Pope Francis to Cursillistas

Below is a letter to Cursillistas from (then) Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J.  

Archbishop of Buenos Aires (future Pope Francis).

Dear Cursillistas,

  "The Good Seeds are those who belong to the Kingdom"(MT. 13:38)

As we get closer to the solemnity of Saint Paul, your Patron and Model of how to "live de colores," we give thanks to God for all the fruits that throughout the years the work of the Cursillos de Cristiandad have generously given the church.

  Your Service of announcing Christ, being witness in the everyday environments, is to live and renew in a concrete way the Baptism that in HIM we have received and therefore transforms you into disciples and missionaries of the Word.

According to the Constitution of the Church (#33) :

  The lay apostolate is a participation in the salvific mission of the Church itself. Through their baptism and confirmation all are commissioned to that apostolate by the Lord Himself.

Even as I write to you, I am very well aware of the difficulties that present themselves while trying to insert the Gospel into our society and also very well aware of your boldness and apostolic fervor, born of that personal encounter between yourselves and Christ which leads you forward to make history, for the good of many;and that the many,whether they are on the fringes of society or not, feel the loving embrace of Jesus.

  Being a pilgrim in our society means to be open to life and pay very close attention to what happens within our hearts just like a good Samaritan before the difficult reality of so many brothers and sisters.

  It is necessary that the Cursillo Movement through the participation of everyone continues its journey of pastoral conversion.

  As Cursillistas, in difficult times, you need to ask God for the Grace to sponsor many candidates, to always have a pre-cursillo in motion, so that you will not fall into a hopelessness that paralyzes and causes anguish.

  The gift of the Kerygma (the apostolic proclamation of religious truths) received during your Cursillo is missionary, just like the tripod points out (piety, study, and action).

As a Church all of us need unity in Christ, so that HE, only HE reigns in our hearts and only then we will be able to recognize HIM as the disciples did in Emeaus.

  As I thank you for your pilgrimage as Cursillistas, I ask you to never cease to renew in Jesus' Eucharist your apostolic fervor and that of your brothers and sisters in Group Reunions.

Now, more than ever we need your closeness in the environment to be light and joy for so many brothers and sisters who ignore God as a Father that loves them with tenderness.

Today, more than ever we need your presence so that many families can find the transcendent love of Christ - a newer and larger dimension of human love.

  Today, more than ever we need your presence and your witness in the Ultreyas, to keep moving forward in the proclamation and living out the Kerygma.

  I ask you to pray for me. May God and theVirgin, Mother of the Divine Grace, be with you and take care of you!

Sincerely,

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, S.J.

Archbishop of Buenos Aires

Published in Spanish by the AICA Agency

Dictionary : KERYGMA - Catholic Culture