You can't buy great memories

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We all want one, some of us have been fortunate enough to find someone we can call our best friend. Someone we know will be there for us no matter the hour and will always have our best interests in mind. Someone that will share the joys with us in the high moments in life and help pull you through the low times. I was very thankful to God for his generosity. He didn’t just give me one good friend, he gave me 40. I was very blessed to be able to attend my first Cursillo last weekend at Trinity High School.

At first it was a real change, a break from the outside. Plenty of quiet time, no cellphones and a lot of new faces I’ve never met before. With about three-and-a-half days worth of talks, prayer, small group meetings and sharing meals, I knew it was going to take a little bit of time to adjust to my new surroundings.

I would have said it was about Friday at noon when I really started to really enjoy where I was. I got to know some faces and started getting used to the schedule of daily events. What I really started noticing was the joy that seemed to follow us wherever we went. There was always laughing and people were having a genuinely great time. One person over the weekend said it the best, “When you say the name Jesus, those who turn and talk to you are your friends.”

What I appreciated so much through the weekend were the talks that were given, there was a genuine feeling in the room with the brutal and sometimes tearful honesty in which people talked about their personal experiences with Christ and how he’s shaped and changed their lives. Also, I can’t thank the Rev. Brian Gross enough for the many talks he gave over the weekend; all of them were great. I grew leaps and bounds in knowledge of my faith and feel 10 times more confident in answering questions about the Catholic faith.

One thing I really enjoyed were the question-and-answer segments with Rev. Gross, we just took an hour or so and were able to ask him any questions about the faith. We filled the segment with plenty of questions and Rev. Goss was able explain his answer for every single one of them. He made the weekend very enjoyable. He was both funny and knowledgeable. Through his talks and answering questions he was able to discuss topics with plenty of humor, but still made it very known to us what the church teachings are. He was a very big reason why the weekend was so enjoyable, which got me thinking again about how we as Catholics need to support, listen to and pray for our priests.

All the events over the weekend brought us closer and closer together. Whether it was the talks, small group segments, rosary or celebrating Mass, we were happy to be together and enjoyed being with one another, although it dawned on me after a while that it seemed that something was missing when we celebrated Mass. I couldn’t put my finger on it right away, there was this complete silence after communion when everyone had returned to their seat. I finally figured it out. There wasn’t any car starters beeping away in the background.

So this is what communion is supposed to be like! A quiet time of reflection with the Lord. I know there are others that are as irritated as I am about those who like to fill the air after communion with the annoying and distracting sounds from remote starters. I still can’t figure out why that can’t wait until after Mass. The bright side is summer is almost here.

Sorry, I got off track a little bit. In closing, Cursillo was a wonderful experience for me. I made the greatest friends a person could have, friends that share a person’s love of the Lord. I think that’s what made the weekend so great and memorable to me. We were brothers in Christ. We were all there together, enjoying each other’s company because all wanted the same thing. To grow closer to the Lord in our own experiences through the weekend. I am very thankful that I was invited to Cursillo; it was both a blessing and an experience I’ll keep with me for many, many years.

Kadrmas is the production supervisor for The Dickinson Press. Reach him at jkadrmas@thedickinsonpress.com.

Tags: opinion, cursillo