October 1, 2022 Ultreya
Witness Talk by Verne Bowers
In a couple of days, we will be celebrating the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the greatest saint not only in the Catholic Church but also to non-Catholics. I'd like to draw from his life's legacy - his spirituality - and relate it to our 3day Cursillo weekend and beyond.
At the age of twenty or thereabouts, during a petty war between the towns of Assisi and Perugia, Francis was imprisoned for about a year. It was during this period of imprisonment and eventual release that his conversion began...to walk in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.
Before living our Cursillo weekend, we can all relate to St. Francis' period of imprisonment. How many times did we fail to recognize God's invitation to a new relationship with him, to accept this new life of continuous metanoia...to live in friendship with Him and with other persons?
When he was returning to Assisi from his pilgrimage to Rome, Francis prayed in the humble little church of San Damiano outside the walls of Assisi. As he gazed at the crucifix, he felt the eyes of Christ gazing at him. I think we all know how that story unfolded.
I felt that gaze during my Cursillo weekend. I'm sure you did, too...it was the beginning of friendship with self, friendship with God and friendship with others.
This vision gave Francis a clear mission in life for his full devotion to Jesus Christ. He spent much of his time in prayer and meditation. St Francis is often held up as an inspiring example of someone who most closely imitated the life of Christ in words, deeds and spirit. Gradually, he began to attract other young men, by his spiritual fervour and renunciation.
The following excerpts from an article entitled Faithful Stewards of the Cursillo Movement describes how an encounter with Christ transforms the fabrics of our lives:
"When a person in all his or her individual uniqueness, creativity and freedom experiences God’s love as the most fundamental truth of his or her life, that person is transformed… Because, one can live one’s life fully only when one finds the meaning of one’s life. Cursillo has proposed only one means toward that end: friendship...friendship with self, friendship with God and all of His works, and friendship with our companions on the road..."
Through our Piety, Study and Action we, too, can gradually attract others with our joyful countenance.
"It has been said that Action is the perfection of piety, dedicating our very lives to God by aligning our will to His will, and then doing what we have been asked to do. Action is responding to the command of Jesus written in John 13:34-35. “I give you a new commandment – to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are to love one another. Everyone will know by this that you are my disciples – if you have love for one another. Simply stated, Action is exercising the power to love God, self, and others just as Jesus has loved us."
This is the legacy of St. Francis, he preached with much love. And we can say, too, how St. Therese of Liseux whose feast day we celebrate today, lived and called her vocation in life is TO LOVE. St. Francis preached the Gospel and I'm sure that he also knew then that GOD LOVED US FIRST. He yearned for the joy of brotherhood as he lived his life touching other people's lives. The Franciscan spirituality - brotherhood amongst ALL of God's creations as St. Francis sang his Canticle of the Sun, has been a mission that ALWAYS leads back to God.
So, too, is our Cursillo method of bringing others to Christ. We are called to live a continuous relationship with Jesus Christ, discovering God’s love for us and our brothers and sisters as the only authentic peace that we can experience living our fourth day.
"Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary," - the famous Franciscan quote used in the social justice arena. Or, "you maybe the only Bible some nonbelievers will ever read."
As Cursillistas, we must live and do what is fundamental to being a Christian - to facilitate that personal encounter with the Gospel of Christ through our deeds and actions. "It is not a doctrine that must be learned, but rather, a reality that must be lived." (Eduardo Bonin)
So make a friend, be a friend, and bring a friend to Christ!
De Colores!