Thanks to Sue Reynolds for writing this piece about our May study day. As you'll see, Sue hasn't attended a Cursillo weekend - but that didn't matter at all. Our Fourth Day events - quiet days, study days, Ultreyas, Refugios, and more - are open to everybody, and can work really well as a taster for someone who wants to know more about Cursillo.
My friend Sue Evans invited me to a study day on May 14th: Our Journey of faith: Walking steadily with God.
I'd always said 'no' to Cursillo invitations in the past, mainly because it would mean a weekend away and I just didn't feel it was for me.
This time it felt right to say yes and one of the speakers, Helen Randall and her lovely husband Stephen, kindly offered me a lift.
Off we set to Kimbolton on a wonderful sunny day with me hopefully keeping an open mind and looking forward to the day.
When we started the first session and went into quiet reflection time with silence afterwards I was well out of my comfort zone and at that point if I had my own transport I would have left and gone home. Helen's husband said if I wanted to go I could start walking and he would pick me up on the A14 after it was finished! Only in jest I might add but it certainly made me feel better. Those that know me know I am not good if I can't talk as my head is always full up with stuff so I knew my mind would wander and I'd be thinking about what I was going to have for tea or some other such trivia. What am I doing here, God? I asked?
I had no choice but to stay for the duration which I wasn't sure I was looking forward to.
I was so glad I was unable to go home and had to stick it out because as the day progressed I felt so much better about things.
The day was full of variety and learning and thinking styles even for people like me who have trouble concentrating and probably talk far too much. Eucharist at the very beautiful nearby church was just the icing on the cake.
So what did I learn?
God meets us and speaks to us in a variety of different ways. He comes to us and speaks to us in a way we can understand as individuals.We are all beautiful to God.
Everyone who came was from a different background and age group but we all had one thing in common which brought us together as a family, our love of God. Meeting people I had never met but yet not feeling we were strangers because we all are part of the family of God.
It was a humbling experience hearing other people's stories.
When you recognise God working in your own life you can get complacent and think you know it all and a certain amount of arrogance creeps in.
I realised I still have a lot to learn and for me it will be a slow growing process, one in which I need to slow down and listen more and maybe less talking and more listening.. That's a challenge I will need to take with me into the future.
Would I recommend these study days?
Most certainly yes but be prepared for God to take you out of your comfort zone which can be really scary but amazing at the same time.
Would I go to another?
I hope I would say yes and be bold enough to let God speak to me in whatever way He choses even if it is way out of my comfort zone. Our God is so amazing who knows what He will do in our lives and where He will lead us if we just let Him.