Where Holiness and Community Meet

One question Father Charlie Lachowitzer had proposed to me for my retreat:

Why is it that so often the call to community and the call to personal holiness seem to be mutally exclusive?

In parish life it often seems that parishes filled with holy people are often "zero" in the category of community life; their worship and common life seems like parallel play. On the other hand, parishes with a vibrant community life often seem to have a spiritual life that's a mile wide but an inch deep.

That dichotomy extends to our own personal lives. I had been finding it so in my own life for at least the last 3 months. This weekend one bridge for that chasm came to me, oddly enough while I was washing dishes in the Abbey kitchen, helping a very excellent chef in my own small way with the preparation for the common Sunday meal.

All I could hear was the phrase from Paul's letter to the Colossians, (1:24) :

"for I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the affliction of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the Church."

The remainder of the chapter is filled with sollioquy and song about the cosmic Christ, his sufferings and resurrection. But in this verse is where the contact point comes.... it is exactly in the every day arena of the community where Christ's sufferings become real and effectual... in the rubbing and grinding as we find our way day by day to be together in the presence of the Crucified and Risen Christ. Wherever we offer ourselves in service to others we continue to fill up our world with the Presence of the Crucified.

What a gift to be given, and to be received.

I am reminded of Frederick Buechner's saying, which is plastered on the wall of the Shared Ministry Room in my parish:

"to find your vocation you must find where your greatest joy meets the world’s great need."

More on Love...

.... from Hans Urs Von Balthasar, The Christian State of Life

"All beings are, in the last analysis, interpreted according to their goal and calling, which, in man's case, is always love. All else is but means to an end; love alone is the goal. But because man himself is not love, because the calling to love is a grace given to him by God to draw his whole nature, like a magnet, above itself to its final goal, for this reason the calling to love has for man the form of service.

He has the privilege of serving, and there is no service that enobles the servant as this one does. He is free to serve, for nothing frees so deeply as love. But he can never regard himself in his human nature as identical with his calling; therefore, his love will always be a service."

More on Self Giving Service from a Master

Light on today's Gospel reading from Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997),
Foundress of the Missionary Sisters of Charity A Simple Path.

“We are useless servants."

Don’t worry about looking for the causes of humankind’s big problems; be satisfied with doing what you can to solve them by giving your help to those who need it. Some people tell me that by giving charity to others, we are clearing the States of their responsibilities towards the needy and the poor. However, I’m not worried, for in general the States don’t give love.

I simply do what I can, the rest is not my domain.God has been so good to us! To work with love is always a way of coming closer to him. Look at what Christ did during his life on earth. He spent it doing good (Acts 10:38). I remind my sisters that he spent the three years of his public life caring for the sick, the lepers, the children and others more. That is exactly what we are doing when we preach the Gospel by our actions.

We believe that serving others is a privilege, and we try at every moment to do it with all our heart. We know very well that our action is only a drop in the ocean, but without our action, that drop would be missing.

Perfected in service

This weekend we took down two very tall trees on our property in preparation for constructing an addition to our home. It was hard work for all. But there was something very fulfilling in the commitment to seeing the job through to completion and the fun tonight of having the first campfire to begin burning the brush and branches. I'll smell like smoke all week long.

At Mass on Sunday we heard how Jesus calls us all to service to others.... Those who want to be great are to be servants of all. The word in Greek is really "slave," but that sounds so awkward in our ears. However, there is a part of that concept which I think is very meaningful for me. The fact is, we Christians are called to be people for others. Following our Lord's example we think of others' needs and design our lives around fulfilling them.

Mother Teresa had it right.

”We all want nothing other than to be happy and at peace. We were created for that, and we can only find happiness and peace by loving God. Loving him brings us joy and happiness.

Many, especially in the West, think that living comfortably makes a person happy. I think it is more difficult to be happy when one is rich, because the concerns about earning money and keeping it hide God from us. However, if God has entrusted you with wealth, use it to serve his works: help others, help the poor, create jobs, give work to others. Don’t waste your fortune on vain things. Having a house, honors, freedom, good health, all that has been entrusted to us by God so that we can use it to serve those who are less fortunate than we are.

Jesus said: “As often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for me.” (Mt 25:40) Consequently, the only thing that can make me sad is to offend our Lord through selfishness or through lack of love for others, or to wrong someone. By wounding the poor, by wounding one another, we wound God. It belongs to God to give and to take back (Job 1:21); so share what you have received, including your own life."