Dear Friends,
As I mentioned the past couple of weeks, our Cabrini and Magdalene Communities are about to
launch a new season in March. If you are not in a community, this is a great time to join one or
to form one. Those of you who are already in a community know the value of joining with other
people of faith once a month to pray together, share fellowship and food, and grow in your
discipleship by learning and sharing together. Many of our groups have been meeting for four
years.
So why does the Church encourage people to be involved in small faith sharing groups? Let me
give you some reasons:
First, it is what Jesus did. When we watch the television series, The Chosen, it is obvious that
Jesus formed them into a group so that they could learn from each other and be supported by
the others. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, it was how the early Church operated. In the
Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke writes, “So those who received his word were baptized…And they
devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the
prayers.” It wasn’t just at the temple or a meeting hall where teaching took place. It was in
small groups getting together in house churches. Acts tells us about 3,000 people being
baptized in one day but those 3,000 did not meet each week as a large group; they met in
homes to be assured of the ongoing presence of Jesus in their midst.
Second, to know that you are not alone, to have a common experience with other people.
That’s a very important dynamic when you’re trying to live counter to the culture as a follower
of Jesus. When there are others trying to do that, and you meet with them and learn, pray, talk,
and share a meal with one another, that’s affirming. The small group gives us a place to ask
questions, see other people in their journey, and the successes they’ve enjoyed, or the
struggles they’ve encountered.
Third, to offer support when you find yourself in a struggle. In our Communities, you will have a
group of people whom you have grown close to, and with whom you are able to share. When
there’s somebody in the group who is hurt, or when there’s trauma in someone’s life, the
people in the group surround them and can bring healing, hope, and support to the person who
is hurting.
Fourth, it used to be that everyone was a Christian, that you could presume your neighbors
believed what you believe. Recent research found that 36% of people living in the United States
did not identify as a member of a Christian faith. Our Communities give you the support and
encouragement necessary to live as Jesus taught in a world that may not be supportive.
Fifth, one of the reasons people say they do not go to a church is because it’s impersonal. They
don’t know the people there. But a small group allows you to get together with people you may know, with whom you may have something in common. Then you can begin to understand
what Jesus taught from that place of fellowship.
All of these reasons, at their heart, are about evangelization. Small groups are the ideal setting
to encounter Christ, and it has been this way since the dawn of Christianity. The first Christians
knew the value of relationship, not just with Christ but also with one another. Won’t you join us
this season and come to a deeper encounter with Christ?
Peace,
Fr. Damian