THE FOURTH DAY FIRST!

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Preparing to give the "Fourth Day First!" talk for the Leaders' Workshop reinforced my conviction that we should continue to put this at the top of our agenda for Chester Cursillo. The following extracts from that talk give us guide lines.

The Fourth Day is Cursillo shorthand for active Christian witness. It is the engagement of Christians -- individually and small groups -- in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to others. Remember the Cursillo slogan: "Make a friend -- Be a friend -- Bring your friend to Christ!"

The Fourth Day involves Group Reunion -- where committed individuals gather on a regular basis with three or four others to review their spiritual progress (prayer, study, struggles): small groups planning ways to transform their environments, particularly ways to bring their Lord to other people: groups themselves getting together with other groups (ULTREYAS) to share ideas and apostolic successes and failures.

The essence of the Fourth Day is not just on meeting together -- God knows we have enough meetings already! Instead the emphasis is on meeting IN ORDER TO SHARE the grace of God with one another; PLAN ways to share that grace with the lost, lonely, sick, struggling, outcast and downcast; HOLD EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE for carrying out our plan.

What Cursillo contributes is a new METHOD for being a committed Christian. This Method is based on LINKS with other committed Christians: links through Group Reunion, Ultreya and Spiritual Direction.

This Method, though simple, is intended to undergird action -- apostolic witness -- to change environments by "Christianising" the leaders of these environments.

The emphasis should be on identifying the environments to be Christianised: identifying leaders, Christians already, who can influence and change them, preparing these leaders to be witnesses in these environments (through the Weekends): then implementing their action through the Fourth Day. The Cursillo approach is to change environments themselves!

Putting the FOURTH DAY FIRST has some practical implications. It re-orients our understanding of Cursillo.

Cursillo is no longer seen as a "Renewal Movement" if by that is meant an instrument to "pep up" dragging Christians, or "prop up" sagging parishes. Cursillo is not seen as a means for converting the non-Christian, or convincing the marginal Christian to a vital faith. Cursillo is not intended to be a school for replacing instruction for the new Christian, or Confirmation for the maturing Christian.

Cursillo is a tool for "equipping the saints in the work of ministry": that is, for taking active Christian men and women who DESIRE to serve the Lord in a more intentional and effective way and showing them HOW.

It helps us understand and make better use of each component.

If what we're interested in is Christian witness, then we will seek, find and invite persons to make Cursillo who have the qualities of maturity, curiosity and commitment which will help them become witnesses. This puts the Pre-Cursillo, especially "candidate selection" in a new light.

If what we're interested in is showing Christians HOW to carry out apostolic action then we will re-examine and perhaps pare down our Weekends so that they accomplish this task in a better way. This puts the Three-day Weekends also in a new light.

If what we're interested in is the authentic Cursillo, then we will make the Fourth Day much more central to our thinking and our work. In all places, it means getting Cursillistas -- especially Cursillo Leaders -- involved in grouping and in gathering in Ultreya.

It stands as a warning against taking unfruitful routes. There are always tendencies to want to "improve" Cursillo. In many places, the Fourth Day message has been obscured by too many other "messages" and activities packed into weekends. Even where the Fourth Day is observed, many have altered the simple format of the Group Reunion and the Ultreya as ways to "recapture" the joy of the Weekends.

We need to realise that we cannot proclaim what we do not live: so talk about Christian witness, without its fruit, is empty. Living Christian witness becomes its own best "advertisement," inspiring like action.

The Fourth Day came first for the Founders of Cursillo. It is the priority of Cursillo, because it was a priority for the Lord: "Go, Teach, make Disciples, Baptise..." As St. Paul said, we must "welcome one another as Christ has 'welcomed' us into fellowship with the Father." (Romans 15:7) The Fourth Day is also the priority for Cursillo now because, as a movement, we have let competing ideas and norms deflect us from our real purpose. Putting the Fourth Day first is both the honest and the healthy thing to do.

Food for thought! Let's get on with it!

Yours in His Name,

Barbara Hood

Copyright © 1996 Chester Anglican Cursillo
Affiliated with the British Anglican Cursillo
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