Fall 2024
The Practice of Compassionate Communications
This Wednesday afternoon online series keep us balanced during difficult conversations in meaningful relationships. We will examine how to filter information, negotiate power imbalances, set healthy boundaries, especially with an angry person. We will practice deep-breathing techniques to listen meaningfully and to understand someone else’s needs. We will use clarifying, non-violent language to sustain meaningful relationships.
This is a practice of synodality. Deep, sustained breathing techniques help a person to learn what one’s body is communicating to the mind and soul. We will discover and hone the skill of listening meaningfully so that we can know what a person is trying to communicate. Once the person can hear the experiences of another person, we can choose the right words to strengthen or restore the relationship. Most of the conversations will focus upon those who are close to us (spouse, partner, family, friends, community members and colleagues.)
Join Zoom Meeting. 4:00 pm -5:00 pm.
https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/88406666714?pwd=dC9nVnJqZHJTb1YwcS80UnBRQSszdz09
Meeting ID: 884 0666 6714
Passcode: 367817
Sept. 4, 18; Oct. 2, 16, 30; Nov 13
Tuesday morning Theology Book Club:
Adult Education: The Afternoon of Christianity: The Courage to Change, Tomas Halik, 2024
(Jul-Sep)
In a world transformed by secularization and globalization, torn by stark political and social distrust, and ravaged by war and pandemic, Christians are facing a crisis of faith. In The Afternoon of Christianity, Tomáš Halík reflects on past and present challenges confronting Christian faith, drawing together strands from the Bible, historic Christian theology, philosophy, psychology, and classic literature. In the process, he reveals the current crisis as a crossroads: one road leads toward division and irrelevance, while the other provides the opportunity to develop a deeper, more credible, and mature form of church, theology, and spirituality―an afternoon epoch of Christianity.
The fruitfulness of the reform and the future vibrancy of the Church depends on a reconnection with the deep spiritual and existential dimension of faith. Halík argues that Christianity must transcend itself, giving up isolation and self-centeredness in favor of loving dialogue with people of different cultures, languages, and religions. The search for God in all things frees Christian life from self-absorption and leads toward universal fraternity, one of Pope Francis’s key themes. This renewal of faith can help the human family move beyond a clash of civilizations to a culture of communication, sharing, and respect for diversity.
Tuesdays 8:00 am - 9:00 am
Join Zoom Meeting
https://bchigh.zoom.us/j/81168224605?pwd=UlA0VFpKZyttRmxSU1QzSnpvN2kvQT09
Meeting ID: 811 6822 4605
Passcode: 866898
The Ignatian Exercises Retreat in Daily Life
(or The 19th Annotation Retreat)
September 3rd, 2024– April 29th, 2025
Tuesdays by Zoom: 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight and Saving Time
Resources: The Ignatian Adventure, Kevin O’Brien, S.J.
Retreat Direction: On an individualized basis, often by Zoom
We will meet in a group setting each week where we will be assigned prayer exercises, and we will have an opportunity to check in at your convenience during the week individually or as needed. We will share received graces each week and talk about the prayer movements.
Praying for a particular grace is often a new concept for persons of prayers. At the beginning of each prayer period, we ask for a suggested grace that is appropriate for each meditation. At the end of the prayer, we can ask, “Did you give me that grace?”
This model fits into the liturgical calendar so that we are praying the Nativity passages during Advent and Christmas and the Passion narratives during Lent.
Creativity Option: People are free to express their graces and experiences by drawing, sketching, painting, or through any creative technique that deepens their prayer movements.
Movements:
The first few weeks will help people assess and adjust their prayer practices to sustain a nine-month program. One moves through the Exercises by receiving graces from God.
The first movement focuses upon one’s relationship with God, the Creator, and our dependence upon God’s mercy.
In the second movement, God introduces us to the life of Jesus of Nazareth, with whom we deepen our relationship, often testing the limits of the friendship. This is the heart of the Exercises and the place where we will spend most time. We will focus upon dialogue and conversation as the central part of our prayer.
In the third movement, we follow Jesus to his Cross where we emphasize our compassion and solidarity with him as he endures his Passion. We become like chaplains to him as we listen to what he is experiencing in his heart and emotions.
The fourth movement is the time of Resurrection, which is a new beginning of the relationship, and a time to see and love the world the way that God sees and loves the world.
https://jesuitseastois.org/spiritualexercises-retreats/bc-high-jesuits-of-boston
