Reunion Groups
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Click here to download a PDF of the "Service Sheet". Please feel free to print your own and laminate or distribute them as needed.
The Reunion Group
The Reunion Group exists for four reasons. First, to provide a place to share the joy of life. The more genuine and the deeper that life together becomes, the more everything else recedes, as God becomes the center of our lives. Second, to foster and expand the work of love as the basic ideal. When love, commitment, and inspiration come together, the group becomes God’s masterpiece. Third, The reunion Group exists to be rooted in love, individual ingenuity, creativity, and initiative, provide endless opportunities for apostolic experiences. Each group’s purpose is to do good to the bodies and souls of all people, wherever possible, as often as possible. Finally, groups exist to encourage members to attend to the means of grace through piety, study, and action, and to support one another in that goal.
In Reunion Groups, the members help each other stay in healthy step with God’s robust grace, constantly spurring each other along, as they venture forth with God and each other.
Sometimes reunion groups do not work out successfully. The reason is often a failure to understand how the reunion group is meant to operate. The following is a brief explanation of some of the most common misunderstandings and a list of suggestions for improving the reunion. Each person should have the opportunity to share in the group. Each member of the group should be considerate in their use of the short time together in the group. The key to listening is to allow the person sharing, your full attention. Do not make suggestions or try to solve a problem. Do offer to lift that person and their intention up in prayer.
The Review of the Service Sheet
Each area (spiritual life, study and action) should be taken one at a time. One person should not go through the whole service sheet, then the next person, etc. Unless the items are taken one at a time, the reunion will become mechanical.
There should be comments on the review of the service sheet, (saying how well the item was fulfilled, sharing new ways of doing them successfully, etc.) but there should not be too many comments. The review should not be mechanical, but it should also not take too much time. It is not the main part of the reunion group.
The action section of the service sheet should not be reviewed here. Action can be discussed under call to discipleship and discipleship denied.
Remainder of the Order of Reunion
The Moment You Felt Closest to Christ
The moment at which you have felt close to Christ is not necessarily an emotional experience, although it can be. It occurs whenever you have had an experience, which reminds you of Christ's presence, or makes you realize that He is at work in the world, or gives you some insight into Christ or the Christian life. By sharing your recent experience, you may trigger or inspire others to similar action.
The moment should not necessarily be at mass or communion or some specifically religious occasion in fact, it usually will not be.
Each person should explain in detail why he or she is aware of Christ in the moment they related, so that the others can understand why.
If a person has no moment, they are probably not trying to think about or be aware of Christ's action in the world and how the world is related to God.
Discipleship
These sections are meant to deal with bringing other people closer to Christ, not with improving oneself, or with personal problems or sins. It should concern some specific attempt to bring another person to Christ, or to make him more aware of Christianity.
If a person has no successes or failures, it is probably a sign that they have not tried to take advantage of opportunities or tried to make opportunities.
Successes and failures are reported from the "psychological" point of view. Ultimately no one knows if their efforts are a success or failure in bringing others to know Christ better. God may make use of apparent failures. But we can make definite attempts to achieve certain goals, and we report on the successes and failures to reach the goals that we have established. These are successes and failures as they appear to us.
Plan
Everyone should make some endeavor each week to help build up Christ's body, the Church ¬no matter how small.
It is not necessary to have a different plan each week.
This section should concern an attempt different from ordinary duties. It is not meant to deal with living our daily life, but with our becoming closer to Christ and our effectiveness in bringing others to Christ.
This section should also concern efforts different from the regular work we do for an apostolic organization (like teaching CCD). It should concern our efforts to make various situations (family, work, church, social groups) more fully Christian.
Group Activity
The group activity can be religious, but does not have to be. The group should get together for something other than the reunion, otherwise it is difficult to develop a deep friendship in the group. The group activity can be a meal, a game, a party, providing agape items or food for a Journey, doing something for the less fortunate especially during the holidays, visit to a hospital or some apostolic project.