From Our Lay Directors
June tends to be a month of beginnings and endings. Graduations have just occurred or will be occurring soon. There are many weddings. June can be a time for the end of one way of life and the beginning of a new way of life.
I love that we have several opportunities to begin a fuller way of living our Christian lives through special feasts this month. We start off on June 1st with the Feast of the Ascension, Christ’s returning to heaven with the promise of the sending of the Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” What a promise!
And then it happens on the Feast of Pentecost. As Jesus foretold in John 14:26 “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name—he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” We may not think that we know the Holy Spirit as well as we know the Father and the Son, but I know that I certainly experience the Holy Spirit the most!
June’s feasts also include the Feasts of the Holy Trinity and Corpus Christi. The Feast of the Holy Trinity reminds us of the mystery of three persons in one God. From Jesus’ time on earth, we learn from John 16:15a “Everything that the Father has is mine.” And although it was so difficult for the apostles to see Jesus go to heaven, he tells them in John 16:7b “For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.”
I was blessed to attend the Eucharistic Congress last year which brought me a deeper appreciation of the Eucharist. What a transforming gift to receive Our Lord, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, every time we attend Mass! Christ becoming a part of us, strengthening us in our vocation as disciples for Him!
June ends with the Feast of the Solemnity of Peter and Paul on June 29th. This feast isn’t usually assigned to a weekend Mass, but since the date coincides with a Sunday this year, we have the gift to celebrate it when we usually attend Mass. St. Peter encourages us to “get out of the boat” of our comfort zone and step out in faith. St. Paul is the patron saint of Cursillo, leading us to speak of Jesus wherever our environments are.
Both of us want to thank all those who have supported the Cursillo movement in the Toledo Diocese, and us in our position as lay directors for the past 5 years, taking the time and energy to keep Cursillo moving forward. And it is! Please keep our new lay directors Karen Frisch and Troy Peebles in your prayers as they begin this role on July 1.
What a gift the Cursillo movement has been to all of us! We encourage each other in our faith journeys, opening our eyes and lifting our hearts and minds to God in thankfulness for all the blessings that are bestowed on us every day. May your June be filled with many new beginnings in your walk with Christ!
Ultreya!
John Lyons and Kathy Otermat