The prayer group, a grace of
Pentecost
The
prayer group regularly gathers Christians in a non-liturgical way in the name
of Jesus, alive, present and working in the Church : “Whenever two or three are
gathered in my name, there am I in their midst.” (Mt 18, 19-20). This living
faith in the presence of the resurrected Christ, Lord and Saviour, is
important. Each person may experience the outpouring of the Spirit, its gifts
and charisms and discover in Jesus the love of the Father, God rich in mercy.
It is a place in the Church where each one can live or relive the grace of the
Pentecost. Moreover, one can find here most of the elements present at
Pentecost, as related to us in the second chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.
Praise
The
prayer of praise, joyful and trusting, is a characteristic of the prayer group.
It is a blessing, a thanksgiving to celebrate God for himself and for his
gifts. It is an expression of Christian hope and shows a communion of faith :
“Yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."
(Acts 2, 11)
Because of one’s amazement
towards the Trinity, praise proclaims His goodness, justice, love,
faithfulness, glory, strength and his wondrous deeds. It makes a person aware
of a theologal life, turns one away
from thinking of oneself to instead turn towards God, the source of life and
grace. Praise flows with great spontaneity through song and free prayers sung
by participants (see St. Paul). Praise involves the whole being through
physical expressions (raised hands, clapping of hands), as it was in the
ancient biblical tradition, especially as seen in the psalms.
Listening to the Word of God
This also has an important
place. During the prayer, one or a few texts of the Word of God are read :
“Let
the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col. 3, 16)
The reading is most of time
followed by a brief time of silence in which this word is interiorized. At this
time, some of the participants may freely speak in prayer based on the text
which has just been read. Little by little, one re-discovers the Word of God
(Old and New Testaments). It is received as a word, alive and active, through
which the Lord speaks to the heart of each one, may he be a believer or a not.
The Word can be used to exhort, construct, console and send out. The
proclamation of the Word generates and deepens an attentive listening to the
same Word so that afterwards, one may welcome it, keep it, share and transmit
it and put it into practice.
Teaching and Exhortation
Usually, an exhortation or a
teaching is giving by one of the people
in the team / one of the heads/ based on the Scriptural texts which were just
read or based on the general theme of the prayer. Given in the form of an
exhortation or as a meditation, one or another person may just simply remind an
aspect of the Christian mystery to allow for a better understanding of the
Scripture and for a better understanding of the faith. It may also be a call
for conversion to render possible the action of the Holy Spirit among those who
are listening.
These different aspects :
teaching, predications, exhortation, are found in Peter’s speech at Pentecost
(Acts 2, 22-38).
“This
man, delivered up by the set plan and foreknowledge of God, you killed, using
lawless men to crucify him …Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the
name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins ; and you will receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Conversion
In the prayer group, some may
start or continue a real path of conversion. This experience produces a renewal
in faith, hope and charity. By opening oneself to a greater availability to the
Holy Spirit, it is an experience of a personal encounter with Christ which
makes us seek the will of the Father. It is also a discovery of the mystery of
the Church as people of God, the Body of Christ and Temple of the Spirit and
may lead us to receiving God in the teaching of the Church, in the sacraments
and finally, in missionary commitment.
“Now
when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the
other apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers ?” (Acts 2, 37)
Testimonies
In the
same way as Peter and the apostles gave witness to Christ who died and rose up,
in the prayer group, some may witness to the works of God in their lives. These
testimonies are given to encourage the participants and trigger thanksgiving
for the marvels that God does in the heart of those who believe and hope in
Him. He is a God who is alive and active.
Fraternal life and charity
This
personal rediscovery of the living Christ is made with others and is the
foundation of every conversion. It is shown through a new love, of course for
God, but also for others whom we receive as brothers and sisters in Christ.
This results in a new awareness of the communitarian dimension of Christian
life, a dimension which is lived as a couple, as a family and as the Church.
This fraternal life is particularly expressed by welcoming new people, a mutual
attention given towards one another, and availability towards the poorest and
the most wounded.
By
Pierre-Yves Champfort
Il Est Vivant ! Number 190, January 2003
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