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Breaking Open the Word

Beginning during the Period of Catechumenate and continuing until the evening before Easter, we gather as a group each Sunday at mass and are dismissed to explore God's Word, the Bible, more deeply. In this way, we are formed by God's Word and come to know His calling in our hearts more fully.

While this activity is a little daunting to people who have not shared their faith in public before, the fact that we share amongst others who are also exploring the Catholic faith combined with the fact that we do so in the small group that we've gotten to know through the formal presentations helps calm most fears. 

The basics of breaking open the Word involves taking the readings for that Sunday and asking some basic questions about how they inform us as believers and what they call us to do as a result. There are no "experts" when it comes to applying God's Word to our individual lives, and so each of us has insights to offer each other in this ongoing effort. Gradually, the group realizes that God's Word is written in such a way that it is accessible to all of us, and that each of us can glimpse God's calling in ways that others find helpful.

The particular approach we use at St. Gilbert does not require any upfront study or preparation on the part of the leader or participants. It recognizes and emphasizes the process going on in the catechumens and candidates. Here are the basics:

• A leader or participant reads the Gospel passage for the day one more time and facilitates a discussion on 3 questions:
• What did I hear?
  • After a short period of reflection, state the one word or phrase that resonated with you the most. Do not add to this with any reasons why. Just state the word or phrase.
• What did it say to me?
• Once everyone has shared what they heard, allow a short period of reflection in which you absorb all that others have shared, consider the impact of that word or phrase and what it is saying to you. Again, brevity is valuable. This is not a competition for who can be most insightful, it is a chance to bare the as yet unrefined processing that is going on in your heart at this very moment. Again, this is not a chance for one-upsmanship. Leave your ego at the door and simply and sincerely share what is going on as you begin to absorb what you heard.
• What is the cost?
• Finally, consider what you must do in order to be a sincere follower of the Word that you have heard. What must you do differently? What must you continue to do the same? What must you give up? What must you accept and retain? Remember, we’re not looking for scholarly insight (that can be the realm of your Bible study) but rather the simple and sincere sharing of the processing going on in your heart.