On a Sunday at Camp McDowell, a group stood in a circle. It was February 23, 2020, and new pilgrims were concluding a three-day Cursillo weekend. They had been strangers on Thursday but now felt a profound sense of connection. They exchanged phone numbers and made plans to reconnect over coffee or cocktails.
Meanwhile, an official stood at a podium in Italy announcing a spike in coronavirus cases, giving them the largest outbreak in Europe. 132 cases. One death.
Those plans for coffee and cocktails wouldn't materialize. There would be no more Cursillos in 2020. Or 2021. Everything paused.
A Shelter For The Dark Times
Cursillo means "short course" in Spanish, and it is a weekend to study and reflect on the Christian life. There is nothing magical about the weekend. Priests and laypeople share their experiences in Christ, and each pilgrim considers their own journey. After the weekend, we meet regularly in "Reunion Groups" to encourage each other and ask three questions. "When did I feel closest to Christ?", "What have I studied to know God better?" and "What have I done to serve Christ and others?" Week after week, Reunion Groups support each other on life's journey. They build a connection to Christ and community that offers protection from the emotional, physical, and spiritual storms of life. Including pandemics.
Do you have a story about when you felt closest to Christ in these dark times? Share it with us at instagram.com/alabamacursillo or alabamacursillo.org/stories.
I say there is nothing magical about Cursillo, but it turns out that isn't entirely true. Humans have made the same mistake for thousands of years. From Adam to Moses to Jacob to Peter, and on down across the generations, we always make God too small. We can't help it. We package God inside our comprehension, tying a neat bow with creeds and confessions. But God doesn't fit neatly in a package. The creator of the universe has been revealed...but not downsized to fit our understanding. But while God doesn't fit into the compartments in our minds, there is one trait so fundamental our simplicity may be an advantage over the greatest theologians.
God is love.
Love One Another
These days, we don't look across a circle at the creator of the universe, hearing Jesus say, "I have called you friends." We live in a time when something else Jesus' shared with his little circle two thousand years ago calls our little circles into being.
"This I command you, that you love one another."
Cursillo teaches the Christian life by showing us God's love through each other. Through the parishioner down the pew. The children's choir on a Sunday morning. Our priests. A group of retirees serving lunch to those in need. A call from a friend who reaches out to share our tears. The visit when a child is in the hospital. A Friday morning reunion group.
Many of us feel profoundly disconnected right now. Zoom calls are a sorry substitute for wine and bread or even a sacred cup of coffee. We are lonely.
But Christians know something the world does not. We know there is another chapter in this life. After a grain of wheat falls to the ground, it bears much fruit. After darkness comes the dawn. After death comes resurrection.
After the pandemic comes a Reunion, and what a reunion it will be. It won't happen all at once. As more and more Episcopalians receive the vaccine. As the numbers improve. As pews fill with friends and neighbors. Today we are living in Holy Saturday, but our Sunday reunion is on the way. Then we will celebrate finding each other again and grieve for those lost.
Reunion
Starting in April of 2022, we will even come back together for a little short course on the Christian life called Cursillo.
But now, let us love one another! This isn't the first pandemic the Church has endured. It's not the first time events beyond our control have separated us. And it won't be the last time God's great love overwhelms distance and heals our differences to bring us all back together in love.