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Spiritual Conversation in Small Groups
CONTEXT
"Those who feared God spoke with one another, and God listened
attentively". (Malachi 3:16).
This conversation is deeply
rooted in faith ‑ humble, poor, open, and willing to learn or to
teach, to forgive and to be forgiven, to be loved and to love.
SOME REMINDERS
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The
major activity of any small group sharing is grateful listening.
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Every
person is an expert on his/her own experience.
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Participation in a small group is not a communal performance.
Share what you can not what you can't. Listening is an important
form of participation.
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Describe your experience, views, concerns, questions, etc., in a
brief, clear, manner.
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This
is not the place to homilize, moralize, monopolize, for extended
discussions, solving problems, rescuing, deciding, debating,
interfering with another's contribution.
BRIEF REFLECTION
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What
happened to me as I prayed?
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As I
look over my prayer, where and how did I experience God's
presence most deeply?
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What
feelings does this arouse in me?
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What
will I share and how will I express myself briefly?
SHARE
Share
by going around the group expressing and listening to each other.
SECOND ROUND OF SHARING
After
the persons in the group have gone around and shared the
experience of the results of their prayer it is helpful for those
sharing and for a sense of community that a second round of
sharing take place. After a few moments of reflecting on the
following questions share briefly:
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Where did I experience
affective union and concurrence with the others as they shared?
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What new insight was I
given about myself and the group?
LEADERS MANUAL
Christian Life Communities, Canada
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