T HE G OOD N EWS No vember 2 0 14 NOVEMBER ULTREYA Place: Our Lady of Hope Date: November 20, 2014 Time: 7:00 PM Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 AREA 4 ULTREYA ANNOUNCEMENTS Dates to Remember: 4th Day Reunion: Nov. 8th at St. Margaret Mary, Winter Park Babe Chick Dinner: November 15th after 4:30 Mass A-H Salads; I-R Desserts; S-Z Side Dishes NO DECEMBER ULTREYA Theme: What are we thankful to God for. Led by the grouping of Joe Valley, Frank Allman, Wally Gattinella, Jack Mayhew, Jim Wilkinson, Tony Ziner Refreshments: Everyone! Please bring finger foods or snacks to share. Please pray about sponsoring a candidate for the next weekends! If you need a copy of the "Cursillo - What Is It" booklet for your prospective candidates, please contact Liz or Greg Lilly at [email protected]. PALANCA INTENTIONS: Mondays – National, Regional, and Diocesan Secretariats Tuesdays – Schools of Leaders Wednesdays – Cursillistas in the United States Thursdays – National Cursillo® Movement’s Apostolic Actions Fridays – Cursillo Weekends Saturdays – OMCC and NACG Executive Committee MAKE A NOTE! For Cursillo merchandise, visit the DeColores Rainbow Store at www.decolores.com. It comes highly recommended for their prices, inventory and service! The Good News Page 2 OCTOBER ULTREYA “God chose us – how do we express our thanks for His wondrous love?” was the theme for the October Ultreya. Led by the grouping sisters of Joanne Cavallari, Jackie Kane, Maureen Kealhofer, Liz Lilly, Patti Willems and Pam Wilmott, Joanne welcomed everyone and served as moderator for the evening. Maureen shared the opening prayer entitled, “A Prayer of Thanks for God’s Reliable Love.” Jackie proclaimed the reading, Ephesians 1:1-10. The witness was given by Liz Lilly. Liz shared that she made her Cursillo 6 years ago. After the weekend she was not sure she ”got it.” Not ready to give up on the experience, she decided to “fake it until she made it.” Over the 6 year period, Liz served on 3 teams. The first team she was on setup and assisted with a candidate receiving a palanca letter from her son. She learned about true apostolic action that weekend. The next weekend was about study as she was a table leader. The 3rd weekend, Cursillo #101, Liz served as bell ringer and gave the Piety talk – the third leg of the tripod. After delivering this talk, she shared she finally “got it.” Since that weekend, she has read several books, sought out spiritual direction and has been the “Light of Christ” to two new teachers on her grade level. After the witness, Deacon Mike Pettit gave the spiritual reflection. He shared that we have been chosen from the foundation of the world, not only in the big things but also in the little things. Mike shared his experience when he was sitting on a bench in the mall and a woman came up to him and told him that God loves him. It was the words he needed to hear at that moment. He closed with many are called but few are chosen and that should give us great joy because He chose us. The Babe Chick Dinner will be November 15th following the 4:30 PM Mass. A-H Salads; I-R Desserts; S-Z Side Dishes. Please join us in welcoming our Babe Chicks! Your Area 4 Coordinators Liz and Greg Visit our new website: www.orlcursillo.org Page 3 The Good News GET READY, SET, BLOOM! National Cursillo Newsletter October, 2014 Doctrinal Section by Fr. Alex Waraksa, National Spiritual Advisor Know yourself. We can think about how we know ourselves, others can tell us how they see us and this can inform our self-knowledge, and God can reveal to us how He sees us. Are we always the best judge of ourselves? Perhaps not, because in depression we can be tempted to suicide and in the sin of pride and selfishness we can condemn others to death to serve our own desires. Are others the best judge of who we are? Not necessarily, because many judge according to appearance, social or economic status, or according to religion or their own criteria. Perhaps God knows best who we are, that we are made in the image and likeness of the Creator, and that we are so valuable that, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Each of us is a gift of God and each of us is loved infinitely and constantly by God. This is what God wants us to know about ourselves. In some way or another we have been taught to think about ourselves in a certain way. Hopefully if this is positive, we have accepted it and used it. If it is negative, hopefully we have rejected it and moved on to a more Christian-based way of thinking of ourselves. Thinking of ourselves as loved is essential to human and spiritual well-being. Self–discovery is also knowing my potential, my talents, my gifts and my limitations. With grace, I minimize the effects of my weaknesses. With grace, God strengthens the effects of my desires and efforts and brings fruit to the realization of God’s plan of evangelization. God sees our potential, our way to fulfill the divine plan in our lives. God’s confidence in us should help us grow in self-confidence. Do we accept God’s love for us? Do we accept God’s plan for us? Is the promise of Gods’ help greater than our fears? Is the gift of God’s grace to follow Jesus greater than our desire to control how things should go? Is God’s invitation to trust greater than our desire to know everything before we will even try to begin following? Do I have faith and trust that in the same way that God led people in the scriptures, He will guide me today? Let us conclude by reflecting on two parts of Scripture where Jesus taught us to value those who had not yet become important to others or who had become less important because they had sinned and remember that each of us is a child of God and a sinner in need of forgiveness. “At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.” (Matthew 18:1-5) “Then Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment. So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; hence, she has shown great love.” (Luke 7:44-47) The Cursillo Movement ® The Good News Page 4 Senior Day November 13, 2014 A Remembering Church: In the Church liturgical year we think of November as the month of the dead, the “poor souls in purgatory.” It is a time for connecting with our companions in faith, past, present and future. (Please bring a picture of a deceased loved one to this session.) Presenter: Carol Stanton, PhD Price: Donation san pedro spiritual development center | 2400 dike road | winter park, florida 32792-8104 | 407-671-6322 [email protected]; www.sanpedrocenter.org PLEASE PAUSE AND PRAY FOR THE FOLLOWING CURSILLISTAS Helen McCartin It is YOUR NEWSLETTER and hopefully it fulfills three necessities: to INFORM, INSPIRE AND EVANGELIZE. So, if you need to tell the Area 4 Cursillistas of a particular event, this is the place to do it. If you have seen, read, or had an inspirational moment you wish to share with others, this is the place. If you had an evangelization moment that will help others in their efforts, this is the place to share it. The Newsletter Committee is always looking for your help to make this useful publication. Please contact Betsy or Cathy if you have something for the Newsletter. You can submit articles to Betsy at [email protected]. Page 5 The Good News Mike’s Minute! "Let all creation help you to praise God. Give yourself the rest you need. When you are walking alone, listen to the sermon preached to you by the flowers, the trees, the shrubs, the sky, the sun and the whole world. Notice how they preach to you a sermon full of love, of praise of God, and how they invite you to proclaim the greatness of the one who has given them being." — St. Paul of the Cross From CatholicCulture.org--November Overview During November, as in all of Ordinary Time (time after Pentecost), the Liturgy signifies and expresses the regenerated life from the coming of the Holy Spirit, which is to be spent on the model of Christ's Life and under the direction of His Spirit. As we come to the end of the Church year we are asked to consider the end times, our own as well as the world's. The culmination of the liturgical year is the Feast of Christ the King. "This feast asserts the supreme authority of Christ over human beings and their institutions.... Beyond it we see Advent dawning with its perspective of the Lord's coming in glory."— The Liturgy and Time, A.G. Mortimort The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of November 2014 General: That all who suffer loneliness may experience the closeness of God and the support of others. Missionary: That young seminarians and religious may have wise and well-formed mentors. (See also www.apostleshipofprayer.net) The Good News Page 6 If you have any Catholic or Christian books, cds, or other materials that you would like to donate to be used at the book table on Cursillo weekends, please bring to the next Ultreya. If you need a name button, please send your name as you want it on the button, and the number of your Cursillo to Betsy Gattinella: [email protected]. If you would like a ride to Ultreya, please email [email protected]. Please consider contributing to the National Cursillo Center $3.00 per year Campaign. https://www.natl-cursillo.org/donate/. Your donation is tax deductible. Please wear your Cursillo cross on the first Sunday of each month to help invite discussion of faith and Cursillo. “Be ready, because the Holy Spirit will send souls your way!”