Great, great, great….Uncle Ben gives us a nourishing motto for Twin Cities Cursillo; and I’m not thinking of Rice-a-roni. I am thinking of a portion of scripture by the prophetic writer Ben Sira of the second century c.e. He was the Jewish spiritual philosopher who gave us the book of Ecclesiasticus, also known as Sirach (look between the books of Wisdom and Isaiah). This past Men’s Cursillo weekend, rector Jim Martin gave the following verses for me to ponder and focus on in giving my reflection at Clausura.

Faithful friends are a sturdy shelter; whoever finds one finds a treasure.

Not the only treasure or shelter in life, but the description fits; I think most fourth dayers engaged in Cursillo would agree.

Faithful friends are beyond price, no amount can balance their worth.

Could you put a price on such friendship? In looking at it from the other side, I think many, if not most of us could say that one or more friends in Christ would show up at “our side” in prayer and/or presence no matter what was going on in our life at a moment’s notice. I certainly benefitted in my recent medical challenge from the Cursillo support that spread like wildfire.

Faithful friends are life-saving medicine; those who fear God will find them.

Now “fear” in these last verses is more accurately translated as “awe and wonder.” If I needed support, counsel, or presence, I would take the “pill” of a fellow Cursillista over a good movie or Facebook hands down. When you need the awe and wonder of God’s love, Cursillo hopefully is a key place where we can find it.

Those who fear the Lord enjoy stable friendship, for as they are, so will their neighbors be.

We are to be in awe and wonder of the Son, Jesus, sacrificial love personified. For those who are, and base their life around agape love, guess what, that type of love will find you as well.

So I close this reflection acknowledging the “ear worms” of not only Cursillo music but also Rollos, witnessing, and Eucharistic celebrations on steroids that are ringing in my ears.

Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ, or if looking for a scripture reference, Uncle Ben can help (Sirach 6:14-17).

Dn Mick Humbert