Prayer group *help please

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Mikaele

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I help run a little Samoan youth group, and we’re only very much at the beginning of our journey, most people wouldn’t even know what the Eucharist is, and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of how to get started?

The age range is from 15-24, and I know we really need to get some good solid catechesis going. I was thinking of having a lectio divina, without actually mentioning the name, just to introduce them to the scriptures. Does anybody have any ideas for which scriptures to use? we’ve already done the prodigal son and Peter walking on the water. Also, should we get into the Eucharist straight away?
 
I simply copied this to get you started. I looked it up as I was not familiar with the topic. According to Father Luke Dysinger, O.S.B.

Many Christians use in their daily lectio divina one of the readings from the eucharistic liturgy for the day; others prefer to slowly work through a particular book of the Bible. It makes no difference which text is chosen, as long as one has no set goal of “covering” a certain amount of text. The amount of text covered is in God’s hands, not yours.

beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/Catholic/2000/08/How-To-Practice-Lectio-Divina.aspx

Best wishes and God Bless.
 
When I was learning to do meditation and contemplation with a priest, he advised that I used the readings for the coming Sunday.

I think it’s never to early to mention the Eucharist - you can even take them to say hello to Jesus in the tabernacle and share why personally the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is so important to you.

I’ll give your question some thought and get back to you!

God bless you and your group.
 
Hi again, Mikaele

How has the youth group been progressing? I was wondering - you said most people wouldn’t know what the Eucharist is, so this means that the young people are not Catholic? At first I thought you were trying to encourage young people to pray and get to know Jesus in the Eucharist better but it seems that the issue is another.

What is the purpose of the youth group and are any of the children’s parents involved? It is mainly a social group and you’re introducing a religious component? If you go into straight out catechesis without their parents knowing you could run into problems.

Perhaps if you talk with your parish priest he can give you some other ideas - maybe they already have a programme they follow for first communion and confirmation classes and you can take extracts from these.

Prayers of intercession can be helpful in group building. If you can get the young people to put forward issues that concern or worry them and spend some time praying together for these various intentions, that can have benefit. I remember our confirmation teacher did that with us - we shared on a very personal level and prayed for each other. Many of those friendships still last even after 20 years.

Hopefully some other people here on CAF can share some more ideas.

God bless you and your work, Mikaele
 
Mikaele said:
I help run a little Samoan youth group, and we’re only very much at the beginning of our journey, most people wouldn’t even know what the Eucharist is, and I was wondering if anyone had any ideas of how to get started?

The age range is from 15-24, and I know we really need to get some good solid catechesis going. I was thinking of having a lectio divina, without actually mentioning the name, just to introduce them to the scriptures. Does anybody have any ideas for which scriptures to use? we’ve already done the prodigal son and Peter walking on the water. Also, should we get into the Eucharist straight away?
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I always like the Gospel passage about Jesus and the woman at the well. Ask them to “enter into the scene” (be a bystander in the passage…ask them to picture it, the hot sun, the dusty road, the beat up well).

Point out Jesus is thirsty, he’s tired, he’s been walking and giving all day. He encounters a woman…and he engages her to help Him. He always seems to get people to do some small action or act of correspondence or faith when he’s teaching like this. He uses his own tiredness and thirst to help others. How can we do the same thing. How can we use our own tiredness to help others. When we are tired, how can we turn outside of ourselves in order to help others? The passage is so rich.
 
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