On re-building a community

1. COMMUNION TO BUILD UP
COMMUNITY
Chapter - III

2. COME -
UNION
COMMUNION

3. MEANING OF COMMUNION
• Communion – Unity, empathy, closeness,
close association, intimacy, spiritual
union

4. COMMUNITY - THERE IS NO ‘I’ BUT ‘WE’

5. LOVING CONNECTEDNESS IS SPIRITUALITY

6. THREE NEW TESTAMENT WORDS FOR LOVE:
AGAPE, KOINONIA, PHILIA. THE SPIRIT
GATHERS US TOGETHER AS A CARING,
SHARING COMMUNITY ACTS 2,42FF. 4,32FF

7. COMMUNION IN COMMUNITY
• Our religious life is quest for God – in community.
No human being lives alone. (Family – hus, wife,
children, intense relationships, mutual trust)

8. TO BE COMMUNION IS A LIVED
EXPERIENCE OF SPIRITUALTY
• Search God with other – with self- in the community.
“Between you and me where God is present”
• Togetherness is spirituality – where you are united, finding
wholeness – no division.
• You are a gift to your community – each one is a gift from
God so understand and accept her as they are.

9. CONNECTEDNESS
• You can be a healer as you feel connected with one another
(stream of water – underneath it is strongly connected)
• Your faith is expressed, lived, encountered in your
togetherness (Ignatius insisted upon obedience, and
responding to the will of God.)

10. COMMUNION IS TOGETHERNESS
• In religious life, we enter into a group consciously, drawn by
its ideals and inspirational character, and by what our heart
is seeking. – Adult choice – consciously chosen and based on
faith vision.
• Share your story with other, enjoy one another, and take
care of one another
• Being together is a living witness to the lay people.

11. GROWTH OF THE COMMUNITY IS THE
GROWTH IN LOVE, GROWTH IN THE WORD
OF GOD. A HEALTHY COMMUNITY
CELEBRATES LIFE AND LOVE

12. THE MAIN TASK OF A
RELIGIOUS
COMMUNITY IS TO
LIVE TOGETHER IN
REAL LOVE, AND TO
TREAT OTHERS
WITH GENUINE LOVE,
MAKE SURE IT IS A
FAMILY; DON’T LET
IT BECOME A
FACTORY.

13. JESUS’ VISION OF COMMUNITY
• Jesus calls us to work TOGETHER as a TEAM to build up
God’s family Mk 1,16-20 Lk 10,1-2.= listening to the will of
God together and working together to realize it is the
strongest foundation for our community Mk 3,31-34

14. VISION
• Our community is apostolic. We are here for a mission Lk 9,1-5; 10,1-
12 . Tendency to lose sight of it in our every day life.
• Love is the CEMENT of the community 1 Cor 13. Without love there
is no mission, no meaning in our living together, no oil in our lamps
Mt 25,1-13
• God gives us gifts to build up one another. Any gift we can use to build
up one another is a charism 1 Cor 12

15. A COMMUNITY
NEEDS PERIODS
OF STILLNESS,
TIME-OUT,
SABBATH TO
REMAIN HEALTHY
GEN 2, 1-4

16. COMMUNION MODEL IN BIBLE
MT 18 ON COMMUNITY:
• 1-5 childlike trust , transparency, and openness,
• 6-9 use and abuse of freedom or pseudo freedom; concern for the
weaker members
• 10-14 genuine concern for the lost
• 15-17 fraternal correction BORN OUT OF CARE
• 18-20 union in prayer
• 21-35 have a forgiving heart.

17. TO SUM UP
• Community is connectedness, togetherness
• Following the model of Christ’s love and sharing of faith
experience
• My self-gift to the community – not a part tile member but I
put at your disposal my time, my talents, my views and
qualifications. All are equally respected and considered.
Express mutual love and give my best gift to my community.

18. THANK YOU