Homily – Message of Christ to the Cursillistas - 28th Sunday in ordinary time – Matthew 10:17-27

This homily will be given at the Men's Cursillo Weekend on October 11 - 14, 2012 for the Diocese of Jackson, Mississippi at Camp Duncan Gray in Canton, MS: 

      Today, as we come to the last day of our weekend together, and the last time we will celebrate the Eucharist together as a community this weekend around the Lord’s table, we recall how Jesus brought us here to this Cursillo retreat for a purpose.  We have encountered Jesus in a new way.  Just as Jesus prepared his apostles and followers for their lives after his death and resurrection, Jesus is preparing us this weekend in the ways we can incorporate these teachings into our daily lives after we leave this afternoon. 

         Jesus brought us here in order to send us to do his work in the world.  The call of the Cursillo does not end with ourselves – it must be lived in our environment.  We are to bear the fruit of Jesus’ apostolic action.  This is the fruit that will endure after we leave our Cursillo Weekend. 

         Today’s Gospel presents us a good teaching on  discipleship, of how we should be in the world but not of the world. The rich young man told Jesus that he had followed all of the commandments since his youth.  Following God’s law is indeed an important part of our faith, and it is not always an easy task to do.  Yet, when Christ told him to sell all of his possessions, and to give that money to the poor, the young man walked away dejected.  Indeed, it is hard to give up the things of this world – the values of our world, our possession, our prestige and power, our egos and our pride.  Yet, Christ asks us not to put value in these things in the world that are fleeting, but rather to place our trust and our whole hearts in the values of the Gospel. The young man walked away – we don’t know if he ultimately followed Jesus or if he decided it would be too much of a sacrifice. Yes, it is one thing to say we agree with the values and doctrines of our faith, but it is another thing to embrace them with our hearts and to live them whole-heartedly in our daily lives. 

         As we begin our final day of our Cursillo weekend together, as we reflect upon today’s Gospel, we may ask ourselves if we acknowledge that our lives belong to God and not to ourselves, not to the values of the world. Are we willing to take this next step.  Are we willing to give ourselves over to Christ?

         Jesus did not have a huge following in his earthly ministry.  We probably imagine that the Son of God should have been more successful.  Yet, what we fail to understand is the strategy Jesus is teaching us for reaching our world in building up Christian community.  Jesus spent his time forming the apostles into a community, knowing that His work would endure as long as they remained united.  It is only as a genuine Christian community that we are a sign of his presence to the world.  We cannot be effective in the apostolate alone, we will not be a part of this community if we close ourselves to Jesus’ message, if we try to trap him and criticize him like the Pharisees in today’s Gospel.  On the contrary, only if Jesus’ life and message flow freely through us will we be able to bear fruit.  If we are to bear fruit, it we are to have Jesus be a part of us and to transform our lives, we must have a progressive conversion and change of heart that continues way beyond this weekend.  In Jesus and in our community of faith, we will have a revolutionary power. 

         To become a true disciple, to open ourselves to transformation and conversion, to bear the fruit that Jesus calls us to bear in our lives – these are challenges that should not frighten us.  A journey begins with the first step, and we have made a big step this weekend.  We need to continue to bear witness to what we now know to be true about Jesus’ victory.  Jesus has won the victory; it is our job to proclaim in our lives, in our words and in our actions.