Dear Friends,
Have you ever noticed how often in the scriptures that Jesus meets with his disciples? It took up a lot of Jesus’ time. Apparently, Jesus did not think it was a waste of time, but that it was important. We will be doing a study of the Acts of the Apostles during Lent this year. When we do, you will notice that these early Christians spent a lot of time together after Jesus had ascended into heaven. We will see that they met on the first day of the week and daily in their homes. They also met together in the temple courts in large numbers. What Jesus had begun, the early church continued to follow.
Like us today, these early Christians were busy people. They had their jobs, their families, their homes to care for, their children to raise, their chores to do and their fun to share. Yet, just like when Jesus walked with them, they felt that being together was better than being alone in the faith. They had a desire to be with people, who like them, heard what Jesus said about the Kingdom of God and felt deep in their hearts that this was true. Something had happened in them that had changed how they saw life. Their priorities had changed. Something had bound them together. Members of that early church shared what they had with each other and even with people they did not know.
These early Christians were committed to each other and to a cause bigger than themselves. Their mutual faith in Jesus had given them a purpose and a dream. It had also brought them stability and peace in a world that would often reject them.
Jesus taught his disciples that the world would know who they were by their love for one another. He did not say that they would know who they were because they were the wealthiest group, the strongest group, the smartest group, the most fashionable group or the group that had the most followers on TikTok.
True friendship with other disciples gives us the support and accountability we need to change and grow and live out what Jesus teaches us. True friendships within the church give non-believers a concrete example of what it looks like to bring a relationship with Jesus into your life. Spiritual growth requires authenticity and accountability. Relationships with fellow disciples creates the place where that growth can take place.
Talking with a priest friend last week, we reflected on what should be happening in the church, versus what really is happening in so many areas of Christian life in our contemporary world. Jesus established a Kingdom rooted in Good News. This Good News should spread as quickly and as easily as the Omicron variant of Covid. But what seems to have happened is that people in the world received a small dose or an inauthentic dose of Christianity which is acting like a vaccine. People had a little taste of Christianity and with that taste they have come to believe they know it all and have experienced it all. That little taste keeps them away from God and from God’s community. The result is a world full of people who have never had a chance to grow spiritually. They likely have never tried to live the Christian life. They simply do not feel the need – though most of the time they would describe the world and their life in negative terms…wishing it all would change. They need Jesus but do not know it.
Perhaps, these “spiritual infants” need your example of an authentically-lived Christian life. And, to help you live a deeper Christian life you need those relationships necessary for discipleship. Stay tuned for an invitation/challenge to find that authentic relationship in a “Cabrini Community”.
Peace,
Fr. Damian