Another set of reflections given to new cursillistas.
Taking Inventory
The first Rollo on a Cursillo weekend is called ‘Ideals.’ Interestingly, God and faith are never mentioned in the talk. Instead, the theme of the Rollo is that true accomplishment only happens when you first set a goal. And that the extent to which we set, seek, and achieve goals defines our level of humanity. Animals cannot set long-term goals, only humans can. And setting goals most often means that we must sacrifice in the short term in order to achieve something over the long term, such as living with a degree of hunger in order to lose weight.
The Ideals Rollo ends by asking everyone to take inventory of what they are striving for in life – what are the goals to which our energies are devoted? And the way to take inventory is to ask yourself three questions:
- Where do you spend your free time?
- On what do you spend your money?
- What do you think about?
For many people on our weekends, the answers amount to a revelation. We think we know what is important to us, but when we actually assess what we do with our time we often find that what we desire has been pushed to the background by all of the activities that are important to other people. When we look at the checkbook and truly add up where our money is spent, it can also surprise us. And if we have the courage to assess what we spend our time dwelling on, we can often find ourselves lacking.
On the Cursillo weekend we then build from that revelation, and after three days we have opened minds to God’s plan for the use of our time, money, and thoughts. Most people leave their Cursillo experience with a determination that the future will mean new priorities in their lives. For some, it indeed happens, and life truly changes for the better. For many others it doesn’t stick.
Some say that it doesn’t stick because people don’t get into Group Reunions, or go to Ultreyas. Others blame lethargic parishes, or the lack of a systemic diocesan focus on the laity. I think that it is much simpler than that: Some people just stop asking themselves those three questions, and they allow the priorities of the world to supercede the priorities of their faith.
During this season of Lent, and as taxes become due in April, now is a good time to once again take inventory:
- Where do you spend your free time?
- On what do you spend your money?
- What do you think about?
The
answers may surprise you. It’s just
something to think about…
Walking with Jesus
Imagine that it is a beautiful Spring day, and you are taking a peaceful walk in the country. The sky is blue, the sun is shining, the temperature is perfect, and there is a slight wind blowing. You can hear the birds, and you smile as you watch the squirrels and chipmunks scurrying around. Suddenly, as you walk, Jesus is there beside you… And He walks along with you. And He talks with you. He tells you how special you are to Him, and you get the opportunity to tell Him how much you love Him. You get to ask Him all kinds of questions, and He lovingly responds to each. What a glorious experience it would be! You could do this forever!
Imagine that as you walk together, you suddenly see a small child in your path. The child is softly crying, obviously hurt, and terrified. There is no one else around, and the child needs immediate attention. Now, we all know that it is not even conceivable that you would just ignore the child, step around, and continue your walk with Christ. That would never enter your mind. It wouldn’t make any sense. So, as disappointing as it might be, you would interrupt your walk, and you would tend to the child. After all, that is what Christianity is all about. At least it should be…
The reality is that too many Catholics just step around our imaginary child as they live their lives in faith. They go to Mass on the weekend, pray every day, and love the Lord with all of their heart. Maybe they have special devotions to the Eucharist, to our Blessed Mother, or to one of the saints. But they are somehow oblivious to the pain that lives around them.
As Cursillistas we know that if we are to be authentic in our faith, just loving Jesus is not enough. Loving Him is the easy part. Who wouldn’t love someone who loved us unconditionally, and who was willing to suffer and die for us? To be authentic in our faith we must also act as Christ, and that means that we must be aware of where He is needed.
Maybe there is no one directly in your path today, but if you look just a little further on your horizon you will see where Jesus wants you to be. Maybe it is a neighbor who is sick… a co-worker that is under stress… that person at Mass who is always sitting alone… Maybe you could stop by the nursing home and visit some people who never have visitors… or stop by the shelter and see if they need supplies… You don’t have to look far… the need for Jesus is everywhere.
I have always been fascinated by the fact that many Catholics need to be directly asked to do acts of charity. And I am even more fascinated that when asked, they invariably respond ‘Yes.’ There was something missing in our faith teaching. We learned to love the Lord, and we are willing to respond when asked, but somehow we were never taught that the initiative to make the Kingdom a reality must come from us.
As Cursillistas we should never need to be asked. Our awareness of authentic faith means that we should forever be on the lookout for what Christ needs us to do. We should be searching, not waiting. We should be pro-active, not re-active. …in our homes, our parishes, our neighborhoods, our country, and our world…
The
measure of our love for Jesus is not in how much or how well we worship, but in
how we serve. We worship in order to
give ourselves strength, courage and guidance, so that we might serve. We should walk with Jesus everyday, but we
must also be ready to interrupt that walk in order to serve. Only in the serving does the loving make any
sense.
Holy Thursday
Today is Holy Thursday, a night from which our faith derives so many of its rich traditions:
a night from which we received the Eucharist,
a night that commissioned the authority of the Apostles,
a night that promised individual responsibility and ultimate judgment,
a night that challenged us to “love one another, even as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)
a night that promised the Spirit as our helper.
It is also the night that brought us a special teaching: John 13:12-15: “So when he had washed their feet, put his outer garment back on, and sat down again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me, ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord.’ You say so correctly, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”
It is such a simple lesson, yet so rich in meaning. All across the world today we will reenact this scene as a remembrance of Christ’s message to us. But in 2006 we reenact this scene within a world that is still far from the vision of Christ’s kingdom in this world. Why?
Why, after 2000 years, is our world still full of anger, hate, selfishness, poverty, racism, judgment, war, and segmentation of all kinds? Why is the message of Holy Thursday not dominant in today’s society? Is it because we don’t believe that message?
No, enough of us believe the message. Rather, it is because we do not LIVE the message. The problem is that what we celebrate on this special night within our churches is not made reality within our homes, neighborhoods, and workplaces the other 364 days each year. We believe, but we fail to transform that belief into daily witness, so the world does not learn.
In Cursillo we teach that humility is not about thinking less of oneself. True humility is about never thinking of oneself at all, instead concentrating all of our resources on serving others. Luke 22:27: “For who is greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves?”
The world will never change for the Lord because of lessons from Rome; those are for you and I who already believe. The world will only change when it witnesses the reality of Christ in our daily actions. The apostles were moved by Christ’s simple display of humble service. Who is taught by yours?
Let us resolve that this Holy Thursday serve as much more than a remembrance of what we believe. Let us resolve that it become a blueprint for how we behave. Christ is counting on us to do so.
John15:16: “You didn’t choose me,
but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit…” Peace, and a Blessed Easter season to
you,
‘Our Father’
We have all said that prayer thousands of times in our lives. It was probably one of the first prayers taught to us by our parents. We say it every time we go to Mass. We maybe say it privately in times of reflection, maybe times of stress. We know the words by heart. So, it is safe to say that we know the prayer well… or is it?
“Our Father, who art in heaven.” What exactly does that mean to you? Do you consider God as your father? Jesus told us to call the Father ‘Abba’, which meant ’daddy’ in Aramaic. And what Jesus meant is that we should think of God as a loving father, one who understands us, who accepts us, who forgives us… one who loves us unconditionally. Some people think of God as angry, vengeful, punishing… but Jesus said just the opposite. God loves us. ‘Our Father’ means ‘Our loving, understanding, forgiving father, who art in heaven…’
And the words ‘who art in heaven,’ what do they mean to you? Do you believe in heaven? Belief in an afterlife is fundamental to being a Christian. A key part of Christ’s message was that the Father wants each and every one of us to share life with Him. And that he waits for us, hoping that we desire to join him.
‘Hallowed be they name.’ Hallowed? What the heck does that mean? The word ‘hallowed’ means ‘revered’, or ‘sacred’. It invokes wonder. It acknowledges God’s greatness, and acknowledges our own smallness. When we say ‘hallowed be thy name’ we praise the person of God, but also place his name in a special place of honor within our lives. Think about it. Do you praise the name of God on Sundays, and then use it to curse people the rest of the week? How easily we slip the name of God or Jesus into our expressions of anger, exasperation, even hatred. We should try to keep hallow the name of God at all times. ‘Hallowed be thy name,’ means we praise and honor you God, in our words and in our actions.
‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Many people think of God’s kingdom as the kingdom of heaven. But as Jesus told us, and as the second phrase indicates, the kingdom that we pray for is meant to be here on earth. When we pray the words ‘thy kingdom come, thy will be done’ we are expressing our hope that this world can become what God wants it to be. You see, God has given us each the gifts of life and a free will. He wants us, of our own free will, to live together as he wants… That’s what ‘thy will’ means. Instead of living for ourselves, he wants us to live for each other. Instead of caring for ourselves, he wants us to care for each other. God’s kingdom is a concept that means that we, of our own free will, choose to love one another. In doing so we can create a better world. It is not God’s will that we fight wars…. It is not God’s will that people are hungry, sick, lonely, or forgotten. The problems of this world come from our collective society choosing our own personal wills above God’s will. And yet we pray the words: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Is that just a hope, or are we willing to do something about it? Do we expect this to happen by magic?
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Would you like white or whole wheat? What does it mean to you to ask God to give you ‘daily bread’? Are you only asking for food? The true answer is multi-faceted. As humans we need many things to survive. Yes, we need food, but we also need clothing, shelter, clean air, and clean water. We also need nurturing and teaching. We need love and understanding. We often need forgiveness. We need companionship. And we need the spiritual guidance of the Father, given to us through his son and the Sacraments. All of these things and more constitute our ‘daily bread.’ Our prayer asks God to ensure that we receive these things that we need.
And what do we mean when we say ‘Give us…?’ Do we expect it to come falling out of the sky? If you understand what ‘daily bread’ is, then you recognize that your daily bread is given to you by other people. And if you understand that, then you understand that, as the person beside you prays these words, then you might be the one who they must get their ‘daily bread’ from. “Give us this day our daily bread” really means help us to meet the needs of each other, through our free will, making your kingdom known and understood by all. The next time you see starving people on the television or in the newspaper remember that they say the same prayer too, and ask yourself “Is it God who doesn’t answer their prayer?” The answer is that when we pray for our daily bread, we are asking that we learn to take care of each other, as that is God’s will.
“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” ‘Trespass’ means to sin. We are all good at asking God for forgiveness of our own sins, but are we as good about forgiving others? This phrase really means ‘Give me just as much forgiveness as I give to others.’ Think about that. If that is true, how much forgiveness can you expect? Everyone is a sinner… our parents, our friends, our teachers, our leaders… we are all sinners. And sometimes we are the victims of other people’s sinning. How do we react when others fail us? God asks us to be forgiving of everyone, not just the ones we love. Think about those who have hurt you… Can you forgive them? If you can’t, then why should you be forgiven? The biggest hurdle of our human nature is our ability to forgive those who hurt us. Our human nature thinks in terms of fairness, punishing people when they do wrong. God’s nature asks us to forgive them… it’s not easy, but that is what we pray for. Give me just as much forgiveness as I give to others.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Temptation to not do God’s will is everywhere. Movies, television, songs, books, people – much of what we hear is not focused on God’s will, but on the will of individuals, trying to get us to spend our money with them, trying to make us do what they want, trying to manipulate us. Much of what these messages present is attractive to us. The messages appeal to our most basic human natures. These messages tempt us to be selfish, to take care only of self, to forget others… this is the temptation that we pray to avoid. “And deliver us from evil.’ The evil is not some guy dressed in red with a pitchfork. The evil is not ‘out there’ somewhere. The potential for evil lies within each of us. Here we are praying that we each find the inner strength to overcome our basic instincts and allow our minds to control who we are. We pray that we will have the strength to resist temptation, and to live as God wants us to.
And finally, the word ‘amen.’ Amen means simply ‘this is what we believe.’ It is a concluding declaration that these are not just words being recited, but that they reflect what we carry within our hearts and what we hope will become reality.
So, this prayer that we have known forever, and which we casually say often, now takes on new meaning. Listen to the same prayer with different words:
“Our loving creator, who knows our faults and weaknesses, but who still loves us, we praise you. We praise your creation and our unique place within that creation. We look at you in wonder and awe. We acknowledge your full glory. We honor what you mean to us. We pray that we might learn to live together as you desire. We pray that we can learn to overcome our selfishness and care for each other with the same love that you have for us. We know that in caring for others we fulfill your desire for ourselves. We beg your forgiveness for those times that we have failed to live as you desire, and out of love for you, we forgive those who have hurt us in any way. Together we pledge to work to overcome our selfish natures and to love others as you love us. This we believe with our hearts, our souls, and our full determination.”
Next time you pray the Our Father, pay close attention to the words, and let them guide your actions until the next time…