My Fourth Day Story: Maintaining a Life in Grace

Do you ever wish you were a part of something more? We all want our lives to be meaningful, but despite our best efforts, it’s easy sometimes to feel unfulfilled. As Christians we’re called to be people of action. Martin Luther said, “The world does not need a definition of religion as much as it needs a demonstration.” Christianity is not a noun, it's a verb; it requires action. Action is our chance to tell people about the love of Christ. Action is not being pew warmers. Action is the third element, combined with Piety and Study, that we need to grow spiritually and to reach out to change the world in Christ’s name.

I attended Cursillo #142. It was an amazing experience for me. I was nourished both physically and spiritually and made amazing human connections and experienced a fellowship that helped me feel the Holy Spirit. This was a feeling I did not want to lose but to build on. I used the Group Reunion as a tool to ensure that my Cursillo weekend was not an isolated experience. We are promised in Romans 8:38-39 that “nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.” To maintain our life in grace we need contact with Christ and with one another. Group Reunions help members mature in faith, hope and love and strengthen our commitment to the work of evangelism in the home, the neighborhood, the workplace and the world.

So, what does a Group Reunion look like? A Cursillo Group is 3 to 6 Christians and friends (although it can be more), who agree to meet regularly, share their spiritual journeys and hold one another accountable in their growth in Christ.

Jodi Picoult writes in her book, Mad Honey: “We are all flawed, complicated, wounded dreamers; we have more in common with one another than we don’t. Sometimes making the world a better place just involves creating space for the people who are already in it. The Group Reunion creates a safe space to preserve the closeness with God once the weekend community is dispersed. Fourth Day is when the real work begins!

What do you do in a group? You share, review, plan, and ask for the support of the group in your life with Christ. Group reunion begins with prayer to invoke the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to encounter one another fully in love and then discussion about one’s

• Piety: We talk about how we can be true and committed to our Rule of Life and share moments of Christ’s presence in our lives;
• Study: We bring and share resources we’ve studied that increased our understanding of our relationship with God and the Christian life; and
• Action: We talk about opportunities since our last meeting to witness for Christ or thoughts about how we might witness more in the coming week. We pray for each other and our families and others we know who are in need spiritually, physically and emotionally.

We model for each other forgiveness, love, redemption, and trust. Our group has become a second family.

So how did our group get started? Several weeks after I attended Cursillo # 142 on March 17, 2022, we had a meeting after church with about 24 members of our parish who had attended Cursillo. We each shared when and where we had attended Cursillo and what it meant to us. It was a meaningful discussion. At the end we encouraged everyone to seek out people to be part of a small group to begin group meetings.

I immediately approached a friend I had served on Vestry with and asked if she would be in a group with me. She said yes and then together we approached a couple we knew, and they said yes also. We agreed on a date to hold our first meeting. We have faithfully met monthly for almost three years and have added five others to our group. We trust and love each other. We share celebrations, challenges, shortcomings, fears, talents and we pray for each other’s needs and the needs of our parish. We share resources of things we have read that have strengthened our relationship to God. We encourage each other, challenge each other and solve problems together. We sponsor candidates for Cursillo and are working to encourage others in our church to form groups.

Bishop Michael Curry in his wonderful book, Love is the Way, reminds us that “there is a universal hunger at the heart of every human being: to love and be loved. It connects all people of faith, hope and good will.”

Life is hard. Being in a Small Group helps me know that I am not alone on my spiritual journey, and I know this group of fellow Christians will always be there for me. Small Group has helped me strengthen my Spiritual Growth and serve in more areas of service to my church and community.

Written by Gloria Talley, St. Alban’s, Lexington