Significant Life Experiences - Father Rob

Define Significant Life Experience

Are religious or non-religious events that have a major lasting impact on an individual’s life, shaping their beliefs, values or future choices. These moments of change may be joy, wonder, suffering, major life choices or love. They mean something to someone and can cause extreme emotion

Adherence to

The degree to which these beliefs are lived out in a persons

-          Public acceptance of belief

-          Wearing religious symbols, garments, head coverings or artifacts

-          Participating in symbolic actions

-          Being present at religious rituals

Faith In

●      The degree of trust and confidence in religious beliefs

●      The extent to which one believes in and is committed to those beliefs

Understanding of

Considers the breath and/or depth of knowledge about the belief, considered in terms of exactly what an adherent knows about their belief

Engagement in

Level of involvement, commitment or devotion to religious beliefs, expressed through the various aspects of religion

-          Participating in regular rituals, private and communal

-          Having religious artifacts/shrines in homes

-          Wearing religious symbols

-          Reading, studying and meditating on religious texts

-          Applying ethical principles and moral values

-          Complying with social structures and expectations

-          Visiting and honouring special places and spaces

Acknowledging in behaviours the times special to the religion

Ways the expression of religious beliefs in general might be influenced by the interpretation of significant life experiences.

-          The experience may be interpreted as a spiritual experience that confirms one’s beliefs; this may even lead to increasing one’s faith and commitment. These could be expressed through increased attendance at rituals, increased personal prayer, and involvement in social and religious communal activities.

-          If the experience is interpreted as the person being punished or abandoned by their Ultimate Reality, previous understanding of held beliefs could be negated. This may lead to questioning or even rejection of those beliefs, which may weaken the person’s faith, leading to less commitment. These could be expressed through decreasing involvement in rituals and personal prayer, and distancing from the religious community.

-          If the experience is interpreted as the person being rewarded by their Ultimate Reality, existing beliefs may be strengthened. As a result, this may mean a person is inspired to follow the rituals more often, and/or to delve deeper into the religious texts and ethical guidelines of their tradition.

Outline ways in which life experiences may be significant for religious beliefs generally

-          A life experience is significant if it acts as a catalyst for change in religious beliefs and has an immediate or lasting positive or negative effect on the person’s religious beliefs.

-          A life experience is significant if it leads to the questioning of religious beliefs and to weakening of faith (that is, trust or confidence or commitment) or even to rejection of religious beliefs already held.

-          A life experience is significant if it leads to a new understanding of or insights into existing religious beliefs or to a new way of expressing those religious beliefs.

How do beliefs effect a significant life experience

-          Beliefs can give direction to/ through an experience

-          Beliefs can give meaning to an experience

-          Beliefs can help a person understand their experience

-          Beliefs can give hope, encouragement and consolation in an experience

Fr Rob before SLE

-          Rob Galea was born 1981 Nov 14^th and grew up in Malta with his extremely catholic family

-          He attended catholic school in which he was bullied, and he argued a lot with his family

-          The death of his grandparents made him question why they had to die

-          By 14, rebellion began, he got into trouble with a gang for telling an incriminating lie about one of his friends

Fr Rob during SLE

-          One day, he received a phone call from his grandma, which was to inform his sister about a catholic youth group. He went instead

-          He attended youth group and was intrigued by the participants and leaders’ personal relationship with God

-          Over following weeks, he attempted to speak to God by speaking to an empty chair across from him

-          2^nd Dec, 1999 – Jesus appeared to him

Fr Rob after SLE

-          He continued to attend the youth group regularly. He also attended mass, eucharist and reconciliation regularly

-          Slowly worked through his rebellious phase and sought help for his depression and anxiety

-          Began to learn, write and play music in worship bands, eventually touring around the world

-          After a time of discernment, he entered the seminary (studying in Malta and Australia) and became a priest

-          Now serves as a priest in the Sandhurst Diocese of Melbourne

-          Tours the world for speaking and singing engagements

Adherence quotes

• BEFORE: “I would go to youth group but not to Mass, and I didn’t pray.”

• DURING: “I returned to that youth group every Saturday.”

• AFTER: “I couldn’t stop speaking about Jesus and his love for me.”

Understanding quotes

• BEFORE: “I hadn’t thought that God would be interested in what I had to say.”

• DURING: “He was perfectly aware of all my sin… and he loved me anyways.”

• AFTER: “We were created for a relationship.”

Faith quotes

• BEFORE: “All my life I was told that God was in control… I believed that in my mind but my heart was unsure.”

• DURING: “He loved me unconditionally, and for the first time in my life, I believed that beyond the shadow of a doubt.”

• AFTER: “I wanted to spend the rest of my life growing in love with God.”

Engagement quotes

• BEFORE: “It soon became clear that there was a lot about the Church I didn’t know.”

• DURING: “I also began to pray on a daily basis.”

• AFTER: “Over the following years, I tried to devote myself to school, prayer and becoming a better Catholic.”