LEADER’S SCHOOL – SEPTEMBER 17, 2010
Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Jose H. Gomez
on the Christian Mission to Evangelize and Proclaim Jesus Christ
To lead men and women to the God who speaks in the Bible, to the God who has shown his face to us in Jesus Christ! This must be our highest priority, too, my brothers and sisters. There can be nothing more urgent to our mission as the Church of [Los Angeles]. This must be the measure by which we judge everything we do. (Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, You will be my witnesses, no. 18)
1. We need “a new evangelization of culture”: This is a complex subject that requires diligent study and planning, especially by lay people in many fields of culture, to identify challenges and find new means to make the mystery of Christ’s salvation understood in our culture today… We must start where Christ started. As individuals and as a Church, our evangelization should always announce good news to the poor, recovering of sight to the blind, release to those in captivity, liberty to the oppressed, and the time of the Lord’s grace and favor. We must proclaim the Gospel as liberation, as the truth that sets men and women free from the bondage of sin and death.
2. In terms of evangelization, we need to understand that [the] new digital media have their own logic, their own values, and their own “psychology” [which have “anthropological implications”]. (Ibid, no. 23)
3. [Despite the dangers] I do see great possibilities in the new social networking technologies to promote conversation about God and to share our love for Christ. The popularity of these new forms of communication reflects an intense desire for immediacy and contact; for friendship, connections, and community. These are desires that can be fulfilled, ultimately, only by Christ, in the communion we find with him his Church. (Ibid, no. 24)
4. Christianity has always been spread by ordinary men and women, in ordinary and everyday circumstances… By our proclamation, by our words and the witness of our daily lives, the people we come in contact with should know that we are “with Jesus.” They should know that we are living for Jesus and with Jesus and that we want to share the joy of this way of life with everyone. (Ibid, no. 27)
5. [We live in an age of religious relativism; how do we witness to Jesus?] I have always admired the approach taken by Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta. She was able to share her faith in the most beautiful way in a culture where Christianity was a tiny minority. Mother Theresa would say: “I love all religions but I am in love with my own. Naturally I would like to give the treasure I have to you, but I cannot. I can only pray for you to receive it. (Ibid, no. 28)
a. What do we understand to be our culture? In what way is this what we mean by our environments?
b. In spite of all the technology we use to evangelize why is it still essential to continue evangelizing one person at a time?
Monday, September 20, 2010
You Will Be My Witnesses
LEADER’S SCHOOL – SEPTEMBER 10, 2010
Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Jose H. Gomez
on the Christian Mission to Evangelize and Proclaim Jesus Christ
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14)
We exist for the praise of God’s glory. This is the true purpose of our lives. How often do we think about this? We have many responsibilities in our families, in our work, in our neighborhoods and communities. But what we are truly here to do is to give praise to God. These things are meant to go hand-in-hand. We are meant to praise God throughout all the days of our lives, in the midst of all the things we do that fill our days… In another place St. Paul writes: “Through [Christ], let us continually offer sacrifice of praise to God.” (Heb. 13:15) Everything we do is meant to be a sacrifice, something that we offer to God, to thank him and praise him.
We praise God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us, for the gift of life, the gift of faith, and the promise of eternal life. We should praise him every time we pray. But we are also called to talk about God to our family, neighbors, friends, and co-workers. God wants us to tell others about Jesus Christ, in whom we see the face of our Father and experience his love and tender mercy in our lives.
This is the Mission that Jesus Christ gave to his Church. In the Acts of the Apostles, the last words that Jesus speaks to his disciples are these: You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Today more than ever, Christ needs witnesses. He needs disciples who know and love him to testify to the truth of his living presence among us. To testify to the Good News that this troubled world of ours has a Savior. (Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, You will be my witnesses, no. 2)
… To know Jesus Christ and his love causes us to want to share that knowledge and love with everyone we meet. To be reconciled with the Father and to know ourselves as his beloved children fills us with the desire to tell the whole world of the gift of his salvation. (Ibid, no. 4)
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, lay people are given the “duty … to work so that the divine message of salvation may be know and accepted by all men throughout the earth. This duty is all the more pressing when it is only through them that men can hear the Gospel and know Christ.” (CCC, no. 900)
The apostolic preaching did more than create individual converts to Christ. The encounter with Christ was always an encounter with his Church. The proclamation of Christ aimed to bring men and women into communion with Christ in his Church through the power of the Sacraments. (Ibid, no 7)
As lay believers possessed of a “priestly soul”, your primary mission is in the world, not inside the sanctuary of the church or inside a Church office. Your first duty remains to heed the commission every one of us receives at the end of every Mass – to go out into the world to love and serve our Lord. (Ibid no 11)
The task before us is not easy. The culture we are called to evangelize is in many ways more hostile to the Gospel than that faced by…America’s first evangelists… We are called to proclaim Christ in a “de-Christianized” culture, a culture in which powerful interests have been at work for some decades now, patiently erasing the influence and memory of our nation’s Christian heritage from our laws and public policies, from our arts and literature, from our schools and media, our language and customs, from our entire life. The result of this deliberate strategy of secularization is that more and more of our brothers and sisters today live without any awareness of their need for God. Even believers face the stark reality that in order to participate in the economic, political, and social life of our country, we are increasingly compelled to conduct ourselves as if God does not exist. (Ibid, no. 17)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How do the thoughts of Archbishop Gomez on the mission of the Church and specifically that of the laity fit into our own understanding in Cursillos? Please, discuss and explain in depth.
2. How do the challenges that Archbishop Gomez identifies above find concrete expression in your own life? Please, give and share specific examples of this. How were you able to face those challenges?
Pastoral Letter of Archbishop Jose H. Gomez
on the Christian Mission to Evangelize and Proclaim Jesus Christ
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14)
We exist for the praise of God’s glory. This is the true purpose of our lives. How often do we think about this? We have many responsibilities in our families, in our work, in our neighborhoods and communities. But what we are truly here to do is to give praise to God. These things are meant to go hand-in-hand. We are meant to praise God throughout all the days of our lives, in the midst of all the things we do that fill our days… In another place St. Paul writes: “Through [Christ], let us continually offer sacrifice of praise to God.” (Heb. 13:15) Everything we do is meant to be a sacrifice, something that we offer to God, to thank him and praise him.
We praise God for the blessings he has bestowed upon us, for the gift of life, the gift of faith, and the promise of eternal life. We should praise him every time we pray. But we are also called to talk about God to our family, neighbors, friends, and co-workers. God wants us to tell others about Jesus Christ, in whom we see the face of our Father and experience his love and tender mercy in our lives.
This is the Mission that Jesus Christ gave to his Church. In the Acts of the Apostles, the last words that Jesus speaks to his disciples are these: You will be my witnesses… to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Today more than ever, Christ needs witnesses. He needs disciples who know and love him to testify to the truth of his living presence among us. To testify to the Good News that this troubled world of ours has a Savior. (Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, You will be my witnesses, no. 2)
… To know Jesus Christ and his love causes us to want to share that knowledge and love with everyone we meet. To be reconciled with the Father and to know ourselves as his beloved children fills us with the desire to tell the whole world of the gift of his salvation. (Ibid, no. 4)
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, lay people are given the “duty … to work so that the divine message of salvation may be know and accepted by all men throughout the earth. This duty is all the more pressing when it is only through them that men can hear the Gospel and know Christ.” (CCC, no. 900)
The apostolic preaching did more than create individual converts to Christ. The encounter with Christ was always an encounter with his Church. The proclamation of Christ aimed to bring men and women into communion with Christ in his Church through the power of the Sacraments. (Ibid, no 7)
As lay believers possessed of a “priestly soul”, your primary mission is in the world, not inside the sanctuary of the church or inside a Church office. Your first duty remains to heed the commission every one of us receives at the end of every Mass – to go out into the world to love and serve our Lord. (Ibid no 11)
The task before us is not easy. The culture we are called to evangelize is in many ways more hostile to the Gospel than that faced by…America’s first evangelists… We are called to proclaim Christ in a “de-Christianized” culture, a culture in which powerful interests have been at work for some decades now, patiently erasing the influence and memory of our nation’s Christian heritage from our laws and public policies, from our arts and literature, from our schools and media, our language and customs, from our entire life. The result of this deliberate strategy of secularization is that more and more of our brothers and sisters today live without any awareness of their need for God. Even believers face the stark reality that in order to participate in the economic, political, and social life of our country, we are increasingly compelled to conduct ourselves as if God does not exist. (Ibid, no. 17)
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How do the thoughts of Archbishop Gomez on the mission of the Church and specifically that of the laity fit into our own understanding in Cursillos? Please, discuss and explain in depth.
2. How do the challenges that Archbishop Gomez identifies above find concrete expression in your own life? Please, give and share specific examples of this. How were you able to face those challenges?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Ideological Foundations
This is the name we give to the ideas that preceded the preparation of the Cursillos in Christianity Movement, which constitute its fundamental lines of development, and that at the same time explain its emergence.
A TRIUMPHANT CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY
That is to say, to have the absolute certainty that Christianity is the solution to all human problems. There is no other name but that of Jesus by whom we may be saved. (Cf. Acts 4:12) St. Paul is the prototype of this view.
Contrasting View: All who believe ourselves to be saviors on our own, or by the use of force, or institutions, or cleverness or any other means; every pessimistic, sad, or bitter view of the problem.
A DYNAMIC VIEW OF CATHOLICISM
a. Not only do we have the answer, we must communicate it.
b. To standstill is to move backward. It is an ascetic vision; the pilgrim’s vision; to move constantly from reality to Ideal; from the person that is to the person that can be.
Contrasting View: Every bourgeois, static, conformist, ineffective attitude.
THE APOSTOLATE IS VIEWED AS A REQUIREMENT OF CHRISTIAN LIFE
Not superabundance, not an organization or a structure, rather a living organism as distant from the bureaucratic armor as it is from the self-sufficient elite.
Contrasting View: Only “X” and “Z” are fit for the Apostolate. All the rest are part of the contemptible masses.
AN UNDERSTANDING OF TODAY’S MEN AND WOMEN
An understanding of the problems and concerns of people today – a lived, experience and not book learned knowledge. It is an understanding grasped from living with the mass to which the leaven of Christ needs to bring life.
Contrasting View: Every class based, or sheltered or speculative type of “Catholicism” (?).
AN ATTITUDE OF DISSATISFACTION
That is forthright, honest, and full of anticipation – a source of ever greater accomplishments. A perpetual openness to improvement. A revision of one’s own methods. (“Nothing is ever so good that it can’t be better”)
Contrasting View: It’s Ok as it is! Don’t complicate things!
A CONVICTION ABOUT THE ANSWER
That it is truly possible for those who live on the periphery of the religious to be floored by grace and to be perfectly able to surrender to Christ – as long as Christ is presented as He truly is, and always taking into consideration their individual freedom. It was a FIRM HOPE that if this experience (of grace) was made real, the same thing would happen as always happens: the Mary Magdalenes and the Zacchaeuses would become Jesus’ most dynamic apostles.
AN EFFORT TO FIND A METHOD
That was concretely feasible, based on apostolic processes, that would take into account the problems and needs of each person so as to solve them at their very root.
THE CONVICTION THAT THE SOLUTION HAD TO BE SIMPLE AND UNIVERSAL
And, consequently, Catholic… In Cursillos one would have to live an effective Catholicity; and, consequently, all types of persons, of every race, class, etc – no matter how distant their respective backgrounds or points of departure – would need to come together in everything that took place in a Cursillo.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Do you see how these underlying ideas are reflected in what we do and say in Cursillos? If so, give some examples.
2. Do you believe that we sometimes diverge from these foundational ideas of Cursillos? How? What have been the consequences?
A TRIUMPHANT CONCEPT OF CHRISTIANITY
That is to say, to have the absolute certainty that Christianity is the solution to all human problems. There is no other name but that of Jesus by whom we may be saved. (Cf. Acts 4:12) St. Paul is the prototype of this view.
Contrasting View: All who believe ourselves to be saviors on our own, or by the use of force, or institutions, or cleverness or any other means; every pessimistic, sad, or bitter view of the problem.
A DYNAMIC VIEW OF CATHOLICISM
a. Not only do we have the answer, we must communicate it.
b. To standstill is to move backward. It is an ascetic vision; the pilgrim’s vision; to move constantly from reality to Ideal; from the person that is to the person that can be.
Contrasting View: Every bourgeois, static, conformist, ineffective attitude.
THE APOSTOLATE IS VIEWED AS A REQUIREMENT OF CHRISTIAN LIFE
Not superabundance, not an organization or a structure, rather a living organism as distant from the bureaucratic armor as it is from the self-sufficient elite.
Contrasting View: Only “X” and “Z” are fit for the Apostolate. All the rest are part of the contemptible masses.
AN UNDERSTANDING OF TODAY’S MEN AND WOMEN
An understanding of the problems and concerns of people today – a lived, experience and not book learned knowledge. It is an understanding grasped from living with the mass to which the leaven of Christ needs to bring life.
Contrasting View: Every class based, or sheltered or speculative type of “Catholicism” (?).
AN ATTITUDE OF DISSATISFACTION
That is forthright, honest, and full of anticipation – a source of ever greater accomplishments. A perpetual openness to improvement. A revision of one’s own methods. (“Nothing is ever so good that it can’t be better”)
Contrasting View: It’s Ok as it is! Don’t complicate things!
A CONVICTION ABOUT THE ANSWER
That it is truly possible for those who live on the periphery of the religious to be floored by grace and to be perfectly able to surrender to Christ – as long as Christ is presented as He truly is, and always taking into consideration their individual freedom. It was a FIRM HOPE that if this experience (of grace) was made real, the same thing would happen as always happens: the Mary Magdalenes and the Zacchaeuses would become Jesus’ most dynamic apostles.
AN EFFORT TO FIND A METHOD
That was concretely feasible, based on apostolic processes, that would take into account the problems and needs of each person so as to solve them at their very root.
THE CONVICTION THAT THE SOLUTION HAD TO BE SIMPLE AND UNIVERSAL
And, consequently, Catholic… In Cursillos one would have to live an effective Catholicity; and, consequently, all types of persons, of every race, class, etc – no matter how distant their respective backgrounds or points of departure – would need to come together in everything that took place in a Cursillo.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. Do you see how these underlying ideas are reflected in what we do and say in Cursillos? If so, give some examples.
2. Do you believe that we sometimes diverge from these foundational ideas of Cursillos? How? What have been the consequences?
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Essence and Purpose of the
PART I
ESSENCE: The nature of something or its fundamental character.
PURPOSE: The end or object to be attained. Things are explained and understood better when one articulates their purpose.
The essence of Cursillos is that which is essential to being a Christian, that is:
The HEART
the CENTER
the CORE
the MOST BASIC aspect of what we call
FUNDAMENTALLY CHRISTIAN
What is “Fundamental to being a Christian”?
It is not a doctrine or a set of principles or beliefs one must learn; it is a reality that must be lived in vital connection to life itself – life as it truly is – trying to internalize the realities that aim for the summit of what is Christian, in order to embody them in our daily lives. Trying to understand and assimilate the fact that to live the Gospel is not merely to choose virtue; rather, it is an honest effort to opt always for Christ and for man.
God loves us in Christ. God loves me.
Above all else, to be a Christian is to feel one is loved by God, and to live in constant amazement at this fact. For, what is most genuinely Christian is to let oneself be loved by God.
When one actually believes and fully lives the reality of God’s love, it creates an internal attitude that spreads and becomes contagious. But, in order to grasp and experience the truth of God’s love and continue encountering Him – who is love – as He truly is, we must make an effort to stand before Him exactly as we are.
God loves each of us. God loves me! This is the most authentic truth and the greatest good of all. It is the only value that cherishes all things and never loses its value, because it considers the worth of what is beyond price – of what is truly precious; of the transformation that does not change.
God’s love is the most vital, genuine and dynamic reality. It is the motive, direction and tempo of the most effective, fullest and most humanizing self-realization.
When the reality of God’s love is grasped, understood, embodied, lived in common and shared by a person, that truth becomes categorical, clear and transparent and has the power to provoke a dynamic process that leads all things to their full potential. It propels people, events and things towards their most radical originality, towards their most boundless fullness and most dynamic creativity.
God’s love allows us to see everything through God’s eyes and, consequently, in a more optimistic, joyful and positive way. It is a new way of seeing the same everyday things. Cursillos approaches Christian life from this perspective.
That part of the solution that each person might provide must come from within, from his or her inner self, starting right now.
Those who have ears to hear are asked adopt an attitude that is coherent, practical, immediate and concrete. In other words, I must be able to attain it, starting now, this very moment. Above all else, what is sought is to adopt a positive attitude in life.
1. Please share the insights that you have personally gained with regard to what Eduardo Bonnín describes as “what is fundamental to being a Christian”?
2. In view of the discussion that took place in class: If love and forgiveness are the most Christ-like qualities – indeed the summit of what is genuinely Christian, How can I embody them in my daily life?
ESSENCE: The nature of something or its fundamental character.
PURPOSE: The end or object to be attained. Things are explained and understood better when one articulates their purpose.
The essence of Cursillos is that which is essential to being a Christian, that is:
The HEART
the CENTER
the CORE
the MOST BASIC aspect of what we call
FUNDAMENTALLY CHRISTIAN
What is “Fundamental to being a Christian”?
It is not a doctrine or a set of principles or beliefs one must learn; it is a reality that must be lived in vital connection to life itself – life as it truly is – trying to internalize the realities that aim for the summit of what is Christian, in order to embody them in our daily lives. Trying to understand and assimilate the fact that to live the Gospel is not merely to choose virtue; rather, it is an honest effort to opt always for Christ and for man.
God loves us in Christ. God loves me.
Above all else, to be a Christian is to feel one is loved by God, and to live in constant amazement at this fact. For, what is most genuinely Christian is to let oneself be loved by God.
When one actually believes and fully lives the reality of God’s love, it creates an internal attitude that spreads and becomes contagious. But, in order to grasp and experience the truth of God’s love and continue encountering Him – who is love – as He truly is, we must make an effort to stand before Him exactly as we are.
God loves each of us. God loves me! This is the most authentic truth and the greatest good of all. It is the only value that cherishes all things and never loses its value, because it considers the worth of what is beyond price – of what is truly precious; of the transformation that does not change.
God’s love is the most vital, genuine and dynamic reality. It is the motive, direction and tempo of the most effective, fullest and most humanizing self-realization.
When the reality of God’s love is grasped, understood, embodied, lived in common and shared by a person, that truth becomes categorical, clear and transparent and has the power to provoke a dynamic process that leads all things to their full potential. It propels people, events and things towards their most radical originality, towards their most boundless fullness and most dynamic creativity.
God’s love allows us to see everything through God’s eyes and, consequently, in a more optimistic, joyful and positive way. It is a new way of seeing the same everyday things. Cursillos approaches Christian life from this perspective.
That part of the solution that each person might provide must come from within, from his or her inner self, starting right now.
Those who have ears to hear are asked adopt an attitude that is coherent, practical, immediate and concrete. In other words, I must be able to attain it, starting now, this very moment. Above all else, what is sought is to adopt a positive attitude in life.
1. Please share the insights that you have personally gained with regard to what Eduardo Bonnín describes as “what is fundamental to being a Christian”?
2. In view of the discussion that took place in class: If love and forgiveness are the most Christ-like qualities – indeed the summit of what is genuinely Christian, How can I embody them in my daily life?
The Fourth Day
The Cursillo Movement does not want the joy and enthusiasm that the three-day weekend stirs in the hearts of the new Cursillistas to be lost or go to waste, letting it lapse into merely pious practices that rob individuals of their human qualities.
What the Post-Cursillo seeks above all else is for each person to be himself or herself; and that each one try to continue their journey of self-discovery, living their lives in thanksgiving to God for their gifts; and offering up to Him their limitations, both of which are often revealed in the challenging life circumstances that each person must bear.
The internalization of the Grace that a person consciously lives, or wishes to live, or pains him or her not to be able to live, is deepened by his or her personal reflection and frequent, lively and friendly contact with the brothers and sisters. Thus, he or she becomes more fully a person, and discovers within him or her self that Christ that is alive, normal and nearby – that Christ which all Christians are called to make transparent in their lives.
Eduardo Bonnín
· What do you see in this brief excerpt from Eduardo Bonnín on how he envisioned the purpose of the Fourth Day or Post-Cursillo that is different from how you have perceived it up to now?
· How, according to Bonnín here, is Christ best made transparent in the life of the ordinary Christian?
What the Post-Cursillo seeks above all else is for each person to be himself or herself; and that each one try to continue their journey of self-discovery, living their lives in thanksgiving to God for their gifts; and offering up to Him their limitations, both of which are often revealed in the challenging life circumstances that each person must bear.
The internalization of the Grace that a person consciously lives, or wishes to live, or pains him or her not to be able to live, is deepened by his or her personal reflection and frequent, lively and friendly contact with the brothers and sisters. Thus, he or she becomes more fully a person, and discovers within him or her self that Christ that is alive, normal and nearby – that Christ which all Christians are called to make transparent in their lives.
Eduardo Bonnín
· What do you see in this brief excerpt from Eduardo Bonnín on how he envisioned the purpose of the Fourth Day or Post-Cursillo that is different from how you have perceived it up to now?
· How, according to Bonnín here, is Christ best made transparent in the life of the ordinary Christian?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
CURSILLO SECRETARIATS (BOARDS) By Eduardo Bonnín; translated by Fr. Modesto L. Perez
From the moment Cursillos were born, it was foreseen that its growth and development would require some organization that would safeguard its essence: the secretariats.
It is interesting to note that in our first publications we were already saying that these bodies should not become “command towers”. Today we would add that they should not become “democratic parliaments” either, where what is of the essence in Cursillos would be left up to the chance result of a few votes.
It is sad to see that quite often, in practice – either because they do not know their own purpose or because of a desire for preeminence – Secretariats instead of fulfilling their mission have frequently become the source of confusing burdens.
Rarely have they been the way that leads to communion, coordination or service. Because, depending on their individual circumstances, they seem to have been more concerned with their own notion of what the Cursillo Movement should be; rather than with devoting themselves to studying more deeply what Cursillos in Christianity truly are and what they can become when one respects what someone has rightly called its foundational charism.
The foundational charism does not change; rather it evolves from Cursillo’s own identity, not from its additions. This development occurs when one properly applies (in each concrete individual or collective circumstance) the desire to live God’s Grace as a reality that is shared in friendship (Group Reunion); and when one tries to make it possible for the best in each one of us to reach the greatest number of people (Ultreya).
The life of each individual Christian and his or her personal conversion is in a continual, dynamic process as he or she grows in awareness of the fact that each person, each event and each thing is the bearer of a new and unique possibility of living the Gospel.
Today we would say that Cursillos in Christianity are:
The BEST NEWS: that God loves us in Christ
Communicated by the BEST MEANS: which is FRIENDSHIP
Directed to THE BEST IN EACH ONE: which is
His/her being as a person, and
His/her capacity for CONVICTION, DECISION and PERSEVERANCE.
And, in order to be on the cutting edge of what is being debated today, what we need to emphasize right now and from this very moment on is the goal of making it possible and easy for people to:
HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH SELF, which is always absolutely essential before one can have an encounter with GOD and with one’s BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
One must identify as a goal – though not an exclusive one – the need to reach out to those who are away (from Christ and His Church) because they are either not informed or are misinformed.
The Secretariats, be it the O.M.C.C. or the National or Diocesan secretariats have as their aim to:
SIMPLIFY For people to
FACILITATE, & live what is
MAKE IT POSSIBLE FUNDAMENTALLY CHRISTIAN
And TO BE:
· Guardians of the purity of the Method (Bishop Hervás)
· In charge of suitably making known to the hierarchy and the People of God, the Essence, Mentality, Purpose and development of Cursillos.
· In service of its practical effectiveness, to publish:
o A list of the National and Diocesan Secretariats with their addresses, telephone and fax numbers as well as their office hours.
o A list of the places, days and hours when Ultreyas are celebrated.
· In the various publications, to delve deeply into the roots of the Movement and to render and account of its fruits.
Unity is discovered in the effectiveness of the “what”.
Diversity produces a multiplication of the “how’s”.
To sharpen and fine tune the most practical means of arriving at the “what” of Cursillos is “what” we seek.
There should be unity of message, not because someone imposes it, but because we are all seeking the same thing. This is possible if we dispense from those pilgrim innovations that have obscured the foundational charism.
It is interesting to note that in our first publications we were already saying that these bodies should not become “command towers”. Today we would add that they should not become “democratic parliaments” either, where what is of the essence in Cursillos would be left up to the chance result of a few votes.
It is sad to see that quite often, in practice – either because they do not know their own purpose or because of a desire for preeminence – Secretariats instead of fulfilling their mission have frequently become the source of confusing burdens.
Rarely have they been the way that leads to communion, coordination or service. Because, depending on their individual circumstances, they seem to have been more concerned with their own notion of what the Cursillo Movement should be; rather than with devoting themselves to studying more deeply what Cursillos in Christianity truly are and what they can become when one respects what someone has rightly called its foundational charism.
The foundational charism does not change; rather it evolves from Cursillo’s own identity, not from its additions. This development occurs when one properly applies (in each concrete individual or collective circumstance) the desire to live God’s Grace as a reality that is shared in friendship (Group Reunion); and when one tries to make it possible for the best in each one of us to reach the greatest number of people (Ultreya).
The life of each individual Christian and his or her personal conversion is in a continual, dynamic process as he or she grows in awareness of the fact that each person, each event and each thing is the bearer of a new and unique possibility of living the Gospel.
Today we would say that Cursillos in Christianity are:
The BEST NEWS: that God loves us in Christ
Communicated by the BEST MEANS: which is FRIENDSHIP
Directed to THE BEST IN EACH ONE: which is
His/her being as a person, and
His/her capacity for CONVICTION, DECISION and PERSEVERANCE.
And, in order to be on the cutting edge of what is being debated today, what we need to emphasize right now and from this very moment on is the goal of making it possible and easy for people to:
HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH SELF, which is always absolutely essential before one can have an encounter with GOD and with one’s BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
One must identify as a goal – though not an exclusive one – the need to reach out to those who are away (from Christ and His Church) because they are either not informed or are misinformed.
The Secretariats, be it the O.M.C.C. or the National or Diocesan secretariats have as their aim to:
SIMPLIFY For people to
FACILITATE, & live what is
MAKE IT POSSIBLE FUNDAMENTALLY CHRISTIAN
And TO BE:
· Guardians of the purity of the Method (Bishop Hervás)
· In charge of suitably making known to the hierarchy and the People of God, the Essence, Mentality, Purpose and development of Cursillos.
· In service of its practical effectiveness, to publish:
o A list of the National and Diocesan Secretariats with their addresses, telephone and fax numbers as well as their office hours.
o A list of the places, days and hours when Ultreyas are celebrated.
· In the various publications, to delve deeply into the roots of the Movement and to render and account of its fruits.
Unity is discovered in the effectiveness of the “what”.
Diversity produces a multiplication of the “how’s”.
To sharpen and fine tune the most practical means of arriving at the “what” of Cursillos is “what” we seek.
There should be unity of message, not because someone imposes it, but because we are all seeking the same thing. This is possible if we dispense from those pilgrim innovations that have obscured the foundational charism.
THE DEFINITION OF THE CURSILLOS IN CHRISTIANITY MOVEMENT By Eduardo Bonnin; Translated by Fr. Modesto L. Perez
The definition of the Cursillos in Christianity Movement flows from life and those things which men and women value and seek today. Yet, the [official] definition has an imperial echo of an outdated Christianity that in this day and age can be accepted only by submissive and timid, so called, “Men of the Church”. That understanding of the Cursillo Movement is useless to those who – convinced and energized by a Cursillo weekend – wish to give witness to a Church that is alive and that dwells among men. A Church that will help develop people’s qualities so they can live their lives more fully, exhibiting a lifestyle that is natural and human, and, therefore, attractive and contagious; and in this way, leaven with the Gospel those environments where Christ is not known or is not known well.
Today’s reality requires a different course from the one marked out by the [official] definition:
One must have as a starting point the real world, not some lofty theological abstractions which, though very true, are within reach of ordinary persons only when they are truly alive in the lives of those who live them.
The preferred, though not exclusive, objective must be those who are away from the Church.
One must make sure that the message reaches every one; but no one may, in any way, meddle with the individual response that the message generates in each person.
We cannot overwhelm the Cursillista with apostolic “proposals” that seek to unilaterally and clerically mortgage their generosity. It is never good for “good people” to try to steer the Cursillista’s generosity toward the cultivation of a preferred intra-ecclesial garden. This will only inhibit their choices and spontaneity as they seek to discover their place in the world.
We must take care that the “heroic” Christ does not displace the “domestic” Christ: the ordinary Christ; the everyday Christ; the Christ that enters and gets involved in people’s lives, giving meaning to all our actions and a new radiance to the marvelous reality of our conscious and grateful existence.
Everything during the Cursillo weekend and after it must have as its source a personal encounter with oneself, which makes it possible for each one to grow in knowledge of one’s qualities and one’s limitations. This in itself also favors the nurturing of that inner space where each person’s intentions reside and take shape, which is what gives a dimension of value to one’s actions.
These are some of the most important principles of the Cursillos in Christianity Movement, which continue to be observed and promoted by those who seek to understand them and make them a reality in their daily lives, in keeping with the respect and fidelity that is due to the foundational charism.
Wherever this has not been observed, Secretariats have lost focus of the purpose of the Cursillo Movement. They have done so perhaps believing in good faith – since it has been done repeatedly – that their mission was to devote themselves to manipulating, deactivating, or distorting the coherent and interconnected principles that make up the structure of Cursillos. As a result, the unity of the message has been lost and with it many other things that have made the message difficult to understand or have outright hindered it; so that, many people still do not even know that God loves them in Christ.
DEFINITION CONTAINED IN FUNDAMENTAL IDEAS: Describing the essential elements of the Cursillos in Christianity Movement:
"A movement of the Church which, with its own method, makes it possible to live what is fundamental for being a Christian, in order to create nuclei of Christians who engage in leavening their environments with the Gospel, helping them to discover and achieve their personal vocations, with respect to structuring Christianity."
EDUARDO BONNIN'S DEFINITION OF THE ESSENCE OF CURSILLOS IN CHRISTIANITY:
"We know that the Cursillos in Christianity Movement is the best news - that God loves us in Christ. This great news is communicated by the best means possible - friendship. It is directed to the best in each man or woman, that is, to his or her very being as a person - with a capacity to be convinced, to make decisions and to persevere. This is so that the great news of God's love might be communicated to as many persons as possible; so genuine friendship might be truer in each one; so that each day there are more persons who are convinced, committed and steadfast in the Way of Christ."
EDUARDO BONNÍN – SOME OTHER QUOTATIONS:
“The spirit of Cursillo consists in bringing the essence of the Gospel to the daily lives of many.” Eduardo Bonnín, in “Eduardo Bonnín: A Christian Apprentice”
“I believe that the Lord has to be discovered in every day life and in the ordinary.” Ibid
“My contact with people has allowed me to directly verify that whenever the message of the Gospel is welcomed with personal faith and comes into contact with the uniqueness, originality and creativity of the person, it strengthens his or her human qualities.” Ibid
“What we wanted at the beginning and what we want still is for human freedom to encounter God’s Spirit.” Ibid
1. Reading the brief article by Eduardo Bonnín, what do you think it is that he objects to in the definition contained in “Fundamental Ideas”?
2. What is it that he feels is violated when specific apostolates are proposed to the Cursillista?
Today’s reality requires a different course from the one marked out by the [official] definition:
One must have as a starting point the real world, not some lofty theological abstractions which, though very true, are within reach of ordinary persons only when they are truly alive in the lives of those who live them.
The preferred, though not exclusive, objective must be those who are away from the Church.
One must make sure that the message reaches every one; but no one may, in any way, meddle with the individual response that the message generates in each person.
We cannot overwhelm the Cursillista with apostolic “proposals” that seek to unilaterally and clerically mortgage their generosity. It is never good for “good people” to try to steer the Cursillista’s generosity toward the cultivation of a preferred intra-ecclesial garden. This will only inhibit their choices and spontaneity as they seek to discover their place in the world.
We must take care that the “heroic” Christ does not displace the “domestic” Christ: the ordinary Christ; the everyday Christ; the Christ that enters and gets involved in people’s lives, giving meaning to all our actions and a new radiance to the marvelous reality of our conscious and grateful existence.
Everything during the Cursillo weekend and after it must have as its source a personal encounter with oneself, which makes it possible for each one to grow in knowledge of one’s qualities and one’s limitations. This in itself also favors the nurturing of that inner space where each person’s intentions reside and take shape, which is what gives a dimension of value to one’s actions.
These are some of the most important principles of the Cursillos in Christianity Movement, which continue to be observed and promoted by those who seek to understand them and make them a reality in their daily lives, in keeping with the respect and fidelity that is due to the foundational charism.
Wherever this has not been observed, Secretariats have lost focus of the purpose of the Cursillo Movement. They have done so perhaps believing in good faith – since it has been done repeatedly – that their mission was to devote themselves to manipulating, deactivating, or distorting the coherent and interconnected principles that make up the structure of Cursillos. As a result, the unity of the message has been lost and with it many other things that have made the message difficult to understand or have outright hindered it; so that, many people still do not even know that God loves them in Christ.
DEFINITION CONTAINED IN FUNDAMENTAL IDEAS: Describing the essential elements of the Cursillos in Christianity Movement:
"A movement of the Church which, with its own method, makes it possible to live what is fundamental for being a Christian, in order to create nuclei of Christians who engage in leavening their environments with the Gospel, helping them to discover and achieve their personal vocations, with respect to structuring Christianity."
EDUARDO BONNIN'S DEFINITION OF THE ESSENCE OF CURSILLOS IN CHRISTIANITY:
"We know that the Cursillos in Christianity Movement is the best news - that God loves us in Christ. This great news is communicated by the best means possible - friendship. It is directed to the best in each man or woman, that is, to his or her very being as a person - with a capacity to be convinced, to make decisions and to persevere. This is so that the great news of God's love might be communicated to as many persons as possible; so genuine friendship might be truer in each one; so that each day there are more persons who are convinced, committed and steadfast in the Way of Christ."
EDUARDO BONNÍN – SOME OTHER QUOTATIONS:
“The spirit of Cursillo consists in bringing the essence of the Gospel to the daily lives of many.” Eduardo Bonnín, in “Eduardo Bonnín: A Christian Apprentice”
“I believe that the Lord has to be discovered in every day life and in the ordinary.” Ibid
“My contact with people has allowed me to directly verify that whenever the message of the Gospel is welcomed with personal faith and comes into contact with the uniqueness, originality and creativity of the person, it strengthens his or her human qualities.” Ibid
“What we wanted at the beginning and what we want still is for human freedom to encounter God’s Spirit.” Ibid
1. Reading the brief article by Eduardo Bonnín, what do you think it is that he objects to in the definition contained in “Fundamental Ideas”?
2. What is it that he feels is violated when specific apostolates are proposed to the Cursillista?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)