Meeting 1. - Freedom

Tags: Freedom, Truth, Sin, Music work, Text work, Definition work, Discussion, Formative

Introduction for the animator

The content of this meeting is crucial for the goals of the further substantive content of the retreat. Properly conducting the meeting will enable participants to enter the retreat immediately - they will be forced to think. I suggest carefully analyzing the outline in terms of your group - whether some questions might prove too difficult, maybe something is too trivial - here I count on a kind of “animator instinct”. Conducting the meeting “on the fly” without analyzing the outline can be quite problematic, hence good preparation is the key to leading the meeting. Two important fragments from the Bible have been included - I suggest praying them during the Tent of Meeting. This stems from the fact that the words we speak must be alive, it must be noticeable that what we are talking about is our way of life or the goal we are heading towards. At the same time, one should not be afraid of expressing one’s weaker sides - I advise avoiding the attitude of the “ideal animator”. The animator’s attitude is the basic factor in opening up the group.

Prayer

The animator must know how long the meeting can last - depending on this, they must assess the length of prayer, because there isn’t much time ;))

Getting acquainted

I leave this to the animator’s discretion, it can be based on introductory questions, or it can be some kind of game. Here you can also present the rules of working in groups and organizational matters of this type.

Introduction to purely substantive content

Here the animator cannot miss this moment - it must be a strong entry into the meeting. Without this, conducting the meeting may prove ineffective.

GOAL: Revealing the problem of freedom

Playing Marek Grechuta’s song titled Freedom (If there is no possibility to play it, work on the text itself.)

When you see a bird in flight how free it is
How it flows along, to the end of the sky.
Know - the sky is often full of storms and tempests
And from the bird’s flight roses are no longer visible.

For freedom - is not a goal but a chance to be
To fulfill the most beautiful dreams, aspirations.
Freedom - is the brightest of stars
A ray of sun in a dense forest, hope.

Freedom is a violin from whose sounds a miracle
A master’s effort can conjure.
But when a weak player plays on them
Only squeaking, grinding, crying will be heard.

For freedom - is to live among wise people
To see goodness in their eyes and happiness.
Freedom - is among life’s mountains and clouds
Through every grove and wall to know the passage.

Freedom shines among the branches of great trees
Which climb toward the sun each in its own direction.
Freedom sounds like joyful people’s laughter
Who have won their freedom in defense -

Of victory, wisdom, truth and love
Peace, happiness, health and dignity.
Freedom is a diamond to be polished
And it will shine with indescribable brilliance.

Freedom is also the resistance of hearts
Not to try to go down the wrong path.
For there are those who in freedom’s miracle
Can mix in the filth of their deeds.

And freedom - is the kingdom of good words,
wise thoughts, beautiful dreams,
it is faith in people.
Freedom - God invented it for us
so that man could finally
awaken in heaven.

—Marek Grechuta – Freedom

  • Can you guess what we will be talking about at this meeting?

  • Did any fragment of the song particularly appeal to you?

  • How do you understand the words: “When you see a bird in flight how free it is, how it flows along, to the end of the sky. Know - the sky is often full of storms and tempests and from the bird’s flight roses are no longer visible.”?

  • How do you understand the words: “Freedom is a diamond to be polished, and it will shine with indescribable brilliance.”?

  • How do you understand the words: “Freedom is also the resistance of hearts not to try to go down the wrong path. For there are those who in freedom’s miracle can mix in the filth of their deeds.”?

  • Do you think you are free?

  • Do you think - is the freedom you know the same freedom we just heard about? (Here we smoothly move to the next point by asking the next question)

Proper content

GOAL: Proper understanding of the word freedom and awakening the desire to strive for true freedom, which can be achieved through truth, and that is in Christ.

  • How would you define the word freedom?

Definitions of freedom:

  1. Freedom is when no one commands and no one forbids

  2. Lack of coercion, a situation in which one can make choices from among all available options.

  3. Freedom is the source of human dignity. Only it constitutes the basic reason for self-respect.

  4. Freedom does not mean freedom from all guiding principles. Freedom is freedom for development consistent with the laws of the structure of human existence. (…) It means obedience to principles that govern optimal individual development.

  5. Freedom is the possibility, rooted in reason and will, of acting or not acting, doing this or something else, thus undertaking voluntary actions by oneself.

  6. Freedom is a right permitted by law.

  7. Freedom is the core of the inalienable dignity of every human being, as it constitutes their deepest “I”.

  8. Freedom is the possibility, rooted in reason and will, of acting or not acting, doing this or something else, thus undertaking voluntary actions by oneself.

  • Which of the definitions could you most identify with? (Here we lay out the cut-out definitions of freedom and encourage making a choice.)

Submitting for discussion the statement: “freedom from… (lack of principles) vs. freedom for a certain choice” (here the animator must think about the exact content of this message depending on the group’s predispositions - especially age)

  • What do you understand by this?

    • Freedom to choose a school, freedom to choose company, freedom to choose a wife (you can humorously refer to Mormons where the choice is made independently at a stadium. The husband sees his wife for the first time in that place.)

    • Freedom from school, freedom from mom’s commands, freedom from going to church (often going to church is a command from parents - we need to look at it in this light!),

  • Do you feel free in both definitions of freedom?

I think you will agree that often our decisions are guided, to tell the truth, by an external factor.

  • What do you think - what can influence the decisions we make? Parents, television, or maybe something else? (you can emphasize the problem of mass media and manipulation a bit here, but you don’t need to elaborate, because there will probably be one conference on this topic)

Note

Participants have more or less familiarized themselves with the preliminary definition, now we need to show the more Christological sense of this definition.

Statement for discussion: “Christianity - source of freedom, or limitation?” (Here we allow loose digressions. If the animator conducts this point well, an interesting discussion may arise, but we must remember that time is pressing.)

When participants have said something, you can try to “corner” them a bit (here depending on how confident the animator feels) with statements (primarily forcing them to think - learning to reject schemas, an attempt to break the direction of thinking “I say so, because that’s the key”):

  • What kind of freedom is it that limits?

  • How can a tangle of prohibitions and commands present in Christianity be called freedom?

  • Why is the free choice of, for example, a life full of sex, alcohol, etc., supposedly enslavement, while choosing Jesus is already freedom?

  • Doesn’t faith in Jesus work on the principle of addiction?

  • Isn’t that the point, to “addict” one’s life to Jesus?

  • Why then should this addiction be freedom, and others not?

Note

Here the animator has a chance to prove themselves. Most importantly, it must be visible that the content the animator conveys flows from their life, that they live by it!

I suggest doing the Tent of Meeting earlier based on two Bible fragments included below.

As he was saying these things, many believed in him. Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

—Jn 8:30-47

Jesus’ definition of freedom. Key fragment!

  • Do you find answers to the previously asked questions in this fragment? (This part may be relatively difficult and may require reading twice and help in the form of hints from the animator.)

You can say: “Try to imagine the following situation: someone you don’t know comes to you - I know… let it be an animator on the first day of retreat and says that your behavior is wrong, that what you do in your life is not entirely correct. However, they add that you can do something about it, and even they will help you with it. What is your reaction? Wouldn’t their words go in one ear and out the other?” -> analogy to the fragment, similarly must have felt those who listened to Jesus’ teaching. It is not easy teaching and simple to accept! “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

  • Why did Jesus tell the Jews that they were living in slavery? After all, no one was holding them in chains, they could do what they wanted? (->we should arrive at the answer that it’s about sin.)

  • Why should sin cause slavery? Let’s say I sin - I don’t know… I snap at my mom, I hit a friend - after all, nothing will happen to me then, the next day no one remembers it.

  • What does it mean that Truth sets free? What is this truth? What does this liberation consist of? (hints for the animator - addition: Truth that liberates.)

“If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” – we often show disapproval of Jesus’ words, we deny His teaching by saying it directly or simply by sinning.

  • What would you answer to such an accusation from Jesus?

Let’s read:

I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live

—Dt 30:19

  • What life is meant? - should we interpret this exactly?

We need to make the group aware that everyone faces a clear choice - God wants us to make such decisions. We know the outline of the “path” to freedom and its certain consequences - do we really want to undertake the effort of reaching true freedom, more sharply - do I choose life (You can also use this question in application)?

As you have already realized, the freedom we are talking about here can be achieved in Jesus, in incarnate Truth. So briefly summarizing:

  • does this bring something concretely good for you? Or rather do you have the impression that you have to do this, because you must, because someone says so?

The effort of freedom (superficially, because the development should be at the evening conference)

You already know quite a bit about this freedom

  • do you think it can be easily achieved?

  • Does this freedom involve some effort?

Conclusions

If time allows, we can briefly recall the essence of the meeting:

What freedom is - how it differs from the one we can superficially know, how to achieve it (in God, in Truth), the effort (not to give up) freedom is not enslavement (this sounds relatively strange, but it has its meaning), but is our good and the path to true joy.

Application

As an application, let each participant consider whether they are ready today to make a decision to strive for true freedom. Whether they are ready to undertake the effort of fighting for it. Let them “bring” this decision with them to evening prayer.