THE COMMON FAITH

A Contemporary Version
Of The
Basics of Christian Belief
In A
Communal Form

by
John Wickham, s.j.

2nd Edition
1990
Ignatian Centre Publications
Montreal, Quebec


Preface

              As the Introduction attempts to explain more extensively, this book is the first phase of a group program which may enable members of a faith community to deepen their spiritual roots together (or to initiate such a community, if participants have not already formed one). Them, in a second phase, they may go on to make the full Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola in a "communal form" envisioned for cultural conditions today.

              Each phase will require about a year of weekly sessions. The first phase, given in this book, may be undertaken by itself -- even without any intention of going on to the second phase. It stands on its own feet and will serve the goal of any faith-group which seeks in contemporary terms to lay a solid foundation of the members' common faith. (The second phase is given in a separate book entitled The Communal Exercises.)

              It should be emphasized that this program is not intended to be a set of adult instructions in the Catholic faith. It is not a catechism in the traditional or more recent senses of the word. Many items that would be needed in preparing individuals to enter the Church are not given here. What this book does provide are materials for the growth and deepening of Christian faith communities.

              While frankly Catholic in its assumptions and orientations, nevertheless it does not deal with issues controverted between the various churches -- not even in the loving manner or separated brothers and sisters. Certainly, those ecumenical attitudes are taken for granted in the program as a whole (very different were the attitudes of Christians in the sixteenth century!). It may be anticipated, then, that groups belong to many Christian churches could use this program with no, or very slight, adjustments to their special requirements

              What follows are a few notes on how to organize a group program which employs the prayer materials given in this book:

          1. A two-hour weekly meeting of leaders and participants is the very heart of program. The first hour should be devoted to sharing the previous week's prayer experiences -- this is essential. It may begin with a five-minute prayer (responses to a brief Scripture passage read at the start) which aims at creating the right dispositions for the sharing. Every participant should enter into the sharing process, if not at a given session, the at least at the next session. (If some members have not done so at the previous session, they could be invited to share first at the following session.)

              The second hour of the weekly group meeting could begin with a fifteen-minute "beverage and cookie break," one that is kept simple. This greatly assists growth in personal relating and provides a needed relief after intense moments of sharing. The next forty minutes should be used to introduce a new theme with its accompanying exercises.

              The printed presentations of each theme are meant for private reading (and even daily rereading) at home. They should not be read out extensively at the meeting itself (except for brief phrases or sentences), but its gist should be given "live," with the help of personal anecdotes, by the leader. Other helps would be designs or words on blackboards, flip-charts or over-head projectors, and especially by pointing to the brief version of the theme, the aim and the key notions listed for each.

              The session as a whole would conclude with five minutes devoted to practicalities.

SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED WEEKLY PROGRAM

(60 min.) After a brief opening prayer, this hour should
consist in sharing the previous week's prayer experiences.

(15 min Beverage Break)

(45 min.) Presenting the new theme and its exercises,
ending with 5 min. on practical matters.


        2. Leaders: who have already prepared the upcoming material, should be ready to present each theme to the group, week by week, in a vivid and personal manner. (It would help to have a pair of leaders working together, but a single leader could manage it.)

        3. Methods of prayer: During the early months each participant should learn how to pray on the exercises (see p.17 for a few suggestions). They need to know how to open their deepest selves to imaginatively presented materials, such as Scripture passages, various kinds of stories, questions about personal experiences in their life-history, etc. They should learn how to give themselves to such exercises in order to discover how they truly respond to them, so that later on they may share the results with the others.

              This means that (a) they should learn now to surrender their energies to whatever might happen deep within their being -- negative events as well as positive ones; (b) they should allow these interior experiences to develop, grow and continue -- wherever they might lead; (c) they should try to notice them while they are happening and react to them quite spontaneously. These are experiential skills, other, more reflective skills are mentioned below, and both sets need to be put into practice alternately. 

              The leaders, along with the spiritual directors (see below) should coach participants frequently on this way of praying and remind them about practical methods until satisfied that each one has acquired the needed skills. Perhaps many will have already learned them and will easily adapt to the program. For others who have not had the opportunity to acquire the method, some months of Prayer Companioning (or the equivalent) would be the best preparation -- if time is available.

        4. Spiritual direction for each of the participants is an important part of the plan. The leaders may not be able to take on many individuals and should look for assistance. Weekly interviews with an assigned spiritual director have a double purpose: (a) to develop reflective skills so that all may get into touch with their actual feelings, notice what is happening within themselves, and learn how to articulate those vital experiences; (b) to deal discerningly with individual needs in each one's personal growth, especially with matters which might be too private for sharing with others, or which a member may not yet be ready to share (privacy and freedom should be carefully respected).

              At least one meeting between the leaders and the personal directors will be required prior to the program's inception. Its aim is to co-ordinate roles, name the needed skills and clarify the nature of the program. Occasional follow-up meetings of leaders and directors, in order to monitor progress and ensure unanimity of goals and methods, would also be helpful.

              (Where sufficient numbers of spiritual directors are not available, recourse may be had to weekly "paired sharing" times of the more mature participants.)

        5. Prayer journals: Each participant should be asked to make a daily entry of prayer experiences in a journal. This book is to be brought to weekly interviews with the personal director and also to the weekly group sessions. Journal entries are meant to stimulate reflection on daily prayer experiences, heighten awareness of what is actually happening (negative feels and reactions as well as positive responses to the exercises given), and to prepare for the personal interviews and the group sharings.

        6. Sharing of actual experiences at the hour-long group sessions should be received without argument and with deep respect. Very brief responses of various kinds by the leaders and other participants are, of course, natural and to be expected, but these responses should not attempt to solve any of the problems or difficulties mentioned, not to give advice or take issue with what is said.

              Good faith should always be assumed. Should questions arise about the heterodoxy of statements made, they could be calmly addressed by leaders during the session if the issue is a plain one, but it would be better to handle these outside the meeting whenever the issue is more complicated. The main benefit is to affirm the others in their feelings and their struggles, to accept them and to be accepted in one's turn.

              Finally, the truism so often heard about practical programs -- not least about the Spiritual Exercises themselves -- must be repeated here for the sake of those unfamiliar with spiritual and personal growth, especially in group relationships. Simply to read over the texts provided in this book will not be very enlightening. They are instrumental in developments which are to be experienced together over many months. In order to grasp what is involved, one must listen to those who have already gone through the program as a whole. They may tell you what the texts are all about.

              The persons who first undertook this program, both the participants and the directors, have all become very dear to me. It is hard to find other words to say to them than simply, "Thank you!" I will mention only one person by name, St. Helen Normandeau, osu, who encouraged me so much in this work.

J.W., sj,
June 19, 1988.




        CONTENTS
.
Introduction 1
Introduction to the Great Christian Story  12
The Great Christian Story 14
How to Pray on the Weekly Cycle of Exercises 15
The Great Christian Story: Exercises 17
        PART I
.
Introduction to the Story of Creation  21
The Story of Creation 24
Theme 1: The purpose of Creation  27
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  29
 lllllllllllllllllllllllThe Gift of the Magi  31
Theme 2: Human Development  35
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  38
Theme 3: Our Common Task in Creation  41
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  45
 lllllllllllllllllllllllFrom "The Church in the Modern World"  46
Theme 4:  First Key Stage:  The Covenant  49
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  52
Theme 5:  Second Key Stage:  Incarnation  56
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  60
Theme 6:  Third Key Stage:  The Church  63
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises 67
Transitional Theme:  Forgiveness  70
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  74
         PART II
.
Introduction to the Story of Sin 79
The Story of Sin  83
Theme 1: The Sin of the World  86
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises 90
Theme 2:  Actual Sins  94
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  98
Theme 3:  The Fall of the Angels  103
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  105
Theme 4:  The Fall of Humankind  109
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  113
Theme 5:  Cultural Transmission of Original Sin  118
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  122
Theme 6   The Ten Commandments  125
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  128
Theme 7:  Struggle between Christ and Satan  132
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  135
Transitional Theme:  Second Conversion  139
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  143
         PART III
.
Introduction to the Story of Salvation  149
The Story of Salvation 153
 Theme 1:  The First Teaching of Jesus  159
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  163
Theme 2:  The Deed of Jesus  167
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  171
Theme 3:  The Deed of the Father  174
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises 178
Theme 4:  Communities Who Wrote the Gospels  181
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  185
Theme 5:  The Church of the Martyrs  189
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  193
Theme 6:  The Desert Communities  197
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises 201
Theme 7:  The Creation of Christian Culture  205
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  209
Theme 8:  The Growth of This-Worldly Action  213
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises  217
Theme 9:  Neo-Gothic Church in a Puritan World  221
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises 225
Theme 10: Garrison Communities of North America  229
 lllllllllllllllllllllllExercises 233

Conclusion
237
 



 
 
THE COMMON FAITH  A Contemporary Version Of The Basics of Christian Belief In A Communal Form by John Wickham, s.j. 2nd Edition  1990 Ignatian Centre Publications Montreal, Quebec ---- can be purchased from the following:
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