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Study and Group Reunion - a Reflection by Paul Washington, November 2020 CSOL
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Good evening: My name is Paul Washington and I made the Men’s 51st Weekend in April 1986. The theme my weekend was “Companions on the Journey.” I grouped at the table of Saint Francis and I am a member of Saint Teresa of Avila.
Please pray with me: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. O God who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful; grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolation, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Study and Group Reunion
In this new world order, where things are constantly changing from what they use to be and what they use to be like. We find that the “times, they are a changing.” We also find that time is the one true constant, but what we do within time is what’s really changing. As I study my environments, I have determined that studying my ever changing environments is not enough; I must also study myself in those environments. What would Jesus do; what would Jesus say; what would Jesus be (how He manifest Himself)? My study or studies at this point, in my level of spirituality, is an accumulation of scripture, literature, lectures, church sermons, Cursillo dogma, etc. I guess you might say that I have a collection of information, experience and beliefs that have to revisited, replenished, remembered and built upon to draw from in Group Reunion or small groups.
With me, it was never been how much I learn or know, but what I do with what I’ve learned, believe and know. “We speak of what we know and testify at what we have seen.”
My small group generally consists of two to three people who physically walk and examine our piety, study and action and recommit ourselves to its principles, while we are grouping. However, the limited or controlled environments in today’s society; physical limitation, isolation (quarantine) and social distancing have caused my group and grouping to change. Telecommunicating is okay but it does not take the place or satisfy the need for the human touch, face-to-face communication. A lot has changed! Even the validation that we all got from our ministries at Church, activities, fundraisers, religious rituals have diminished giving us great cause to question our Christian/Catholic worth; being consubstantial. How can we validate ourselves if we can’t go to church, group, ultreya, or consume the Eucharist (body of Christ)? However, Luke 10:17-20 reads, “Don’t rejoice in successful service – the great secret of joy is that you have the right relationship with me.”
Now is the time through group reunion to break open the Word; dig into the four day weekend talks and the charisums of Cursillo, “living those essential elements with others that are fundamental for being a Christian and authentic.
My current small group has metamorphosis into family members, those in my bubble. Where a mask governs a lot of personal and physical activities, I can unmask Cursillo to my son, daughter and especially to my grandchildren who now have questions and can ask questions about God, what is happening; why and how come.
They do not have enough life’s experiences to apply or conceptualize, but the seeds are being planted on fertile ground, the seeds of Study: what to read, observe and listen to; Piety: why do something, why do I feel a certain way and I don’t know why or something told me to, and Action: what made me do it, why did I do it and what shall I do about it. These basic questions are confirmations to me that helps me feel closest to God. When grouping or interacting with my grandchildren, whose ages range from 10, 13, 16, and 18, questions about God, Jesus, Catholicism are not readily asked, but during the conversations I find opportunities to interject inspirational insight, bible verses, or my own personal experiences in life. Inquiring questions like: where does hope come from; why do you think they were so nice or mean to me; when do you think God will end all of this, Is the end coming and G-dad, how do you know that God did it and why would He? These discussions are like (ah ha) moments when I feel closest to God. I am still working on trying to get this group to log on to religious educational networks, but they seem to be burnt out from telecommunicating virtually to school and job responsibilities. In God’s own time! “Instruct the wise and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.” (Proverbs 9:9)
What I do know from studying myself and my small group is that we are undergoing trials and doubts and confusion and anxiety about what to do; where to go, what to believe, who to trust and “I need something to do.” We don’t have all the answers, but we share, we testify that grace and truth comes from God, by holding on to our faith.
This is a new way of thinking after first Holy Communion and confirmation for my grandchildren, but God is leading them with new thoughts and ways of observing, discerning, deciding and understanding their relationship with Christ.
Some readings for children are: “How great is our God” by Louie Giglio; “Why God made you” by Matthew Turner; The Action Bible’ by Sergio Cariello, and for adults, “The Word on Fire Bible, the Gospels.”
So, 2020 group reunion has certainly changed the way I thing about grouping and with whom. I can group with non Cursillistas and spread the Cursillo method.
De Colores!
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Christ is Counting on You!These words hold so much more significance for SELF-CHRIST-AND OTHERS, at a time when much prayers (and conversion) are needed. This is a time of PIETY-STUDY-ACTION as individuals, as a community, as a movement of the Church in the world for the each other. We are all one in the Lord. With this sense of unison, we humbly extend an invitation to join us in putting our action into prayer and prayer into action as we continuously study the environment of our world; near and a far, and the need to support one another with the spiritual weapon of Prayer: Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Fasting, Sacrifice and the constant Invocation of the Holy Spirit upon each other as brothers and sisters in Christ for the healing and eradication of the COVID 19 and for those who are continuously working and researching for a cure to this pandemic. Please click the button above and share as we continue our palanca and prayer for an end to the corona virus. Each week a new link is added as we take this one week at a time; one prayer at a time.
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Message from our Spiritual Director
June 6, 2020
My Dear Cursillo Friends,
As we celebrated Trinity Sunday this past weekend, with grieving hearts and minds occupied with the grave racial injustice that has grotesquely manifested itself once again in our country, I want to offer some thoughts as the Spiritual Advisor of our beloved Cursillo Movement in the Archdiocese of Washington.
Our God is a unity of divine Persons, three in one. And it has been revealed to us that all human beings are made in the image and likeness of God. Humanity is created, as no other species, to manifest unity among persons. This is a special dignity and a noble call that is ours by God’s design.
In our country these days, disunity fueled by injustice, is on full display. And not only “these days,” but for a very long time. But we have a present moment, a time ordained by God, in my view, to act in order to conform more to God’s image and answer our call—as a Church, as a country, and as a world.
Many Americans are asking, “What am I (we) called to do now to be an instrument of change?” And I ask you, what can we do as a parish, or as a Cursillo Movement, to effect necessary change to reform national/societal/political/ecclesial structures to (finally) realize the “justice for all” enshrined in the Gospel and in our national founding documents?
I do not appeal to you as a politician or a sociologist, but as a pastor. The pursuit of justice, equality and peace is first a Gospel mandate, not a political one, as Jesus taught us. What can we do?
I believe that Cursillo has something to contribute to the heart-wrenching questioning that many Americans are wrestling with. We have a methodology that is not only a part of our history, but a part of our charism: Piety, Study, Action.
Many of us, and many of our countrymen, want to act now for societal change. But we know that it is a mistake to act before studying our environments and praying for the Spirit of God to enlighten and lead us to action. This is the core of my message to you. Let us resist the impulse to act before we have studied and reflected and discerned the Spirit, both personally and as a Movement.
We should all be studying these days: reading and watching and listening to others. This will inform our prayer that will indicate our action. How will we do this as a Cursillo Community? With the prudent postponement of a Cursillo weekend this fall because of COVID-19 concerns and no discernible candidates, have we been given a great opportunity to exercise our charism and contribute to building the Kingdom of God in our local Church and communities? And so, as an example, could our School of Leaders and our Ultreyas be dedicated to addressing these things in the near term? Food for thought and prayer.
One more thing that is hugely on my heart. I am so proud to be part of a Movement within our archdiocese where unity and brother(sister)hood is modeled. Look at us! We are black, we are white (I am not speaking for the Hispanic and Vietnamese Cursillo communities here). And yet, we are united in Christ in a beautiful way that reflects the glory of the Trinity! (What other community across the archdiocese reflects this?). This is one of the realities that keeps me in love with Cursillo. The tremendous blessing of unity, and working together, is something we are called to model and to share with others.
I believe that this is a Cursillo moment in the Archdiocese of Washington. Let us rise to this moment! I call upon our Secretariat, our School of Leaders, our Ultreyas, our Group Reunions, and each one of us to study and to pray in order to determine our action to effect real change within our local Church and our city. This is our environment; this is where we are called to be disciples of Christ.
God bless all of you, God bless our country, God bless each and every citizen, where all lives should matter!
Fr Gary -
Cursillo 24-Hour Palanca
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Ultreya
Ultreya Leaders:
Willie & Joyce McNeill -
Make a Friend, Be a Friend and Bring that Friend to Christ
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