Patron
of Cursillo
Feast Day: January 25
Saint
Paul, Patron of Cursillo, pray for us...
On December 14, 1963, Pope Paul VI signed a 27 line pontifical decree in
Latin which stated:
"…In Rome,
near St-Peter, after much thought and
with the fullness of Our pontifical authority,
We name and declare the blessed Apostle Paul,
heavenly patron saint before God for the Cursillo Movement."
(The following article was taken from the June
2009 newsletter of the National Cursillo Center.)
By
Fr. Einer R. Ochoa, National Spiritual Advisor
Beloved
brothers and sisters of Cursillos in Christianity, a teacher of Piety,
Study, and Action (Postcursillo).
St Paul had a zeal for the glory of God before and after his conversion (Piety).
He studied under Gamaliel and after his conversion on the road to Damascus
he spent three years in reflection of his new found faith (Study). His
letters are the showcase of a man who was a tireless evangelizer (Action).
St. Paul
modeled his PIETY after Jesus, his
master. He was a man of prayer, “This is how you should pray: Our Father
in heaven: May your holy name be honored; may your Kingdom come; …” Mt
6:9-13. “In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not
know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us
with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts
knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints
in accordance with God’s will.” Rom 8:26-27. “After Jesus had gone
indoors his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why couldn’t we drive the
spirit out?’ “Only prayer can drive this kind out.” answered Jesus;
“nothing else can.” Mk 9:28-29.
St. Paul learned to ask through prayer: “Do
all this in prayer, asking for God’s help. Pray on every occasion as the
Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always
for God’s people. And pray also for me, that God will give me a message
when I am ready to speak, so that I may speak boldly and make known the
gospel’s secret. For the sake of this gospel I am an ambassador, though
now I am in prison. Pray that I may be bold in speaking about the gospel
as I should.” Eph 6:18-20.
“Be
persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God. At
the same time pray also for us, so that God will give us a good
opportunity to preach his message about the secret of Christ.”
Col 4:2-3.
“Don’t
worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need,
always asking him with a thankful heart. And God’s peace, which is far
beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds safe in
union with Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7.
St. Paul and the Eucharist. “For I received
from the Lord the teaching that I passed on to you; that the Lord Jesus,
on the night he was betrayed, took a piece of bread, gave thanks to God,
broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in
memory of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup and
said, “This cup is God’s new covenant, sealed with my blood. Whenever
you drink it, do so in memory of me.” 1Cor 11:23-25.
St. Paul
was a learned man who knew the Holy
Scriptures and found in them the fulfillment of God’s promise in Jesus
and the Church (STUDY). “In him who is the source of my strength I have
strength for everything.” Phil 4:13. “Finally, draw your strength from
the Lord and his mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be
able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil…” Eph 6:10-11.
“The life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me. I still live
my human life, but it is a life of faith in the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20. “We know that God makes all things
work together for the good of those who love God and are called according
to his decree.” Rom 8:28. “Do not conform yourselves to this age but
be transformed by the renewal of your minds, so that you may judge what is
God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect.” Rom 12:2.
St. Paul’s travels, his evangelization, and
the exuberance of his letters are proofs of his ACTION. At the twilight of
his life he was able to say with conviction: “I have fought the good
fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on a
merited crown awaits me; on that day the Lord, just judge that he is, will
award it to me-and not only to me, but to all who have looked for his
appearing with eager longing.” 2Tm 4:7-8. The work of St. Paul
is a legacy in the many churches he founded in Asia Minor, Macedonia,
Achaia, and other regions. His sufferings, numerous as they are, are the
price he paid for the birthing of those communities. “I traveled
continually, endangered by floods, robbers, my own people, the Gentiles;
imperiled in the city, in the desert, at sea, by false brothers; enduring
labor, hardship, many sleepless nights; in hunger and thirst, and frequent
fasting, in cold and nakedness. Leaving other sufferings unmentioned,
there is that daily tension pressing on me, my anxiety for all the
churches.” 2 Cor 11:26-28.
At
the June’s closing of the year of
St. Paul, our hearts look with gratitude to him as an example of a strong faith in
God, of hope in his promises, and of an ardent love for all brothers and
sisters in the faith in our one Holy Catholic, and
Apostolic Church
and in the Worldwide movement born in Cala Figuera more than 60 years
ago: Cursillos in Christianity.
DE
COLORES!
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