Prayer of Communion

This is the truth the body and blood of Emmanuel, our God, I Believe,
I believe, I believe, and with my last breath will proclaim that this is
The living flesh which your only-begotten-son, our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, took from our Lady Mary, the holy mother of God, and
United with the Godhead. After bearing witness to the truth before
Pontius Pilate, he gave up his body, of his own free will, to die on
The cross for us; gave it for our salvation, to bring forgiveness of sins
And everlasting life to those who partake of it. I believe that this is
very truth. Amen.
St Francis of Assisi …………… Pray for us……….
 THEOLOGY 4:

• LIVING THE CHRISTIAN VISION IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD:

Harmony with God: Called to Communion

C. Spirituality of Communion

NAME (Instructor)

UST – Institute of Religion

LESSON III: SPIRITUALITY OF COMMUNION
C. Spirituality of Communion
1. Crisis of Individualism
a. The many forms of individualism today
b. The effects and Consequences of Individualism: A World
Being Torn Apart
2. “At the Service of a Communion that Evangelizes”
a. Antidote to Individualism
b. Meaning and Nature of Communion
c. A Witness of Communion to a World torn Apart
d. Communion in Difference
 Does individualism empower or
alienate one from his true purpose?
 Lightening the Burdens of Individualism
http://livingmeanings.com/the-burdens-of-individualism/
The Crisis of Individualism
1. Crisis of Individualism
a. The many forms of Individualism today
• (EG 67) The individualism of our postmodern and
globalized era favors a lifestyle which weakens the
development and stability of personal relationships and
distorts family bonds.

• Pastoral activity needs to bring out more clearly the

fact that our relationship with the Father demands and
encourages a communion which heals, promotes and
reinforces interpersonal bonds.
• In our world, especially in some countries, different forms
of war and conflict are re-emerging, yet we Christians
remain steadfast in our intention to respect others, to
heal wounds, to build bridges, to strengthen relationships
and to “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal 6:2).

• Today too, various associations for the defense of rights

and the pursuit of noble goals are being founded.

• This is a sign of the desire of many people to contribute

to social and cultural progress.
 economic political

Individualism

socio cultural ecological

LS 162

• “Men and women of our

postmodern world run the risk
of rampant individualism, and
many problems of society are
connected with today’s self-
centered culture of instant
gratification.”
• (LS 162) Our difficulty in taking up this challenge seriously
has much to do with an ethical and cultural decline which
has accompanied the deterioration of the environment .

• Men and women of our postmodern world run the risk of

rampant individualism, and many problems of society are
connected with today’s self-centered culture of instant
gratification.

• We see this in the crisis of family and social ties and the
difficulties of recognizing the other.
• Parents can be prone to impulsive and wasteful
consumption, which then affects their children
who find it increasingly difficult to acquire a home
of their own and build a family.

• Furthermore, our inability to think seriously about

future generations is linked to our inability to
broaden the scope of our present interests and to
give consideration to those who remain excluded
from development.
• Let us not only keep the poor of the future
in mind, but also today’s poor, whose life
on this earth is brief and who cannot keep
on waiting.

• Hence, “in addition to a fairer sense of

intergenerational solidarity there is also an
urgent moral need for a renewed sense of
intragenerational solidarity”.125
The Effects and Consequences of Individualism:
It isolates the human person from one’s true
fulfillment;

The World is Torn Apart

How?
How?
b. The Effects and Consequences of Individualism: A
World Being Torn Apart
• (EG 99) Our world is being torn apart by wars and violence,
and wounded by a widespread individualism which divides
human beings, setting them against one another as they
pursue their own well-being.
• In various countries, conflicts and old divisions from the
past are re-emerging.
• I especially ask Christians in communities throughout the
world to offer a radiant and attractive witness of fraternal
communion.
• Let everyone admire how you care for one another, and how
you encourage and accompany one another: “By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another” (Jn 13:35).

• This was Jesus’ heartfelt prayer to the Father: “That they may
all be one... in us... so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21).

• Beware of the temptation of jealousy! We are all in the same

boat and headed to the same port! Let us ask for the grace to
rejoice in the gifts of each, which belong to all.
 personalism opts for authenticity as opposed to mere
conformity. While this can favor spontaneity and a
better use of people’s talents, if misdirected it can
foster attitudes of constant suspicion, fear of
commitment, self-centeredness and arrogance. (AL 33)

Freedom of choice that lacks noble goals or personal

discipline, it degenerates into an inability to give
oneself generously to others. (AL 33)
 extreme individualism often
leads to the idea that one’s
personality is shaped by his or
her desires, which are considered
absolute. (Relatio Synodi, 2014
in AL 33).

It has led to a loss of a sense of

solidarity with and responsibility
for others. (MetM 18)
• (AL 33) On the other hand, “equal consideration needs
to be given to the growing danger represented by an
extreme individualism which weakens family bonds and
ends up considering each member of the family as an
isolated unit, leading in some cases to the idea that
one’s personality is shaped by his or her desires, which
are considered absolute”.
• 12 “The tensions created by an overly individualistic
culture, caught up with possessions and pleasures, leads
to intolerance and hostility in families”.
• 13 Here I would also include today’s fast pace of life, stress
and the organization of society and labor, since all these are
cultural factors which militate against permanent decisions.
We also encounter widespread uncertainty and ambiguity.

• For example, we rightly value a personalism that opts for

authenticity as opposed to mere conformity.

• While this can favor spontaneity and a better use of

people’s talents, if misdirected it can foster attitudes of
constant suspicion, fear of commitment, self-centeredness
and arrogance.
• Freedom of choice makes it possible to plan our lives and
to make the most of ourselves.
• Yet if this freedom lacks noble goals or personal discipline,
it degenerates into an inability to give oneself generously
to others.
• Indeed, in many countries where the number of marriages
is decreasing, more and more people are choosing to live
alone or simply to spend time together without
cohabiting.
• We can also point to a praiseworthy concern for justice;
but if misunderstood, this can turn citizens into clients
interested solely in the provision of services.
• (MetM 18)  Now is the time to unleash the creativity of
mercy, to bring about new undertakings, the fruit of grace.

• The Church today needs to tell of those “ many other

signs” that Jesus worked, which “are not written”
(Jn 20:30), so that they too may be an eloquent expression
of the fruitfulness of the love of Christ and of the
community that draws its life from him.

• Two thousand years have passed, yet works of mercy

continue to make God’s goodness visible.
• In our own day, whole peoples suffer hunger and thirst,
and we are haunted by pictures of children with nothing to
eat.
• Throngs of people continue to migrate from one country to
another in search of food, work, shelter and peace.
• Disease in its various forms is a constant cause of suffering
that cries out for assistance, comfort and support.
• Prisons are often places where confinement is
accompanied by serious hardships due to inhumane living
conditions. Illiteracy remains widespread, preventing
children from developing their potential and exposing
them to new forms of slavery.
•The culture of extreme individualism, especially in the West,
has led to a loss of a sense of solidarity with and responsibility
for others.
•Today many people have no experience of God himself, and
this represents the greatest poverty and the major obstacle to
recognizing the inviolable dignity of human life.
•To conclude, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy
continue in our own day to be proof of mercy’s immense
positive influence as a social value.
•Mercy impels us to roll up our sleeves and set about restoring
dignity to millions of people; they are our brothers and sisters
who, with us, are called to build a “city which is reliable”.
b. The Effects and Consequences of Individualism: A World
Being Torn Apart
• (EG 99) Our world is being torn apart by wars and violence, and
wounded by a widespread individualism which divides human
beings, setting them against one another as they pursue their
own well-being.

• In various countries, conflicts and old divisions from the past are
re-emerging.

• I especially ask Christians in communities throughout the world

to offer a radiant and attractive witness of fraternal communion.
• Let everyone admire how you care for one another, and
how you encourage and accompany one another: “By
this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if
you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35).
• This was Jesus’ heartfelt prayer to the Father : “That
they may all be one... in us... so that the world may
believe” (Jn 17:21).
• Beware of the temptation of jealousy! We are all in the
same boat and headed to the same port! Let us ask for
the grace to rejoice in the gifts of each, which belong to
all.
What do we do?
At the Service of a
Communion
that Evangelizes
2. “At the Service of a Communion that Evangelizes”
• (EG 130) The Holy Spirit also enriches the entire
evangelizing Church with different charisms.

• These gifts are meant to renew and build up the Church.

• 108 They are not an inheritance, safely secured and

entrusted to a small group for safekeeping; rather they are
gifts of the Spirit integrated into the body of the Church,
drawn to the center which is Christ and then channeled into
an evangelizing impulse.
• A sure sign of the authenticity of a charism is its ecclesial
character, its ability to be integrated harmoniously into the life
of God’s holy and faithful people for the good of all.
• Something truly new brought about by the Spirit need not
overshadow other gifts and spiritualities in making itself
felt. To the extent that a charism is better directed to the
heart of the Gospel, its exercise will be more ecclesial.
• It is in communion, even when this proves painful, that a
charism is seen to be authentic and mysteriously fruitful.
On the basis of her response to this challenge, the Church
can be a model of peace in our world.
• (EG131) Differences between persons and communities can
sometimes prove uncomfortable, but the Holy Spirit, who is the
source of that diversity, can bring forth something good from
all things and turn it into an attractive means of evangelization.
• Diversity must always be reconciled by the help of the Holy
Spirit; he alone can raise up diversity, plurality and
multiplicity while at the same time bringing about unity.
• When we, for our part, aspire to diversity, we become self-
enclosed, exclusive and divisive; similarly, whenever we attempt
to create unity on the basis of our human calculations, we end
up imposing a monolithic uniformity.
• This is not helpful for the Church’s mission.
Antidote to
Individualism

• Spirituality of
communion that
communion which
heals, promotes and
reinforces interpersonal
bonds (cf. EG 67)
a.Antidote to Individualism

•(EG 67) The individualism of our postmodern and

globalized era favors a lifestyle which weakens the
development and stability of personal relationships
and distorts family bonds.
•Pastoral activity needs to bring out more clearly the
fact that our relationship with the Father demands
and encourages a communion which heals,
promotes and reinforces interpersonal bonds.
• In our world, especially in some countries, different forms of
war and conflict are re-emerging, yet we Christians remain
steadfast in our intention to respect others, to heal wounds,
to build bridges, to strengthen relationships and to “bear
one another’s burdens” (Gal 6:2).

• Today too, various associations for the defense of rights and

the pursuit of noble goals are being founded.

• This is a sign of the desire of many people to contribute to

social and cultural progress.
 Meaning and Nature of the Spirituality of
Communion
A spirituality of communion indicates
above all the heart's contemplation of
the mystery of the Trinity dwelling in us,
and whose light we must also be able to
see shining on the face of the brothers
and sisters around us.
It also means an ability to think of our
brothers and sisters in faith within the
profound unity of the Mystical Body, and
therefore as "those who are a part of
me". This makes us able to share their
joys and sufferings, to sense their desires
and attend to their needs, to offer them
deep and genuine friendship.
 Meaning and Nature of the Spirituality of
Communion
A spirituality of communion means,
A spirituality of communion implies finally, to know how to "make room"
also the ability to see what is positive in for our brothers and sisters, bearing
others, to welcome it and prize it as a "each other's burdens" (Gal 6:2) and
gift from God: not only as a gift for the resisting the selfish temptations which
brother or sister who has received it constantly beset us and provoke
directly, but also as a "gift for me.” competition, careerism, distrust and
jealousy.
 Nurturing the Spirituality…

This Spirituality of Communion must be

cultivated and extended day by day and at every
level in the structures of each Church's life.
i.e. The theology and spirituality of communion encourage a
fruitful dialogue between Pastors and faithful: on the one hand
uniting them a priori in all that is essential, and on the other
leading them to pondered agreement in matters open to
discussion.
Communion in Difference (AL 139)

• Keep an open mind. Fraternal communion is enriched by

respect and appreciation for differences within an overall
perspective that advances the common good. We need to
free ourselves from feeling that we all have to be alike.
• A certain astuteness is also needed to prevent the appearance
of “static” that can interfere with the process of dialogue.
• The ability to say what one is thinking without offending the
other person is important. Words should be carefully chosen
so as not to offend, especially when discussing difficult issues.
 The challenge…
To make the Church the home and
the school of communion: that is the
great challenge facing us in the
millennium which is now beginning,
if we wish to be faithful to God's plan
and respond to the world's deepest
yearnings.
To promote a spirituality of
communion, making it the guiding
principle of education wherever
individuals and Christians are
formed, wherever ministers of the
altar, consecrated persons, and
pastoral workers are trained,
wherever families and communities
are being built up.
 Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Patron of the Poor
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace
Where there is hatred, let me show love
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And when there is sadness, joy.
 O divine Master, grant that I may not seek
To be console as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
In pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.