REVIEW OF LIFE” IN BASEGROUPS
A. WHAT DOES IT MEAN REVIEW OF LIFE IN GROUPS?
To do a review of life in a group is:
- To come together regularly to talk and listen to each other in a climate of confidence and fraternity.
- To share important events (happy or difficult) which mark our personal life or that of our circle of friends (family, work colleagues, neighbors?).
- To exchange how we are affected by these events, which make us react.
- For us to say to one another what is important in our life, beliefs, hopes that pushes us to act and not accept fatalism.
- To open us up to the meeting of Jesus Christ at the heart of this life, and to let the light of his word enter our life.
B. SEE, JUDGE, ACT: PROVEN METHOD.
The review of life is based on the method See, Judge and Act.
1) SEE
The sharing is rooted in the concrete lives of the members of the group. It is important place when each member of the group can speak freely and in confidence about an event that has touched his or her personal life, professional life or family life or political, social or economic event in which they feel involved.
It is equally important that, say who amongst our friends and contacts have also been affected by these events in order that members of the group can come to know the people involved.
Following an initial tour of the group there are two possibilities:
- We can choose one of the facts which concern most members of the group, and we can hold onto the other facts for another meeting.
- Majority of the facts raised are similar and have the same causes. They can therefore be analyzed together.
2) JUDGE
It is time to make analysis, it is an opportunity to look beyond the reality and get behind the real causes and make a deep analysis. Some helpful questions:
- What are the causes of the situations reported?
- Our personal responsibility (negligence, lack of attention or reaction etc)?
- Collective responsibility (economic system, mistrust of public authorities, political parties, trade unions lack of solidarity)etc.
- What changes in my life am I asked to make in order to act?
- What collective action am I called to weigh up about the events in order to be defeated?
- With whom can I come together (name them)? to carry what type of action together?
- What are the corrective groups that already exist on which I can obtain support?
Word of God shines on us
At this moment of the meeting, it is necessary to take some time and pause. It is not about a break with the lives we are speaking about because god is in life but to move to another dimension: allowing us to consider the word of god in which another vision is presented and which can often leave us disconnected obliging us to reconsider our way of seeing and acting.
- Choose a passage from the gospel that speaks to us about the situations of life we have been sharing.
- Take some time to read it aloud together.
- Then take a little time in silence to reflect on the words and their meaning for us.
- Then each person can express how these words have enriched the sharing and call them to act.
3) ACT
Sharing of our lives, listening to one another and the exchanges around the word of god provokes us to go back into the world, to struggle even more for solidarity and justice, to be sensitive to those around us who suffer, who are despised and exploited.
The review of life calls us to act, wherever we live to resist injustice and to sow seeds of hope.
Personal Action Plans:
- What discoveries have I made during this review of life?
- What actions in my personal life have I been provoked to do?
Collective Action Plans:
- In the face of the situations discussed what collective actions are possible?
- How to join or create groups (associations, trade unions etc) of citizens.(Christians or none Christians)love of justice to organize collectively and weigh up the decisions taken by politicians and public authorities.