Alleluia, He is risen! Oh, what wonderful news on that Easter morning, so long ago! Easter, of course, is the greatest of new beginnings for the world. Our baptism was a new beginning, although for many of us, we were too young to remember it.

Our Cursillo weekend was a rebirth into a new life as we encountered Christ and a loving Christian community. For some, the realization of God’s unconditional love is very hard to imagine and accept. How is it that God can love and accept us just as we are? Thankfully, our ways are not God’s ways. God really does love and accept us just as we are.

At the Parish Ambassador/Ultreya Rep (PA/UR) meeting last month, Deacon Mick Humbert related Cursillo to Biblical events. John the Baptist, a voice calling out in the desert, is similar to the Sponsors, Parish Ambassadors and Pre-Cursillo inviting others to Cursillo, an invitation to encounter Christ and his unconditional love. The 3-day Cursillo weekend is like the Transfiguration on the Mountain. Peter wanted to stay and build three tents; however, Jesus walked Peter, James and John back down into the valley. It is in this valley where our Post-Cursillo, Ultreya and Group Reunion support us.

For many of us, our three day Cursillo weekend was a mountaintop experience. While our mountaintop experiences give us hope, unfortunately, we can’t live on the mountaintop for very long. We had to leave the small Christian community on our three day weekend and return to our daily life. We learned through Cursillo that we have work to do in the mission field of our daily lives. We are called to live in the valleys of life. Our assignment is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ by how we live and by sharing our faith with others that we encounter at work, our neighborhood and all areas of our life. Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ.

At the PA/UR meeting, Tammy Kirchoff and Jane Marie Rief shared from their experience as PA, UR respectively, and did a wonderful job. They related stories of trying to build up their communities and the challenges they encountered. The take away message from their talks was persistence and perseverance. This is characteristic of life in the valley. Fortunately, our group reunions, Ultreyas and our larger Cursillo community are our support system which helps to sustain our continuous conversion as we live in the valley.

Just like Deacon Mick, Tammy and Jane Marie’s sharing lifted our spirits, you can be a bright spot in someone’s life by sharing from your experience. Call and invite people to your group or Ultreya, take a turn witnessing at Ultreya, sponsor someone. As members of the 4th day, we should walk together in this valley we call life, supporting each other.

Yours in Christ,

Tom & Diane Repucci