Gffi.YOUTH,,IN. ,',,0:Fqi.1$f$t;(1f" li'&,no.t ourselves,,but Jesus.Ghriqf
4:Lortl;,Wifh:,
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QTION
io$r seryants . . ." (ll Cor4:5.)
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April1989 LAST OF A3.PART SERIES ON ..BUILDING CHRISTIAN GROUPS"
A Vision And A Mission by Francis lturralde
.li,'ft₏i'fligifA$t ntontfi, a fl umber .tif..rP6ople,:.I}av,e'aslred me ffiis 'g*6stiort,I; idaltzed that ane:of the ,i6ii-arini:ia.' tl,,sref.rritnff fhe,reeeal.,sfatertrar reasoai."k. rha...r,r^E af r thd'.j:Getfi ii$ie;8fu o 61'6oi$ 'telerlee.rqf::tfi e Ph ilipp i n e s r e g a rd'
fiE,.,fgr:ifam.eatalist groups. Iher6lg:.:.al.netrrt aensjtiv,ty as to
Irow.otre.,'dpp,roacfi es tfi e C ath a t i c
Church and the Bible.
Well, after reassuring peopte tftrt'r6.,arC- eatholig,l began to
,tftiilf ..ol.'O.tricr. i.easons tarfiy some ana,rrytialO'askff i6:guestion. :,.,Orle:.impo{arlt:reA$on is tfiat it .dreS{t'.f,..lr$eem,;con'lmon fo r ?itniries ..: io' :be'', involved in .SY,il,tl{rell:attbn',,,,, .' :,Oiia6r.aur,rsta{f, related a re eerl,ihdident'at one bf the univer,Silie$iin.'Mahila. After,he gave a brir,t::i t'ation al the gospel rqa$saEe.,.l.o'.-a,,,, W[q{e . !Iag;s,, lm Sfiared, : ab-ort:,liis,,persa0al, 6x. perienbeS.of Goc,l.'
Fle,.was.v,ety carelul' to point out:again a nd.again (abaut taur ot f,'rc:timesl tliat':fie nras a laithf.ul Catl,rolic,, l{e, f ilked.abo ut, how fi is love for the Church and the .sriEie.rnents had grawn since he came into a deeper relationship with'God. 'Tfie first question he was ask ed .afterwards !vas, "Ate you Catholic?,' lt yras the tirst time most ol tfie students had heard a {ay'Catholie sfiare the gospeL 'This amusing stsry brings out afi:: ,.gncomlartable truth; We Caifiiifics need to learn how ta aftd'lr.ant'to siare aur taith with othels. .,,,,
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t
welcome tfie- Bishop's
pastotal qtatement,
on f
A FEW YEARS AGO, some friends and I went camping in the mountains. lnstead of taking the more familiar trails, we decided to "bush-whack", that is, make
our own trail through
thick
vegetation. ln the process, we got lost. With a compass and map, we finally figured out where we were, and how to get to where we were going. Map-reading is essentialto any traveler. He also needs to follow the signs and warnings along the way. So it is with our Christian group. We need to have a vision of who the Lord has called us to be, and know the mission of what the Lord has called us to do. VISION: The "Why"
Why are we doing what we're doing? A Christian group needs to know what God's intention is for the group. Why am I part of this group? Each member should also see his place and role in the body.
The vision establishes our bearings as a group, defines our corporate identity, and clarifies our perception of who are and what we eould become. It is, in short, God's vision for our group and for our lives. For
example, are we called to be a prayer group or a community? To discern our vision, we need to prayerfully seek the mind of God, listen to the Holy Spirit's leadings, be humble and willing to accept God's will. We need to talk about it in the group, and keep it firmly in our minds. This is not a simple, one-time process. Usually the Lord reveals his vision to us gradually; defining, clarifying, confirming, strengthening. There are times when this vision will be undermined, made unclear, or attacked. We need to hold on to it. "A people without a vision perish." (Pr. 29:18) (Continued on p.3)
To discern our vision, we need to seek God
in prayer, listen to lris Holy Spirit, and obey his will.
undamen
tal,ist. gro&p& I .admire tke charitable sp irit ot lh.e letler. I particutarly 'appreciale, 'the clear
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(Co*inued on B,2)
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