FORMATION
FORMATION 1998
THEME NO.3
"The Spirit and the
Church"
1. Formation Prayer
(To be recited by all present).
In the name of the Father …
Heavenly Father, as we commence this
session of the Formation Programme, help us to believe you are near to us and that you
care for each of us every day of our lives. Send the Holy Spirit to be our helper and our
guide, enlightening our minds, giving us the grace to serve you with generous hearts and
inspiring us to stand firm as Christians in your love. We ask this through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
2. Scripture Reading - Ephesians
4:1-6
(Read by the discussion leader or
member nominated by him.)
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg
you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility
and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to
maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit,
just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one Baptism,
one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
3. The Message
(Read by the discussion leader or the
member nominated by him.)
Paul names enthusiastically all that we
have in common through Christ and through the work of the Holy Spirit. Having so much in
common is a call to union, love and peace. There is still even more; even particular gifts
must be placed at the service of the community in the same way as stones or bricks of a
building. And what is being built is not just any building, nor is it simply a temple. It
is the Body of Christ, or the Perfect Man, made up of the millions of members now forming
humanity and those of the future. The Church is referred to in the Catechism of the
Catholic Church as the ‘Body of Christ" and the ‘Temple of the Holy
Spirit’. The understanding of the Church calls for an inseparable link between Christ
and the Spirit. There is a unity of mission even though each has a distinct role. So the
Spirit dwells in the Church, makes its home there, thus making it the Body of Christ. The
Spirit dwells in the Church seeking to embody there what occurred in Christ. The Spirit is
known in the concrete things which are part of the Church’s life: the scriptures,
tradition, the teachings of the Pope and the Bishops, in the words and the symbols of the
liturgy, in apostolic and missionary life, and in holy people. The Spirit is like a gentle
breeze, moving through all of these things making up the life of the Church.
4. The Exercise
(Five minutes of reflection by all
members.)
How inclusive is my understanding of those
who belong to the Church?
Where in the life of the Church do I
experience the movement of the Spirit?
Which description of the Church as the
‘Body of Christ’ or the ‘Temple of the Holy Spirit’ appeals to me and
why does it do so?
5. The Sharing
(Members share aspects of their
personal faith and its place in their lives that have come to them through the Exercise.)
6. The Word
(The basis of meditation and reflection
for the ensuing month given by the discussion leader.)
"… There is one body and one
Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one
Baptism, (Ephesians 4:4).
7. Closing Prayer
(Recited by all members.)
Let us pray: God our Father, let the Spirit
you sent on your Church to begin the teaching of the gospel, continue to work in the world
through the hearts of all who believe. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
