1SESSION

11

“

aRISe!Gathering together in christ

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any posses-sions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrec-tion of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.”

acts of the apostles 4:32-33 [NRSV]

• The nature of faith as both personal (we each have to say “I believe”) and communal (we share the faith of the Church)

• The importance of faith sharing (which respects both the personal and communal aspects of faith)

• We gather, united in our quest for an encounter with Christ

— What are our hopes and expectations?

— Have we come looking for what we want, or are we ready to receive what we need?

— Are we open to what this encounter with Christ will bring, to where it may lead us?

Focus for this Session

SAMPLE

SESSION

ARISE • SeaSon one • Encountering Christ Today

12

GatHeRIntroductions

Allow a few moments for everyone to introduce them-selves briefly. The leader should start, and then invite the other members in turn to present themselves.

Opening Prayer Leader As we gather for our first meeting, let us remember that we are all children of God … … that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ … Brief pause Let us pray that we will enjoy our time together … ... that we will sense the presence of Christ who promises to be with all those gathered in his name … ... and that by this sharing, his Word may speak to our hearts. Brief pause

Suggested Song Gather Us In verses 1 & 2

BReakInG OPen OUR StORYReflection

While visiting my mother after her second RENEW small group meeting, I asked how the session went. With surprise in her voice, she said, “Do you know that some people think of Jesus as their best friend?” Her response caught my attention. “Mom, how do you think of Jesus?” I inquired. “Well,” she said, “I think of Jesus as my Savior, my Redeemer.”

I thought, How beautiful! Here is my Mom in her late seventies, discovering something I had long believed, but never shared with her. Jesus was my best friend, my constant companion, one I talked to throughout the day.

SAMPLE

SESSION

13

Here is my Mom who taught me to pray; who when we were in grade and high school led the six of us in the family rosary each evening after dinner; who together with my Dad prayed night prayers aloud just before retiring each evening.

This was the per-son who brought me to encounter Jesus. How beautiful that in her 70s, she had the opportunity of a fresh encounter with Jesus, and came to think of Jesus not just as Savior and Redeemer, but as her best friend!

To gather, as we do now, to faith share, is to respect in a very real way that “my” faith is a faith I share with others. Faith sharing is explicit recognition that in my quest to encounter Jesus, I need the help of others, and an expression of my willingness to help them in exactly the same quest.

Invitation to ShareTake a few moments of silence to reflect on one of the following questions. Then share your reflections.1. What are my hopes and expectations as I gather

with the group for this first faith-sharing session? Share these briefly with the group.

2. Share a time when something someone else said became a significant part of your own thinking, or altered your attitude in some way.

BReakInG OPen GOd’S StORYthe word of God

Sometime before the meeting, the leader asks a member of the group to be prepared to proclaim the passage from the Gospel according to Mark.

session 1: ARISE! Gathering Together In Christ

Our access to the Gospels is made possible by doing faith-filled reading of the sacred texts, by listening to them in the Church’s liturgy, and by witnessing their mean-ing in our lives and in the lives of others.”

United States Catholic Catechism for Adults,

page 80

“making the Gospel come alive

SAMPLE

SESSION

ARISE • SeaSon one • Encountering Christ Today

14

Mark 2:1-12The cure of a paralytic Reader The Gospel of the Lord. All Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflect Moment of silent reflection• What word, phrase, or image from the Scripture

reading touches my heart or speaks to my life?

Invitation to ShareThe leader invites those who so wish to echo a key word or phrase that touched them from the Scripture passage.

Reflection All across our diocese, in nearly every parish, people are gathering together, and in a very real sense they are gathering for an encounter with Jesus … just as people gathered around the house in Capernaum when they heard he was there.

What motivated them—and us—to gather around Jesus in this way? No doubt there were some gathered around that house in Capernaum because they heard that Jesus the wonder-worker was in town, and they hoped to see a miracle.

Still others were probably hoping to benefit from a miracle; maybe they were longing that some-thing wrong in their life would be put right by this man about whom they had heard so much.

This is the man who had healed not only his friend’s mother-in-law, but everyone they brought to him. Not just physical healing either, but liberating people from evil spirits.

Others again were there to hear him talk. Here was someone, they all said, who spoke with authority, who spoke about the kingdom being at hand, who brought good news.

SAMPLE

SESSION

15

All of these people, for one reason or another, were interested in having an encounter with Jesus.

Then more arrive: one is a paralytic, carried by four people, but they can’t get near Jesus because of the crowd. Undaunted, they drag the stretcher up to the roof, strip it off, and lower their friend.

An amazing dialogue ensues—amazing for a number of reasons. Mark tells us that what follows is because Jesus sees faith, but surprisingly, the faith not of the paralytic but of his friends. Amazing because what Jesus first grants is the deepest heal-ing, the very reason for which he has been sent by God; to offer forgive-ness of sin, reconciliation with God, the very foun-dation on which the king-dom he preaches is built. If you were the paralytic, your immediate reaction might have been disap-pointment. “This isn’t what I expected to hear!” It’s not well received by some of the onlookers either, who ironically considered themselves the experts on matters religious. “Who does he think he is!”

What about us? Didn’t we, too, first encounter Jesus thanks to someone else? Many of us have been baptized as babies, literally brought to Jesus by oth-ers, and it was on the strength of their faith that we became members of the Church. Even if we were baptized as adults, were we not encouraged on our faith journey by others? Or think even about coming to this small community meeting; how many of us

session 1: ARISE! Gathering Together In Christ

Miracles and faith go closely together. There is a double connection between faith and miracles:1. The purpose of the miracle is to lead to

faith; that is, to provoke the question “Who is this?” The purpose of the miracle is to awaken the basic human attitude of wonder, and thus enlighten people. Miracles are meant to make people ask questions and shake their certainties. …

2. Seeing and recognizing miracles as mira-cles, that is, as acts of God, presupposes faith. Miracles are signs for faith….

Belief in miracles is not belief in prodigies, but trust in God’s almighty power and provi-dence. The real object of this belief is not various extraordinary phenomena, but God. What Jesus’ miracles are ultimately saying is that in Jesus God was carrying out his plan, and that God acted in him for the salvation of humankind and the world.”

From Jesus the Christby Walter Kaspar

“miracles and Faith

SAMPLE

SESSION

ARISE • SeaSon one • Encountering Christ Today

16

would be here if we had not been brought, or at least encouraged to come, by others?

Then again, we’ve probably come to this meet-ing with certain expectations, however vague. Is an encounter with Christ ever what we expect? As long as we leave ourselves open, then we will find we receive more from the encounter than we ever dreamed.

“Get up!’ Jesus says, not just to the paralyt-ic, but to us too, who have gathered, eager for an encounter with him. The word Mark uses (in the original Greek) is “Arise,” the very same word the angel will use later in this same Gospel to say Jesus has been raised (Mark 16:6). What hap-pened to the paralytic? A happier life, we hope, buteventually, he would have died. The call we hear is from a Christ who is beyond death, is greater than death, who is already himself risen and wanting to share that risen life with us. All we have to do is wel-come that invitation, and let the Spirit of the risen Jesus transform us so that we become his healing presence in the world today.

An immense privilege—but also a responsibility. Are we ready for it? Alone, certainly not, but together, we can be. Today is a first step. Strengthened by our sharing, we can move forward, together in Christ.

Invitation to ShareTake a few moments of silence to reflect on the follow-ing questions. Then share your reflections.1. Who am I in this Gospel story? One of the crowd

who is interested, but whose interest blocks others from Jesus? The paralytic, longing for healing, but who needs the help of others to bring me to Jesus? One of the friends who bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus?

2. The paralytic (and his friends) come looking for healing. Jesus first offers forgiveness. What do I hope for in seeking an encounter with Jesus?

SAMPLE

SESSION

17

3. Jesus’ last words to the paralytic man are that he should “… go home.” What is Jesus sending me home to do?

InVItatIOn tO actSharing and being together in a small Christian community fosters growth in our faith and in our spirituality. But no communal sharing is complete without a serious commitment to putting our faith into practice.In this session we have reflected on seeking out an encounter with Christ: to what kind of action does this inspire us? Some Suggestions1. Commit to a specific action of service to the sick.

For example: • visit or send a card to someone who is sick:

someone from your parish, neighborhood, or a colleague from work

• if your parish celebrates a public ceremony of the anointing of the sick, offer whatever help is appropriate in preparing for it and making it happen

2. Talk to family, friends, neighbors about your expe-rience in this first week of faith sharing. Is there someone else I could bring to the next ARISE meeting?

3. In what way can I open myself to an encounter with the forgiving Christ? One way might be by preparing for and receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation.

closing Prayer Suggested Song Healer of Our Every Ill

Leader It is truly right and just that we should always give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God. All We praise you and thank you!

session 1: ARISE! Gathering Together In Christ

SAMPLE

SESSION

ARISE • SeaSon one • Encountering Christ Today

18

Leader For you do not cease to spur us on to possess a more abundant life and, being rich in mercy, you constantly offer pardon and call on sinners to trust in your forgiveness alone. All We praise you and thank you! Leader Never did you turn away from us, and, though time and again we have broken your covenant, you have bound the human family to yourself through Jesus your Son, our Redeemer, with a new bond of love so tight that it can never be undone. All We praise you and thank you!

Leader Even now you set before your people a time of grace and reconciliation, and, as they turn back to you in spirit, you grant them hope in Christ Jesus and a desire to be of service to all, while they entrust themselves more fully to the Holy Spirit. (from the Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation I,

The Roman Missal)

Leader In the silence of our hearts, let us bring in faith and in prayer to the Lord those we know who are suffering in mind or body. Pause for silent prayer, then: Let us pray, in faith. All May the Lord come to those we have named in our hearts, with his mercy and love and grant them healing, forgiveness, and renewal.

SAMPLE

SESSION

19

session 1: ARISE! Gathering Together In Christ

Leader For ourselves, too, let us pray. All May the Lord guide our hearts in the way of his love. May he give us strength to walk in newness of life.

looking aheadPrepare for the next faith-sharing meeting by reading over Session Two.In particular:• read the “Focus of this Session” (on page 20). • read the Gospel passage: Mark 8:27-35. It would

help you set this passage in context if you were to read from Mark 1:14 (the beginning of Jesus’ minis-try) up to this passage.

SAMPLE

SESSION