One of the most frustrating things about being a Padre in the CF is that we so often see people once or twice in their lives, and then no more. Can you guess what those times might be?
Marriage and baptism. People want a Padre for these or two ceremonies, and then seemingly never again.
It’s especially frustrating with baptism, because baptism is a sacrament that acts like doorway into the community. It’s not a one shot deal. My Cdr Baxter Park once said, “If baptism were like a one-shot ‘SPLASH’ – YOU’RE SAVED! our phones would be ringing off the hook.”
But they’re not. Because baptism is a promise that the community is going to be there to support the child and their families throughout the great journey ahead. It is an incorporation into the body of Christ, the family that we call the church.
I know many people these days who say, well, I don’t need church, I go hiking to connect with God or listen to music or this type of thing. I am not saying they don’t, but Christianity is impossible without community. Community is like a lifeline that connects us to Christ. I’m sure that there are some of us here today that have gone through hard times they wouldn’t have made it through without the care and support of those around them.
Having lived at L’arche Daybreak, a Christian community that serves adults with special needs, I want to say a few words about the meaning of community, and I want to speak about it with frankness.
Community is not a utopia. It is fraught with problems, as is any group of people journeying together, be it families, coworkers, or church groups. Jean Vanier, the founder of L’arche is blunt when he writes; “Community in a way is a terrible place. It’s where we discover our own limitations and egotism. When we live with others we are shocked by our own poverty and weakness, our inability to get along, our mental and emotional blocks, our insatiable desires, our frustrations and jealousies, our hatreds and even our wish to destroy.”
A quote like that makes us wonder why it wouldnt be better to just go through life alone...
So what value is there then in Christian community?
The way Ive come to see it is the 'fruitfulness of elasticity'. Its an image that helps me understand how this works. Think of us journeying together. We know from the start that there will be problems along the way. That's a given. Were human and we will at times fail. But even though we will be pulled apart and tested by the darkness, the light that binds us is much stronger. And every time we are pulled apart, and then strengthened again by forgiveness and love, our bonds are much stronger and more vital than they ever were before.
But this fruitfulness is only possible because the Word became flesh, so that we--in the midst of our brokenness and despair--would know were surrounded by and infused with the ecstatic gift of love that is God, the source of all love and light and unity in our universe.
So in this sense, all of life is baptism. We are always being submerged into the waters of chaos and darkness, the stuff that causes despair. Life itself, writes Vanier, is a series of crises and moments when we have to discover who we are and what we really want. But because of Christ's baptism, and because of our union in his Body, we are always being reborn.
And finaly, I pray that the holy bonds of forgiveness and love may continue to sustain us and strenghtnen our chapel community, our families and our friendships in this year ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment