-
Sharing
-
 BASIC
ECCLESIAL COMMUNITIES: A New Way of Being a Church
- By Leilani Samson
-
-
-
-
Church happens
when people come together and become friends in the Lord. The PCP II
Vision of the Church (Acts No. 137) is for it to be communion,
participation, mission, priestly, prophetic, kingly, of the poor,
renewed: all of them finding expression in one ecclesial movement, the
movement to foster Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC).
-
-
Fr. Avery Cardinal
Dulles, S.J. introduced a category for understanding the mystery of the
Church: models. The parish as a Church model prevalent the whole
world the last 400 years is not entirely a bad model but it is less
effective today in a society with changing structures and cultures. This
traditional parish model has heavy emphasis on the creed, code
and cult of religion and therefore the preserve and turf of
the clergy. The new model calls for a shift to the neighborhood and
sectoral small communities engaged in the activities of daily life and
in the leadership of lay people, and that is BEC. It is the priority
model of Church, that is, by becoming active in the realization of PCP
II’s triple thrust- community of disciples, church of the poor, and
renewed integral evangelization.
-
-
A community of
disciples is one whose faith in Jesus is expressed in a Church in
mission that includes the whole of creation. A real community of
disciples is patterned after the Holy Trinity where the three divine
Persons, unique, equal and united, are in constant sharing and in
mission. To become disciples is to deny one’s self and to attend to
others; to carry one’s cross daily – continue loving and doing good
works even when difficult.
-
-
The church of
the poor as a thrust asks us to embrace evangelical poverty and the
empowerment of the poor for the transformation of society. By poor, we
mean those who are morally poor (regular clients of vices, seven
capital sins); marginalized poor (illiterate, destitute,
voiceless, neglected, exploited) and; evangelically poor
(evangelical poverty is the call and challenge to the whole church, to
remove luxury and waste in lifestyle, work diligently and share
generously, service for the marginalized poor, etc.) The need of the
Church for the poor is greater than the need of the poor for the Church.
-
-
Renewed integral
evangelization:
New vigor, new methods, and new expression no longer in the area of
religion alone, but for total human liberation and development in
socio-economic and political areas of life with the participation of the
poor as active agents of social change. It is not only a means to become
a community of disciples and the Church of the poor. A Church of the
poor must employ integral evangelization if it is to spread the kingdom
of God today. Lay people assume a prominent role in this mission because
of their presence in these areas of life; and in ecumenical cooperation
with non-Catholics.
-
-
Our vision of the
Church as communion, participation, and mission, the Church as priestly,
prophetic and kingly people, and as a Church of the poor – a Church that
is renewed – is today finding expression on the ecclesial movement to
foster Basic Ecclesial Communities. BEC is not a movement, nor is it an
organization in the Church. It is the Church in its new model. The
ecclesial movement is the Christocentric, ongoing, integrated formation
process to foster BEC.
-
-
Fr. Sim Sunpayco,
S.J. clearly distinguishes BEC from BEC’s in his workshop
notes on evangelization. Basic Ecclesial Community (sing.) is the
Church itself in its new model. Basic Ecclesial Communities (plu.)
are small communities that are also communities of the small (in status,
the marginalized poor). The emergence of these BEC’s in a parish will
gradually transform the parish from the old to the new (renewed) model
of being Church. BEC: a new way and method of being evangelized, and
evangelizing this contemporary society today – to a civilization of life
and love, a sign of the in-breaking of the Father’s Kingdom.
-
-
-
-
Leilani Samson is a former Genesis member now residing in
the Philippines.
- TELL US LIKE IT IS!
- Has something
wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did God answer your
prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like Isaiah, meet God’s
whisper?
- Have you felt His
powerful hand working in your life recently?
- Everyday, people are
experiencing God’s mighty Word in their lives and it is a pity that very
few know about it. Do you have a story to tell? Some Good News to
share?
- E-mail us (genesis@catholic.org) or fax us
(021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You don’t have to be
a great writer to do this. We can help you write it – just tell us like
it is!
- Don’t forget to write
the subject: “Let Me Tell You A
Story”
For comments, suggestions or
ideas:
E-mail us: genesis@catholic.org
Fax us: (6221) 662-7384
Genesis Catholic
Community - All Rights Reserved 2003
No part of this website may be copied,
reproduced or modified without the permission from the
webmaster.
|
This site has been awarded
IN THIS ISSUE:
HIS Servant
by Bro. Pete Lapid
Our Faith
By Fr. KJ Veeger, MSC
Messages
By Bro. Bo Sanchez
Place of Refuge
By Philip Yuson
Messages
By Bro. Ken Noecker
Messages
By Bro. Wimpie and Sis. Chairny,
KKK
Community Life ~ Here's the Latest
By Pinky Torres
Surabaya Corner
By Ramon Martillan
Surabaya Sharing
By Bombet Malina
Sharing
By Joji Escuban
Sharing
On Focus
By Sansu Garin
Saint for the Month
- Meet the
Staff
-
-
-
Catholic
Links
-
-
- PROFILE OF THE
-
GENESIS CATHOLIC
COMMUNITY
|
