THE CURSILLO “TRIPOD”

            The Cursillo Tripod refers to the need of piety, study, and action as the basic ingredients of a Christian’s life.  Piety has a twofold meaning in Cursillo.  On one hand, it refers to the person’s basic commitment of his or her life to living out the implication of the Christian faith.  From another point of view, it refers to the person’s awareness of the need of an active life of worship, be it private or sacramental liturgy, to survive as a Catholic.  Toward the end of the three-day Cursillo Weekend, the person formulates privately some general resolutions about how to improve his or her practices of piety.

            The Study leg of the Cursillo Tripod refers to the need of some real intellectual work on the part of the person in order to keep his or her Christian Life alert and growing.  Recommended at Cursillos in this regard are:  Bible studies, reading of current and challenging religious books / newspapers / magazines, and the variety of adult religious education programs available.  Some specific commitment to study is also suggested to the new Cursillista.

            The third leg of the tripod is Action.  This aspect of the Cursillo Method, like piety, has a twofold meaning.  On one level, it refers to the one-to-one approach to expressing Christian love.  It is summarized in the Talk on “Action” during the Cursillo weekend as “making a friend, being a friend, and introducing that friend to Christ.”  The other level of the word Action emphasizes the need for the “Christian Community in Action.”  By this phrase the Cursillo Method understands the formation of a variety of Christian Groups which deliberately work and pray together to accomplish the changing of our present society into a Christian-oriented social order.