Retreats always come and go so fast and we are lucky if we glean just a little bit of information. One of the things that Fr. Arnold Klukas spoke about in his first talk was that unlike the tourist, the pilgrim strives to internalize and give of him or herself to the community. Since we have video recordings of our talks, we are afforded the ability to inwardly digest and process what we experienced and revisit it in our quest to be changed.
This series on the Blog of Common Prayer is designed to help us at St. Anselm (but also others too) internalize the experiences that were presented on March 21 - 23.
I would like this to be used as reflection questions in our small groups but there is no need for it to be limited to that. Please refer to your notes and watch part of this talk. Below the video are some important points that I noted and the powerpoint and handout is also linked.
Here is a link to the Powerpoint Presentation that goes with Talk #1
Here is the handout that was provided in the green folder
Fr. Arnie began by speaking on how the Church Community was essential in the early church for two reasons:
External Persecution
Continuity of Life
While we do not face persecution in the USA there are many forces seeking to confuse the faithful. What are some of these? Can you identify them in your own life?
The “Continuity of Life” the parish church gives stretches from the priest’s blessing of a newborn to burial from the parish church. The parish church needs to be an integral part of life. The local congregation is the Body of Christ and should be present (or at least offer to be present) for each "Liminality” of life.
Think about these times in your life and how the Church has been present in the presence of your priest and members of the congregation. Think about other people’s lives where you have seen this. Why do you think Fr. Klukas sees the church’s presence as essential especially in these times?
How have empty ritual and laxity of rite hurt the body of Christ? (Think of Confirmation without teaching and discipleship) or the lack of the full use of the Book of Common Prayer’s occasional rites). What are some ways the congregation can help restore these important threads of Faith in life?
Fr. Arnie gave us several quotes from Walker Percy and TS Elliot. “Is your life a quest or not?” was a theme.
How are you seeking God and focusing on His presence? How are you building relationship in the Parish Church for yourself and your family?
What do you think about “Compunction?” Have you heard of this idea before? Reflect (and discuss) times of compunction in your life. When were you consciously seeking it? When did God surprise you?
Being a Pilgrim is being actively on a quest in the midst of experience. Being a tourist is passively floating through experiences escaping from the world. How has this talk impacted your view of the church service? In what ways has consumerism driven modern Christians to be a “tourists” rather than “pilgrims.” How do we change this?
What new insights have you gained in seeing the Parish Church as Home and the congregation as Family?