Be the church

Be the church. 

              See, I have come, Lord, to do your will. 

                                                                Psalm 40

 -Brian Mendonca

Just back from a spiritually-uplifting session this evening with Fr. Mariano at Holy Family church, Porvorim, Goa. 

One of the slides of his PPT had the words in the image above. I felt inspired by them. 

It urged us to reflect on why and how we come to church. It gave significance to our relationship with the church. It called us to be catalysts of the church and it's mission. 

He described the sessions as an encounter, a coming together; a listening experience to the word of God; and a discernment of change. 

Father dwelt on 4 things which define the church. 

1. It is one: it is united

2. It is holy: following the teachings of Christ

3. It is Catholic: it is for the faithful

4. It is apostolic: it acts like the apostles

The 'I Believe' contains all the 4 elements that make up the church. 

Fr. Mariano asked us to pray, because we were chosen to be there. Fr. Alfi, Asst. Parish Priest, Holy Family Church thanked all for taking the time to attend. 

Browsing the brochure that was circulated for the formation gave us an orientation to the session.* 

We were divided into groups for an activity where we had to compare two agendas of a PPC meeting and discuss which one best emulated the 4 elements of the church. 

We got to know our group members over tea and samosas. 

The next session is slated for 16th January, followed by another on 30th January. There are 5 sessions in all.  The medium is Konklish - a blend of English and Konkani. 

The psalm for today's readings (quoted as the epigraph above) seemed most apt for the day. 

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*Aid to Reconstitute the Parish Pastoral Councils (PPCs) 2023-2024 published by the Diocesan Pastoral Secretariat, Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, Panjim, Goa. It is in Konkani and English.