1. Couples for Christ

2. Prayer to the Blessed Trinity

3. Leader: God, heavenly Father, bless us with the love with which you adopted us as your children. ALL: God, eternal Son, bless us through the ineffable kindness of your Sacred Heart, the kindness that made you sacrifice your life that we might live.

4. Leader: God, Holy Spirit, bless us through the love that you give to your creatures as the highest of gifts, making us children of God. ALL: May the blessing of the holy Trinity fill our hearts and enable us to carry out every good work.

5. Leader: May the divine, life-giving love give consolation to those who mourn, comfort to the sick, and the support of grace to all who are in need. ALL: May the divine blessing come upon us and all who are dear to us.

6. Leader: God, eternal truth, All: We believe in you. Leader: God, our strength and salvation, All: We hope in you. Leader: God, infinite goodness, All: We love you with all our heart.

7. Leader: You have sent the WORD a Savior of the world, All: Make us all one in him. Leader: Fill us with the Spirit of your Son, All: That we may glorify your name. AMEN.

10. 1.Social 2.Biblical 3.Theological 4.Early Christian 5.Family 6.Main Ingredient 7.Main Objective/goal 8.Four Attitudes in building Community 9.The 10 Commandments of Religious Community

11. 1.Social  A social unit of any size that SHARES common values  Communitas (latin)  Com – with/together  Munus - gift

12. 2. Biblical (John 17:20-22)  “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

13. 3. Theological  TRINITY – Mystery of Communion / Community par excellence  One God – Three Persons

14. 4. Early Christians Life in the Christian Community - ACTS 4: 32-35 The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.

15. 4.1 Early Christian Communities  Vita Apostolica  Koinonia  Diaconia

16. 5. FAMILY as Community  Model:  Religious Communities  Religious Congregations

18. 6. Main Ingredient  CHARITY

19. 7. Main Objective  UNITY

20. 8. Four Attitudes for Building Community A. WORDS that are HUMBLE and FULL of CHARITY

21. Four Attitudes for Building Community B. A COMMUNITY of FRIENDS

22. Four Attitudes for Building Community C. JUDGE NOT

23. Four Attitudes for Building Community D.Let us FORGIVE one another

24. 9. The 10 Commandments of Religious Community 1.Do not complain about each other. 2.Don’t forget that you are a parable of love and communion, narrated by the Holy Spirit to make easier the way to faith of those who do not know Jesus Christ. 3.Be disposed to deny your very selves, to die for the rest, to accept the cross and the suffering, because the authentic community is born of the cross, of contradiction, of renunciation of your own will, of your own Ego.

25. 9. The 10 Commandments of Religious Community 4. Your local community is not your only community. 5. A community that prays together, lives together. 6. If all of you are sons and daughters of the Father, you should not be living like slaves, but rather, with the freedom of men and women aware of their dignity.

26. 9. The 10 Commandments of Religious Community 7. Participate all of you in the government of the community. 8. Do not forget the poor. Open the doors to them. 9. Be a community closely near tot he people, even a community-people. 10. Be a community not only at home, but especially in mission.

30. Main Reference: Religious as a Parable of Love Theology of Religious Life By: Jose Cristo Rey Paredes