CLOSER LOOK SPIRITUALITY & WORSHIP REACHING OUT PARISH LIFE RECTOR & DEACON

^{Audio Sermon}

	June 5, 2011 *Ascension*
	June 12, 2011 *Penecost*
	July 3, 2011 *The Yoke*
	July 24, 2011 *Our* *Prayer Life*

^{Billie's Corner}

January 2011
New Year's Resolutions

February 2011
Multi-tasking

March 2011
St. Alban's Community

April 2011
God Gives Us A Rest

May 2011
Resurrection

June 2011
Summertime

The Very Reverend Billie Abraham, Rector

Cursillo
July 2011

�Christ be with me� Christ within me �Christ behind me� Christ before me�
Christ beside me� Christ to win me �Christ to comfort me and restore me�
Christ beneath me� Christ above me�Christ in quiet� Christ in danger�
Christ in hearts of all that love me�Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.�

The words above are taken from the beautiful hymn, Saint Patrick�s Breastplate. They sing out Christ�s encompassing presence in my life. I am surrounded by Christ. There is no place that escapes Christ�s �hereness.�

Sometimes musical verse can express a depth of experience that is impossible to express with prose. I find myself at a loss for words when I attempt to describe my experience of Cursillo. The verse from Saint Patrick�s Breastplate expresses what I can�t.
Cursillo was three days saturated in a sense of the Christ�s immediacy in my life. Christ was manifested in the people who served me throughout Cursillo, from carrying my luggage to my room, to waking me with coffee and juice each morning, to praying for me for months in advance and throughout weekend. I heard Christ in the music and prayers; we did some singing and some praying. I witnessed Christ in the formation of the community; I arrived alone and I departed a member of the Cursillo family. Christ was echoed in the laughter and shared in the tears. Christ was in the silence and the noise!

Cursillo provided the apartness that is required to step back, look at the whole picture of life and recognize Christ permeating the relationships and events in life. Gray Center offers rest and refuge and lots of good food!
Do I recommend Cursillo? YES. Go with a sense of curiosity and wonder. Repeatedly I heard people say, �I came with apprehension and I left with conviction.� Be willing to be surprised! Expect Christ!

Two Cursillo Sundays are planned for Saint Alban�s Church as a means to encourage our members to give prayerful consideration to participating in a Cursillo. One Sunday will be September 25, prior to the next Cursillo that will take place at Gray Center, October 13-16. The second Cursillo Sunday will be incorporated into the Bishop�s Annual Visitation on Sunday, March 11, 2012. Bishop Gray is a believer in the power of Cursillo. On these occasions, Cursillo participates will serve at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. The music will be taken from the Cursillo hymnal.

In the meantime, ask questions and check out the Mississippi Episcopal Cursillo web site, http://cursillo.dioms.org � pray, wonder and ponder.

In peace,

Billie+

The Very Reverend Billie Abraham Welcomed into the Fellowship of Saint John

How did a female from the Deep South become an member of the Fellowship of Saint John the Evangelist, an all male monastic community that is located in Massachusetts? My first encounter with a member of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist happened at a conference where the superior of the community was the keynote speaker. Superior Martin Smith's talk was all about God's passion for intimate relationship with each one of us. Any longing we have for God is our response to God's longing for us. We do not have to get God's attention, we are God's attention.

I left the conference sure that I wanted to know more about a religious community that promoted God's unconditional love. I made several retreats at the monastery in Cambridge, Massachusetts I experienced the mystery of God's presence in the silence of the monastery. The monastery offered sacred space that was saturated in years and years of prayer. The Brothers offered holy hospitality.

A "monastic in the world" began to germinate within me. I needed the support and structure of the Fellowship of Saint John the Evangelist. I wanted to be closely associated with the community despite the fact that I lived far from the monastery.

I applied for membership to the Fellowship of Saint John. After a preliminary period of six months, I was installed as a a full member in a prayer service that took place during a Sunday Eucharist in my home parish, Saint Alban's Church.

As a FSJ, I seek to live an ordered life of prayer and service in association with the Society of Saint John the Evangelist. The Rule of Life for the Fellowship of Saint John is a modified version of the Benedictine Rule of Life for the Brothers of SSJE. The Benedictine Rule of Life addresses four aspects of life: prayer, rest, community and work.

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