FORMATION
FORMATION 2000
THEME NO. 4
“Call to repentance”
1. Opening Prayer
(To be introduced by the leader then
prayed by all present.)
Leader:
My brothers in Christ, gathered here together as sons of God and in the name
of the Church, let us prepare our minds and hearts and pray to the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ for the renewal of the Church and the salvation of the world.
All:
God of compassion, you created the world out of love. In your tenderness you
sent your Son in the fullness of time to redeem it. We praise you for your mercy and give
you thanks for our new life through the death and resurrection of your Son. Be with us in
this year of Great Jubilee, the anniversary of the birth of your Son, our Redeemer.
May your kingdom here among us
continue to grow through your Spirit, bringing renewal to your Church.
May we be instruments of peace,
justice and reconciliation, within the Church, with others and with all of creation.
May we walk with Mary, who gave birth
to your Son, who is the mother of the Church and model for all disciples. We ask this
through your Son, Jesus who is with us yesterday, today, and forever. Amen.
2. The Focus
(Read by the discussion leader or member
nominated by him.)
The Third Millennium is:
A time of Repentance.
Where members of the Church are found to
have been at fault throughout history and in the history of our own country, the Jubilee
will be the occasion for an expression of our sorrow and a commitment to avoid such
failures in the future.
Adapted
from The Coming of the Third Millennium, Catholic Bishops of Australia.
From "Tertio Millennio
Adveniente" John Paul II
… the joy of every Jubilee is above
all a joy based on the forgiveness of sins, the joy of conversion … which is the
pre-condition for reconciliation with God on the part of both individuals and communities.
#32
… the Church should become more fully
conscious of the sinfulness of her children, recalling those times in history when they
… indulged in ways of thinking and acting which were truly forms of counter-witness
and scandal. #33
These readings are followed by five
minutes of silent reflection on the following:
• The first stage of
repentance and conversion is to become conscious of what we are or are not doing. When we
have looked at how we show the true face of God in society then we can begin to change
direction. What is your experience of the counter-witness and scandal mentioned by the
Holy Father in his document?
3. The Word
(The Word of God gives us our context
for reflection and action. This read by one member.)
A reading from the Gospel of Luke.
… the word of God came to John son of
Zechariah in the wilderness.
He went into all the region around the
Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written
in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah, "The voice of one crying out in the
wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be
filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made
straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'
John said to the crowds that came out to be
baptised by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as
our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to
Abraham. Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that
does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked
him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two
coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."
Even tax collectors came to be baptised, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we
do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you."
Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do
not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your
wages." Luke 3: 2-14
For a few minutes, all silently
reflect on these words of Jesus and on what they place before us.
4. The Sharing
During this time (10 minutes) members
share insights gained from reflection on the Focus and the Word of God considering
particularly the following:
• What are the
characteristics of an attitude of repentance and conversion to the ways of God?
• Can I/we name the
injustices of Christians over the past two millenniums?
• How am I/we part
of this, how can I/we repent for these injustices?
• What is my/our
attitude to the victims of the sinfulness of the Church?
5. The Action
How can we, the Knights of the Southern
Cross, heed the call of the Holy Father to repentance and conversion in the month ahead?
6. Closing Prayer
Prayed by all members.
Blessed are you, all holy God, creator of
the universe; by the gift of the Spirit you made visible our redemption in the mystery of
the incarnation of Christ, your Son, and have given us a share in his mission as prophet,
priest and king.
As we celebrate the great Jubilee, confirm
and strengthen our faith and the faith of all of all Christians. Sustain our hope of
eternal life, and rekindle our charity in active service to our brothers and sisters.
Glory and praise to you, O God of our
salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever. Amen.
