THE CURSILLO MOVEMENT/GROUP REUNION

Christ said:  "Where two or three are gathered together for My sake, there I am in the midst of them."  The group reunions are something done for His sake that He takes seriously.  He is present at them, and they should be done prayerfully with a dedication to Him that we know, love and serve Him better.  Sometimes group reunions do not work out successfully.  The reason is often a failure to understand how the GR is meant to operate.  The following is a brief explanation of some of the most common misunderstandings and some suggestions for improving the reunions.

PIETY

Each person should say both what their commitment is and how well they have fulfilled it.  If one does not say both, the rest of the group will not understand. Each section should be shared by each member of the group before going to the next section (i.e. Piety section by each member, Study section by each member, and Action by each member). The review should not become mechanical, but it should also not take too much time.

Moment Closest to Christ

The moment closest to Christ is not necessarily an emotional experience, although it can be.  It occurs when you have had an experience, which reminds you of Christ or makes you realize that He is at work in the world and in you or gives you some insight into Christ. The moment should not necessarily be at Mass or some specifically religious occasion; in fact, it usually will not be. Each person should explain in detail why he/she is aware of Christ in the moment they related so that others can understand why.  If a person has not had a moment, they are probably not trying to think about or be aware of Christ's action in the world and how the world is related to God.

STUDY

It is a review of our commitment to understand more fully the Gospel message. 

It should follow a definite plan, and can be tied to the Piety commitment. Each person should share the highlights of their study and give other members of the group the opportunity for feedback and comments.  In this manner we grow in knowledge and understanding through our own and others' study.

ACTION

Apostolic Success, Apostolic Failure

These sections are meant to deal with bringing other people close to Christ, not with improving oneself, personal problems or sins.  It should concern some specific attempt to bring another person into the church, to Christ, or to make them more aware of Christ.

If a person has no success or failure, it is probably a sign that they have not tried to take advantage of opportunities or tried to make opportunities.  Apostolic successes and failures are reported from the "psychological" point of view.  Ultimately no one knows if their efforts are a success or failure in bringing others closer to Christ.  God makes use of apparent failures.  But we can make definite attempts to achieve certain apostolic goals, and we report on the successes or failures to reach the goals that we have set.  These are successes and failures as they appear to us; how we reached the goals we set in our Apostolic Plan.  

In a nutshell, it is a report on our endeavors of the past week to help build up Christ's Body, the Church, no matter how small.

GROUP ACTIVITY

The group activity can be apostolic, but does not have to be.  The group should get together for something other than the reunion; otherwise, it is difficult to develop a deep friendship in the group.  The group activity can be a meal, game, or party as well as a visit to a hospital or some apostolic project.

SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVING THE

GROUP REUNION

Do palanca for the success of each reunion.  Prepare ahead of time what to say; bring something to share.  Never have one person go through the whole service sheet.  Take each section and have everyone contribute their share to that section; then move on.  Take the promises on the Spiritual Examine seriously--try to be more aware that Christ is with us and working in the world.  Take the GR itself seriously; be honest, careful to keep secrets, and be concerned for the others.  Be regular.  The permanent GR must take place every week, and everyone must try to be there.  Make no judgments and allow everyone to be themselves.