Is your weekly grouping, among your friendship group, really comfortable? Do you have a sense of warmth, belonging, and everything is good? Is everyone very accepting of everything you share? Do you share the same things every week---an extra weekday mass, a close moment with your family, a book you are reading, how you served as extraordinary Eucharistic minister, or choir member? Sounds really comfortable, right?

Maybe that is not quite right.

As Cursillistas, we should open ourselves up to our friendship group, so they can see us as we really are and rejoice in our strengths and encourage change in our weak areas. Are we stuck exactly where we are at, and not willing to move outside of our comfort zone? Do we challenge each other to grow in faith?

Being really open with a few people is hard; being open with a larger group is even harder. We are called to share ourselves at group, Ultreya, School of Leaders, Evening of Renewal, at all Cursillo events.

We often hear of closed groups, where no one new is accepted in the circle of friends. Is this because the members are all comfortable with each other? Are members afraid to be challenged? Are members fearful to help someone new in their faith walk? Or share the time to get to know someone else?

Be true to your baptismal calling as a Christian; reach out in true apostolic action. Get outside your comfort zone. There are many ways. Introduce yourself to those you sit next to at church. Get to know your neighbors. Reach out at your place of work. Challenge your groupies to grow.

Engage your group to get outside of their comfort zone. Invite someone to your group who is not currently grouping. Even better invite someone to group with you who is not a Cursillista yet. Work a weekend as a group. Or consider who the group might sponsor for an upcoming weekend and then continue to walk with the person sponsored as a friend on their faith journey. If the group gets to be too big, form two groups or create smaller groups within the large group as needed. True growth in our faith is not always going to be comfortable. We have to be willing to put ourselves out there, to be seen as we really are, to do more than just the minimum, to do things that may not be easy. Encountering and working through the challenges either individually or as a group creates movement out of the comfort zone. And that leads to real, deep spiritual growth.

God bless you friends!

Larry & Jeanne Bendzinski