The Favor

 Funny how you can hear the same story and come to a different realization.  I heard the story of Eduardo Bonnin and the two prison inmates before.  But only yesterday, when one of my “cloistered brothers” told the story of the beginnings of Cursillo, again, was I impressed with "the favor". I tried “googling” but the story I read is nowhere to be found. I am not surprised, since a prison has a prominent place in the beginnings of Cursillo. 

The setting is Spain, 1949.  For many years, Eduardo Bonnin and some friends were trying to bring people to Jesus.  The War in Spain made things difficult.  Bonnin and his friends were laymen.  They wanted to bring others to Christ.  They had retreats to introduce people to Jesus.  They had faith formation.  But nothing seemed to attract people.

Coincidentally, a prison chaplain was trying to minister to two men on death row.  But they wanted nothing to do with the priest.  The chaplain asked a local parish priest if he knew any lay people who would could try to minister to the condemned men.  

This is where Eduardo Bonnin and friends come in. They wanted to help, but how was a big question. This is what they did.

They met the two inmates and asked them for a favor. You may ask, what kind of favor could two men, soon to be executed in hours, do? 

Since they were about to meet God face to face, all too soon, Bonnin asked them to request of God to grant the Cursillo movement special graces to be effective.

You see the result.  It is now 2024 and Cursillo is still going strong.  Prison inmates love it.

The Debt Cursillo Owes

Prison ministry is my apostolate.  I'm also a Cursillista, which means I've made my Cursillo.  Cursillo is a "working retreat" that introduces you to Jesus.  But I never heard the story of how Cursillo owes it success to two prison inmates.

The prison chaplain handed out the story, yesterday.  I read it then and chalked it up to a nice "tale."  Today, I did a google search and found that it definitely happened.

I don't know why I doubted.  I see it often in prison--conversion.

The story is about the founder of the Cursillo movement, Eduardo Bonnin in 1949.  He had an idea and was trying to start Cursillo.  He wasn't succeeding very well.  Cursillo wasn't going anywhere.

Coincidentally, two men were condemned to die in prison.  The priest chaplain tried to prepare them to meet God.  They would have none of it.  So the priest asked two Catholic laymen to talk to the inmates to see if they could reach them.

One of the men was Eduardo Bonnin.  They went inside the prison and found the two men in their cells, playing cards.  They asked to speak.

About what?

We have a favor to ask?

huh??????

That question caught their attention.  The two Catholic laymen told the two condemned men that since they were going to meet God in a few hours, would they ask a favor of God.

The men were flabbergasted.  Better, their interest was piqued.  They talked and talked.  The result was the men accepted their God, renewed their faith, and died with a crucifix in their hands.

And the cursillo movement took off.