Page 18 - Lessons and Activities on What Makes Us Catholic

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FAITH SHARING
Objective
To participate in an enriching faith practice of the church: faith sharing
Background for Catechists
e General Directory for Catechesis underlines the importance of the group as one of the elements of catechetical methodology: “Groups are practically a vital necessity for personality formation...they promote a sense of dialogue and sharing as well as a sense of Christian co- responsibility” (no. 159).
roughout our Catholic history, one of the helpful faith practices that has enabled people to grow is listening to and sharing faith experi- ences, thoughts, and feelings. Faith sharing broadens us, suggests fresh ways of thinking, and stretches us to consider things that we might have missed or never thought about. In our sharing with others, the verbalization of our experiences, thoughts, and feelings con- cretizes them for us; in the telling, we are often led to understand our experiences in new ways.
Materials
□ The handout questions can be used by the catechist to suggest possible starters.
Lesson Starter
Ask: What do you talk about with your friends? Does talking with and listening to friends help you understand things in a new way?
is happens to us as Christians too. Our faith is not just between me and God. Faith is lived and shared. St. Paul says, “Faith comes from what is heard” (Romans 10:17). When we listen to oth- ers, when we listen to ourselves say something aloud, we see our faith in new ways, we might understand something from a di erent perspec- tive, and we marvel at how God lives with us.
Activity
Often throughout your sessions, invite children/ youth to faith sharing. Some guidelines:
▪ Faith sharing is often best done in small groups, usually two or three people.
▪ Sharing one’s faith with another is a great gift, and the one who receives is
in the midst of an awe- lled experience. erefore, what is shared within that small group stays within the small group.
▪ e small group needs some direction: a question or open-ended sentence that ows from Scripture, the
theme of the session, etc. Catechists can phrase these according to the
age and needs of the group. ▪ Faith sharing is not a time to give
advice; it is a time for each person to
listen to the experiences of the others. ▪ It’s perfectly acceptable not to share.
e goal is to enable children/youth
to become comfortable with faith sharing, but on a particular day or with a particular topic, someone might not be able to talk. at is perfectly all right.
e handout suggests some faith-sharing starters related to children’s/youth’s experienc- es of God. Similar questions and open-ended sentences can be designed for any theme/topic.
Prayer Together
Listening God, may our prayerful listening to each other help us to recognize you everywhere, sharing your story and your care with everyone we meet.
Option
Send the handout home with the children and suggest that families use it for sharing faith among themselves.
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