Community

 I went on retreat, today.  I call it a day of recollection because it was only a day. Anyway, I digress.  It was a Lay Dominican retreat on the topic of "community."  The retreat master was Father Timothy Danaher, O.P. and the place was Betania II in Medway, MA.  

Community is not only a problem in churches, it is a problem in our current American culture.  It's because we move around so much.  Hardly anyone lives in the same town they were born in.  Every time we move, we lose that community we had build up.  Attendance in churches suffer from this.  People move from parish to parish and still live in the same town.  COVID was a factor in that. My own parish still hasn't put hymnals and missallettes in the pews.  We still can only receive communion in the hand and there are still no altar servers.  No holy water either.

So I go to another parish where we have hymnals and missallettes, we can receive Communion on the tongue, we have altar servers and we can hug.

We thought of our childhood and the community we had.  Every outside of school activity was held in the parish.  I played softball for our parish.  Sister taught me piano.  My parish had a band.  Other sports were offered by the parish.  Don't forget the parish had a school that the entire parish supported with bazaars and fairs and raffles.  I can't forget Bingo!

That community is gone.  Presently, my church woman's club is dying.  We can't get any young people to join.  

That type of parish community is gone.  We have to think of something else.

Zoom is Better for Community

 It occurred to me at a recent TOPS meeting that zoom has brought us closer together. Usually, when we meet for real, we are 10-12 people.  I sit where there's an available seat and talk to the people to my right and left.  

Yesterday, there were 18 of us.  When you zoom, people's names are in their box.  So I finally learned everyone's name.  I couldn't remember the names of many newcomers, before, but after seeing their names and faces for an hour, I got it. 

Also, I heard people whom I don't usually talk to, express themselves, i.e., I got to know them. I realized at the end of the meeting that I am now good friends with everybody.  This doesn't happen at meetings--any kind of meeting, especially regional meetings where you don't know the majority of people.  Even if you told people to mingle, they physically couldn't get around to meeting and speaking to everyone.

Instead of meeting for real all the time and zooming only in inclement weather, maybe we should zoom all the time and meet for real for holiday occasions and award ceremonies.

On Line Kerygma

Community has been on my mind.  Since the quarantine, my parish has done nothing except send out a weekly email with referrals to diocesan resources and a Sunday Gospel reflection.

Meanwhile, I participate in the Mass by watching a neighboring parish’s Mass on YouTube.  This parish also has a zoom scripture sharing that I participate in.

Lately, I realize that I feel very close to these people in my zoom community.  I don’t know them but I feel like I do; much more than I ever felt close to my own parish community.  Why?  Perhaps because I’m interacting with them, whereas in my parish I go to Mass and go home.  I go to church to pray not to socialize.

I feel the urge to thank this zoom community and their priest by contributing financially to their parish, maybe even registering in their parish.

But what about my own poor parish?  Is this what people mean when they say they left the church because it didn’t meet their needs?

Do you think parishes will lose their parishioners because they feel abandoned by their priests?  That’s how I feel and it is why I am leaning towards going to this other parish where their priest connects with his parishioners.  I feel bad because my priests are older and probably not comfortable with technology but isn’t that just laziness?  Surely they can reach out to tech people to help them learn what to do. 

Anyway, these are my thoughts this morning. There are different kinds of communities and I feel pretty close to my online friends.  The online community is today’s kerygma.

And think of my poor "cloistered brothers!"  They have no community because they're locked in, i.e., no fraternity meetings, no work, no classes, no cafeteria, not even praying together!  Will they be hungry for the Eucharist, or forget about it?  How do you forget God?

But people do.

It's Called Community

Sooner or later most people learn that the sun doesn't revolve around them.  One sign of adulthood is the understanding that you have responsibilities.  The adult will accept them.  The child will shirk them. 
    My husband accepted the responsibilities of supporting a family at 18, when his father died. I accepted the responsibility of being a mother.  When my parents became old and dependent, I accepted the responsibility of being a caretaker.  And we accepted these responsibilities freely because we loved the people that needed us.

This is nature's way.  Do you think that's the purpose of life?  To give our lives over to others?  That we all take care of each other?

Look at people during this Covid-19 pandemic.  Many have called, not including family, to see if I'm okay and/or need anything.  I have done likewise.  The town has a list of resources and phone numbers.  The Senior Center calls to check up on me.  The church sends out weekly messages and has a list of resources.  My primary care physician called to make sure I stay home!

I love my town.

Christian Community

Lectio:     

ACTS 4:32-35

The community of believers was of one heart and mind,
and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they had everything in common.
With great power the apostles bore witness
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,
and great favor was accorded them all.
There was no needy person among them,
for those who owned property or houses would sell them,
bring the proceeds of the sale,
and put them at the feet of the apostles,
and they were distributed to each according to need.

Studium:

This reading is the ideal Christian community.  God's presence is felt within the community and the citizens therefore feel compelled to love and share their possessions.  At this time in history, the ideal was Hellenic friendship, which would be to love your friend and give to him what was yours.
    The reading also shows that without leaders, like Paul, the community grew because they were of one heart and mind.  Paul and the other leaders were warned not to preach of the Resurrected Christ.  Even so, the communal life and the teachings of the Apostles spread.

Meditatio:

This depiction of a community has proven to be unrealistic.  It didn't even last in Luke and Paul's time.  Communism and socialism have tried communal living.  Jewish kibbutz and hippie communes never lasted.  Human beings are too sinful.  Only in religious orders have community persevered.  That is because God's presence is at the forefront of the religious' life.  You can't do anything well without God.

Oratio:

Lord, please give me the grace to always put You, first.  I want to revolve around You.  I want You to be my center.  

Contemplatio:

You and only You, Lord.

Community

Lectio                                                  Acts of the Apostles 8:5-8, 14-17

...
Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.

Studium

I am concentrating on Acts 8: 14-17.  But the reason for the two apostles, Peter and John, to come to Samaria is understood in the events preceding this Lectio.
    Firstly, Samaria is important because it shows that the Gospel is being spread beyond the Jews of Judea and Galilee.
    Secondly, before chapter 8, the deacon, Stephen is stoned to death (our first martyr).  So the persecution of the church has begun.
    Thirdly, the Samaritans believed in a messiah.
    Fourthly, the emphasis on creating a community is exemplified here. This text is also used to justify the work of the bishop coming to confirm the faithful.  Think of Peter and John as bishops coming to do the sacrament of Confirmation.
   But also, Acts 8: 14-17, stress what the apostles knew what was important in establishing the Church--community. No Christian community can exist without a relationship with someone who has experienced the resurrected Jesus.  Makes sense.  How can one experience anything from someone who knows less than you?  I suppose one could, but we're talking experience, not just general learning.
   So if the apostles in Acts believe in pulling the faithful closer into a community, they visit, they write letters, they keep in touch, and if not done personally, then they send a representative.  Hence, the bishop comes, with the authority of an apostle, i.e., apostolic succession.

Meditatio

Catholics are not brought up to be solitary.  We are brought up in a community, e.i., family, parish, village, etc..  We are not orphans.  We are not rugged individuals.  We can't get far on our own.  Even our God is a trinitarian community.  You, O Lord, lead us to live in a Trinitarian relationship.  We are taught to love our neighbors as ourselves. Thus is our church.

Oratio

Lord, Jesus is among us.  He is alive among us.  We experience Him in our worship and very lives.  We are the body of Christ when we interact with each other and only then are we truly a manifestation of Jesus' church.

Contemplatio

Jesus, help me to love others, as You do.

Community is a Powerful Motivator

For some reason, I can't post this video.  It's from the facebook page, Collective Evolution, June 1st.

What I think is noteworthy about it is its message.  It's a group of firefighters arriving in Canada to help fight their apocalyptic fires.  They're from South Africa.  Although they haven't met before they are together now and need to unite to join a common cause.  They sing and move to a unity song.  You really need to see it.  You will see how this community technique builds moral courage.  It shows what collective teamwork can inspire.  They get together when they're tired and need a boost.  Let us pray that our communities learn what communities can do when we support each other.  Think Community of Saints.  Let us pray for these firefighters and the victims of these Canadian fires.

The Office aka Liturgy of the Hours

“No man is an island.”  We need community.  Even God, when we first encounter Him in the Bible says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Gen 1: 26) Of Course our God is Three Persons and since we, his creatures, are made in His image, we also need others.  Hence Eve, but that’s a different story.

There are plenty of times that we pray privately--all day in fact. “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us sinners.”  (Jesus prayer) But there are prayers that we pray in community.  The Mass is the best example.  The Liturgy of the Hours and the Rosary can be prayed both privately and in Community.  But the Liturgy of the Hours is special because it is prayed all day long, especially by religious communities.  So God is consistently being prayed to all day long by someone, somewhere, in the world.

Another great feature of Liturgy of the Hours, is that no matter how one is feeling, because I am praying the Office (Liturgy of the Hours), and the psalms, hymns, prayers, readings, and canticles, of the day and the time, may have the opposite sentiments of my current mood, I can feel comfort in the knowledge that my prayers are helping someone, and others are helping me. 

For example, today is a wonderful day.  A few days previous were beastly humid.  I was not getting a good, solid night’s sleep.  That heat wave broke yesterday.  Last night I slept wonderfully.  I woke up to the birds singing.  I also woke up early enough to go to the 7:00 Mass at the Abbey.  That’s a blessing.  My coffee brewed perfectly.  The scale said I lost a couple of pounds.  When I opened my Office, I saw Psalm 51.  Although I was in a joyous mood and was praising God, I pictured my “cloistered brothers” praying: 

Have mercy on me…in Your compassion blot out my offense.  O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.  My offenses truly I know them; my sin is always before me…O purify me, then I shall be clean;…A pure heart create for me, O God,…Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of you Holy Spirit. 

See what I mean?

I can join their pleas to God.  My joining their lament strengthens the communal bond between myself and them.  I help them and they will help me.  That’s the beauty of community.  That’s the flower of the Liturgy of the Hours.  

The Grace of Community

I've spoken about community before.  It's extremely important.  It's one of the pillars in my Dominican family.  It's very important in AA.  We see exactly how important it is in my TOPS chapter.  You just can't go it alone.

This was fact was brought home to me, again.  We're reading Sacred Fire by Ronald Rolheiser.  In chapter 5, pp. 137-139, Fr. Rolheiser tells several stories.  They all point to "you can't do it alone."  Community support is needed.

Whether you are trying to quit drinking, lose weight, or just become a better person, you need to join a support group.  Learn to share, to help, and to love.

Community

One of the pillars in the Order of Preachers (commonly known as Dominicans) is community.  Because of this, prayers are being offered for the members of our family in the Ukraine, and everywhere else in the world, where the  family is residing in turmoil.

The students of Bologna, who are blessed to have the Ark of St. Dominic in their chapel, have an oil lamp as a symbol of this prayer of community.  The Ark is where St. Dominic's remains lie.

Every week, the students, after compline, with the chanting of Spem Miram, process to the Ark of St. Dominic.  They light an oil lamp which is kept going as a sign of the ongoing prayers that are offered for the Dominican family in Kiev, Ukraine, and wherever else our family is in trouble.  A portion of the oil from the lamp will be sent to those who need our prayers, and another portion will be sent to the Master of the Order.

 See more at: http://www.op.org/en/content/students-italian-provinces-are-praying-communities-particular-difficulties#sthash.W1DFGM85.dpuf

Two Faiths, One God

In 2005, the Lay Dominicans in the Province of Saint Joseph held a Congress.  We hired a bus to take those who were going from New England to Washington, DC, where the Congress was held.  I said then, at that time, that one of the most memorable moments of the Congress, was riding on the bus.  I loved the camaraderie, praying in community, meeting new friends, having intimate conversations with good friends that I haven't seen in awhile, eating together, singing together, sharing opinions, sharing ideas, etc.

Likewise, this past trip to the Provincial Council meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio.  BTW, it wasn't at the friars' novitiate.  It was held at Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center, in Norwood, Ohio.  It was like staying in a museum.  There was no end to the statues and paintings.

There will be more postings on the place, and "goings-on", later.  I'm tired.  I have five days of emails to catch up on, besides, the theme of this particular post, is community.

As I was saying, like the bus trip to the 2005 Congress, the ride to the PC (Provincial Council) meeting, was very enjoyable.  There were three of us.  We prayed the Rosary, the Divine Office, we stopped to eat and stretch,
and we took turns sleeping.  The drive was 16-17 hours.

At one stop, I saw an orthodox Jewish family off to the side, at a picnic table.  I could see that one man was praying.  The others were probably praying, also.

So were we.  We spread our Divine Office books on a picnic table and sang the hymn, and chanted the psalms--antiphonally, mind you!  Nice huh?  Two faiths, one God.

Lord, hear our prayer.

Great is the name of the Lord among His people.

Community

There are all sorts of communities.  I fit into many.  The one that I'm most comfortable in is my religious community.  However, next would be my parish community.  In both these, I can be "me."  In my work community I have to think.  You never know what repercussions might follow any careless comments I might make.  The same with internet communities.  My neighborhood community has to be kept at a respectful distance.  I don't particular like some of these people, but we're neighbors, if not friends.

Today, at a going away reception for our parish priest, I experienced my parish community.  I feel that we related to each other as Christ did.  I helped serve others.  Fellowship with Christ means fellowship with my brothers and sisters.  After all, we make up the body of Christ.  In listening to the different conversations of my brothers and sisters I felt, and saw, how open and receptive we are to each other. Our responses seemed so respectful and considerate of each other.

It just reminded me that wherever Christians come together in His name, He is present.  He was there.

The Devil's Handiwork

Out of all the four pillars in our Lay Dominican life, community is the hardest, for us.  I've written about this before.  It seems that egos get in the way, especially if your chapter is mostly made up of males.

Prayer is what we do best.  We're always trying to perfect our prayer life.  I think we're pretty efficacious prayer warriors.

Apostolate is our life.  We as a chapter live as good Christian examples.  Individually, some have independent ministries.

Study is fun to us.  Right now we're discussing Augustine.

Community is the bugger.  It seems that everybody gets on everybody else's nerves.  Some are always looking around to see what others are doing, have, or not!  Perhaps it's just a matter of too much time on everyone's hands.  The devil makes work for idle hands.

Maybe if we had a big project that involved most of us, we'd pull together.  We'd be busy; everyone working for the same end.  Work is the answer.  

Community Life

You know that often used verse in weddings, from 1Corinthians 13:4-7. I don't think it's meant for espoused relationships. I think it's referring to community life.

In Discussion Group, tonight, we were discussing how hard it is to live in community, especially a celibate one. It is especially so in a male celibate community. If you're competitive, and feel the need to present a certain persona, it is very hard to love your confreres. The verse tells us basically to be humble enough to forget ourselves--our needs, our ego, and consider the other person's needs. We need to see Christ in them, and one can't if you're maintaining the persona of an alpha male.

Love is patient, is kind; love does not envy, is not pretentious, is not puffed up, is not ambitious, is not self-seeking, is not provoked; thinks no evil, does not rejoice over wickedness, but rejoices with the truth; bears with all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Read this verse again, thinking of a couple making their marriage vows. Between two people in love there naturally is this mutual give and take. What bride is more ambitious than her husband? Self-seeking? Unkind? Thinks evil? Come'on! They're just getting married! This verse is wasted on them.

Now read this verse again, thinking of a Lay Dominican Chapter.

Oh boy!

Those that live in community need to forget all pretense, ego, ambition, and look for the best in their brothers and sisters. That's where God abides.

Community

Some friends and I went to see the movie, The Help.  I have never seen a movie that followed the book so closely.  It's about the Black maids and the women they served in the 1960's.  It's chick lit and the theater was full of women, too.  I saw a total of three men.  

You can google the movie and read all about it.  What I noticed the most, besides the story line, was the black community, itself.  What a great support group.  Their church was their stronghold.  Prayer was their strength.

Abileen is a prayer intercessor.  She writes down her prayers because she feels God listens better when she writes them down.  People come to her and ask her to pray for them.  She's the writer and God her inspiration.  If it weren't for her faith, she wouldn't have been able to get through the day.  If it weren't for her faith, the book wouldn't have gotten written.  And no book--no movie. 

So. Sew Us Together

This is a picture of my parish church, St. Mary's, at Christmas. Tonight, St. Mary's Women's Club had a wicked good evening, at the Mill Store.

We are such a good group. We're a good example of "community." We share a good liturgical life. We have an opening Mass, we have a Night of Recollection, and a special Mass for us on Laudate Sunday. We women are the Lectors and EM of these Masses because enough of us are, anyway.

Our members are of all ages. While some of us have been members for so long, we don't have to pay dues, anymore, others are young enough to have babies. We kind of are one extended family of generations.

At our meetings, we have presentations, demonstrations, trips, movies, concerts, games, and I don't know what else. Tonight, we met at the Mill Store. The Mill Store is an old mill converted into a place that sells fabric, yarn, craft supplies and that sort of stuff. Many take lessons there. We learned how to make a tote bag tonight.

It was fun. I chose a quilted material, so my bag looks quilted. My friend, Claire seemed to know what to do, so I stuck to her like a shy child. I even picked the same supplies she did, so I could copy her exactly. It came out pretty good.

The evening was a success, like all our evenings. At St. Mary's Women's Club, we enjoy each others' companionship, and the mutual pursuit of Catholic social friendship.

I pray for the continued success, and spiritual enrichment of this women's community.

Retreat

It was great, but a casual observer would probably raise his eyebrows over my descriptions. Everyone except Louise and I knew each other. They all come from the same region: PA, NY, NJ and Conn. They hadn't seen each other since last year, so they had a lot of catching up to do. Louise and I were new, so we had a lot of getting acquainted to do. IOW, forget the "silent" in this silent retreat. Each day ended with a social, which meant a lot of wine drinking. I couldn't believe the bottles of wine they polished off!
Praying was intense. I guess you could say they played hard and prayed hard. Saturday we prayed all four mysteries of the Rosary, by the end of the day. LOH was prayed, and of course Mass. There was time for Adoration, and Confession, too.
The retreat Master was Fr. Lawrence Donohoo, O.P. His theme was "Knowing and Loving" God. He is in the process of writing a book on his 21 ways of loving God -- or something like that. I could relate to his theme because as my eye is healing, I am seeing more and more, which I likened to knowing God's creation more and more, leading me to loving Him more and more.
Coming home, Louise and I were assessing our feelings about the retreat. We concluded that never mind the spiritual aspect, the community aspect gave us such a shot in the arm that our spirituality was deepened, our vocation was rejuvenated, and our faith was deepened. What more do you want?