This is a retreat about caring for the created world. The authors are Ágoston Szabó and Gellért Nacsa who created it for a retreat involving a limited number of (12-32) participants. The description can be handed out to group leaders as is.
The objective of this retreat is to help us encounter nature and the created world as creations who have names and who have the authority to name the things around us.
“So the LORD God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name.
The man gave names to all the tame animals, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be a helper suited to the man.” | Gen 2:19-20
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Prepare the location. If it is a classroom, push the desks along the walls so that we can use them later during the creative activity.
Every time some people come together in a group, even if they have been seeing each other daily, a new group atmosphere is formed unique to that particular day, depending on the mood, the emotional and physical state of the people present. For the sake of a meaningful activity it is necessary to bring the group members together in their levels of activity and state of mind, so that they are on the same wavelength. To help the participants be present we can introduce the retreat with a few mindfulness exercises.
We have come from different places, on different roads, with different emotions. By sharing about it briefly we can become part of one group in the present. There are many ways to check in, we can ask one or more simple questions, or use pictures or objects to communicate something about our state of mind. It is important that everybody says something, even those who other times would not. We can choose from three different methods:
1. Ask a few helping questions about how people are, and what they expect from the retreat.
Bring a bean bag or small ball to pass around. The rule is that only the person holding the ball speaks, and everyone else listens to him or her.
„We are going to do many things today, but before we start, I would like to know how you have come here. I have this ball (bean bag) that we are going to pass on to one another. Only the person holding the ball is allowed to speak. These are the questions:
2. You may use Dixit cards or other pictures:
If you use Dixit cards or other pictures, lie them down in the centre on the floor or on a table in the centre of the room. You can use any pictures cut out of magazines, postcards, etc.
„We are going to do many things today, but before we start, I would like to know how you have come here. You can see all kinds of pictures here. Please pick one that touched you, that says something about your mood now. Let us share why we chose that particular picture.”
3. You may start sharing in smaller groups. It may be best if you have too many participants.
„Let us form groups of 3 (or 4) with the people sitting next to us, and share what we think about nowadays, what feelings, changes and events characterized our past few days, and how we feel today.”
Come back to the big circle and continue sharing.
„Now say one sentence about your mood today”
Games ease tension, help everybody arrive, and step out of the framework of a school activity. It suggests that something unususa will happen, something that we normally would not do.
At first, everyone is at the beginning of the evolution, we are all amoebas. There are a lot of amoebas floating in the water repeating: amoeba, amoeba… When two amoebas meet they play rock-paper-scissors, and the winner develops to be a rabbit. The rabbit starts hopping while honking or grunting (speaking in bunny language). When two rabbits meet, they play rock-paper-scissors, and the winner evolves to be a monkey. Monkeys walk around and chatter like monkeys. When two monkeys meet, they play rock-paper-scissors again and the winner becomes a human person and wins the game. The loser of every rock-paper-scissors game devolves to an amoeba. The game ends when there is only one amoeba, one rabbit, and one monkey in the group.
Let us form pairs with the following activity:
Everybody stands up and lines up in alphabetical order. If two persons have the same name, they order themselves by their family names.
Then we all sit down in pairs.
„ Starting with the first two persons, let us sit down two by two, turning our chairs so that we can speak to each other.”
If there is an uneven number of people, the group leader can join in or the last children can form a group of three.
Read the following from the Bible:
„So the LORD God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name. The man gave names to all the tame animals, all the birds of the air, and all the wild animals; but none proved to be a helper suited to the man.” | Gen 2:19-20
Discussion in pairs: Talk about the following questions with your pair | 5-10 minutes
Everybody writes their name backward on a small piece of paper (Paul - Luap), and in silence thinks about this imaginary person who is bearing that name. He lives far far away, and he is a member of a very small nation. Who is he? What does he do? What is his dream?
Then form groups of 5-6 and tell the story of the person who is bearing your name beckward. | 10 minutes
Have a 10-15 minute break. Let everyone stretch, move around. Open the windows to let some fresh air in. Tell the group that you are resuming in 15 minutes.
„Everything has a name. The name is a calling word that calls a unique and unrepeatable thing. Even if I say table, an actual table will come to mind. I will see its color, shape, I imagine its material, its texture. I can count its legs and imagine many other features. The name of a person also refers to the whole person, his body, soul, his thoughts, emotions, even if we do not know what those are.
If we know someone’s name we can talk to him, we can refer to him and describe him. As we read in the Bible, God gave man the authority of giving names to everything. To this day if somebody discovers a new plant or animal, or discovers a new star in the sky, they immediately give it a name. By naming it we “take ownership” of the thing we named. By the act of saying nature, or created world, I express that it is somehow mine, it is under my authority. This ownership comes with responsibilities”
A small activity: „ Let us all think of an object that is important to us. It can be our mobile phone, our pen, a book or whatever you like. Or you can think of a person whom you love, whom you want to cherish, and give him or her endearing names. What do we feel about these things or persons? What do we do if they are in danger? Don’t we do everything in our power to protect them from harm?”
Ask a few (2-3) people in the group: „What about the created world? Am I taking responsibility? How does my lifestyle affect my surroundings?”
Ask the questions, let them sink in, and then turn to person. You can try to ask someone who has been quieter until now.
Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.”
And it was so. God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. | Gen 1: 26-31/p>
You can explain how this part relates to our theme. Start a discussion:
„As we all heard, God entrusted us, people, to have dominion over the earth. What do you think it means to rule over something? ”
Let the children think about this question for a few minutes. Allow them to freely share their ideas, whatever comes to mind. Thank them for every idea in an encouraging, reinforcing manner.
A less experienced or unwilling group may not offer too many ideas. Then help them by continuing the discussion. Tell them that a good ruler is like a good king who responsibly rules over his people, his country. Another meaning of the word is to protect and keep those over whom one rules. So a good ruler does not suppress the people who are entrusted to him, but he is a sure supporter and leader, who cares for and loves his people.
„ I believe that the ruler has a very important feature. A good ruler is like a good king who rules responsibly over his country and his people. Another meaning of the word is to protect and keep those over whom one rules. So a good ruler does not suppress the people who are entrusted to him, but he is a sure supporter and leader, who cares for and loves his people.
This is the way God the Creator entrusts the whole world to us, all our fellow men (whether poor or rich, whether we know him or not, whether we love him or find it hard to get along with), and all the animals and plants. This is why we must ask ourselves the question: What about me and my relation to the created world? How do I relate to nature?”
The group members make a large picture together. First everybody works alone, then in pairs, then in fours, then in eights. The point is to gradually enlarge the number of children working together.
The group leader will plan how to organize the pairs and the gradually growing groups so that the increasing cooperation goes smoothly.
It is important NOT to tell them who works with whom, but let the children find each other step by step.
If there are more than 16 children in the group it may be better to create two pictures with 2 group leaders.
Play some music during the creative activity. Choose pleasant, instrumental, classical music. (e.g.: Ludovico Einaudi, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Chopin’s Nocturnes etc...)
„Take your paper, turn it over, and choose two colours. One colour that represents yourself, the other is the created world, nature.
Paint your relationship with the created world with the help of these two colours. Where am I in the created world? How much do I feel that it belongs to me? Have I thought that the Lord God entrusted me to care for the world as well when He created it? What are my emotions and thoughts now? You do not have to paint figures and shapes, just let your emotions lead your fingers on the paper.”
It is essential to work silently. Do not look at each other’s paintings, do not talk to one another while working. Be alone with the theme for a while, just you and your feelings. ”
„After you have finished the painting, stand up and walk around in the room. Find a painting that you like, or that is similar to yours. Attach the two pictures together with cellux tape at the back. Now you can continue painting on the bigger canvas in pairs. It is OK to paint on the other person’s picture, but make sure you do not spoil it. The goal is to join the two fields. Work in silence!”
The children now have to do the same as before only in fours. Keep the silence as much as possible.
It is important to keep the time frame, because every time the groups join, it takes at least ten minutes. Make sure there is enough time left for prayer at the end.
+ You may decide here to join all pictures, depending on the size of the group.
Reflexion time is the most important part of the activity. This is when we look upon what has just happened to us, what we experienced, what emotions we had. As we put them into words and articulate them, the experience is becoming deeper for us.
Place the painting in the centre and sit down in a circle around it.
Just sit and contemplate it for a few minutes. (Play some very quiet, meditative music.)
Now the group leader asks the following questions, and everybody can answer. Do not discuss or react, just let everybody speak about their thoughts and feelings. It is important that everybody speaks.
Is there something we can do? How can we take responsibility for the created world? Let us find one thing, however small, that we can do or pay attention to every day from now on. Find something that is realistically do able for everybody.
Ideas:
Let us write our shared goal on a piece of paper. Everybody signs it and we place it next to the candle.
The group leader introduces the Canticle of the Sun by Saint Francis of Assisi:
„I am going to read a few verses from the prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi. Listen carefully, what is it that touches you? What can you identify with? Then I will pass around this candle (or the Bible), and you can tell us what touched you the most in the prayer.”
Read the prayer slowly, line by line.
Be praised, my Lord, through all your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day; and you give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!
Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.
Praise be You, my Lord, through Sister Moon
and the stars, in heaven you formed them
clear and precious and beautiful.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Wind,
and through the air, cloudy and serene,
and every kind of weather through which
You give sustenance to Your creatures.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Water,
which is very useful and humble and precious and chaste.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom you light the night and he is beautiful
and playful and robust and strong.
Praised be You, my Lord, through Sister Mother Earth,
who sustains us and governs us and who produces
varied fruits with colored flowers and herbs.
Praised be You, my Lord,
through those who give pardon for Your love,
and bear infirmity and tribulation.
Blessed are those who endure in peace
for by You, Most High, they shall be crowned.
Wait in silence for at least thirty seconds or one minute.
Pass around a candle or a Bible. The person who is holding the candle/Bible shares the word or feeling that touched him in the prayer.
„I am going to pass this candle round, and everybody can speak out whatever touched him in this prayer. God is here among us, let us tell Him what we feel.”
The group leader starts the sharing and passes on the object to the person who is sitting next to him.
We reflect on the whole retreat in the closing circle. We do it very briefly, because everyone is quite tired by this time.
Before we finish our retreat, let us have a very short break while everybody finds one word that expresses how he or she feels right now.
The group leader starts the round.
Find a place for the painting in the classroom to remind you of the retreat.