The Veritas & Caritas Group

Just an open ended question that's sort of been floating around in the back of my mind…

Ever wondered what the 'glue' is that puts and holds people together?  Maybe the simple answer is the Spirit guides us all to this point.  That's a little bit of a cop out too because the Spirit guides us in all things if we pay attention.  This is after all, a rhetorical question.  Maybe a better way to ask is,"Why does the 'glue' work the way it does?  How does it work?".

Either way, why does God attract a specific group of people to a cause?  Why 3 housewives and a computer technician? Why a plant breeder and engineer?  And even better yet, why THAT plant breeder and THAT computer technician instead of 2 different ones??  Surely for anyone who has shared their faith (either in your marriage, church, SCC or simple witness to others), you've wondered what your role or purpose was in a greater plan. 

When I share my faith in the right group/setting/context, I experience God's love and plan like never before.  That's the way it is in V&C - like I didn't even know I could experience God outside of Mass.  I am convinced that's why God drew me to these people and a specific group.  Sometimes my attempts to connect with other people haven't been so successful.  Perhaps it means we're just all at different places along the journey.  I know God's plans aren't for me to understand, but ultimately, I've decided the original question isn't for me to answer; it's to ponder God's presence in every detail of my life.  That's something I haven't done very well in the past.   It's pretty humbling for me.  And when I get to that point, it becomes clear:  God has a plan for me that is only for me. 

I guess I'll chalk my rhetorical question (and naivite) up to 'Wonder & Awe' — I feel a little like a deer in the woods with theirs pricked up…something tells them they are supposed to listen for something, but they don't know exactly what to listen for.  If it's just awareness of God trying to communicate with me, then I hope I keep my ears pricked long enough to hear what God needs me to hear.  Maybe listening closely enough, I'll even get some 'Wisdom' and 'Courage' for use on my journey!

I just wanted to take a minute to tell everyone, "Thank You!" for all your love and prayers.   I speak for not just my little clan, but for the Walkers as well.  It is such a blessing to have friends who care and who rally around when troubles come.  That is a beautiful picture of what community looks like.  The love we see lived out is a HUGE help, especially in a time of great pain.

We who trust in Christ have a hope that goes beyond all pain and all the unknowns of this life, but we still hurt.  We still miss.  We still struggle.  Being part of a family of believers is a great aid and reminder of that hope in Christ that we share together.  I can't comprehend how those without this hope are able to survive in this messed up world we call our pilgrim home.

We love and appreciate you all.  Thank you very much. 

Just kidding.  Meeting 3 went off without a hitch.  Great great time.  I know I say it every time, but I really enjoy getting to know everybody in these meetings.  I will also have to say that I am way impressed that all the kids (big age range) are getting along so well.  No injuries to report and no damages to property that I know of.    

What I am waiting for now are for the other group members, many of whom have already signed up for the blog, to start writing their own posts.  I'd like to read their thoughts.  This, after all, is a page for the entire group.  

And anybody can write on anything they want.  Wanna write about Iron Man?  Go ahead.  Want to talk about the weather?  Sure thing.  Wanna share the latest dish on Paris Hilton?  Nah.  Remember, if you need help, just ask me or ask the webmaster at the Catholic Social Network. 

Tonight was our second time together and already our merry little band has grown. Apparently, this was God’s perfect timing for a group of our sort.

While I obviously cannot divulge the content of our discussions, I can say that our conversation was productive and that I am having a wonderful time getting to know everyone better. Oh, and our children are behaving and getting along swimmingly. Do we call that “actual grace” or a miracle or what? Maybe everybody just has good kids. Did you ever think of that, smarty pants?

This is a lot of fun. If your parish isn’t doing something like this, I recommend you talk to your priest about having Small Church Communities as an extension of his ministry to the parish. When done right, SCCs are a great help to your pastor and the parish in general.

Had our first meeting tonight.  Someone remarked that it would be nice to have a central location to keep up with our activities, especially should someone miss one of our little get togethers.  Therefore we have this nice little blog.  I hope to add more nice add-ons as we go along.  For now, this will be functional.  I hope all our members will take the time to post from time to time.

Because it's fun, that's why.

So there's our first post.  Had a lot of fun tonight.  Looking forward to the next time together.