Meeting 2 — "Love Must Be Simple" ************************************ .. tags:: content|love|Love, content|community|Community, content|service|Service, content|eucharist|Eucharist, method|text-work|Text work, method|definition-work|Definition work, type|formative|Formative Introduction ============ .. note:: The meeting is based on Archbishop Ryś's homily for Holy Thursday in the Archcathedral, Łódź 2018 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufTRod3gtRE] Yesterday's experience of St. Peter could be summed up in the words "I want, but I do not understand." During the Last Supper, this becomes apparent again. This time, however, Jesus not only draws attention to St. Peter's lack of understanding of matters of faith, but as Teacher, he tries to explain to him what the path of growth is. Before we enter into meditation on St. Peter's path, let us pause for a moment and reflect on whether we have experienced something similar to what he did. - What moment in my life was a "great lesson" of faith and love? The Only Sensible Order? ======================== Archbishop Ryś warns us against reversing the order in looking at service in faith. If distortions exist at the level of the very perspective, then despite the best intentions, dedicated energy, and effort—there is a high probability that we will lose the essence. - What does my idea of ideal love look like? - What does my idea of ideal community look like? "What You Are Doing Is Not the Eucharist" ========================================== During the Last Supper, Jesus presents us with the answer to the question of what his idea of ideal love and community is. Archbishop Ryś emphatically pointed out that already in St. Paul's time, someone in the Church had the courage to say: "what you are doing is not the Eucharist." Unfortunately, one can simply leave the form unchanged while simultaneously losing the content, the inner value. Jesus could have chosen any image of an ideal community that he would have left us to imitate. I can imagine the Apostles going out to the hills of Lebanon and together planting 12 saplings as a sign of love toward others. He chose the breaking of bread for some reason. Let us try to reflect on our values more than on the form with which they are associated. In our notebooks, we have a list of 75 values. We will now do individual work. It is important to complete the task according to the following three steps: 1. From the above list, cross out 30 values that are least important to you 2. From the remaining 45, cross out another 20 that are less important than the rest 3. In the table, 25 values remain; cross out 19 of them so that 6 most important to you remain +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Independence | Openness | Development | Attractiveness | Security | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Tolerance | Recognition | Creativity | Selflessness | Discovery | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Responsibility | Peace | Authenticity | Success | Originality | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Ambition | Honesty | Optimism | Sincerity | Credibility | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Love | Loyalty | Spirituality | Harmony | Curiosity | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Family | Health | Passion | Pleasure | Balance | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Career | Empathy | Wisdom | Courage | Beauty | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Wealth | Sensitivity | Acceptance | Cheerfulness | Relaxation | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Trust | Joy | Fulfillment | Personal growth | Order | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Happiness | Modesty | Enthusiasm | Education | Fun | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Freedom | Adventure | Belonging | Parenthood | Good | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Fame | Friendship | Awareness | Money | Work | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Comfort | Respect | Intuition | Free time | Perseverance | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Sincerity | Gratitude | Appreciation | Knowledge | Spontaneity | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ | Achievements | Intelligence | Learning | Travel | Equality | +------------------+--------------+--------------+------------------+--------------+ After 10-15 minutes of individual work, let us ask: - [For volunteers] What values did you leave? - Are you surprised by which values remained uncrossed? - What do you take away from this exercise for yourself? Difficult "Simplifying" ======================= When one gets to know something and becomes an expert in it, one becomes more aware of many nuances, the complexity of the subject. It is similar in love and faith. This is also visible in our community through increasingly longer outlines (more and more footnotes, safeguards, anticipating exceptions), the volume of introductions to program points at retreats. This is not surprising—we see the world more broadly and want to care for an increasingly wider spectrum of possibilities. Let us try in this context to look at Jesus in the Upper Room. Jesus is undoubtedly aware of all the complexity of love between people, but he nevertheless decided to "simplify" it in the gesture of washing feet. - In what matters is it easy for me to unnecessarily "complicate" faith? (Or as St. Paul would say, "is sick with disputes and quarrels about words" 1 Tim 6:4) - Do I feel the need to simplify faith and love in my immediate surroundings? Where? In what way? Simple Faith ============ Jesus chose simple bread, the most common activity on earth, which is eating. He gathered the disciples and after 3 years of complicated teachings, he said to them: this is what you will do. - What in my experience of faith is "bread"—something most basic? Simplicity is not just an aesthetic category or preference. The more complicated systems we create, the harder it will be for us to check what is common between them. Simplifying faith is the way (and in practice the only possibility) to seek what is common (!). It will probably be very difficult for me to agree with each person in the group on how to read God's will, but fortunately we do not need this vision to be consistent. We will, however, easily agree that washing each other's feet is love. - In what experience of faith does it seem to me that it will be easiest for me to find a "common language" with the person next to me? - What, according to my subjective view in faith, do we share among ourselves in Ponad Murami? The expression of seeking in faith what we share is the Creed. Therefore, today within the Tent of Meeting we will meditate on this text. Application =========== We do not want to impose an application from this meeting on participants. However, if possible, it would be good for everyone to find their own application and share it with the rest of the group. The author of the outline simultaneously notes significant benefits from seeking an application achievable within the next 48h.