From the moment Cursillos were born, it was foreseen that its growth and development would require some organization that would safeguard its essence: the secretariats.
It is interesting to note that in our first publications we were already saying that these bodies should not become “command towers”. Today we would add that they should not become “democratic parliaments” either, where what is of the essence in Cursillos would be left up to the chance result of a few votes.
It is sad to see that quite often, in practice – either because they do not know their own purpose or because of a desire for preeminence – Secretariats instead of fulfilling their mission have frequently become the source of confusing burdens.
Rarely have they been the way that leads to communion, coordination or service. Because, depending on their individual circumstances, they seem to have been more concerned with their own notion of what the Cursillo Movement should be; rather than with devoting themselves to studying more deeply what Cursillos in Christianity truly are and what they can become when one respects what someone has rightly called its foundational charism.
The foundational charism does not change; rather it evolves from Cursillo’s own identity, not from its additions. This development occurs when one properly applies (in each concrete individual or collective circumstance) the desire to live God’s Grace as a reality that is shared in friendship (Group Reunion); and when one tries to make it possible for the best in each one of us to reach the greatest number of people (Ultreya).
The life of each individual Christian and his or her personal conversion is in a continual, dynamic process as he or she grows in awareness of the fact that each person, each event and each thing is the bearer of a new and unique possibility of living the Gospel.
Today we would say that Cursillos in Christianity are:
The BEST NEWS: that God loves us in Christ
Communicated by the BEST MEANS: which is FRIENDSHIP
Directed to THE BEST IN EACH ONE: which is
His/her being as a person, and
His/her capacity for CONVICTION, DECISION and PERSEVERANCE.
And, in order to be on the cutting edge of what is being debated today, what we need to emphasize right now and from this very moment on is the goal of making it possible and easy for people to:
HAVE AN ENCOUNTER WITH SELF, which is always absolutely essential before one can have an encounter with GOD and with one’s BROTHERS AND SISTERS.
One must identify as a goal – though not an exclusive one – the need to reach out to those who are away (from Christ and His Church) because they are either not informed or are misinformed.
The Secretariats, be it the O.M.C.C. or the National or Diocesan secretariats have as their aim to:
SIMPLIFY For people to
FACILITATE, & live what is
MAKE IT POSSIBLE FUNDAMENTALLY CHRISTIAN
And TO BE:
· Guardians of the purity of the Method (Bishop Hervás)
· In charge of suitably making known to the hierarchy and the People of God, the Essence, Mentality, Purpose and development of Cursillos.
· In service of its practical effectiveness, to publish:
o A list of the National and Diocesan Secretariats with their addresses, telephone and fax numbers as well as their office hours.
o A list of the places, days and hours when Ultreyas are celebrated.
· In the various publications, to delve deeply into the roots of the Movement and to render and account of its fruits.
Unity is discovered in the effectiveness of the “what”.
Diversity produces a multiplication of the “how’s”.
To sharpen and fine tune the most practical means of arriving at the “what” of Cursillos is “what” we seek.
There should be unity of message, not because someone imposes it, but because we are all seeking the same thing. This is possible if we dispense from those pilgrim innovations that have obscured the foundational charism.
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