The Walk to Emmaus weekend programme aims to encourage something similar. These become the essential components of Christian worship, demonstrating to the early Christian community how their coalescence feeds the Christian lifestyle. Luke’s dynamic account presents Jesus breaking open the Hebrew Scripture on the road to Emmaus with his followers, and then breaking and sharing bread at the end of their shared journey. Their witness was added to that of Mary of Magdala and the other women, and to Peter’s testimony that the Lord had risen and was recognised ‘at the breaking of bread’ ( Lk 24:35). The scales were lifted only when Jesus broke bread: at that moment they understood his actions, his words and his life with a clarity previously missing. While their hearts burned within, they remained blind to their companion’s identity. At first he listened and then he teaches them.
Luke paints the picture of two followers of Jesus, discussing his ministry and death and of their hopes. On the day that Peter confirmed Jesus’ resurrection ( Lk 24: 9-12), Luke recounts the story of a walk to Emmaus. But how does the participant (or ‘pilgrim’ as retreatants are known) encounter such love? It may be useful to recount the Emmaus gospel story (Luke 24:13-35). It emphasises ‘practicing agape love throughout the entirety of three day movement – not only during weekend preparations and the weekend itself but also during the lifetime experience of the Fourth Day.’ The foundation of this love is Christ’s love and servanthood, modelled by those who plan and give the retreat weekend.
Taking the framework of the Cursillo, it uses the motif of an Emmaus Walk, hence its title. The adult retreat is offered as a walk of personal spiritual renewal, with a parallel focus on the formation of Christian leaders for local Christian churches. In 1984 came a version of Emmaus for young people: Chrysalis. One important rule of all programmes: pilgrims may only participate if sponsored by a previous participant.
It was designed for adults, with separate retreats for men and women. From 1978 it ran as ‘The Upper Room Cursillo ’, later renamed ‘The Upper Room Walk to Emmaus’. The General Board of Discipleship of the United Methodist Church adapted the Cursillo programme to make it more appropriate for Protestant participants and for ecumenical use. THE DEVELOPMENT OF ‘WALK TO EMMAUS’ RETREATS While Cursillo is very much alive within the Catholic tradition, it inspired one particular expression of its spirituality within the United Methodist Church. Cursillo has been the inspiration from the 1970s for the Churches of the Reform to adapt its three-day retreat weekend. In 1980, the Cursillo Movement established a worldwide international office, the Organismo Mundial de Cursillos de Cristiandad (OMCC). Currently the movement is active across the USA, in South and Central America, Canada, Europe, Africa and Australasia. The movement grew throughout Spain, extending to the USA in the later 1950s. As important as the cursillo retreat weekend is the ‘Fourth Day’ experience, which continues to offer faith support and development on a weekly and monthly basis thereafter. During the weekend the basics of Christian faith were explained and celebrated. From this grew a highly structured, three day retreat weekend, open to those seeking to develop as Christian leaders. The first ‘ cursillo ’ (Spanish for ‘little course’) was held on his home island of Mallorca. The Cursillo Movement was founded by Eduardo Aguiló in the 1940s. For now, let us investigate Emmaus Letters and their roots in the Cursillo movement. The effectiveness of writing and sending letters can also be used to support various forms of parish, pastoral effort as will be discussed later. They use handwritten letters to support participants during their weekend-long retreats.
The Walk to Emmaus retreat, which is related to the Catholic Cursillo Movement, has been harnessing this understanding for many years. Letters are a potent form of communication as they afford the writer the opportunity to share their thoughts in a considered way. While they frequently texted, tweeted and emailed, they wrote few letters, but spoke of their excitement when an envelope addressed to them fell through their letterbox. ‘W HEN was the last time you sat down to write a letter?’ I recently asked this of a group of students. Paul Gadie - Doctrine & Life December 2018
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