Open Our Hearts - excerpt

8/14/2019 Open Our Hearts - excerpt

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Open

hearts our


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Open

hearts A Small-Group Guide for anCycle C

Donna L. Ciangio, O.P.

Thomas B. Iwanowski

our

active lent

ave maria press notre dame, indiana


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Scripture texts used in this work are taken romTe New American Bible copyright 1991, 1986, and 1970 by the Con raternity o Christian Doctrine, Washington,DC, and are used by permission o the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No parto Te New American Bible may be reproduced in any orm or by any means withoutpermission in writing rom the publisher.____________________________________

2010 by Donna L. Ciangio, O.P. and Tomas B. Iwanowski All rights reserved. No part o this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, except in the case o reprints in the context o reviews, without writtenpermission rom Ave Maria Press, Inc., P.O. Box 428, Notre Dame, IN 46556.

Founded in 1865, Ave Maria Press is a ministry o the Indiana Province o Holy Cross.

www.avemariapress.com

ISBN-10 1-59471-242-5 ISBN-13 978-1-59471-242-5

Cover image Bob Jensen / Alamy

Cover and text design by John R. Carson.

Printed and bound in the United States o America.


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? Welcome

Welcome to Open Our Hearts ! Tis booklet was created withyou in mindCatholics who will gather in small groupsthis Lent to learn rom and encourage one another. It is designedto help you open your heart and mind to the Good News o JesusChrist and to live according to that Good News. Te purpose o Lent and o this aith sharing program is not simply to listen, pray,

and learn about our aith but to put that aith into action. Tepurpose o Lent and o your time with your small group is to helpchange the way you live each day so that your li e will more closely reveal to the world the Kingdom o God.

Open Our Hearts invites small group participants to deepentheir aith and their service by linking re ection on scripture totheir lives as individuals, amily members, parishioners, and asCatholics engaged in civil society. Lent is the per ect time orrenewal. It is the Churchs opportunity to be on retreat or eacho us to take quality time to see where we are with God and how

we serve others because o our aith. Each o us is called to deepenour relationship with God every day o our li e, and Lent helps usreview and recommit ourselves to that relationship and to the good

works it calls orth rom us.During Lent, Catholics o ten gather in small groups to read

and re ect on the scriptures. Tis is a great way to pray and learnand get to know others in a deeper way. Te small group processhelps us to understand that we are continually invited by God intoa loving relationship. It is God who leads us on a journey o aith.

As Christians, we are part o a community o believers who needothers to support us along the way. Te process o sharing our aithinvolves re ection on the radition o the Church as we experi-

ence it in our scriptures, doctrines, pastoral initiatives, liturgy, anddevotions. Tis radition is necessarily set alongside current eventsand issues being explored in both the religious and civic arenas. By re ecting with others, we afrm what we believe and how we liveout our aith, which should lead us to actions that improve our

world in some way.


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Faith sharing is a orm o prayer when we witness how Godis working in each group member. Small groups are also a great

way to connect people with each other and invite them into par-ish ministry and outreach. We hope you nd this a great bene tto you in your aith development. May you use this Lent to assessyour relationship with God, realign your priorities, and go orth todo good works!


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? Using This Booklet

This Lenten booklet is designed or small group re ection andpersonal prayer in conjunction with the Mass readings or Lent.Groups o this kind do well with about six to eight participants.Part I contains outlines or six weekly gatherings that will likely last about ninety minutes each. Te weekly re ection anticipatesthe coming Sunday to help group members prepare or hearing

the Word o God proclaimed during the celebration o the Eucha-rist. Week One is there ore intended to be used during the week o Ash Wednesday, in anticipation o the First Sunday o Lent.Consequently, the last session, Week Six, is rooted in the scripturereadings or Palm/Passion Sunday. Following this schedule meansthat small groups do not meet during Holy Week and can ocusinstead on the liturgical celebrations o the great Easter riduum asthe pinnacle o our Church year.

Part II contains a re ection or each weekday o Lent and isdesigned to provide group participants with a simple tool to helpthem stay ocused between group meetings.

The Small Group Format

Preparing or the Session

Group members should prepare ahead o time or each sessionby reading and re ecting on the scripture and the material or each

week. A bible should be available or reading the scripture passagesaloud when the group gathers. A acilitator in each group will helpmembers participate, keep the group ocused, and monitor time.

Sett ing the Environment

Tis provides some hints or the host and/or acilitator on pre-paring a welcoming place or the group to meet, including creatinga simple ocal point or prayer and re ection.


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Gathering Prayer

Te Gathering Prayer centers the group and calls or Godsblessing on the groups sharing.

Connect ing with Li e

Tis section serves as a guide to the theme o the scripture orthe coming Sunday. A ew questions help the group move into there ection each week.

Listening to the Word

A member o the group (pre erably with some preparation)reads aloud the Sunday Gospel. Te rst and second readings may also be proclaimed, depending on the groups pre erence. But, inthe interest o time, the group may choose to hear only the Gospelat each session.

Appreciat ing the Word

Another group member reads aloud the re ection or com-mentary, which is ocused primarily on the Gospel reading. Brie re ections on the other readings are also included in case the group

wishes to re ect on these as well.

Re lect ing on My Li e

Te re ection questions ocus on the Gospel. Participants shareon a personal level, describing how they apply the Gospel to theirlives.

Re lect ing on My Home

Tis section is designed to encourage group members to re ecton how the Gospel is lived at home. Families or households areencouraged to re ect on their aith together and consider prayerand action together.


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has the opportunity to participate. Introverts will likely need a ew minutes to think be ore they are ready to speak, while extroverts

generally begin speaking more readily. Te acilitator may need todraw out some group members and remind others to allow time orellow participants to talk.

Everyone in the group shares the responsibility or having agreat session. Te acilitator should help the group evaluate eachsession so that any needed improvements can be made. It is alsoa good idea or either the acilitator or another group member tocontact those who could not make the meeting to let them know they were missed and encourage them to come the next week.

A Word about Con ident ial i ty

What is said in the group stays in the group! People grow intheir depth o sharing as the trust level grows in the group, so eachmember should show the utmost respect or each member and or

God who lives in each person. Each member should understandthat your purpose in meeting is to grow in depth o aith and inrelationship with God and one another. Respect each other by commitment to the meeting time and by honoring with con -dentiality the personal stories and thoughts that are shared in yourtime together.


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W kl

Sm ll Gr upS ssi s


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? Week One: Led by the Spirit

ReadInGS foR The fIRST SUnday of LenT: Deuteronomy 26:410 Romans 10:813 Luke 4:113

Sett ing the Environment

B On a table in the center o your group, covered with a Lenten (purple) colored cloth, place a cruci x, a bible, and a lighted candle. Begin the session by slowly making the sign o the cross together.

Gathering Prayer

Be with us, O God, as we begin our Lenten journey.Strengthen us as we walk the way rom sin

to the ont o living waterand recommit ourselves to our baptismal promises.

We ask this in the name o Jesus, who lives and reigns with you in the unity o the Holy Spirit,one God, orever and ever.

Amen

Connect ing with Li e

B The acilitator or another member o the group reads aloud the ollowing introduction then introduces the discussion questions that ollow it.

Sometimes in li e, people place us in situations that make usuncom ortable and they do so or our own good. Parents may register their shy child or summer camp in order to give that child


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a chance to make some riends. An academic advisor may insist astudent take more advanced courses in order to challenge that stu-

dent to grow intellectually. An employer may require a subordinateto make a presentation be ore potential clients in order to instillgreater sel -con dence in that employee.

Sometimes those in authority lead us to do things we wouldrather not do, to go places we would rather not go, to con ront situa-tions we would rather avoid. And they do so or our own good.

Tink of a time when you were required to do something you

would have pre erred to avoid, and by doing what you wereasked, you grew as a person. Describe that time. What was itlike?

Have you ever encouraged someone to go beyond their com-ort zone or his or her own good?

Listening to the Word

B Take a quiet moment to pray a prayer such as, O Lord, be in our minds, in our hearts, and on our lips that we might listen

ully to your Word. A member o the group then reads aloud the Gospel or

the First Sunday o Lent, using the bible rom the table in the center o the group.

Gospel Reading: Luke 4:113

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned romthe Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert or

orty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothingduring those days, and when they were over he was

hungry. Te devil said to him, I you are the Son o God, command this stone to become bread. Jesusanswered him, It is written, One does not live by bread alone. Ten he took him up and showed himall the kingdoms o the world in a single instant. Tedevil said to him, I shall give to you all this power


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and their glory; or it has been handed over to me,and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be

yours, i you worship me. Jesus said to him in reply,It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God,and him alone shall you serve.

Ten he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand onthe parapet o the temple, and said to him, I you arethe Son o God, throw yoursel down rom here, orit is written:

He will command his angels concerning you, toguard you, and: With their hands they will supportyou, lest you dash your oot against a stone.

Jesus said to him in reply, It also says, You shallnot put the Lord, your God, to the test. When thedevil had nished every temptation, he departed romhim or a time.

Appreciat ing the Word

B A ter a moment o silent refection, another member o the group reads the ollowing commentary.

At his baptism in the Jordan River, the Spirit o God camedown upon Jesus as the voice o God proclaimed, Tis is my beloved Son. Te Spirit o God then led Jesus into the desert,a place where he would not have chosen to spend orty days andnights. Tere the Spirit o God led Jesus to con ront the devil andhis temptations. Tere the Spirit o God led Jesus to re ect on whohe was. Tere, in the desert, the Spirit o God led Jesus to considerhis mission and ministry.

Tat same Spirit o God now leads us into the desert, not a

desert o blazing sun and scorching heat, but a desert made up o the orty days o Lent. It is in this Lenten desert that the Spirit o God challenges us to re ect on our li e just as the Spirit o Godled Jesus to re ect on his li e and mission as he aced temptation.In this Lenten desert the Spirit leads us to examine whether we are

aith ully living out the promises o our baptismpromises to turn


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Open Our Hearts - excerpt