The Spirituality Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales has produced a series of reflections based on Pope Francis’ book Let Us Dream for both individual and group use.
Subtitled The Path to a Better Future, the reflections are formatted into four sessions, each one with the following:
- Welcome and, if appropriate, introductions.
- Opening Psalm
- Small group conversations around the reading and questions. (Note: you do not need to use them all – select according the time available and nature of the group.)
- Plenary – opportunity to share significant points that came up in groups. As the suggestions progress, groups might explore what threads are beginning to emerge from the conversations.
- Closing Psalm
As a Reading Group
People may welcome the opportunity to reflect together during the transition back to a more normal way of living. Groups who have been meeting throughout the pandemic to organise and deal with essential practicalities may value time now “to see” – “to choose” and “to act”. The format would work well using Zoom, Teams or a similar online tool but, with any necessary precautions in place, in face-to-face groups.
Praying the psalms in a group.
- Antiphonally – praying in two parts, alternating the verses, This can be hard to pray together online – the small time lags make the prayer feel less united. A suggestion is to have two readers with everyone else on mute but joining in with one or other of
them. Remember to pray it slowly – with short pauses at the end of each line. - Lectio Divina – Read the psalm and then invite members of the group to share a word or phrase that has struck them. Depending on time, there could be an invitation to say why they seemed particularly significant at that time.
- The psalm is simply prayed by one reader – read slowly so that people have time to reflect on the words.
Individually
The four sessions be used as the basis of a day or weekend retreat-at-home or spread over four weeks.