Clergy Corner 

He is not here, He has risen!

Matthew 28:1-10

The Gospel of Matthew account of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ has always been my favorite, but I love them all.  Perhaps because of the human drama that is taking place is why I like this account so much. The chaos of Friday is over and the Jewish ritual of Sabbath has come to an end. It’s now becoming dawn on the third day.  These women are walking to the tomb with a mission.  They are alone. No disciple is with them. They are taking a basket of spices to finally anoint the body of Jesus because there was no time to do this before.

As they walk, the birds are waking up. One by one they begin to sing their “good morning” songs. They sound so happy! Their music is beautiful! As the women walk, they are talking to each other in short sentences. People who are upset talk in short sentences. These women are so tired, physically and emotionally. It’s doubtful they’ve had much sleep. They keep thinking about all they witnessed on Friday. As they walk, they can finish each other’s sentences.  I can almost hear one women say, (if only to get her mind off of all that she is thinking about), “What do these birds have to be so happy about?!” She is not happy at all! The Master has been crucified, died, and has been buried. There is no happiness in her heart. But these darn birds! “I don’t want to hear them singing”, she says out loud.  The other women whispers that she agrees as she begins to be out of breath from their quick walk. In a few minutes that sadness is about to change! It will begin with fear and end in joy!

They finally arrive at the tomb.  But things have changed. The stone they hoped to get help with, is already moved away!  There has been an earthquake. The whole place is a mess.  Stones have fallen everywhere. An angel is sitting atop the very stone that had been rolled away. His appearance is blinding, as bright as lightning and his clothes as white as snow. From fear, the shaking guards are like frozen dead men. The women begin to cry very loudly. What have they walked into! It’s as bad as Friday all over again, but worse!

The angel finally breaks the ice and says, “Do not be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; he is risen, just as he said.

Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee”. The basket of spices has fallen to the ground from all this excitement. Tears of sadness and heart-pounding fear have been replaced with unexplainable joy!

As the women hurry away from the tomb, still afraid but filled with joy, running now to tell his disciples what they have witnessed and were told by the angel, suddenly they are met by Jesus!  Jesus must have seen how upset they now are and that they needed first-hand proof of what they were told. They need to see him. They need to touch him.  He greets them! The women run to him and grasp his feet and worship him. Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, there they will see me”.  

I’m out of breath just writing this.  Unintentionally, I have somehow become a spectator off to the side. But I feel it’s also for me, not just these witnesses of an empty tomb, stones rolled away, an angel who is hard to look at, and then Jesus Himself!

As the women hurriedly travel to find the disciples, now they just keep repeating what they have seen first-hand.  “He is risen!  He is risen!  He is risen!” 

They keep saying it over and over.  I suspect by the time they get to the disciples, “He is risen”, is the first thing they say. Maybe that’s all they can say until someone asks them to slow down and tell them everything.

Easter is this. It’s not an annual holy day filled with routine Easter related things to do, or typical Easter songs to sing.  Not a day made to wear new clothes recently purchased to show how much you respect the day. It’s not a day for candy and Easter bunnies with pink and yellow fuzzy stuff. Easter is not made to prepare a special meal and invite the grandparents over to play with the grandchildren. All these things are great, but you have to admit you can do these things any day. So what is Easter all about?  Close your eyes and picture yourself at the empty tomb and ask yourself why Jesus went through all this.  You will find the reason for Easter!  He is risen!  He is risen!  He is risen!

I wish each of you an Easter filled with unspeakable joy to replace any fear or sadness in your life.  Only Jesus can do this!  Let Him in. He is no longer dead, He is alive!

De Colores!  Rev. Jack Moody #355

(Because God loves you and so do I.) 

Centering Prayer Workshop

Hi Cursillistas.

I invite you to join Toni Petersen (Cursillo #475), John Petersen (Cusillio #431) and myself, Anne Colloton (Cursillo #1024) at an Introduction to Centering Prayer workshop.  The three of us present the workshop on Saturday, June 3rd at East Bay Camp on the beautiful shores of Lake Bloomington, from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

Centering Prayer is a Christian form of silent prayer.  We call it Resting in God.  The workshop consists of an explanation of the history of Centering Prayer, a description of the prayer method, followed by practicing the prayer together.  We will discuss how to quiet (center) oneself and Toni, John, and I will share the fruits of the prayer we see in our daily lives.  Would your Cursillo small group consider joining us as an act of piety, study, or action?  For more information about the workshop and to sign up, please click on this link to go to our website at http://centeringprayercentralillinois.org/upcoming-events   

Thank you-Anne

Apostolic Hour/Clausura Coordinators Needed!

We have an immediate need for new coordinators for the Apostolic Hour and Clausura masses for each Cursillo weekend.  Duties include recruitment of assistants to participate in the masses (e.g. ushers, petition readers, and other roles), setup of the luminaries, and communication with others involved in the masses (e.g. music ministry).  This is a Cursillo Steering Committee assignment, so attendance at committee meetings is also expected.  Please contact Sean and Robin Poston at poston1993@comcast.net  or 309-533-3746  for details.

Ultreya Coordinator Needed!

We have an immediate need for this role.  Our next Ultreya typically is held in July, and we need help to organize this event and others moving forward.  The role involves partnering with local parishes to schedule the events and ensuring speakers and other volunteers are available to assist.  Cursillo leadership will assist with some aspects of the planning.  This is a Cursillo Steering Committee role, so participation in committee meetings is also expected.  Please contact Sean and Robin Poston at poston1993@comcast.net  or 309-533-3746 for more details.

Coordinators Needed

We have an urgent need for a Cursillista, Cursillo couple or reunion group to help in the following roles. This is a wonderful way to do Palanca for the Cursillo community!

HOTEL COORDINATOR - The HOTEL COORDINATOR works with the Facilities Committee Chairpersons (Angie & Rich Thomas) in the days preceding each Cursillo weekend, to ensure hotel keys have been picked up for distribution on Thursday night, hotel rooms are prepared for the Team and Candidates, snacks are purchased and Hospitality volunteers for each evening are in place.  Any questions and feedback about each weekend would be discussed with the Facilities Committee Chairpersons.  Please contact Angie & Rich Thomas at raarthomas@hotmail.com for more information.

CONFERENCE ROOM COORDINATOR - The CONFERENCE ROOM COORDINATOR works with the Facilities Committee Chairpersons (Angie & Rich Thomas). This role includes purchasing supplies for use in the Conference Room during each weekend, setting up the Conference Room on Thursday evening, cleaning up the room each evening after Team and Candidates have left the Parish Center, and cleaning up on Sunday after the Team and Candidates have left the Parish Center for the last time. Any questions and feedback about each weekend would be discussed with the Facilities Committee Chairpersons.  Please contact Angie & Rich Thomas at raarthomas@hotmail.com for more information.

Help Needed in the Parish Center During Our Next Cursillo Weekend

Many hands make light work… and that definitely applies during a Cursillo weekend.  Please consider signing-up to help manage the Parish Center during the upcoming weekend for Cursillo #1215.  We need help with cleaning, arranging the conference room, and much more.  Details about these opportunities are in the sign-up section in the Cursillistas tab on our website. 

Team and Candidates Weekend Envelopes Reminder

Do you remember the letters from Cursillistas, prayer cards, and other helpful materials you received in your envelope as you departed the church after the Clausura?  Those items are still helpful on our 4th Day journey.  We encourage Cursillistas to leave these items in the Palanca chapel mailbox so they can be sorted and placed in the envelopes. 

Please refrain from delivering food or other large items for this purpose.