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Like being at Pentecost!

January 21, 2005

“Like being in the upper room on Pentecost” is the only way that I can describe how incredible last weekend was for me. It was my first time experiencing a Cursillo weekend—praying, learning, and laughing with forty other men who are all united by their love of Jesus Christ. (More information about Cursillo is below.) The most amazing part was hearing the testimonies of the weekend leaders whose faiths have been so strengthened by Cursillo—they are just normal Catholics who were set on fire for the Lord and who have been able to do great work for Him in their ordinary lives! These are some that struck me the most:

— One man told us about how, after making his Cursillo weekend, he began to think about how he could start to improve his working environment. He was a teacher in a public middle-school, and the attitude among his fellow teachers was rather negative and pessimistic. He became friends with another teacher who shared his Christian beliefs. Eventually they decided to start a prayer group for the teachers; once a week they would pray together in one of their classrooms before the kids arrived. At first, they were joined by only one other teacher, but slowly, over the years, it has grown to the point that fifteen of the sixteen teachers in that grade join in the weekly prayer. They pray for the children, for any special prayer intentions that week, and also for the patience and strength to be good teachers. The attitude among the teachers has completely changed!

— Another man shared that he has been a faithful Catholic for many years, but that he never really saw his job as a police officer as connected to his faith in Christ. After his Cursillo weekend, he slowly began to see the face of Christ in the broken people that he constantly met on the job—criminals, drug users, homeless, even the town drunk! He saw that in serving these people as a police officer, he was really serving Jesus Christ. Now he prays for everyone he encounters on the job and asks God for the strength to serve them well. He sees his daily work with the eyes of faith, and a whole new world has exploded into being for him!

— Another man shared that after making his Cursillo weekend years ago, he felt called to better incorporate his faith into all aspects of his life, including his career as an attorney. He had recently opened his own law firm, and he took the bold step of beginning his weekly staff meetings with a small prayer. This was the first step in a gradual transformation in the way that he and his staff saw themselves and their mission. His clients now know him as a Christian lawyer (yes, they exist!). He is not afraid, for example, to tell a client who is being wrongfully sued that he needs to forgive the one who is taking him to court. At times he even has to turn down business that would cause him to compromise his Christian values. Yet God has greatly blessed his law firm, making it very successful and enabling him to help small businesses that feel they have no more hope!

— We also heard how another man simply began to bring his Bible to work every day. During his small breaks, he would read Scripture there at his work station. Slowly, those around him noticed his quiet devotion, and without even saying a word, it gradually began to transform the guys on his shift! They would begin to have conversations with him about faith, or come to him when they had religious questions… all by simply reading the Bible a little bit at work!

The point for us is this: when we die, God will not only judge our souls, but also the souls of our neighbors. We can’t just concern ourselves with whether we know Christ and whether we will have eternal life. We all have a choice—will we lead our neighbors closer to God through our daily words and actions, or will we live as if we have no faith? How do you live? How might the Lord be able to touch other souls through you? Think creatively and pray hard, and the Lord will give you an answer!

Info about Cursillo:

Website : www.cursillo.org

The Cursillo (“cur-see-yo”) movement started in Spain in the 1940s and spread to the rest of the world in the following decades. It begins with a three-day retreat called a “Cursillo weekend.” Men and women attend on separate weekends and they last from Thursday night through Sunday afternoon. These three days are an amazing time of prayer, learning about the faith, and enjoying the company of other faith-filled people. The weekend helps one begin a lifetime of growing closer to Christ through commitment to prayer, study, and evangelization. The coolest part is that Cursillo helps you make friends in your area who share this same desire for holiness and who help support you in your journey.

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