Meeting 2 - I am an Oasis Member - What Does It Mean?
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.. tags:: content|identity|Identity, content|community|Community, content|church|Church, method|spatial-activity|Spatial activity, method|sharing-questions|Sharing questions, method|discussion|Discussion, type|formative|Formative

Meeting Goal
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Do not make this a list of rules to implement, but a sharing meeting. Taking up reflection on the quality of our being in the Movement.

Wondering on what basis we base our own identity.

Analogy: Our gift consists of several parts. We need to try to understand each of them, their roles, to know what we got. When the first joy associated with the fact of receiving something ceases, we ask: what is this gift for?

Prayer
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Adapted to the possibilities of the group.

What Does It Mean to Be an Oasis Member? – Theory
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* *We write down on a large sheet of paper elements of life associated with being an Oasis member*

Probable answers: Tent of Meeting, Eucharist, Retreats, Krościenko, small group, Fr. Blachnicki, service to the parish, charism, congregations, Second Vatican Council

(important to list as many of these things as possible)

What Does It Mean to Be an Oasis Member? – Sharing Life
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Since the meetings have a sharing character now, we also want to share our life.

The animator in a suitable (previously chosen) place stretches a string on the ground (at least 3 meters) and marks 3 points on it:

.. image:: arrow.*
   :align: center

*We read successively "Oasis" elements (from the sheet) and participants stand "on the axis". Then everyone answers why they chose this particular place. While speaking, others can change their place.*

Reflection on the Quality of One's Own Experience of the Movement
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*Let's wonder if we felt worse having to stand closer to the "minus"? (individually, not on the forum)*

Sometimes it just is like that. It is important to distinguish things that are "optional" and which are basic. Another matter is that one probably cannot avoid the fact that at certain moments of our life (shorter or longer) certain things will be "indifferent" to us. The most important thing, however, is our attitude! Do we try to do something about it, do we try to persevere.

Hypothesis:
    *"It would be much worse if instead of admitting to ourselves that something is "on the minus" we threw these things out of consciousness trying to delude ourselves that everything is on the plus"*

* Do you agree with this sentence? Can we write down a "list of consequences" of such "throwing out"?

We create a list together on some sheet. Here are example things that can be found on it:

1. First of all, we then eliminate some points totally from life which were created for our good
2. Throwing out sooner or later returns (because others did not throw out) which can provoke living in hypocrisy (yes, yes.....I do the Tent of Meeting everyday for an hour and a half)
3. Without awareness of things we need to work on, there is practically no possibility that we will not fall into Pride

The parable of the elephant and the blind men (origin 2000 years before Christ) which teaches us about the consequences of "choosing" elements from the whole:

    Three blind men wanted to know what an elephant is. One grabbed the ear and stated: "the elephant is like a cabbage leaf". The second embraced his leg with his hands and said: "the elephant is like a tree trunk". The third grabbed the elephant by the tail and said: "the elephant is like a rope". Then – as the parable says – they started to argue, and shouting: "the elephant is such and such", they threw themselves at each other and started to beat each other with fists.

On What Do We Build Our Own Identity?
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Let's ask:

* Where did we get these elements that we listed at the very beginning? From the Internet? Did we remember what our animators said once? From books? **From experience?**

Identity is an important matter. We should therefore "be careful" on what basis we build it. This is the moment to share how widely (so safely) we reach for sources.

* Is there a desire in us to discover who we are to be? Do we try to deepen this identity of ours or do we assume "that it is better than the others anyway"?

* Do we realize that one has to discover? That not everything is given on paper. That "it is not created to the end" and many things are waiting for cooperation with us?

Application
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Each of the participants tries to designate them for themselves.