Helping you to reflect

The Sisters of the Good Samaritan offer you a simple reflection starter on a current book that reflects Good Samaritan Benedictine spirituality.

Each month we will offer some questions based on a chapter of the book. These questions may help you to reflect and pray. They can also be used for small group sharing. Currently it is:

A Good Neighbour: Benedict’s Guide to Community, by Robert Benson, Paraclete Press, USA, 2009.

Chapter 1 – “A longing for community”

The following reflection starters may help you explore what the text is saying to you in your daily life.

Spend some time reflectively reading chapter 1, “A longing for community”. As you read, note the words or phrases that connect with your experience and invite you to reflect more deeply.

• At this time in your life journey, where do you experience a “deep sense of community” (p.4)?
• Benson speaks of “our desire to live with a greater sense of community in our lives” (p.7). Is this your desire? Name some of the things that are important to you when you reflect on your experience of community.
•  The text refers to “the challenges to fulfilling the longing … for community” (p.10). What are some of the challenges you face for fulfilling your longing for community in the various communities in which you engage – home, church, work, neighbourhood …?
• What are some of the gifts you bring to “building a sense of community with the people with whom you share” (p.16) in the communities that shape your life?
• In reviewing this chapter, decide on one thing you can consciously do to build a deeper sense of community and so enrich your experience in one of the communities to which you belong?