The question kept popping up in different places: “Who has God created me to be, and what does He want me to do?” It was asked many times during the planning sessions for our 4th Day Encounter held on November 12th. We circled around it, poked at it, and dissected what it meant to each of us and what it might mean to others in our Cursillo community.

We heard Bishop Cozzens tell us about who we are in Christ and the mission that gives our lives purpose and direction. He described that our lives are a gift from God and our role in gratitude is to seek to love Him and share His love in the world. We can do this best by having a relationship with God through prayer, understanding our identity in Him as a beloved child, and seeking to do His will for us as our mission. Team member talks told specifically how they have come to know through their relationship with Christ who they are and how they are to live out their mission in their everyday environments.

Another place this concept appeared was at a retreat for liturgical ministers in our parish. We were challenged to be Christ to those folks in the pew with us. We were asked if a friendly encounter is enough to encourage a newcomer to return, or if we are following our God-given mission, the goal would be to really get to know that person and invite them into fuller Christian community. This is what we do to “make a friend, be a friend, and bring a friend to Christ” in Cursillo. It requires taking the extra steps, making the extra effort, to be a friend and not just an acquaintance by developing a relationship. With this goal as our mission, we can share the love of Christ with others.

Ask yourself these questions: do I truly believe in the very core of my being that I am an unconditionally beloved child of God despite all my human imperfections? If I truly believe this, how will I live in the world so that others can also know they are equally beloved by God?

These are not easy questions. They take us back to our 3-day Cursillo Weekend where we spent Friday encountering ourselves, Saturday encountering Christ, and Sunday encountering community. We gain a greater understanding of who Christ is through our continued study. In our ever-changing environments, we have an opportunity to discern through prayer our mission of apostolic action. How we understand ourselves in God’s plan will evolve if we are continually growing and changing.

God bless you friends!

Larry & Jeanne Bendzinski