|
Inquirers are Starting on their Journey
of Faith.
The process you are beginning will help you to
know the Good News of the Gospel more fully, to follow Jesus more closely in your daily life and to experience more
completely the new life and joy which Jesus promises.
Through this process of initiation, you will be
free to explore issues important to you. This is a time to claim whatever help you need in deciding whether or not
to commit yourself to Christianity in the Catholic Church.
The Team and sponsors are available to help you
walk through the RCIA through Scripture Breaking, Sessions, and At-Home Participation.
Scripture Breaking
RCIA team members will help you to "break open"
the meaning of the Scriptures as they apply to your life. Each week you will explore the Bible readings assigned to
that Sunday and consider what they are saying to you. This will not be a time to study Scripture in depth but a time
to look at the Bible in the light of personal experience and hear its promises and challenges for daily living.
Sessions - Every Tuesday from September
to April
The Sessions will be held every Tuesday evening
from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Parish Activity Center (PAC). This will be a time to share faith experiences, to reflect
on the Christian life and to discuss Catholic Tradition and traditions.
During these Sessions you should feel free to
raise questions of particular concern or to clear up any confusion or misunderstanding about the Catholic Church.
For the timid, there will be a question box available for anonymous questions. You can expect to enter one-on-one
dialogue with an RCIA team member and with fellow participants. The group will divide into small groups for table
discussion.
Since prayer is the source of deeper insight
and personal commitment to Christian living, each Session begins and ends with communal prayer.
At-Home Participation During the Week
1) Preparing for the Session. Questions
from a previous lesson are to be considered during the week. These questions will draw upon your personal
experiences as they relate to the Session's particular theme or topic or emphasis. You may want to make brief notes
or write answers to the questions. But it's more important that you think about these questions so that the
Sessions will be richer and livelier.
2) Reading the Updates. For the Sessions,
you will be asked to read a particular issue of the Catholic Update, a brief newsletter that focuses on a specific
and contemporary topic of interest. It is very important that you read the Updates to prepare for each coming
Session. The Updates for the first series of sessions are included in this binder. More will be added as we proceed.
3) Writing. You are encouraged to write
your thoughts as you experience RCIA. Putting your ideas and feelings on paper clarifies them and helps you claim
them as your own. Journaling also diminishes fuzzy thinking and feeling and allows you to get in touch with your
inner journey. If journaling is new to you, a good way to get started is by writing answers to the questions and
going a step further in writing how you feel about the questions, answers, or topics involved. Have a section with
a few sheets of notebook paper in your binder that is reserved for journaling. Your binder has your name on it. It
is your personal property. No one else has permission to look inside. Your privacy will be respected.
4) Prayer. Prayer is central to Christian
discipleship. It deepens and personalizes our understanding of the mystery of God in whom "we live and move and have
our being" (Acts 17:28). To assist you, read this page on prayer. Other resources are
available from team members.
Remember that prayer is highly individual. What
is a good suggestion for one person may leave another empty. Experiment with the many forms of prayer that will be
presented. Some will probably be new to you. If a form does not help you, forget it and choose your own way to pray;
for example, just repeat a Scripture verse over and over or sit quietly in God's presence or repeat the Our Father
slowly, considering the meaning of each line that you say. Praying is important; the prayer form is secondary.
You will be well rewarded if you set aside at
least 10 minutes each day to be aware of God's presence and love.
A Final Word
Scripture, prayer and learning make excellent
companions on the faith journey. May your journey through RCIA lead you to a deeper commitment to loving God and to
Christ as Companion, Friend and Teacher.
| 
