September 1980
"Come to me"
I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35)
Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
Come; all is ready.
The Eucharist: Pledge of the Eternal Feast
Leaders and animators of Christian communities should not hesitate to encourage baptized believers to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist with joy. How could we neglect this encounter, this banquet that Christ prepares for us in his love? Participation should be both reverent and joyful. It is the crucified and glorified Christ who passes among his disciples, drawing them together into the renewal of his resurrection. It is the summit, here on earth, of the covenant of love between God and his people: a sign and source of Christian joy, a pledge of the Eternal Feast.
Paul VI
Never Separate Prayer from Life
The laity must nourish their spirits—through prayer, the liturgy, the sacraments—drawing on what all the faithful share. In this way, while fulfilling perfectly the demands of the world in the ordinary circumstances of existence, they do not separate their union with Christ from their daily lives. Rather, they grow in this union by carrying out their duties in accordance with God's will.
In this manner, the laity will advance in holiness with ardor and joy, striving to overcome inevitable difficulties with prudence and patience. Neither concern for their families nor temporal occupations should be foreign to their prayer and spiritual life, as the apostle says: "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17)
Such a life of prayer demands constant practice of faith, hope, and charity.
Vatican II
(Apostolate of the Laity, no. 4)
Praying Together
Community prayer is vital nourishment. When a community prays together, enters into silence, and worships, it becomes bound together by the action of the Holy Spirit. The cry that rises from the community is heard by God in a very particular way. When a community asks God together for a gift, for grace, God hears us and grants our prayer. If Jesus told us that whatever we ask in his name, his Father will grant it to us, then surely—I think—this is even more true when the request comes from a community.
Perhaps we are not yet simple enough, not yet childlike enough. Sometimes in community prayer we go round in circles. It is a shame that we do not make better use of the beautiful texts the Church offers us, that we do not know Scripture better. It is true that a prescribed text may lose some of its flavor if we use it every day. But spontaneous prayer can also lose its savor. We must find a balance between the texts that tradition offers us and the spontaneous prayer that flows from the heart.
Jean Vanier
(Community, Place of Forgiveness and Peace)
Questions for Reflection
- Is prayer one of the three main elements of your gatherings?
- Does it take many forms: silence, song, music, gesture, traditional texts, spontaneous prayer? Is it a strong time in which each person participates by bringing what they have and discovering what they find there?