October 1, 2022 Ultreya 

Witness Talk by Verne Bowers

In a couple of days, we will be celebrating the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the greatest saint not only in the Catholic Church but also to non-Catholics. I'd like to draw from his life's legacy - his spirituality - and relate it to our 3day Cursillo weekend and beyond.

At the age of twenty or thereabouts, during a petty war between the towns of Assisi and Perugia, Francis was imprisoned for about a year. It was during  this period of imprisonment and eventual release that his conversion began...to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

Before living our Cursillo weekend, we can all relate to St. Francis' period of imprisonment. How many times did we fail to recognize God's invitation to a new relationship with him, to accept this new life of continuous metanoia...to live in friendship with Him and with other persons?

When he was returning to Assisi from his pilgrimage to Rome, Francis prayed in the humble little church of San Damiano outside the walls of Assisi.  As he gazed at the crucifix, he felt the eyes of Christ gazing at him. I think we all know how that story unfolded.

I felt that gaze during my Cursillo weekend. I'm sure you did, too...it was the beginning of friendship with self, friendship with God and friendship with others.

This vision gave Francis a clear mission in life for his full devotion to Jesus Christ. He spent much of his time in prayer and meditation. St Francis is often held up as an inspiring example of someone who most closely imitated the life of Christ in words, deeds and spirit. Gradually, he began to attract other young men, by his spiritual fervour and renunciation.

The following excerpts from an article entitled Faithful Stewards of the Cursillo Movement describes how an encounter with Christ transforms the fabrics of our lives:

"When a person in all his or her individual uniqueness, creativity and freedom experiences God’s love as the most fundamental truth of his or her life, that person is transformed… Because, one can live one’s life fully only when one finds the meaning of one’s life. Cursillo has proposed only one means toward that end: friendship...friendship with self, friendship with God and all of His works, and friendship with our companions on the road..."

Through our Piety, Study and Action we, too, can gradually attract others with our joyful countenance.

"It has been said that Action is the perfection of piety, dedicating our very lives to God by aligning our will to His will, and then doing what we have been asked to do. Action is responding to the command of Jesus written in John 13:34-35. “I give you a new commandment – to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are to love one another. Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another. Simply stated, Action is exercising the power to love God, self, and others just as Jesus has loved us."

This is the legacy of St. Francis, he preached with much love.  And we can say, too, how St. Therese of Liseux whose feast day we celebrate today, lived and called her vocation in life is TO LOVE.  St. Francis preached the Gospel and I'm sure that he also knew then that GOD LOVED US FIRST.  He yearned for the joy of brotherhood as he lived his life touching other people's lives. The Franciscan spirituality - brotherhood amongst ALL of God's creations as St. Francis sang his Canticle of the Sun, has been a mission that ALWAYS leads back to God.

So, too, is our Cursillo method of bringing others to Christ. We are called to live a continuous relationship with Jesus Christ, discovering God’s love for us and our brothers and sisters as the only authentic peace that we can experience living our fourth day.

"Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary," -  the famous Franciscan quote used in the social justice arena. Or, "you maybe the only Bible some nonbelievers will ever read."

As Cursillistas, we must live and do what is fundamental to being a Christian - to facilitate that personal encounter with the Gospel of Christ through our deeds and actions. "It is not a doctrine that must be learned, but rather, a reality that must be lived." (Eduardo Bonin)

So make a friend, be a friend, and bring a friend to Christ!

De Colores!

How’s Your Group Going?

The other day I met with my Group. Sometimes it is still called our 4th Day Group. As we talked, we all remarked on how much our lives have changed simply due to the fact that we are grouping every week.

In life’s busy schedule, it is often hard to maintain this relationship. Sometimes we have to skip a week. Sometimes we have to put it off for an hour until one or the other of us fits in that much needed exercise class or runs an errand. Sometimes we meet at Café Americano, and they graciously let us sit there for hours on end. Once I had breakfast AND lunch there, because different people joined us at staggered times!

But the absolute best group experiences we have are when we meet in one of our living rooms. We light a candle, say our prayers, and share from our hearts the struggles we make to fully live the gospel. We encourage each other, laugh and sometimes weep with each other, and help each other to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. This year we are talking a lot about the New Evangelization, and what that means in our little spheres of influence.

The very act of grouping motivates us, holds us accountable for being better Christians. Mass means so much more to me now; my prayer life is better; and my outreach is improved because of my group experience. In fact, grouping has turned out to be the very heart and soul of Cursillo for me.

There are many kinds of groups out there in Cursillo Land. There are big groups that meet at restaurants. There are couples groups that meet for wine and cheese, or sometimes a simple meal. There are small groups that meet in living rooms. They all have one thing in common: the very act of meeting encourages us to continue our journey toward Christ, to more fully live our faith.

If you don’t have a group, contact your secretariat for help in joining one. Remember your sponsor? Ask your sponsor to help you find a group that is a good fit for you. Or just invite a couple of your close friends to form a group with you. The format for grouping is in your Pilgrim’s Guide, and you can loosely follow it. Remember our motto, make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ. Happy grouping!

Ultreya!
Patty