Romans 12:13-18
“Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep, Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all.” NABre
Utilizing the Lord’s imagery of the Good Shepherd, we understand that a good shepherd always tries to keep the sheep together. They are much safer in numbers. St. Paul exhorted the Church in Rome to remain focused not only on the Lord but also on each other. If you re-read the passage above, you can’t help but notice that Paul’s guidance can’t be accomplished without remaining engaged in relationship.
We live in a world, particularly in the West, where individuality is much more emphasized. Yet there is growing recognition that people in this society are suffering more, due to a lack of connectivity. It is, I believe, an underlying problem not only in the culture, but also within our churches. When we look at our culture, people want autonomy but they want to feel like they are connected to others.
Like a good predator, Satan and his demonic hosts work hard to separate us from the shepherd and the flock. Having come out of an addiction to porn, I can see now just how separated I was from all those around me who loved me. I was living a lie, and that required me to establish an emotional quarantine from those I loved and cared about.
If we are going to succeed in following Paul’s guidance, as well as the New Evangelization, we are going to have to re-engage in the lives of the people in our pews. In fact, we are going to have to re-engage if we want to see our parishes regain some life and passion about the Faith.
The entire premise of the church is that we gather together around God. So as we each examine our own lives as well as our parishes, let us answer a couple of questions.
- Does our parish make being a part of community an integral part of being a disciple?
- When we gather for Mass or other functions, do people make it a point to reach out to others they don’t know?
- Do you hear preaching on the need and importance of being connected to other members of the community?
- If your parish has small groups, are they focused only on the content, or also on the journey into mature discipleship?
- Do people see their role at Church as one that helps others grow, or is it totally self-serving?
Let us articulate a vision for what our parishes need to be, and set out on a course to develop that culture where we not only know Jesus, but also each other!
Amen, Ralph. Judith E. Glaser said “To get to the next level of greatness depends on culture, which depends on RELATIONSHIPS, which depend on conversations.” Our greatness is having a solid foundation and trust in God. To strengthen this bond we must be in conversation with our Lord AND one another. Thank you for all you are doing with NEM to create everlasting relationships as disciples in Christ.