RESPONSE TO DIOCESAN ULTREYA WITNESS TALK – So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!
Thank you, Noel, for sharing your Cursillo journey with us today. It was lovely to hear the name of our dear departed friend, Max Youman, mentioned. He and Ann have certainly been a valued part of Cursillo over the years.
Early on you shared with us that both Elwyne and you were at a crossroads in your faith and that you were prepared to try anything to move forward in a positive way in your faith. GOD wishes to transform us into the people He would have us become.
Our Parish Bible Study groups at Raymond Terrace have been studying CS Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” – and near the end of the book, Lewis talks about the need for us to be open to be transformed by GOD. Many people are content with their lot in life – not wanting to rock the boat as it were – not wanting to change – [we’ve had that light bulb for the last 53 years, 4 months and 8 days and it’s perfectly OK!]

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Lewis gives us an example about the way we change even prior to birth. He says this: “We were once rather like vegetables, and once rather like fish: it was only at a later stage that we became like human babies”. And if we had been quite conscious at those earlier stages, I daresay we should have been quite contented to stay as vegetables or fish – (and) we should not have wanted to be made into babies. But all the time GOD knew His plan for us and was determined to carry it out.

Something the same is now happening at a higher level. We may be content to remain at what we call ‘ordinary people’: but He – GOD – is determined to carry out a different plan. To shrink back from that plan is not humility – it is laziness and cowardice. To submit to it is not conceit or megalomania – it is obedience.

I give thanks to GOD, Noel, that Elwyne and you made the decision to OBEY GOD’s call on your lives so that He could continue the process of transformation in your lives – and that Cursillo was a tool that GOD deployed in this process.
Here are some steps we need to take in this process:
1. God Needs His Word in Us Before He Can Start transforming us.
Just as a potter needs enough water mixed in with the clay in order to begin fashioning the clay into the shape he desires, so GOD needs His Word in us before He can begin to transform us.
Just like our physical bodies need water in order to be able to live and survive in this world, in the same way our souls need God’s Word flowing through us in order to feed us on the inside.
In Ephesians 5:26 we are told” … that Christ might sanctify and cleanse His Church with the washing of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself as a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
2. We Have to Be Properly “Centered” in Jesus Christ – the potter must have the clay properly centred on the wheel before beginning to shape the clay; otherwise, the pottery vessel will not turn out properly. In order for us to become the people GOD desires us to be, we must be centred on JESUS. So, how do we become centred on JESUS? By completely surrendering our lives to Him. Jesus has to become both Lord and Saviour of our life, not just our Saviour. Too many Christians do not have Jesus as the real Lord in their lives.
3. Sanctification is a Slow, Steady, and Progressive Process.
Our journey of transformation, of sanctification, is not something that happens overnight. The bottom line is that we have to enter into God’s perfect will for our lives before He will start to guide us in the direction we need to take.
God will not fully guide us to our divine destiny in Him, nor fully sanctify us to the degree that He would really like in this life unless we first fully surrender to Him. It must be OUR all for HIS all.
We have to have patient with Him in regard to how He wants to work and build up our lives up in Him. In our fast-paced, self-centered world, we are used to instant everything. But in God’s realm, He usually works things out in a much gentler time frame than we are used too. And if we do not learn how to go with His gentler flows and time frames, we could end up becoming very frustrated and impatient, and then eventually end up losing our peace and joy in Him, not to mention our possible calls in Him.
Just as a good potter has to take his time when molding and forming out a piece of clay into pottery as it is spinning on the wheel – GOD, in the same way, has to mold, shape, and transform all of us in this same, slow, and steady manner. This is why one of the 9 fruits of the Spirit is the fruit of patience.
We all need the patience of the Holy Spirit operating within us to keep in sync with God’s timing – especially in our fast-paced world. Finally,
4. God’s Hand Will Personally Mold, Shape, and Transform Us.
The next thing in our transformation process is that it is literally the hand of God Himself, operating through the Holy Spirit within us, that will supernaturally transform and sanctify us. Removing toxic qualities such as pride, arrogance, bad temper, and lust can all be very painful due to our flesh wanting to keep these negative qualities operating in our personalities. But by letting God do this inner surgery work in us through the Holy Spirit, we will eventually be molded and shaped
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into the godly saint that He is calling us to become in Him – and true joy, happiness, and fulfillment will be all ours in this life.
Again, if I may use an example from CS Lewis: “Imagine yourself as a living house. GOD comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that these jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house around in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – building a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to made into a decent little cottage: but GOD is building a palace. HE INTENDS TO COME AND LIVE IN IT HIMSELF!
Our Cursillo 3-day experience introduced us to a dynamic community of like-minded people and then as we begin to live our 4th day, gives the opportunity to allow GOD to lead us in His way and bless us with His abundance as He transforms us into the people He intends for us to become. We need to become more humble in ourselves, to spend more time in the Word and in prayer, and to learn to increasingly trust Him as we journey with Him.
Noel – thank you for your message to us today – reminding us that we go through good and tough times – both personally but more importantly – with the support of each other.
May GOD continue to bless you abundantly.
This will be my last article for The Encourager. I would like to thank GOD for the privilege of this ministry of Diocesan Spiritual Director over the last 7 years. May GOD continue to bless the people of this Diocese and beyond; and call more people into a relationship with Him through the Cursillo method. I encourage you to keep connected with each other through Group Reunion and Ultreya, and always remember
to “make a friend, be a friend, and bring that friend gently to JESUS”.
Blessings
Fr Steve
Diocesan Ultreya
01 November 2021

FASTING, FORTY DAYS AND FORGIVENESS – In Genesis 3 the first sin is recorded and also the subsequent judgement by GOD. As the human capacity for sin is not reduced in any way, GOD determines to wipe out humanity from His creation. Noah is instructed to build an ark to survive the ensuing flood. GOD intends to begin again with Noah and make a new covenant with him ‒ to never again destroy the earth by flood. Covenants always have signs; and, in this case, GOD commits Himself to the sign of the rainbow.
Noah and his family were saved by water ‒ symbolising baptism as a symbol of GODʼs grace. It saves us now and acts as a sign of GODʼs promise of ultimate salvation. The risen CHRIST, sitting at the right hand of GOD, is ample reassurance ‒ better even than a rainbow in the sky.
After 40 days of fasting and prayer in the desert, JESUS confronted temptations to deny His mission and emerged with a much clearer commitment to His mission.

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The Power of Prayer. I love that definition right at the start – PRAYER IS THE SOUL’s SINCERE DESIRE – UTTERED OR UNEXPRESSED.
Our prayer needs to be sincere – not simply rattled off in rote fashion but spoken as a sincere conversation WITH GOD. Prayer is a part of our relationship with GOD. It is something upon which JESUS placed much emphasis.
The apostle Paul urges us, in 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 to:
‘Rejoice always pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you’.

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Crosswalk.com, an online Christian living magazine gives an explanation on its website that Praying without ceasing is:
Impossible, right? Maybe in the olden days, when every task directly affected your family’s survival—of course they prayed, because if the crop died, they’d starve. If someone got sick, there was no medicine to help. Life was dangerous and fragile, and people weren’t distracted by social media and cell phones. But today? Who could be expected to keep their mind on God at all times? Surely God wouldn’t expect that of us, because He knows more than anyone how flawed we are, and how short our attention spans are.
Except that nowhere in the Bible is there an asterisk after that verse that says, “*unless you’re really busy.”
Here’s the good news. Not only is it possible to pray without ceasing, but it’s possible to do so without making any significant changes to your schedule or time commitments. It’s all about shifting your thought process and turning everyday moments into prayer. Someone once suggested that it’s like keeping the radio playing in the background. Keep that connection open and talk to God as you go through your day.

On Wednesday 8 July, the Gospel reading was from Matthew 10: 1-7.
JESUS had already called His 12 disciples. He didn’t draft them, force them, or ask them to volunteer; He chose them to serve Him in a special way. JESUS calls us today. He doesn’t twist our arms and make us do something we don’t want to do. We can choose to join Him, or we can choose to remain behind.

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This list of JESUS’ 12 disciples doesn’t give us many details – probably because there aren’t many impressive details to tell. JESUS called people from all walks of life – fishermen, political activists, and tax collectors. He called common people and uncommon leaders; rich and poor, educated, and uneducated.
Today, many people think only certain people are fit to follow CHRIST; but this is not the attitude of the Master Himself. GOD can use anyone, no matter how insignificant he or she appears or thinks they appear. GOD calls ordinary people to do extraordinary work. He doesn’t call the equipped – He equips the called.
JESUS sent his disciples to go only to the Jews because He came first to the Jews. GOD chose the Jews to tell the rest of
the world about Him. Jewish disciples and apostles then preached the Gospel of the Risen CHRIST all around the Roman Empire – and soon Gentiles were pouring into the Church. The Bible clearly teaches that GOD’s message of salvation is for ALL people – regardless of race, sex, or national origin.
The Jews were waiting for the Messiah to usher in His kingdom.
JESUS spoke of a spiritual kingdom, not a military one as the
people thought. JESUS the Messiah, has already begun His kingdom
on earth in the hearts of His followers. One day this kingdom will
be fully realised. The evil will be destroyed, and all people will live
in peace with one another.
Everyday, is a new opportunity to seek the LORD. We can always pause and ask: Where is GOD in this? Like His disciples, we, too, have been given the authority and the ability to proclaim the Gospel in our everyday lives. When we start each day by seeking FROM OUR DIOCESAN SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

GOD with our whole heart, spending time with Him in the Word and allowing Him to fill us with His grace and love, we are better able to serve Him and offer up our whole day for Him. Regardless of what may be going on in our personal lives, now is the time to seek the LORD. Never feel as though you aren’t good enough.

The way we live our lives is sometimes the only Gospel some
people experience. Do we stay connected to Him? What areas
of life do we need to open up in order to deepen our relationship
with Him?
De Colores
Fr Steve

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The Gospel passage for 7th Sunday after Epiphany came from Matthew 5: 38-48.
In it, JESUS teaches us about revenge. GOD’s purpose behind this law was an expression of mercy. The law was given to the judges and said, in effect, “Make the punishment fit the crime.”
It was not a guide for personal revenge – such as might be thought of in terms of the “like-for-like” in Exodus 21 23-25:

If any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

These laws were given to LIMIT vengeance and to help the court administer punishment that was neither too strict nor too lenient. Some people, however, were using this phrase to justify their vendettas against others. People still try to excuse their acts of revenge by saying: “I was just doing to him what he did to me.”

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12. 19:
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of  God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’

GOD originally gave this instruction in the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy 32. 35: Vengeance is mine.

When we are wronged, often our first reaction is to get even. JESUS said that we should do GOOD to those who wrong us. In the passion translation of the Bible under the heading of TRANSFORMED RELATIONSHIPS the Apostle Paul in Romans 12 tells us:
Let the inner movement of your heart always be to love one another
Our desire should NOT be to keep score; but to love and forgive. This is not natural to us as humans – it is SUPER-natural. Only GOD can give us the strength to love as He does. So, instead of planning vengeance, pray for those who hurt you.
By telling us not to retaliate, JESUS keeps us from taking the law into our own hands. By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with GOOD.
If we love our enemies and treat them well, we will truly show that JESUS is the LORD of our lives. This is possible only for those who give themselves fully to GOD, because only He can deliver people from natural selfishness. We must trust the Holy Spirit to help us SHOW love for those whom we may not feel love.
JESUS tells us in the final verse of our Gospel for today to:  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
How can we do that? We can try to be perfect in:
CHARACTER. In this life we cannot be flawless, but we can aspire to be as much like CHRIST as possible.
HOLINESS. Like the Pharisees, we are to separate ourselves rom the world’s sinful values. But unlike the Pharisees, we are to be devoted to GOD’s desires rather than our own; and carry His love and mercy into the world.
The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12. 19:
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of  God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’

MATURITY. We cannot achieve CHRISTLIKE character and holy iving all at once; but we must endeavour to grow toward maturity and wholeness. Just as we expect different behaviour from a baby, a child, a teenager, and an adult, so GOD expects different behaviour from us, depending on our stage of spiritual development.

LOVE. We can seek to love others as completely as GOD loves us.
We can be as perfect as possible if our behaviour is appropriate for our maturity level. There will always be much room in which to grow. Our tendency to sin must never deter us from striving to be more like JESUS. JESUS calls all His disciples to excel, to rise above mediocrity, and to mature in as many ways as possible to become more like Him.
De Colores
Fr Steve

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Psalm 46 is a wonderful psalm. I looked it up in the
Passion Translation of the Bible and it was headed up
as ‘GOD ON OUR SIDE’. That’s always a good start.
Allow me to share the first 3 verses from this translation:
1 God, you’re such a safe and powerful place to find refuge! You’re a proven
help in time of trouble—more than enough and always available whenever I
need you. 2 So we will never fear even if every structure of support were to
crumble away. We will not fear even when the earth quakes and shakes,
moving mountains and casting them into the sea. 3 For the raging roar of
stormy winds and crashing waves cannot erode our faith in you.
Then we are told to ‘Pause in his presence.’
How comforting and re-assuring are these words? Words that have led you,
Gary into a deeper relationship with our LORD and Saviour. When your kidneys
began to fail it was your faith that pulled you through – it was one of those
times in your life that is described in no better way than in the Footprints
prayer.
The Lord replied, “My precious, precious child. I love you, and I would never,
never leave you during your times of trial and suffering. When you saw only
one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
You trusted GOD to find you a new kidney and He did. You needed to touch
the hem of JESUS’ garment in the same way as the woman in Matthew 9:20
did: Again, from the Passion Translation:
20 Suddenly, a woman came from behind Jesus and touched the tassel of
his prayer shawl for healing. She had been suffering from continual bleeding
for twelve years (and here’s the important bit) but had faith that Jesus
could heal her. 21 For she kept saying to herself, “If I could only touch his
prayer shawl I would be healed.” 22 Just then Jesus turned around and
looked at her and said, “My daughter, be encouraged. Your faith has
healed you.” And instantly she was healed!