\bookfoldsheets0 INSPIRING UNITY

SESSION 4

Nov 28th 2016

Hosted by St. Bernadette’s Parish, Motherwell.

“We must make ourselves open to their stories, which may profoundly conflict with ours. We must even, at times, be ready to hear of their pain, humiliation and resentment and discover that their image of us is anything but our image of ourselves. We must let our world be enlarged by the presence of others who think, act and interpret reality in ways radically different from our own”

(Quotation from ‘Forward Together’ discussion, St Kentigern’s Church, February 1st 2014. Source: Jonathan Sacks, The Dignity of Difference)

A MOMENT TO BECOME STILL

SONGAbba, Abba Father, you are the potter, we are the clay . .

Abba, Abba Father
You are the potter
And we are the clay,
The work of your hands
Mould us mould us and
Fashion us,
Into the image,
Of Jesus your Son
Of Jesus your Son

Father, may we be one in you,
May we be one in you,
As he is in you,
And you are in him.
Glory, glory and praise to you,
Glory and praise to you
For ever amen . . .
For ever amen . . .
For ever amen . . .

REFLECTION 1

With reference to the last session on Lectio Divina:

  • Were you able to practice lectio divina with some of the biblical quotations on images of God? If so:
  • Which ones? Which images ‘spoke’ to you? What sense did they give you of God?
  • How did you find the experience?
  • Were you able to write your personal statement? What do you like best about your statement?

Pause . . . .reflect . . . journal . . . feedback

WHO AM I?

We are complex beings - body – mind – spirit, for example.

MyPublic Self is what I show others about me. MyHidden Self is what I choose to hide from others. My Blind Spotsare parts of me others see but I do not. My Unconscious Selfare parts of me I do not see nor do others. We all have these four parts of Self, as shown in the Johari Windowdiagram, but their respective sizes vary in each of us.

And yet there’s something very simple about us:each and every one of us is made in the image and likeness of God.

Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness . . So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them (Gen 1:26-27) . . . Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being (Gen 2:7).

HOME-TIME WORK

1.Read and ponder the ‘Personal Word’ sheet, listening to God saying these words to you, and knowing that he says the same word to each individual.

2.Read the article by D. O’Leary, and jot down in your note book how it makes you feel and what it makes you think, remembering that this is about every single human being.

3.Complete your quadrant. Talk with God about each part as you go along. Ask God to show you how you image him . . and where you still need to grow. If we don’t know where growth is needed, it’s unlikely to happen. The greatest glory we can give God is by becoming the fullness of who God has made us.

4.The following texts may help you:

Quadrant 2:1 Cor 12: 4-11

Quadrant 3:2 Corinthians 3: 17-18Ephesians 3: 14-21

Ephesians 1: 18-19Jeremiah 18: 1-6a