Thy Will Be Done

I am with you always, even to the ends of time Matthew 28:20

As we begin our term as Lay Directors for Twin Cities Cursillo, we would like to express our gratitude to God and to you for this special opportunity to serve. We are humbled and honored to represent Twin Cities Cursillo because we know the movement is alive and well in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

In early January, we joined over 100 4^th dayers at the annual Cursillo retreat at the King’s House in Buffalo. “Jesus Conquers Fear” was the theme for the retreat. The weekend was filled with great spiritual talks, the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation, and a Healing Service. There was time for quiet reflection, opportunities to discuss and discern the talks, meet some new 4^th dayers and catch up with people we have not seen in a while.

We learned that fear and anger by themselves are not sinful. The action we take is what may become sinful. Sometimes fear can actually be a good thing. An example of good fear would be the fear of slippery roads. This fear helps us drive slower and more cautiously.

A key to conquering fear is faith and trust in Jesus. When we can turn our fears and concerns over to Jesus, we can rest assured that Jesus will know what to do with them. We do not need to control and understand everything. Wisdom comes when we stop trying to understand. With scripture readings such as Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, even to the ends of time”, we do not need to fear what may happen next week or next year as Jesus will be with us through everything we do in our life. The love, forgiveness and compassion of Jesus is with us at all times.

Another way to combat fear is to live in the present. Distractions and wandering thoughts during prayer are signs that we are not truly living in the present with Jesus. Be present to the present moment! We cannot change yesterday, and we cannot be sure what God has planned for us tomorrow. The only thing we can have an impact on is today.

A key to making the best of each day is finding time to listen to God’s loving compassionate message just for you. We schedule appointments with others, why not schedule an appointment with Jesus each day. Put it on your calendar! We need to shut off the cell phones, turn off the TV and radio, and sit in quiet meditation with Jesus. Even Jesus needed quiet time when he was on earth. Luke 5:15 says “Jesus would withdraw to deserted places where he prayed”.

It is our prayer that during 2010, each of us can schedule daily quiet time to learn and discern what Jesus needs us to do. Once we know what Jesus wants, fear is no longer an issue because we have the resources of Jesus to complete his mission.

We ask that you keep the teams, candidates, and sponsors of weekends #307 and #308 in your prayers. The teams are now in formation and candidates are prayerfully considering if God is calling them to participate in this weekend encounter with Him. We invite you to take part in the weekend by offering Palanca and attending 4^th day events during the weekend.

Weekends #307 and #308 will be hosted by St. Michael’s in Prior Lake. St. Michael’s also hosted Weekend #1 in December 1968. Twin Cities Cursillo is honored to return 41 years later to the place we began. God’s Grace truly is enough!

God Bless,

Sonia and Mark Lager