At Ultreya, by hearing witness talks, as well as grouping with members of the greater Cursillo community, we have the incredible gift of growing spiritually ourselves, as we witness to the fruit that the Holy Spirit has blessed them with, as they grow in friendship with God and in their mission to help others to know that God loves them.
We have so much to learn from each other, as we witness the strength and freedom that come with surrendering our vulnerability. Allowing ourselves to be vulnerable doesn’t seem to be natural, let alone easy for most of us. Others have gone before us and shown us the freedom that comes with not fearing having others know us deeper than from superficial social interaction. Each one of you is God’s gift to me and hopefully, I am His gift to you. All for the sake of glorifying Him and being grace-filled disciples of Christ. What a gift God gives us by entrusting us with one another’s vulnerability, the honest truth of our authentic selves.
”A powerful life changing example came from an Ultreya in my early years, was when one Cursillista spoke up at the beginning of the gathering to apologize to another that she had been harsh with. In front of everyone who was gathered, she asked for forgiveness of the person she had offended. Now that was over 15 years ago, and I’m still learning from it today.
Another treasure I was given at Ultreya, was learning about the Novena of Abandonment, which a Cursillista shared about in our small group. It has made a huge impact on the constant temptation to give in to anxiety about ongoing painful situations in our family. “Lord Jesus, I surrender myself to You. Take care of everything!” After I’ve shared with others what a gift this powerful prayer has been, many have asked for a copy and in turn, testified to the peace it has brought to their own lives and passed it on to others.
It happens quite often, that someone sharing of how prayer or another form of piety has really helped them, it speaks directly to someone else’s particular situation. The Holy Spirit orchestrates the coming together of specific people at a specific time, to share a specific message for someone’s unique and specific circumstance. God knows!
If we ever think that we don’t have something to share that will benefit others, we have to remember how the Holy Spirit works. God knows the purpose He uses us for. We don’t have to!
