fruit comes from: authentic relationships, presence over performance, accompaniment over control, etc.
How are my relationships with people? Are they characterized by the same attitudes that Christ had in his ministry and how he relates to us?
Living out the heart of Jesus in my relationships
Am I investing in people, or managing outcomes? What can I do to really treat others in the way Jesus would?