With over 10 years of experience leading small groups, there are a few things I can tell you about your "randomly assigned" small faith group without even showing up. First, there is one person who talks way too much. Second, there is one person who does not talk at all. And finally, there is one person who is bona fide bat-shit-crazy. If you are lucky, that person is a different individual from the who talks way too much. If you are unlucky, they are one in the same.
This knowledge, and the extensive part of my professional life that I spent quieting the talker and corralling the crazy, makes me generally hesitant to join any small-faith group that I have not prescreened or personally invited each member. It's not very Kingdom-of-God, I know, but I just don't want to spend my reflection time fighting tooth and nail for a moment of silence in which to reflect.
So it came as a big surprise to my husband when I offered to host and lead a parish Lenten reflection group at our house. We began last week, and holy smokes, there was no crazy. Sure there are the more and less talkative, no big deal, but THERE WAS NO CRAZY. Nobody began talking about the end of the world. Nobody talked obsessively about politics or the Pope. Nobody shared inappropriate personal stories on the first night. Everyone seemed fairly normal.
It was a Lenten Miracle.
That IS a miracle. Blessed be!
Posted by: IC | March 25, 2009 at 06:23 AM