Introduction to Gospel Living
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This retreat/workshop is targeted to a general parish audience or group of parish leaders. It consists of:
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Opening Prayer
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Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, Yours are the feet, Yours are the eyes, Yours are his body. Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Christ has no body now but yours. Theresa of Avila |
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Session 1: Role of the Laity
Presentation
SongPlay the following song, "Follow Me (87 Times)" by Bryan Sirchio:
Questions
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Session 2: Role of the Parish
Presentation
Questions
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Closing Prayer
It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is the Lord’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that should be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection,
no pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing
that this enables us to do something and do it very well.
All may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders, ministries, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future that is not our own.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction
of the magnificent enterprise that is the Lord’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.
No statement says all that should be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection,
no pastoral visit brings wholeness.
No program accomplishes the church’s mission.
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.
This is what we are about.
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects far beyond our capabilities.
We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing
that this enables us to do something and do it very well.
All may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,
an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest.
We may never see the end results,
but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders, ministries, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future that is not our own.
Ken Untener*
* This prayer is often mis-attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romero,
but it was written by Ken Untener and spoken by John Cardinal Dearden, as described here.
* This prayer is often mis-attributed to Archbishop Oscar Romero,
but it was written by Ken Untener and spoken by John Cardinal Dearden, as described here.
Contact us for questions or to schedule this class.