Community Pt. 2
While our families make up the foundational community of our life—we belong to a host of others throughout the course of lives.
When He grew up and began His ministry, Jesus didn’t walk alone—He chose twelve disciples to aid Him in His ministry.
Just so, people are placed throughout our life to help us along our journey. We each have our own “disciples” so to speak—those few people closest to us who are there to support us on our journey. Theirs is the company we seek on both the good days and the bad.
God places both long and brief relationships in our lives.
There are the relationships we build that stretch and grow with the years and the miles as life takes us in different directions; these often grow to deep and fruitful relationships over the years. The neighbor who became family, the high school lab partner who you found so much in common with, the college roommate who walked into your life by chance and stayed by choice.
Sometimes the amount of time you spend with this close-knit community ebbs and flows with our life’s journey—people move, our paces in life change (you’re married with kids, while they’re finishing a doctorate), but the friendship lasts throughout all of these changes. You know no matter how much time has passed between visits you can pick up right where you left off.
Make sure to keep a two-way street in friendships like these.
Don’t just vent all of your problems to them—offer a listening ear when they’re struggling. Be present, give them a call, or video chat them when something important happens in your life or theirs. The pandemic and current cultural climate has made this more important than ever before.
Some friendships are only for a season (though no less important or fruitful): the college friend who got you through Chem 101, the mentor who helped you get started at your job, the group of fellow parents who supported you while you raised your children, the Sunday brunch bunch you drank coffee with as you shared your empty nest struggles.
This community lends crucial support in a time of need, but it may not last forever as we progress through life.
But I want to think of this from another angle. Maybe you don’t just simply absorb support from this type of group, but also think of ways you can give back to your community.
Maybe your children have moved out and you notice a struggling stay at home mom in your community—you’ve been there, how can you reach out to her?
Perhaps one of your work colleagues is struggling to balance work and home with a newborn—you’ve been there, are there any tips you can offer him?
Perhaps you're dealing with social distancing life a bit better than someone else—check in on them, ask them what they need during this time?
Our faith community is another central support here for us on earth. When He ascended into heaven, Jesus left Peter in charge of the Church, He also instructed the other apostles to help Peter spread the good news and keep the church alive. 2000 years later, it is still here for us today!
Christ knew that we would have moments of doubt, we would wrestle with sin and other spiritual matters, and so He left us with an earthly Church composed of faithful priests and laity to seek information and council.
Today, many of the physical doors of the church are closed, but the people in the church: our priests, deacons, sisters, brothers, nuns, monks, and all of the laity are still here, and the doors are wide open. We can spread that Good News even now in the midst of a pandemic, in the midst of a quarantine.
It starts with you loving your community. Offer hope, be joyful.
Connect to people through whatever means you have available. Reach out to people. Video chat with those in your community and friends who are far away or maybe just the other side of town.
Share about how you are feeling and be a listening ear for others—let them know they are not alone. This could be an opportunity for us to re-prioritize and lay the foundations of strengthening our relationships.
Be the hands of Christ in your community. Send someone in need an Uber Eats delivery. Share ideas with friends about what creative things you're doing—what new games have you invented or found online? Collaborate with other parents about decompressing from schooling and lesson plans. Ask a person of color about their experiences. Donate to an organization. Write a government official.
Whatever may come tomorrow, or next week, or anytime in the future the church community will face together in prayer with the communion of saints. We can be a community and reflect the idea that community is more than just a building. It starts at home.
The Love of God can reach us even in quarantine, (like it did the disciples on Pentecost) and it can reach others through us, if we claim our identity as children of God and let His Love pour into us and into our communities.
As we begin to transition into more public spaces, especially after celebrating Pentecost, let us ask God not only to renew us but to renew the face of the earth starting with the communities he gave to us. We can help Him in this work. We are called to this work and I believe participation in this work, being “other” oriented will help heal the affliction of isolation experienced by so many.
While we often reap the benefits of the relationships we have with our family, friends, and church community, it is important to give back as well in whatever way we can. Just as a relationship with God requires us to both pray and listen, so do our relationships with each other require us to both pray and listen.
When we intrinsically strive to love like Christ, we can extend transformative love to those in our community. Loving your spouse, your children, your family, and your friends through their stresses and anxiety can help to build them up into the loving people they sometimes need help being. And it’s good for our own well being also — win, win!
St. Teresa of Avila said, “Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes with which Christ looks out his compassion to the world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless us now.”
