The Community Meeting as Communal Discernment Use of

The Community Meeting as Communal Discernment Use of the Three Rounds

Universal Call to Holiness and Mission Receive the Love of God, Let it transform us, Bring that Love to the world Shared with all Christians Ignatius provides a particular way Finding God in all things, Contemplatives in action Spiritual Exercises and discernment CLC a particular Ignatian Community and Charism

Ignatian Discernment Uses movements of consolation and desolation to discern the presence, activity, care and will of God. Looks within to personal interiority for these movements

Personal Discernment A Lifelong Process Capacity Grows as we Make and continue to live the Spiritual Exercises Regular daily prayer life Reflect on our life: Awareness Examen Use Spiritual Direction

Personal Discernment Daily Living a Discerning Life consolation/desolation what A spirit is moving me? formal spiritual process to make major life choices

CLC Mission is Communal t [CLC] is not only a community of apostles, formed by persons more or less committed to their own individual mission, but rather an apostolic community, in which the members, although dedicated to different tasks, share their lives and the way of carrying out their own mission and discern it. They are sent by the community and with its help evaluate how they are following Christ. Cl. C Charism 132

Pre-requisites for Communal Discernment Each member is open and has the capacity for personal discernment The group has its own identity and mission Not simply a collection of individuals A Corporate Person Group members trust each other Sharing is open and transparent Disagreeing and conflict are acceptable

Communal Discernment What distinguishes communal discernment from personal discernment is the role of conversation and social interaction.

Communal Discernment Communal discernment is basically a structured and guided group spiritual conversation.

Communal Discernment Purpose Build the Community Make Discerned Decisions

Communal Discernment Looks within: Presupposes personal prayer and discernment Looks without to seek the movements of consolation and desolation in the interactions within a group The group’s conversation is a central part of the matter for discernment.

Communal Discernment Primarily Sharing a Spiritual Conversation provides much of the data Spiritual Conversation becomes communal discernment when Aware of and attend to movements of consolation/desolation in the conversation

Communal Discernment Communities grow in their capacity for Communal Discernment as they have deliberate, focused spiritual conversation with each other.

Spiritual Conversation Helps the Community Recognize Christ’s action in the Community Grow in trust See how the Community is responding to/resisting Christ’s Spirit Make good choices for the Reign of God

Spiritual Conversation/Communal Discernment Process/Method

Every CLC Meeting is an opportunity for Spiritual Conversation and Discernment

The Three Rounds of Sharing and Spiritual Conversation/Discernment Check in Spiritual Conversation First Round: Sharing from personal prayer Active Second Round: What am I hearing? How Listening, no cross-talk is the Spirit moving me as I listen Third Round: What are WE hearing? Listen for movements of the Spirit and consensus Evaluation

Communal Discernment First Round ACTIVE Listening We listen within: My own interior movements Listen to each other: Without judgment, with respect Expect that the Spirit is speaking with us through the other Allowing myself to be affected by the others

The Second and Third Rounds Move the community from simple faith sharing to Spiritual Conversation Second Round: Learn from each other Third Round: Develops the group’s identity in the Lord The Group listens as a community Parallels the Awareness Examen in the individual

The Community Meeting as Communal Discernment Meeting Format Check-in: Affect/Availability Grace Sought for the meeting Opening prayer/Scripture Three Rounds of sharing on meeting topic Evaluation Ongoing Formation

Questions for Break-out groups What struck me, caught my attention? What connected to your own experience? What surprised or challenged you? What questions did it raise in you?