Bible Study for the Youth of our Church

Come & See

تحت شعار ( تعال وانظر ) التقى شباب الكنيسة يوم السبت الماضي في قاعة الكنيسة وحضر ثلاثون شاب وشابة لمناقشة الموضوع المطروح من قبل الأخت : اميرة جبو وبحضور الأب يوسف عبا كاهن الرعية الذي عاون الأخت اميرة في الاستجابة الى طلبات واسئلة الشباب . .. استمع الحضور الى شرح مفصّل للأنجيل باللغة الانكليزية من قبل الأخت أميرة  ( انجيل يوحنا 1 : 35 ـ 39 ) ثم دار النقاش وكان مفيدا جدا استغرق حوالي الساعتين ، فرح شبابنا للتفسير الشامل للانجيل وبعده تناول الجميع المعجنات والبيتزا وأنواع الحلويات وعدوا ان يحددوا موعد اللقاء القادم لاحقا .

الأخت أميرة جبو تشرح للشباب والشابات فصل من انجيل  ( يوحنا : 1 : 35 ـ 39 )

Come & See is a process for renewal in our Church. It is inspired by the words of Jesus in St. John's Gospel, where the Lord invited some of his first disciples to "come and see," to find out more about him (see John 1:35-39). This is what our process for renewal is about - coming to a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ as the Holy One who shows us the love of God the Father, in and through the Holy Spirit.

As the Church of St, Joseph, we want to discover and rediscover what our Christian faith means, both for ourselves and for others.

During the Lent, we are invited all of us to come to Jesus and to see what he need to do. The best way to be really his good disciple and follower pass by reconciliation. 

The call to repent and be reconciled is at the very heart of the Gospel message proclaimed by Jesus. In St. Mark's Gospel, the very first words of Jesus are addressed to us: 'The time has come; the kingdom of God is at hand. Change your ways and believe in the Good News." (Mk 1:15) Whether in specific or broad terms, seeking the peace of God in our hearts and in our world is essential to our desire for spiritual renewal. Change your ways, repent, be reconciled, be at peace – each of these phrases reveals different dimensions of what Christian conversion and discipleship mean, whatever stage we are at on our journey of faith.

• To change - to leave old ways behind, to become more like Christ, allowing him to work in us and through us to mould us into his image. • To repent – to recognize our faults and our failings and to seek forgiveness for our sin from the Lord and from others.

• To be reconciled – to restore broken relationships and be at one with the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit; through this, to be restored to loving relationships with others and to respect for the world God has created

• To be at peace – to be in harmony with oneself, with others and with God through the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts; to know and live in the serenity of the Lord’s presence and to make peace a reality in our world.

When Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples he said to them, “Peace be with you.” Then he breathed on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Those whose sins you forgive will be forgiven.” (Jon 20:20; 22-23)

Having reconciled all things to God through the blood of his cross (Col 1:20), Jesus gave the Church the ministry of forgiveness. From the earliest days, the Church has echoed the heart of the Gospel message: “Be reconciled to God!” (2 Cor 5:20)

Today, we want to proclaim the wonderful Good News that Christ is our peace. We need to hear this afresh ourselves and in turn speak it to others. He calls each of us to repentance and reconciliation, most especially through the Sacrament of Confession. Today will be a time to reflect on how we approach and celebrate this great gift.

It will also be an opportunity to reach out and encourage people to receive God’s mercy, especially those who no longer frequent this sacrament or practice their faith.

In our Church and in our personal Christian living we want to renew our understanding and practice of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It’s integral to our ongoing conversion and growth in discipleship. We want to re-appreciate the individual and communal dimensions of reconciliation and, within this, explore how we can be better reconciled with the poor, with other Christians and with those of other religious traditions.

The invitation of Jesus, "Come and see" (Jn 1:39), is the golden rule of pastoral work for promoting vocations even today (no. 64).

 

This passage expresses so well the responsibility all believers have in promoting the gift of priesthood, religious life and other vocations to the consecrated life. The Church cannot survive without the witness of priests, religious and other consecrated persons. Unfortunately, many of us seem to have forgotten this "golden rule" and rely too much on ourselves and modern marketing methods to attract vocations.

For the Church to be faithful to the mission entrusted to her by the Lord, we must simply encourage young men and women to slow down, take stock and step away from the clutter and busy-ness of contemporary life, all so as to adequately hear the invitation of Jesus to serve Him. While vocation strategies and efforts have their rightful place, nothing can substitute for listening to the Lord in the silence of our own hearts. It is only here that we can know with conviction and certitude that Christ indeed is calling us to follow Him with an undivided heart.

ينصت الشباب بلهفة لشرح الانجيل قبل بدء المناقشة

 

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