TLDR: No one can lead a proper Christian Life without a Rule of Life. Read on for more information about this and additional insights from Cursillo.
I just returned from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas’ Cursillo #259 at Camp Allen. Cursillo means “small course” in Castilian Spanish, in this case, a small course in Christianity. That we still have these spiritual retreats in the Episcopal Church is a testament to the enduring power of these weekend programs. I say this for several reasons: (a) The program requires 3.5 days to complete, usually from a Thursday afternoon to a Sunday evening. We lead such busy lives that many people have a hard time attending these programs. (b) Cursillo requires life in community, usually at a Conference Center, seminary, or monastery. It is expected that all participants will have the ability to disconnect from the myriad of obligations, concerns, distractions (social media, telephones, tablets), and everyday problems of their lives to be fully attentive to themselves. This is designed to be a mountain-top experience of getting away from the world to reconnect with ourselves and with God. Needless to say, this is often a challenging concept for many of us who are perpetually glued to our communication devices. (c) Cursillo is an old idea that has been passed down uninterrupted since 1948. What this means is that the theology of Cursillo is often more conservative than any theology being taught in Episcopal seminaries or preached in most Episcopal pulpits. This is a problem in some settings where there is a poor application of those concepts to modern contexts. I am happy to say that I found all of the talks at #259 to be very relevant to our current world. I personally endeavored in all my talks to contextualize some of that theology, and to make it applicable to busy people in the 21st century. (d) Cursillo still uses terminology inherited from the founders in Majorca, Spain, in the 1940’s. Not everyone is familiar with the terminology, and not everyone likes the terminology, but those who have been on teams numerous times find comfort in the familiar expressions. Cursillo means small course; Rollo means talk; Palanca (leaver) means support; “De Colores” means of many colors, but it is often used as a salute or at the ending of a talk; etc. (e) For Latin-American Spanish Speakers the terminology often sounds very strange because we use completely different words for many of the Castilian Spanish concepts.
The goal of Cursillo is to “Christianize the world through the apostolic action of Christian leaders in all areas of Human Activity.” A modern way of understanding this aspiration is to say that “Cursillo wants to make disciples of Jesus Christ through the example (piety, faith, action) of other Christians.” In order to prepare Christian leaders within the Church and world, Cursillo provides five spiritual reflections delivered by clergy: Know Yourself, The Prodigal Son, The Three Glances of Christ, The Person of Christ, and The Message of Christ to the Participants. These reflections take the place of the homily or sermon for each of the Eucharistic services during the retreat. In addition to these homilies, Cursillo provides: “One talk in fifteen parts.” Each part builds on the ones that precede it, and the message of each sets up the next part. The goal of the weekend is for the participants to get an understanding of the Cursillo Method that will inspire their life in Christ as they reenter their world. Ten of the talks (Rollos) are taught by lay people and five by the clergy. There are a total of five talks for each of the three days of the retreat. Day one: Ideals, Grace, Laity, Faith, and Piety. Day two: Study, Sacraments, Action, Obstacles to the Life of Grace, and Leaders. Day three: Study and Evangelization of Environments, Christian Life in Grace, Christian Community in Action, Group Reunion, and Ultreya (Onward, upward, and forward).
All humans have ideals that propel their lives and relationships. We want to become the best father, clergy person, brother, friend we can be. This is my ideal. For another person, it may be to become the best artist, engineer, nurse, or doctor… to become a concert pianist, to become a millionaire, etc. The ideal in our Christian faith is to love God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) fully, completely, unreservedly, and with all our heart, soul, and mind. In order to live our lives in Christ fully, we must confront our human disobedience and our tendency to walk away from God’s plan for our lives. It is at the point of acknowledgement and repentance that we encounter God’s gift of unmerited grace, given to us through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Faith is the key that opens this gift in our lives. Faith is not a quantifiable reality (I need more faith,) nor is it moral perfection, or the belief in ethereal, complicated principles. It is an act of the will to turn to God. It is a decision we make to trust God’s perfect will for our lives. A decision we make, not because we know what the final outcome will be, but because we trust in God’s grace and compassion. There are many obstacles to our life of grace, but none of these obstacles are sent by God to test us. They are, rather, human-made and we bear a responsibility to prepare ourselves to combat these obstacles. No one falls from grace accidentally. Falling from grace is an act of the will, it is a choice we make. To avoid these obstacles, we need a rule of life.
Cursillo emphasizes the idea of a “three-legged-stool” of the Christian life. Without the three components of piety, study, and action our life in Christ becomes very difficult. There are so many temptations and dangers, so much evil and chaos in the world, and so much hurt and pain inherent in the art of living. Without God’s supernatural gift of grace, which we activate through faith, most of us would throw in the towel and give in to hopelessness and powerlessness. Piety helps us to reorient our entire life to God through his Son, Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer, the regular celebration of the sacraments, spiritual direction, meditation, and contact with nature are all tools to improve our piety. Study centers our minds on our Trinitarian God as revealed in Holy Scripture. Study includes the reading of Holy Scripture daily, awareness of Biblical commentaries and spiritual books, attending Bible studies, etc. How can we love God (the purpose of piety) if we don’t know God (the purpose of study)? These two activities go hand in hand. Finally, the last leg of the stool is action. James reminds us that faith without action is dead. Christians are mandated by our baptism to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world, and our Christian action shows the world the content and depth of our faith. Action also includes the sharing of our faith with others, introducing our friends to Christ in prayer, and introducing Christ to our friends through befriending and sharing our faith with them.
A daily rule of life includes three elements: 1. What I will do today to turn my life to God in Christ, by the power of the Spirit (piety). A possible answer, “I will meditate for 20 minutes in the morning, go for a nature walk in the afternoon, and do Compline from the Book of Common Prayer before bed.” Be creative. 2. What I will do to enhance my knowledge of God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) today (study). A possible answer, “I will read the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 13 for twenty minutes, I will read one full chapter of Richard Rohr’s Falling Upwards, I will read a commentary on the upcoming Psalm for Sunday service.” Again, be creative. 3. What I will do today to show God’s love for the world (action.) A possible answer, “I will carry three manna bags in my car and give them to three homeless people on my way to work. I will make at least one call today to a parishioner or neighbor who is dealing with a difficult circumstance. I will help my nephew with homework tonight.” There are a million examples.
A rule of life requires intentionality and consistency, but sticking to it will produce results you never expected. Please remember that no one can lead a good Christian life without the support of a loving community. Join some of our Bible studies, come to Sunday school groups, call on our clergy for spiritual direction or prayer. We are here to help.
May our Lord continue to bless you,
Fr. Roman+
