living community through prayer. let’s build community 1. we are franciscans on a great journey...

Living Community THROUGH PRAYER

Lets Build Community 1. We are Franciscans on a great journey Now living independently; But with the gifts of the Holy Spirit We can build community. 2. We have been blessed, Lord, with our uniqueness And we accept diversity; With affirmation, well help each other To grow in perfect harmony.

3. We will encourage the gift of sharing To listen and communicate; We are Franciscans on a great journey, Willing to cooperate. 4. Well work together with Gods creation; We will support each others needs. Through song and friendships, well have a great time In our Franciscan community.

Saturday Morning Praise Acolyte: O Lord our God, You are worthy to receive praise, honor, glory and blessing. All: Let us praise and glorify God forever Acolyte: Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit All: As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen

The Time is Now: Refrain: Let us reach out to each other as brothers and sisters. Let us serve one another, sharing our giftedness. 1. Gods commandment to his people is Love one another. With the power of the Spirit, we love. He has called us to be faithful in building up his kingdom; Lets be open, for the time is now! The Time is Now: Refrain: Let us reach out to each other as brothers and sisters. Let us serve one another, sharing our giftedness. 1. Gods commandment to his people is Love one another. With the power of the Spirit, we love. He has called us to be faithful in building up his kingdom; Lets be open, for the time is now!

Refrain: Let us reach out to each other as brothers and sisters. Let us serve one another, sharing our giftedness. 2. Jesus calls us to be present in truth to one another. We are gifted, we are special to him. With our talents, we can reach out and strive to be of service; Lets be open, for the time is now! Refrain: Let us reach out to each other as brothers and sisters. Let us serve one another, sharing our giftedness. 2. Jesus calls us to be present in truth to one another. We are gifted, we are special to him. With our talents, we can reach out and strive to be of service; Lets be open, for the time is now!

Refrain: Let us reach out to each other as brothers and sisters. Let us serve one another, sharing our giftedness. 3. He has sent us to bring Good News to everyone around us: To the hungry, to the homeless, the poor. All are needy; all are waiting for ministry and caring; Lets be open, for the time is now! Refrain:

Psalm 126 Acolyte: God has done great things for us; we are truly glad. When God brought back the captives of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouths were filled with laughter and our tongues with rejoicing;

Then they said among the nations, God has done great things for them. God has done great things for us, We are truly glad. Restore our fortunes, O God, like the streams in the Negeb! May those who sow in tears reap with songs of joy!

Those that go forth weeping, carrying the seed for sowing, Shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing the sheaves with them. Glory to the Father As it was in the beginning Prayer(Acolyte): O God, you desire only good for us. May we recognize the miracles you do in and among us that we may always give you thanks and praise.

All: God has done great things for us; we are truly glad. Psalm 67 Acolyte: Let the nations praise you, O God; let all the nations praise you. God, show your faithfulness, bless us, and make your face smile on us! For then the earth will acknowledge your ways, and all the nations will know of your power to save.

May all the Nations praise you, O God; may all the nations praise you! Let the Nations shout and sing for joy since you dispense true justice to the world. You grant strict justice to the peoples; on earth you guide the nations. Let the nations praise you, O God; let all the nations praise you! The soil has given its harvest; God, our God, has blessed us.

May God continue to bless us; and let God be feared to the very ends of the earth. Glory to the Father As it was in the beginning Prayer(Acolyte): O God, you bid us go forth among the nations sharing the good news of your kingdom. May we reap a harvest of justice, joy, and peace All: Let the nations praise you, O God; let all the nations praise you.

Reading - Acts 4: 32 -35 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And Gods grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

Reading - OFS Rule: Article 13 As the Father sees in every person the features of his Son, the firstborn of many brothers and sisters, so the Secular Franciscans with a gentle and courteous spirit accept all people as a gift of the Lord and an image of Christ. A sense of community will make them joyful and ready to place themselves on an equal basis with all people, especially with the lowly for whom they shall strive to create conditions of life worthy of people redeemed by Christ.

Response: Acolyte: Do not make anything your own, neither house, nor place, nor anything at all. -Do not make anything your own, neither house, nor place, nor anything at all. Acolyte: Seek nothing else under heaven but God alone, - neither house, nor place, nor anything at all. Acolyte: Glory to the Father -Do not make anything your own, neither house, nor place, nor anything at all.

Blessd Be The God of Israel Blessd be the God of Israel, The ever living Lord, Who comes in powr to save his own, His people Israel. For Israel he raises up Salvations towr on high In Davids house, who reigned as king And servant of the Lord. Blessd Be The God of Israel Blessd be the God of Israel, The ever living Lord, Who comes in powr to save his own, His people Israel. For Israel he raises up Salvations towr on high In Davids house, who reigned as king And servant of the Lord.

Through holy prophets did he speak His word in days of old, That he would save us from our foes And all who bear us ill. So to our fathers did he give His covenant of love; So with their sons he keeps his word In love that knows no end.

Of old he gave his solemn word To father Abraham: His seed a mighty race should be And blessd for evermore. He vowed to set his people free From fear of every foe That we might serve him all our days In goodness, love and peace.

O tiny child, your name shall be The prophet of the Lord; The way of God you shall prepare To make his coming known. You shall proclaim to Israel Salvations dawning day, When God shall wipe away our sins In his redeeming love.

The rising Sun shall shine on us To bring the light of day To all who sit in darkest night And shadow of the grave. Our footsteps God shall safely guide To walk the ways of peace. His name for evermore be blessd Who lives and loves and saves.

Intercessions: Acolyte: O God, source of all goodness, you desire good for all peoples. Hear us as we pray: For prisoner of war, for those missing in action, for those missing in combat: -may they feel the comfort of knowing they are loved and remembered, For doctors, nurses and all medical personnel: - may their skill and commitment bring healing to many

For all who teach those who are illiterate, and for all who serve those with learning disabilities: - may they have the resources they need to carry out their work. For those who hold grudges, those who close their lives to compassion, those who live for themselves: may they be opened to the light of life and reconciliation. Our Father .

Prayer (Acolyte): O God, may we announce and preach your goodness to all nations in such a way that praise and thanks may always be given to you by all peoples throughout the world at every hour. We ask this through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. Blessing (Spiritual Assistant): May we be blessed by the Lord God who made heaven and earth. We already possess the promise of a future inheritance and the pledge of the Holy Spirit.

Come, Build My Church Come, build my Church; its falling to ruin Thats what the Father tells me to do. Give stones and mortar; lets build together This lowly house of God. To every town and village and valley Preach what the good Lord has done for us. Tell of his mercy; sing of his love. Let all glorify his name.

Be poor in spirit and in your living; Live like the larks and doves up above. Care not for what this world can provide us Trust in Gods loving care. Praised be the Lord! Praised be the Lord! Praised be the Lord, O my soul! O praise the Lord, Praise the Lord!

Living Community in Fraternity

Community When Jean Vanier uses the word community he is essentially talking of groupings of people who have left their own milieu to live with others under the same roof, and work from a new vision of human beings and their relationships with each other and with God.

The book (also). applies to people who, although do not live together, are deeply bound to each other and meet regularly in small communities to share about themselves and their ideal, to pray and to find mutual support and encouragement, and to be witnesses of love and hope in the world.

So many people enter groups in order to develop a certain form of spirituality or to acquire knowledge about the things of God and of humanity. But that is not community; it is a school. It becomes a community only when people start truly caring for each other and for each others growth. He who loves community, destroys community; he who loves the brethren, builds community. - Esther de Wall.

What is Community That is, a community that is committed to itself to appearing perfect, stable and secure rather than to people, to their growth and inner freedom.is not a community that is centered on love, love of each other. Community is a safe place It allows us gradually to accept ourselves as we are with our wounds and all the monsters. We are broken, but we are loved. We can grow to greater openness and compassion; we have a mission..

COMMUNITY

1.Secular Franciscans should pledge themselves to live the spirit of the Beatitudes and, in a special way, the spirit of poverty. Evangelical poverty demonstrates confidence in the Father, creates interior freedom, and disposes them to promote a more just distribution of wealth. General Constitutions Article 15

Poverty Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life (John 12:25) We see people as God sees them; We see their wounds and their pain; We no longer see them as problems. We become vulnerable and terribly poor.

True Community the enemy is inside each person and inside the community, not outside; true community is against all the powers of pride, elitism, hate and depression which hurt and crush others, and which causes division and (walls) of all sorts. the enemy is inside, not outside (its me).

Forgiveness Jesus called his followers to love, to love one another as he loves them; not just to love others as oneself; but to love others with the very love of God, to see them with the eyes of the Lord. Paul tells us to, Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Ephesians 5: 21

Community is the place where people grow in love and in peace-making. we have sinned against God and against our brothers and sisters, Community is the place of forgiveness (This is critical) for communities to grow. but that we are forgiven and can grow towards truer love, then we can accept the weaknesses and flaws of others.

Patience one day you will be able to say something good about (them).

Those with whom we have the greatest difficulty Those who are the poorest, the oldest, the weakest, the most demanding, the ailing Those who are the most marginalized, who have the most difficulty conforming to the rules And finally those who are the youngest.

Trust Mutual trust is born in forgiveness and acceptance of the frailty and poverty of ourselves and of others. A community in which there is truly mutual trust is a community which is indestructible.

force people to be what they are not We then expect too much of them and are quick to judge and label if they dont manage to live up to (the) image (that we gave them).

Community is not about perfect people. It is about who are bonded to each other, each of whom is a mixture of good, and bad, darkness and light, love and hate. There can only be growth if we recognize the potential in others and allow them to discover and accept themselves as they are, with their gifts and their wounds.

To love people is to recognize their gifts and to help these (gifts) unfold; it is also to accept their wounds and be patient and compassionate towards them. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)

Called by God just as we are each person must love the others with all their differences, and work with them for the community. Yes, Community life is not easy but, it becomes possible because of the call of Jesus.

Ask how you can better love your brothers and sisters. Then you will find peace. Stop seeing the flaws thank God there are some! Look rather at your own defects and know that you are forgiven and can, in your turn forgive others and today enter into the conversion of love, and remember, pray always. Everything will resolve itself through love. Stop wasting time running after the perfect community.

isnt the recognition that I am an obstacle, and sharing that with my brothers and sisters Humility and trust are more at the foundation of community life than perfection and generosity. and asking for their forgiveness, is what community life is all about?

Love makes us weak and vulnerable, because it breaks down the barriers and protective armour we have built around ourselves. Love means letting others reach us and becoming sensitive enough to reach them. The cement of unity is interdependence. The cement that unites us in our community is the part of us that is the weakest and smallest.. Communityis made by small gestures of caring,..

by services and sacrifices which say I love you and Im happy to be with you. It is letting the other go in front of you, not trying to prove that you are right in a discussion; its taking small burdens from the other. Rule 13: A sense of community will make them joyful and ready to place themselves on an equal basis with all people, especially with the lowly .

.at the very heart of the Gospel is life in community and engagement with others.centered on charity The very mystery of the Trinity reminds us that we have been created in the image of that divine communion, and so we cannot achieve fulfillment or salvation purely by our own efforts. - Joy of the Gospel

GIFT & GROWTH Using our gifts is building community. If we are not faithful to our gifts, we are harming the community and each of its members as well 1 Corinthians 12: 3-7, 12-13

Gift it is important that the gift of each member is recognised and that each is accountable to the others for the use to which this gift is put. It is important that all members know what their gifts are, use them and take responsibility for developing them;

We all need each others gifts; Everyone will find their place in community according to their gift. And so rivalry and jealousy will evaporate. They will become not only useful but unique and necessary to the others. We must encourage their growth and our fidelity to them

Envy is one of the plagues that destroys community. It comes from peoples ignorance of, or lack of belief, in their own gifts. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to accept what we have been given. and to accept what others have been given. If we were confident in our own gift, we would not envy that of others.

There are many gifts and not all are linked to function: Gift of compassion Gift of discernment Gift of light Gift of creating an atmosphere which brings joy, relaxation, and individual growth Gift of welcome Each person has a gift to use for the good and growth of all.

Gift of availability Availability for service is one of the most marvellous gifts that we can find in community who take on whatever is asked of them to have a child-like spirit They have the confidence that they would not be asked if they were not capable of doing it, by the grace of the spirit. Many are good at talking about what they are doing, but in fact do little. Others do a lot but dont talk about it.

Gift of the Poor The most precious gift in community is rooted in weakness It is when we are frail and poor that we need others, that we call them to love and use all their gifts. Through their humiliation and the offering of their suffering, they become sources of life for others. This is the mystery of faith.

Goal .making the transition from Community for myself to myself for the community, when each persons heart is opening to all others, without any exceptions. This is the movement from egoism to love, from death to resurrection

Love means sharing the same vision and same ideal .wanting others to fulfil themselves according to Gods plan and in the service of other people. The Goal of Love Love is listening to the others, being concerned for them and feeling empathy with them. It is to see their beauty and reveal it to them....it is gift of God..

Goal of Christian Community Christian communities are there to bring life and hope to people in pain.to respond to a call from God, to respond to the cry of the poorand to the oppressed. I am convinced communal life can flourish only if it exist for an aim outside itself. has a purpose which is other than, or above, that of being a community. (Bruno Bettelheim) Rule 4: to observe the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.. Rule 12: .they should set themselves free to love God and their brothers and sisters. Rule 13: A sense of community will make them joyful and ready to place themselves on an equal basis with all people, especially with the lowly.

All communities should be working towards this unity one heart, one soul, one spirit. . A gift of God to which we have the right and duty to aspire. ..Trinity Rule 23: The entire community is engaged in this process of growth by its own manner of living. Rule 24: To foster communion among membersencourage everyone to a life of fraternity. Rule 19: Mindful that they are bearers of peace, they should seek out ways of unity and fraternal harmony through dialogue, trusting in the presence of the divine seed in everyone and in the transforming power of love and pardon.

God is a family of three; three persons in communion one with another, giving themselves totally one to another, each one relative to the other.Trinity. (John 17:11) Trinity.

Growth in Community The first call is frequently to follow Jesus or to prepare ourselves to do wonderful and noble things for the Kingdom. We are appreciated and admired by family, by friends... The second call comes later, when we accept that we cannot do big or heroic things for Jesus; it is time of renunciation, humiliation and humility. (a poverty) But this suffering is not useless. It is only through this pain of the cross that we discover what the resurrection means. deep wounda loneliness... reach a new wisdom of love We cannot accept it until we discover that we are loved by God just as we are, and that the Holy Spirit, in a mysterious way, is living at the centre of the wound.

Sins of Community The first sin of a community is to turn its eyes from the One who called it to life, to look at itself instead. The second sin is to find itself beautiful and to believe itself to be a source of life. The third sin is that of despair. The community discovers that it is not a source of life, that it is poor, that it lacks vitality and creativity.

Nourishment of community comes in the moments when together we discover that we make up a single body, that we belong to each other and that God has called us to be together as a source of life for each other and for the world. They are a gift,..

There may be divisions in community, especially between professionally-oriented, who want more competence, and the spiritually-oriented, who want a more religious life Division in Community God has promised to help us. taking small steps forward. They must keep the heart of a child.

(2) But the leaders mission is also to create an atmosphere of mutual love, confidence, sharing, peace and joy among the communitys members. Leaders of a community (1) They must keep their eyes and those of the community fixed on what is essential, on the fundamental aims of the community. And all of us, and not only the leader, are called to be servants of communion. Through trust shownwill lead members to trust others

Dangers in Leadership 1. to want authority for the honour, prestige and admiration that comes with it. . We interfere with the work of others, taking charge of everything and jealously guarding our authority. 2. There is the danger of failing to take a decision because we are afraid of making the wrong one... 3. There is those who tend to say yes to everyone 4. (Leaders)must always share their work, even if others do it less well than they do or in a different way.

5. those who agree and those who do not. 6. They become the lazy optimist: Everything will sort itself out, becomes their slogan. 7. leaders (who) are concerned only with rules and regulations. They do not try to understand how these affect people 8. We are often too dependent on the people with responsibility. We look constantly for their approval.

When people are using their gifts it is important that the community prays for them to be more open to inspiration and more an instrument of God, so that they can use those gifts better. It is important, too, that the community welcomes those gifts in love and gratitude. So we participate in each others gifts, and help each other build community. Each person is indispensable in his or her own way. A community is beautiful when all its members are using their gifts fully.

Trust (The gift of listening) is an important gift in community .butwe must offer security. None of us would speak to people unless we knew that they were safe and would respect our secret. An assurance of confidentiality is an essential part of being a listener. This means knowing how to respect the wounds and the suffering of others and not divulging these.

Men and Women When men and women refuse to work together, it can become a (a source of conflict) which can lead to chaos. men are more turned towards the external world and women, by their physical capacity to bear children, towards relationships Women are more sensitive to the realities of community life and men are more sensitive to reason, efficiency and structures. (Together) men and women bring so much to each other and to the community.

Mission The mission of a (Christian) community is to give life to others, that is, to say, transmit new hope and new meaning to them. Through love and tenderness, through welcome and listening, we can give life to people. The glory of God is people fully alive, fully living.

Jesus came to announce good news to the poor, freedom to the oppressed and imprisoned, and sight to the blind. Mission He came to liberate, to open up new doors and avenues; he came to take away guilt, to heal, make whole and to save. And he asked his disciples to continue this mission of life- giving, of fecundity and of liberation. That is the mission of every Christian community.

living community through prayer. let’s build community 1. we are franciscans on a great journey...

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