To live an authentic life is to become fully yourself. To be holy is to become fully the person God created you to be. The authentic life, responding to God’s call to live a holy life, and our essential purpose are one and the same.
More than eighteen hundred years ago, Saint Irenaeus (c. 130-200) wrote, “The glory of God is the perfection of the creature.” We do not give glory to God by presenting ourselves at Mass on Sunday, sitting in the back, paying no attention, and believing that we will have our names ticked off in some divine attendance book that exists only in our minds. We do not give glory to God by falling before his altar helplessly and hopelessly to beg him to make right what we have set wrong, or what God has given us the ability and responsibility to make right ourselves. Nor do we give God glory by masking our rejection of his gentle but ever-present call with the occasional good deed, mindless prayer, or charitable contribution.
“The glory of God is the perfection of the creature.” The human person is perfected by the grace of God through the conscious, disciplined, and persistent attainment of virtue. But the grace of God is never lacking, so it is our conscious, disciplined, and persistent effort that is the key to a richer and more abundant future for humanity. This disciplined striving for virtue is an indispensable characteristic of the authentic life.
It is important to understand that the perfection that God calls us to is not some type of robotic perfection. If you asked a kindergarten class to draw and color a perfect tree, they would use hard, straight lines and bright colors. No such tree exists. But there are lots of perfect trees. Their crookedness is part of their perfection; the defects in your character are not part of your best self.
In the Gospel of Matthew we read, “Be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.” What did Jesus mean when he spoke of perfection? The word perfect used here, in Matthew 5:48, means “whole and complete.”
In his letter to the Thessalonians, Saint Paul writes, “This is the will of God: that you be saints.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3) God wants you to be holy. Your holiness is the desire of God, the delight of God, and the source of your happiness. To embrace who you were created to be and to become the-best-version-of-yourself is God’s dream for you. Therefore, holiness is for everyone, not just for a select few, for monks in monasteries and nuns in convents; it is for you and me.
Your daily tasks have spiritual value. You don’t work just for money. When you work hard and pay attention to the details of your job, you cooperate with God as he transforms your soul. In this way your work helps you to become more fully yourself. It is also a way to love your neighbor and make a contribution to society. In the same way, washing the dishes can be as much a prayer as praying the rosary. Each task, each hour offered to God is transformed into prayer. And in all these ways you give glory to God through your daily work.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
“The more fully a person we become, the holier we are. The holier we are the more fully a person we become.” - Eduardo Bonnín
“I said to the almond tree, Friend, speak to me of God, and the almond tree blossomed.” - Nikos Kazantzakis in “Report to Greco”
1. What are we here for? What is the meaning and purpose of life? What is your essential purpose? In other words, what is the goal of the Christian life?
2. What is holiness? How do you understand it? And, how does Matthew Kelly explain this?
Monday, February 27, 2012
THE EXAMPLE OF TEAMWORK OF WILD GEESE
• Geese fly in a V-shaped formation because it allows them to advance more easily. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front, benefiting from the air lift produced by the bird ahead, thereby reducing wind resistance. Birds that fly in formation beat their wings less frequently and glide more often thus reducing energy expenditure by 71% when compared to birds that fly alone.
• Geese that separate themselves from the group soon discover how much more difficult it is to fly alone and immediately return to the group.
• When the leader (the one that goes at the head of the formation and takes the greatest risk) is tired, it moves back and another bird takes the lead.
• Flying in formation also makes it easy to keep track of every bird in the group and assists with communication and coordination within the group. Geese produce noises from the back both to encourage the ones at the front and to maintain their speed during flight.
• When a bird is sick or is hurt and falls, two other geese go with it and keep it company, to provide help and protection. The companions stay with the sick or injured bird until it recovers or dies.
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Leaders School, February 17, 2012
1. Unless they have lost their instinctive sense of purpose and direction, wild geese know where they are headed and what they want to achieve. In view of our essential purpose and charism, how does this description of the “teamwork” of geese in flight resonate as you reflect on the type of teamwork that we have or need to have in the Cursillos in Christianity Movement?
2. What attitudes and behavior do you see both in team preparation and during the three-day weekend that impede the sort of “teamwork” needed to achieve the God given purpose of Cursillos?
• Geese that separate themselves from the group soon discover how much more difficult it is to fly alone and immediately return to the group.
• When the leader (the one that goes at the head of the formation and takes the greatest risk) is tired, it moves back and another bird takes the lead.
• Flying in formation also makes it easy to keep track of every bird in the group and assists with communication and coordination within the group. Geese produce noises from the back both to encourage the ones at the front and to maintain their speed during flight.
• When a bird is sick or is hurt and falls, two other geese go with it and keep it company, to provide help and protection. The companions stay with the sick or injured bird until it recovers or dies.
DISCUSSION/REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Leaders School, February 17, 2012
1. Unless they have lost their instinctive sense of purpose and direction, wild geese know where they are headed and what they want to achieve. In view of our essential purpose and charism, how does this description of the “teamwork” of geese in flight resonate as you reflect on the type of teamwork that we have or need to have in the Cursillos in Christianity Movement?
2. What attitudes and behavior do you see both in team preparation and during the three-day weekend that impede the sort of “teamwork” needed to achieve the God given purpose of Cursillos?
ELEMENTS OF A TEAM What is needed to make a team?
In teams some conditions are necessary to guarantee its correct function. The most important are the following:
COMMON OBJECTIVE
The teams establish the fixed goals between all of them, so they have clarified what to do, when and why.
RELAXED ATMOSPHERE
It is very important for the team that people who form part of it have a common goal, where communication is open and the atmosphere is relaxed and positive for everyone. It is evident that conflicts and disagreements will surface; in fact, sometimes they are necessary to achieve a fuller rapport among the team members. Nevertheless, these conflicts must be overcome. For this reason, in a team, the person leading must pay attention to the aspects that favor and allow the development of interpersonal relationships in the group.
COHESION AND TEAM SPIRIT
The goals achieved must be the result of the involvement of every member of the team. Collaboration makes it possible to resolve problems more easily and find quicker and more effective solutions. Team members must understand that working together they will reach their goal sooner and better than individually.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE GOALS
Every person integrating the team must know and share the goals and objectives of the team from the beginning. The work as well as the roles of each person involved in the process must be clearly defined.
TASK DELEGATION
Though it has been said previously that each person in the team must be clear about his/her role, it will also be necessary to delegate tasks whenever the situation requires it. People in the team need to be flexible and carry out different tasks with the aim of optimizing the coordination of individual efforts.
GOOD COMMUNICATION
Communication is the foundation of good teamwork; there needs to be open and sincere communication among the members of the team. Each person must have the freedom to express his/her opinion and feel that they are taken in account by others. In a good team, one can breathe in the air the freedom to express one’s opinions and acceptance by all in the group.
ADVANTAGES OF TEAM WORK:
• More information: more contributions and differences, more creativity
• More resources to organize, delegate, coordinate and manage
• More alternatives: higher probability of finding solutions
• Security: Less objective risk in decision making
• Communication and comprehension: More direct communications and, consequently, a greater probability of improving understanding
• Motivation: A good opportunity to motivate, as there is greater participation in the decisions made
• Ownership and Acceptance: Increased probability of ownership and greater acceptance of objectives, strategies, organization, coordination and management
DISADVANTAGES:
• Conflict between personal interests and those of the group or the temptation of following one’s interests instead of the group’s
• Conflicts and disagreements: Greater probability of disagreements and specific conflicts; the risk of interpersonal, emotional conflict
• Pressure from the opinions of the person who leads the team: Greater pressure from leadership that may distort the information received by the group
• Over-evaluation of the group and a sense of omnipotence and invulnerability: An exaggerated sense of the high probability of success and insignificant possibilities of failure
• Closed Mentality and a sense of self-reliance accompanied by many stereotypes about other teams (or movements)
• Pressure from the group to conformity, unanimity, premature consensus and a rejection of dissent and criticism. Efforts are not directed toward the search for the best solution, but rather remain with those that have the greatest support or acceptance, inhibiting opposing opinions even to the point of diluting individual responsibility or personal judgment.
COMMON OBJECTIVE
The teams establish the fixed goals between all of them, so they have clarified what to do, when and why.
RELAXED ATMOSPHERE
It is very important for the team that people who form part of it have a common goal, where communication is open and the atmosphere is relaxed and positive for everyone. It is evident that conflicts and disagreements will surface; in fact, sometimes they are necessary to achieve a fuller rapport among the team members. Nevertheless, these conflicts must be overcome. For this reason, in a team, the person leading must pay attention to the aspects that favor and allow the development of interpersonal relationships in the group.
COHESION AND TEAM SPIRIT
The goals achieved must be the result of the involvement of every member of the team. Collaboration makes it possible to resolve problems more easily and find quicker and more effective solutions. Team members must understand that working together they will reach their goal sooner and better than individually.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE GOALS
Every person integrating the team must know and share the goals and objectives of the team from the beginning. The work as well as the roles of each person involved in the process must be clearly defined.
TASK DELEGATION
Though it has been said previously that each person in the team must be clear about his/her role, it will also be necessary to delegate tasks whenever the situation requires it. People in the team need to be flexible and carry out different tasks with the aim of optimizing the coordination of individual efforts.
GOOD COMMUNICATION
Communication is the foundation of good teamwork; there needs to be open and sincere communication among the members of the team. Each person must have the freedom to express his/her opinion and feel that they are taken in account by others. In a good team, one can breathe in the air the freedom to express one’s opinions and acceptance by all in the group.
ADVANTAGES OF TEAM WORK:
• More information: more contributions and differences, more creativity
• More resources to organize, delegate, coordinate and manage
• More alternatives: higher probability of finding solutions
• Security: Less objective risk in decision making
• Communication and comprehension: More direct communications and, consequently, a greater probability of improving understanding
• Motivation: A good opportunity to motivate, as there is greater participation in the decisions made
• Ownership and Acceptance: Increased probability of ownership and greater acceptance of objectives, strategies, organization, coordination and management
DISADVANTAGES:
• Conflict between personal interests and those of the group or the temptation of following one’s interests instead of the group’s
• Conflicts and disagreements: Greater probability of disagreements and specific conflicts; the risk of interpersonal, emotional conflict
• Pressure from the opinions of the person who leads the team: Greater pressure from leadership that may distort the information received by the group
• Over-evaluation of the group and a sense of omnipotence and invulnerability: An exaggerated sense of the high probability of success and insignificant possibilities of failure
• Closed Mentality and a sense of self-reliance accompanied by many stereotypes about other teams (or movements)
• Pressure from the group to conformity, unanimity, premature consensus and a rejection of dissent and criticism. Efforts are not directed toward the search for the best solution, but rather remain with those that have the greatest support or acceptance, inhibiting opposing opinions even to the point of diluting individual responsibility or personal judgment.
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