FORMATION (Study)
ORIENTATION
After hearing of God’s desire to communicate with us—His plan of salvation—it is natural for the participants to want to know the ways that will lead them to know God better, to know this marvelous Christ, so that their faith, their vital adherence, their total choice may be more conscious. The goal of this talk is to suggest these ways.
It should not be a learned dissertation, but a call
to metanoia: To change our mentality. A call to put on
the mind of Christ.
Study, reflection, education and maturing in the faith give us the
ultimate reason for living. We want this talk to offer us, through more and better
information, a greater formation—a Christian formation—which will reform our
mentality, conforming our life to God's plan, and transforming everything around us,
animating everything with a Christian spirit.
So we should be open:
• To God—to know where, when, and how
He speaks and what He tells us,
• To the world—to know and make
ourselves sharers of our brothers' and sisters' situations;
• To ourselves—to know ourselves
better and to maintain an ongoing interior renewal.
The "Formation" talk teaches how to discover God in all creative, redemptive, and sanctifying work, through the Word of God, the magisterium of the Church, and all personal events and signs of the times.
GENERAL COMMENTS
The opening meditation of the second day is particularly important for the progression of talks during this day. It presents the person of Christ, but as a person living here and now. He is a man who can be imitated, because He is a human being. ln this regard, His role as a leader is drawn out. Christ is a leader of people (as the participant will realize by the end of the day that he/she too must be a leader of people). He is a leader worthy to follow.
The first talk of the day is "Formation". It is meant to give some badly needed explanation. At this point, the participants realize that they must live in grace, but they do not have a complete understanding of what this means. The lesson of this talk is that they have to use their heads to learn how to live in grace, and that leaming what to do as a Christian is, in fact, a never ending task. One way this idea is presented is through explaining another aspect of the idea of Holiness. Where the "Holiness" talk stressed the direction of one’s whole life to God, the "Formation" talk works from the idea of holiness as life. It is necessary to form oneself to live as a Christian. The rest of the talk explains how we form ourself in a way that makes the participant feels the need for formation. At the same time, the talk makes clear how formation itself is part of holiness (it is a kind of prayer, a means of becoming a saint) and how it is directed toward evangelization (it is formation for apostolic action as well).
Formation is the second leg of the tripod. The purpose of formation is to know God and know what God wants for us, or to put it another way, it is to know the ideal of Christianity.
It is the study of God’s revelation and of what God is calling people to—the formation in the ideal. If one is to act as a Christian, one must know how a Christian should act.
There are three principal points the "Formation" talk has to make. They are: (1) that Christian formation is not the same as the study of Christianity; (2) that the principal source of formation is life itself, and (3) that a daily program of formation is the source of the daily metanoia asked of each of us (progressive conversion) as we put on the mind of the Church.
The opening session—the "Introduction" talk—picks up the theme, from the "Ideal" talk and the "Holiness" talk, that the creation of the human being was the apex of creation with each person meant to fulfill the promise that they were made in the image and likeness of God. Going back to the basic definition of holiness, or directing one’s whole life toward God, the three elements of this life are pointed out to be the practices of Holiness, Formation, and Evangelization. Much of this section, and Section 3, is spent removing any objections to formation by pointing out that the purpose of formation is to search for the truth in all of life.
Section 2 defines Formation as the search for the essentials of life, and Section 3 continues the arguments that the search for the essentials of life is a never-ending task, demanded not only by our human action, but by the role God placed upon us to live the life in grace, or friendship with God.
Section 4 sums up the first three sections by clearly stating the objectives of formation as the call to sanctity. This section is a call to metanoia to the participants, and even though short, is a key section of the talk.
Section 5 deals with the various ways the participants may form themselves, leading from the basic definition that formation is the understanding of the meaning for life—a life to be a saint. The principal way formation is performed is through life experiences, related back to God through prayer, meditations, and self-examination. This is accomplished for the purpose of putting on the mind of Christ.
The last two major sections (6 and 7) deal with excuses and obstacles to formation, relating them back to a lack of the proper ideal in our life.
Section 8 provides the participants with a positive way in which they can overcome the excuses and obstacles set forth in Chapters 6 and 7.
The Conclusion is a summary of our main theme, challenging the participants to change, to move forward, to begin their process of progrešsive conversion.
METHOD OF WRITING THE TALK
The "Formation" talk is meant to answer the questions the participants have after the "Holiness" talk, the evening before, and the first meditation that morning. The question is fundamental: How do they find the path to God in order to reach the God they now desire, and some can now feel? The "Formation" talk is meant to provide these answers, showing the path not only to be followed now, but it must be followed for their entire life, if they are to answer this call from the Father.
The talk is meant to be a key talk in the process of conversion. Therefore, this talk cannot be a dry intellectual presentation on schooling or formal knowledge, but it is rather a call to metanoia, a change in our mentality, a challenge for us to face life boldly and live it to its ultimate potential for which God created us.
Many of the participants will have been deeply touched by the morning meditation. The "Formation" talk continues and crowns the process of the calling of the participants to change their lives. Thus the talk must be intensely witnessing. The speaker must be a person living the formation style presented, giving witness that he/she is in search of God and that he/ she tries to live this method. The witness style is done simply, as statement of fact, objectively, calmly, but speaking with assurance and strength. The speaker should be one who lives the life presented from the objectives of this talk—using life as the focus for formation.
The basic purpose of the talk is to show the path leading to a lifetime of growth and learning, learning about the essential meanings of life, becoming friends of God daily, and reaching toward our created potential given us by our Father. Thus the focus of the presentation is our life and its meaning, reaching a peak in the short Section 4 on the objectives of formation.
The purpose of the talk is not to show one how to read books. While books and formal knowledge are important in the formation process, it is equally important that the proper attitude is established on the purpose for "Formation". Thus, any booklists should be short, including only vital books, such as the Scriptures, the documents of Vatican II, some encyclicals, including Pope Paul's Exhortation on Evangelization, Pope John Paul II, Christifidelis Laici, and a few inspirational books to be used as a focus for life meditation, such as His Way by David Knight (St. Anthony Messenger Press).
If the talk is presented properly, the third day talk—"Study and Evangelization of Environments"—will be better understood as a further application of our basic study proposal presented here.
Time for talk: 30 minutes.
THE ATMOSPHERE OF THE WEEKEND
The atmosphere is one of very mixed feelings. The conversion process is in full effect, many having been touched by the combination of Palanca, the "Holiness" talk, and the meditation in the morning. Most will answer God’s call by the end of the "Sacraments" talk. Almost all will be feeling the pull of God, some fighting it, but most will be desiring to find a way to God.
The participant is at a crossroads. A good nights sleep has refreshed, and most will be quiet and restless, desiring but afraid, not wanting to be disappointed, but hopeful that their unspoken questions (often not even formed in their own conscious thoughts) will be answered and settled. Are these people for real: Can I be like this? Do I even want this? Will it last beyond this weekend? Where will it lead me?
These are the questions being pondered, and these are the questions to be answered, some by the talks, others by the decision of the participant.
FORMATION
OUTLINE
1. INTRODUCTION - There is no fully human life without an ideal.
A. A person who desires the authentic ideal with his/her heart,
will accept it with
his/her intellect, and move to act upon it with his/her will.
(1) The AUTHENTIC ideal gives purpose and meaning to life, making a person rise to his/her potential.
B. Christianity fulfills all of the criteria for the authentic
ideal, the direction of one's
whole life to God.
C. A11 people engage in the process of formation, since it is a
consequence of
our humanity, our ability to reason and deduce.
(1) Formation is more than reading books or going to school. It must be the experience of life itself, and applied to life.
D. God is part of life. If we claim God as our ideal, then His way,
His truth, His
life must be the subject of our formation.
2. DEFINITION.
A. Formation is putting our minds at the service of the truth or
applying our
minds to learn the truth.
B. In essence, it is the process of learning to love and respond to
reach
our potential as children öf God.
C. Even the illiterate can do so. (Give
example—important—because some
of the candidates may have difficulty reading, etc.)
3. THE NECESSITY AND OBLIGATION FOR ONGOING FORMATION
Ongoing formation is not an option, but a necessity and obligation
if we are to
rise to the challenge of our potential.
A. The formation process is part of the natural order.
B. It is a Christian obligation.
(1) Baptism obliges us to know God.(2) Truth is never revealed unless we are open to it Jn. 17:17; Jn. 8:32).
C. It is necessary to know ourselves and to know reality.
D. We have an obligation to society to know the truth.
A childhood level of knowledge is not
adequate (1 Cor. 13:1 1).
4. OBJECTIVES OF FORMATION
A.
Formation is not an end in itself, it is a means to live the Christian life in
its fullness.
B.
To live the Christian Ideal, to direct one’s life to Christ, requires a conversion
of mind and heart to Christ, which we call metanoia, a
profound change
of mind and heart (On Evangelization in the Modern World, No.
1 0).
C.
An ongoing formation program ensures that this conversion (metanoia)
is progressive.
5. WHERE DO WE DISCERN TRUTH? (Sources of Formation)
A. Revelation (Heb. 1:1-2). God reveals Himself to us through:
(1) Creation (Heb. 1 1:3; Rom. 1:19-20; Veritas
Splendor). Elaborate briefly.
(2) The Scriptures (Heb. 4:12; 2 Tim. 3:16-17).
Elaborate briefly.
(3) The teachings of the Church, especially the
Council Documents and
the Papal
Encyclicals (1 Cor. 4:1). Elaborate briefly.
(4) The formation of conscience (1 Kings
19:11-13).
B. We can also discem God’s will in:
(1) Signs of the times—media, arts, and
events of life.
(2) Conventional means of study—books,
courses, etc. Dont waste
time
reading good books, read only the best.
C. The right attitude for seeking the truth:
(1) The goal, to put on the mind of Christ, the mind of the Church.
(2) The means, prayer and study form the basis of our daily metanoia, reaffirming and deepening the awareness of God in our lives.
6. HANDY EXCUSES NOT TO ENGAGE IN CHRISTIAN FORMATION
A. False humility
B. Laziness - I dont
have time.
C. Self sufficiency
D. Indifference
Examine the motivation element of our Ideal (Apparent Ideal).
7. OBSTACLES TO CHRISTIAN FORMATION.
A. Materialism - Matthew 6:19-21.
B. Pride—Romans 12:3,4.
C. Fear of Doubts.
D. Making formation an end rather than a means to
grow in Christ.
8. REMEDIES FOR THE OBSTACLES
A. Discipline - Formation of good habits.
B. Humility
C. Courage
D. Meditation - Prayer, that does not affect
our life, is simply not prayer,
no matter how
good ìt feels (His Way, Fr. David Knight, St. Anthonys
Messenger Press).
9. CONCLUSION
A. Reiterate - only the best books
B. Formation gives direction and growth to
our progressive conversion
by helping us to
discern the will of God in our lives and reform our mentality.
C. We are called to this perfection (Mt. 5:28).
FORMATION
1. INTRODUCTION.
In yesterday’s "Ideals" talk, we were told that there is no fully human life without an ideal, and that a person who desires the authentic ideal with his/her heart will accept it with his/ her intellect, and move to act upon it with his/her will. But we may ask ourselves—how do I get to know God better, to know Christ, so that my choices can be made through awareness and knowledge? One of the ways to do this, is through a program of formation.
Formation is the second leg of the tripod which we heard about in the "Holiness" talk. The formation that we talk about is the sense of development, a growth in our relationship with God. A process in getting to know God better, in understanding His message, and what he wants of us—in order that we may change our mentality to properly respond to His calling.
The authentic ideal that we speak about gives purpose and meaning to life. It causes a person to rise to his/her potential. We are now aware that Christianity fulfills all of the criteria for the authentic ideal, the direction of ones whole life to God.
All people engage in the process of formation. It is a consequence of our humanity, our ability to reason, and deduce.
Formation is more than seeking knowledge, through books or attending school. Formation must include the experience of life itself, and applied to life.
Formation is accomplished in many ways. If we see formation as a part of our development as human beings and as Christians, then it is essential that our development include study.
Formation, for purposes of this talk, and as the second leg of the tripod, is that process through which we come to know God better and to discover what He wants of us. This process includes, but is not limited to, reading books, and attending seminars. In order to be of full value to us it must, by its very nature, include the experience of life itself, and the application of what we learn to life situations.
Even as children, we quickly learned to observe the faces and actions of those around us. Our actions and reactions were influenced by an awareness of what we saw and heard. That simple process is part of what we call formation. It helped to form our ideas, beliefs, etc. Also, formation is necessary to lead us to take action in our lives.
We accept that God is part of life. Therefore, if we claim God is our ideal, then His way, His truth, and His life must be the subject of our formation.
2. DEFINITION
All that has been said provides us with sufficient information to define Formation. Formation is putting our minds at the service of the truth or applying our minds to learn the truth. //repeat// In essence, it is the process of learning to love and to respond to that love in order to reach our potential as children of God. In the Grace talk, Fr./Deacon/Sr./Br. ______explained that God calls us to a relationship that is personal, not intellectual.This is important because our relationship with God is determined by who we are, and where we are, not by our degree of success in intellectual pursuits or role in society. A relationship with God enables every one, even those who may be illiterate to search and find God in a very special way.
[An appropriate example—family, friend, or
other person who was/is not fully literate,
and how they were able to form themselves as Christians and saints. It
may be a
parent, grandparent from a foreign land, or one who was not äble to
participate in
formal educational areas.]
3. THE NECESSITY AND OBLIGATION FOR ONGOING FORMATION.
Formation is not an option. It is a necessity and obligation if we are to rise to the challenge of our potential. Formation is not just a one-time event, it is something that requires constant effort in order to be more than we are, in order to be what God has called us to be.
A. The process of Formation is not something that is alien to us. It is part of the natural order. We all engage in various forms of formation. One may read, another may listen to audio/ video tapes, another may listen intently to a sermon or presentation. We do this in all areas of our life. The manner in which we engage in the process of formation is not what is important. The important thing is that we are attempting to form ourselves each day as Christians.
B. Formation is a Christian obligation. This obligation arises out of our baptism. Our search for the essentials or truth of life is a never-ending task, demanded not only by our human need to seek truth, but also by the role that God has placed upon us to live our life in grace in relationship with Him. God made us for Himself, but He gives us freedom to seek Him as we will. Truth, however, is never revealed unless we are open to it. We cannot expect to discern the truths that God has revealed to us if our minds are closed or unwilling to accept His truth.
C. This process of formation is also essential to know ourselves and to know reality. Without engaging in a process of on-going formation, we will be unable to truly know ourselves. We will prevent ourselves from knowing reality in every aspect of our lives. Ancient philosophers have said that you cannot love what you do not know.
D. We are members of a society that is diverse in many ways. We have an obligation to society, to our brothers and sisters, to know the truth. For if we are to love others then we must seek the truth and apply it to our relationships. Knowing that Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Light, then our formation will result in our putting on the mind of Christ in all that we say and do in our lives especially in our relationship with others.
However we must understand that a childhood level of knowledge is not adequate. In 1 Cor. 13:11, St. Paul writes, When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child, now that I am an adult, I have no more use for childish ways. We need to raise the level of our formation to a more mature level. Christian formation leads to a lifetime of growing and learning.
4. OBJECTIVES OF FORMATION.
A. It is important to state that formation is not the ultimate goal. Formation is not and cannot be an end in itself. It is a means, a tool, to assist us in living the Christian life in its fullness.
B. The goal is to live out the Christian ideal. To direct one’s life to Christ requires a conversion of mind and heart to Christ. This profound change of heart and mind is called metanoia. //repeat//. It is a changing of our life values to adapt to the values of our faith. It is directing, our knowing, loving and serving more and more to God so that our corner of the world, our everyday environments, can experience the light of God's truth. In order to do this, we must be in a state of constant interior conversíon. This can only happen if we accept the need for formation with our intellect and act upon it with our will.
C. The principal source of our formation is the study of life itself. A program of on-going Christian formation ensures that our metanoia, our conversion of heart and mind, is progressive. Each day we put on the mind of Christ, put on the mind of the Church. It is the means to learn how to understand and judge everything in the light of God's revelation. In this way, our formation takes on a new meaning—a new direction.
5. WHERE DO WE DISCERN TRUTH (sources of formation).
You may be asking yourself where do we discern God's truth? How do we maintain this progressive conversion?
A. God reveals Himself to us through creation, the Scriptures, teachings of the Church, and the formation of our conscience. Lets look at each one individually.
First, God reveals Himself through creation—Pope John Paul II, in Veritas Splendor or the Splendor of Truth, writes:
"The Splendor of Truth shines forth in all the works of the Creator, and in a special way in man, created in the image and likeness of God. Truth enlightens mans intelligence and shapes his freedom, leading him to know and love the Lord."
[Speaker should provide a short personal example as
to how he/she has experienced
God in His creation (nature, other human beings, etc.]
Secondly, God reveals Himself through the Scriptures:
Scripture must be a large part of our Christian formation, our search and discernment of the truth. The New Testament, for example, provides us with knowledge of Jesus; how He acted, what He said. We are able to know Jesus as a person and meet Him face-to-face. As we read Scripture, He speaks to our hearts and if we are open to His message, we accept it and pass it on to others.
[Speaker should provide a short personal example as
to how he/she has learned more
about God, Jesus, or the Spirit through reading/studying Scripture.
Speaker may
also use Old Testament as well.]
Thirdly, God a1so reveals Himself to us through the teachings of the Church, especially Papal Encyclicals and letters, Council Documents, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. These sources of Christian formation help us to understand what God asks of us. They provide us with materials that are the result of the prayer and discernment of Church leaders from the past to the present.
[Speaker may provide a brief personal example of something learned or betterThe fourth way that God reveals Himself is individually through the formation of our conscience. It has been said that there is a knowledge of God buried deep inside every person that summons him to love good and avoid evil. We are bound by our conscience to know what God requires of us, but He does not impose His will on us. He desires that we be guided by our own judgment. But, if we intend to live the Christian Ideal, we must take the time to listen to His voice within us. In doing so, we will become better able to direct our whole life to God.
B. We can also discem God’s will in the sign of the times as reflected in the media, arts, and the events of every day life in this world.
The media—newspaper, radio, television, the
intemet, as instruments and information,
put us in touch with the world and its problems, and good things as well. Many times we
can discover the will of God through the happenings we see, hear, and experience through
the media.
The arts—including movies, theater, and literature—not only convey the authors or directors message, but also reflect the mentality of our times.
The events of life—there is much to be leamed of God's message to us in the ordinary events of our lives if our hearts and minds are open to them.
We also discem God's will for us, individua1ly and as a community, in conventional means information—the study of various books (religious or otherwise), magazines, cassettes, CDs, various study courses, and so on. All of these help us to form a mature attitude towards life, and help us to discern the way of truth in our lives.
In our conventional means of formation, especially
in a program of study of books, tapes
or CDs, or study groups, it is important that we do not waste time reading or listening to
just good books—read, listen, and study only the best.
For example: there are approximately 75,000 book
titles, tapes, and CDs available to assist us in our Christian formation, not including
the all time best seller—The Bible. There
are numerous study aids available to help us better understand the Bìble and God’s
message to us through the Scripture. There are materials to help us in our individual
discernment of God's will for us. There are programs for building community, and on and
on.
It is vital that we know and use the tools of
formation available to us to achieve our goal
of an ongoing change of mind and heart, a progressive conversion—a vital, vibrant,
and continuing metanoia.
[It is important for the speaker to
provide a short personal example as to how he/she
has been able to discern Gods will through one of the various methods
described
above. The participants need to know that the speaker is living
out what he/she is
requesting of them.]
C. We have been talking about seeking and discerning the truth. Its essential that in the process of discernment, of seeking the truth, that we have the right attitude. To do so we must keep in mind that the goal in the process of formation is to put on the mind of Christ, the mind of the Church, and our progressive and profound change of mind and heart.
The means to accomplish this goal, prayer, and formative process (study) forms the basis of our daily metanoia, reaffirming, and deepening the awareness of God in our lives and in the lives of others.
6. HANDY EXCUSES NOT TO ENGAGE IN A PROCESS OF CHRISTIAN
FORMATION.
There is a great deal of truth to the old adage that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Many of us could leave this Weekend with the best intentions, determined to develop a program of Christian formation. We will quickly find ourselves back in the same environments that we came from immersed in the same problems and frustrations. When this occurs, excuses can develop that will threaten the growth of our relationship with God that was established or strengthened during this weekend. It is important to remember that excuses are just that—excuses.
Lets take a look at some of the handy excuses we may use not to begin or continue a process of Christian formation.
A. The first excuse is laziness—most often, this excuse stems from a lack of motivation. We all know that if we really want to do something we will always find the time and place to do it. A danger here is that we may profess that the Christian life is our ideal, but due to laziness and lack of motivation, we make it a false ideal. This false ideal may be characterized by—I don’t have the time.
B. The second excuse we may use is called false humility—false humility is conceding that we really cannot accept the challenge of the Christian Ideal because we are not worthy or capable of it. Low self-esteem and the false knowledge of our capabilities provide an apparent valid excuse. It may be characterized in the statement, I don’t feel worthy enough. It allows us to justify why we are not sustaining our daily metanoia.
C. Self-sufficiency is the third excuse we may use. Here we may see the mask of over- confidence used to cover up something we do not know or are unwilling to learn because it may require us to change characterized by I am okay on my own, I dont need to know more or change any further.
D. The fourth common excuse is indifference. Indifference may well be the result of an unwillingness to let go and to let God come into our lives. The indifferent person sadly deprives himself/herself of the new life that God offers. It is characterized by If I do it—good, if not—that’s okay too!
The key to our understanding these excuses, or better yet to our avoiding these excuses is our continued review of the motivation of our Christian Ideal to ensure that it is a real ideal that in fact, motìvates us, rather than an apparent ideal which we believe, motivates us.
[Speaker should present a short personal example as
to how he/she struggled with
excuses, successes and failures in their Christian lives, and how they
overcame excuses]
7. OBSTACLES TO CHRISTIAN FORMATION
B. Pride - Together with the excuse of self-sufficiency,
pride forms the most
dangerous obstacle. Pride
prevents a person from giving of him or herself. It prevents
growth and fulfillment of
one’s potential as a Christian and allows negative influences
in our lives.
C. Fear of Doubts - This
obstacle arises when we think that by searching deeper
into life, into a
relationship with God, that we will fail in our attempt to change and will
suffer a loss of faith.
But most often, this fear is merely a symptom of a lack of faith,
for if we are strong in
our faith, we will confidently search for the truth and not fear
the results of our
search. We will understand that it is our faith itself that drives
our search.
D. The last obstacle we will discuss is that of making formation - Christian formation,
an end rather than a
means. The object of our Christian formation is to seek the truth—
to put on the mind of
Christ, the mind of the Church. This Christian formation should be
an extension of our
holiness. It must not be a goal in and of itself. It is a means to learning
more in order to
be more. It is notknowledge for the sake of knowledge. It is formation
for the purpose of
deepening our relationship with God, and in turn sharing that love
with others.
Formation that solely benefits us and does not cause us to reach out to others in love,
is not formation.
[Presenter provide a short personal example as to how he/she has dealt with the obstacles to formation in his/her life. It is not necessary to address all of them
but at least one obstacle that was present.]8. REMEDIES FOR THE OBSTACLES TO CHRISTIAN FORMATION.
We have, for the past several minutes, been dealing with the things that may and will
prevent us from
reaching our goal. The presentation was negative, but it can be
overcome. The excuses
and obstacles are real. Yet, so are the remedies to
overcome those excuses
and obstacles.
These remedies will help to ensure our progressive conversion and help us to live
the Christian ideal.
A. The first remedy ìs discipline. We must have the discipline to form good study
habits— to
set apart specific times and places where we can seek the truth through
books, tapes, CDs,
videos, and any other means available to us on a daily basis.
B. The second remedy is humility. Humility allows us to recognize that we are nothing apart from God, but also to recognize that God made us something by creating us in His likeness and image.
C. The third remedy we shall look at is courage. We must have the courage to do
what is right despite
the ways of the world that more and more contradict the ways of
God. We must have the
courage to say NO to the constant pressure and allure to
accept the world’s
call to materialism. We must be courageous in our rejection of our
personal
failings like pride, fear of doubts, and misguided goals of formation.
D. The fourth remedy is meditation—allowing ourselves to be confronted with
the Word of God
in order to change our lives. By being present to the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit in that
quiet time in which we ponder our role in God’s plan for the salvation of the
world. A time set
aside to hear and feel God’s presence wherein Jesus life becomes our
own. In Fr. David
Knights book entitled His Way, he states that prayer that
does
not affect our
life, is simply not prayer, no matter how good it feels.
[Speaker should provide a short example as to how he/she made use of one of the
above remedies to avoid and overcome excuses, and obstacles in his/her quest for
the truth.]
9. CONCLUSION.
I
would like to repeat—lets not waste time reading just good books or listening to
Formation—Christian formation gives direction and growth to our progressive
conversion by helping
us to discern the will of God in our lives and by helping us to
reform our mentality.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 5, verse 48, Jesus tell us: You must be made perfect
as your Heavenly Father
is perfect.
We are called to perfection but we can never reach perfection unless we apply
every aspect of our
humanity. We must continue to grow in our relationship with Jesus
each and every day. A
life that includes formation as an essential element will ensure that
growth
individually, and as a member of the larger community.