Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ,

So, you have experienced your Cursillo weekend.  Now what?  Is there another workshop where you can learn more about the methodology & operation of the Cursillo movement and its potential to bring you and every person you meet closer to Christ?  The answer is “Yes!”

Two weeks ago, the Filipino Cursillo Regional Service Team presented “mini-rollos” from the new Cursillo de Cursillos (“CDC”) Workshop to the Filipino attendees at the Fall Region XI Encounter in Fresno, CA.  These “mini-rollos” were  9-minute previews of most of the actual CDC 40-minute rollos.   The Cursillo de Cursillos 3-day Workshop replaces the former Cursillo Leaders Workshops 1 & 2 with new talks clearly explaining the Cursillo’s foundational charism and what constitutes a complete and authentic Cursillo movement in all three of its phases:  Precursillo, Cursillo, and Postcursillo, including the role and responsibilities of the School of Leaders, Secretariat, Lay Leaders, and Spiritual Advisor.   Think of this as an advanced Cursillo Weekend for new and veteran Cursillo leaders who will sustain and grow the Cursillo movement now and into the future.

All diocesan Cursillo communities are encouraged to host this three-day CDC workshop for their Cursillistas so that everyone may be brought up-to-date with the current Cursillo mentality, methodology, terminology, strategy,  and purpose,  and then adopt these nationally-uniform principles into their own Cursillo movements.  The Filipino Cursillo Regional Service Team (Sis. Margie, Acol, Sis. Letty Carbonell, Sis. Linda Buhay, and Deacon Ben Agustin) will serve as presenters to the diocesan Filipino Cursillo movements. 

By having current and potential future Cursillo leaders and Spiritual Advisors attend the Cursillo de Cursillos (CDC) workshops, we can help all diocesan Cursillo movements understand, implement, and live the Cursillo as the founder, Eduardo Bonin, originally envisioned.  The CDC workshop was developed by him.   

Additionally, if the Northern California dioceses (Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose) can collaborate to host a joint CDC workshop there will be wonderful opportunities to make new friends and learn from each others’ diocesan experiences.  The same would be true for the Southern California dioceses (Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego).

Please contact Sis. Margie Acol, your Filipino Cursillo Region XI Coordinator, if you have any questions and/or if your diocesan Secretariat would like to make arrangements to hold a 3-day CDC workshop.

“Make a friend.  Be a friend.  Bring your friend to Christ.”    De Colores!

Deacon Ben Agustin
Region XI Filipino Cursillo Spiritual Advisor

Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ,

There will be a Thanksgiving Mass for our newest Cursillo sisters this Sunday, October 27, 2013 at 12 PM at St. Catherine of Sienna Church, located at 3450 Tennessee Street, Vallejo, CA  94591.  Immediately after Mass there will be a potluck luncheon and 4th Day Ultreya in the Parish Life Center.  All are welcome to attend.  Please bring your potluck dish and/or dessert to the Parish Life Center before Mass.

You can see photos from last weekend’s Sacramento Filipino Women’s Cursillo Weekend by clicking here:  www.flickr.com/photos/benagustin/collections.  Click on the “Cursillos in Christianity” photo set.  Click on “2013 Sacramento Filipino Women’s Cursillo, #34”.  Then click on the slide show icon on the right.

“Make a friend.  Be a friend.  Bring your friend to Christ.”    De Colores!

Deacon Ben Agustin

What is Prayer?  
“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God” (St. John Damascene, CCC 2559).

God invites us into a relationship with Him that is both personal and communal. He speaks to us through His Son, Jesus Christ, the Word-made-flesh. Prayer is our response to God who is already speaking or, better yet, revealing Himself to us. Therefore, prayer is not merely an exchange of words, but it engages the whole person in a relationship with God the Father, through the Son, and in the Holy Spirit.

How do I pray? Various forms of prayer are presented in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 2623-2649). These various forms include prayer of bless or adoration, prayer of petition, prayer of intercession, prayer of thanksgiving, and prayer of praise.

What is meditation? Meditation is a Christian practice of prayer dating back to the early Church. As the Catechism states: “Meditation is above all a quest. The mind seeks to understand the why and how of the Christian life, in order to adhere and respond to what the Lord is asking.” By meditating on the Gospels, holy icons, liturgical texts, spiritual writings, or “the great book of creation,” we come to make our own that which is God’s. “To the extent that we are humble and faithful, we discover in meditation the movements that stir the heart and we are able to discern them. It is a question of acting truthfully in order to come into the light: “Lord, what do you want me to do?” (CCC 2705-2706).

Meditation is an essential form of Christian prayer, especially for those who are seeking to answer the vocational question, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

Meditating on Sacred Scripture Spiritual reading of Sacred Scripture, especially the Gospels, is an important form of meditation. This spiritual reading is traditionally called lectio divina or divine reading. Lectio divina is prayer over the Scriptures.

How do we pray over the Sacred Scriptures?

1. The first element of this type of prayer is reading (lectio): you take a short passage from the Bible, preferably a Gospel passage and read it carefully, perhaps three or more times. Let it really soak-in.
   
   
2. The second element is mediation (meditatio). By using your imagination enter into the Biblical scene in order to “see” the setting, the people, and the unfolding action. It is through this mediation that you encounter the text and discover its meaning for your life.
   
   
3. The next element is prayer (oratio) or your personal response to the text: asking for graces, offering praise or thanksgiving, seeking healing or forgiveness. In this prayerful engagement with the text, you open yourself up to the possibility of contemplation.
   
   
4. Contemplation (contemplatio) is a gaze turned toward Christ and the things of God. By God's action of grace, you may be raised above meditation to a state of seeing or experiencing the text as mystery and reality. In contemplation, you come into an experiential contact with the One behind and beyond the text.