July 16, 2008
Wednesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
By Melanie Rigney
“My hand has seized like a nest the riches of nations; As one takes eggs left alone, so I took in all the earth; no one fluttered a wing, or opened a mouth, or chirped!” (Isaiah 10:14)
The Lord will not abandon his people. (Psalms 94:14a)
“No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27)
Piety
Jesus, use me as an instrument on this earth to help reveal the Father to your people. Help me find the words and actions to help others grow in your love and to be open to your presence in them.
Study
"Tell me why Cursillo's so important to you," a good friend asked after she and her husband had put the kids to bed and it was just the three of us talking.
I hesitated. How to explain to a devoutly Catholic couple who between them have three advanced degrees, all theology-related, the utter simplicity of my fire?
“Did it start with the retreat thing that they do?” she prodded.
“Not exactly,” I said. “The Weekend was fine and all, but that isn’t what feeds me now. It’s the group reunion, the faith sharing, week in, week out. It’s feeling almost like the apostles in the upper room on Pentecost, of being sent out in the world better armed to share the Word.”
My friend asked a lot of questions: What do you do in these groups? Is there a standard for the number of people or an age or gender category requirement? Where do they meet? Is there a formula for sharing piety, action, and study? What exactly does each of those words mean within the groups?
I found myself saying over and over again, “It depends.” Those are mighty amazing words to hear coming out of the mouth of someone who thrives on structure and order and rules and organization as much as I do. (Members of my group reunions, I can see your heads nodding.)
On the long Metro ride from Franconia-Springfield to Ballston, I thought about the two group reunions in which I’m involved, and the ways in which I’m blessed by each. One is less than six months old, made up of five women; I’m the oldest at fifty-two. We meet at church, and are still figuring what we want to be. There’s an energy of newness there. The other has been going for decades, yet warmly welcomes newcomers, including two this year. The eight of us women, or whatever part of that group is available that week, meet in people’s houses. I’m in the younger half of the age range. There’s an energy of experience there.
The discussion in both groups helps me stay on the right path in a world where it is all too easy to feel alone and tired... and to be tempted. It helps me to hear the challenges and victories of my sisters in Christ, and I hope it helps them to hear about mine.
For me, the beauty of Cursillo lies in that “It depends.” Want to be in a group reunion that meets at night? On Saturday afternoons? At a restaurant? With only men? With both men and women? With parents only? With retired people only? In Herndon? In
Just one cautionary note: Don’t get too hung up about keeping your group reunion the way it’s always been...or about grouping with people who are just like you in terms of politics, age, socio-economic status, life experience, and so on. Seeing Christ in someone with whom you believe you have little in common can shake you to your soul. That depends on you—and your willingness to depend on him.
Action
This week, invite a guest to your group reunion. Or ask if you can visit another group reunion. Or, change around the order of your own group for a week or two, incorporating a field trip for action, a shared book for study, or the Rosary for piety. Fresh air can invigorate even the most robust of group reunions.
No comments:
Post a Comment