Community is such an important place to start when we embark on a Spiritual Journey, a journey of faith. This is because, so often, we are inspired to take this journey by another person: in many cases it is a parent, in other cases, our faith may be inspired or rekindled by another person. And once we are on that journey, being in community gives us a place to belong, to love and be loved, to test our thoughts and feelings, to grow closer to God by exploring His love and His Word together … becoming a true, responsible family in which we celebrate our joys and share our burdens.
This week’s readings emphasize the importance of community by highlighting our responsibilities to care for the poor and to act justly, with honesty and integrity in our relationships. They remind us that our actions should reflect God's love and mercy, fostering a supportive and just community for all.
In the first reading, psalm and alleluia, the importance of caring for those among us who are poor or suffering is emphasized, even reminding us that Jesus’ poverty enables us to become “rich”. This, too, is an element of being part of community: we must care for each other, sometimes sacrificing something of our own in order to aid others in need.
In the second reading, we are instructed to pray for each other. This is such an important element of being part of a community: we pray for each other … and we feel the prayers of others, especially when we are suffering. And, as we learned at out retreat, we never pray alone, even when we are by ourselves: as a part of a community, we are part of a Symphony of Prayers.
Finally, in our Gospel, we see that not only must we be trustworthy with our own blessings, we must be trustworthy with other’s blessings. Being in community makes us look beyond ourselves to others!
