At the end of the Lenten faith-sharing season we invite you to take time to reflect on and evaluate your small group’s experience this past season in the context of the Paschal Mystery—the life, death, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus. Christ lived, died, rose from the dead, and returned in glory to his Father—not just for himself but for all. In this mystery he overcame death and gained eternal life on our behalf. We celebrate the Paschal Mystery in the sacraments, and we experience it ourselves when we relate to Christ our own sufferings and joys, the deaths and new births that are a part of life.
The end of the faith-sharing season is not a time to grade yourself or your group. Rather, it is a time to consider how God is at work in your ministry as a small-community leader, in the lives of the individual participants of your community, and through your community as a whole.
Here are some questions to aid your reflection on the Paschal Mystery and your small group:
- What were the blessings that participants in your group shared? What were the group’s blessings?
- How has the Spirit led and moved in the sharing among the members?
- What challenges did participants in the group face? How was God at work in dealing with these challenges?
- In what ways did your group, or members of your group, experience the Paschal Mystery—the life, suffering, death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ? Were there illnesses, deaths, new births, or reconciliations?
- How did group members put their faith into action? Group members may not recognize the impact of seemingly small actions such as sending a card, visiting someone in the hospital, or some other type of outreach. Don’t diminish or neglect to name such efforts. If the action was taken with love, then it matters—especially to the recipient.
- In what ways were group members drawn closer to God and his Church?
The leader’s role is to lift up and celebrate how God is acting in the participants’ lives and in the community as a whole. Take the time to reflect, name, and savor the goodness of God as experienced in the community, and celebrate God’s presence in your group.