16 May, Tuesday — Communality

Tuesday of the 6th Week of Easter

Acts 16:22-34
Jn 16:5-11

…we are all here.

I reflected yesterday on how blessed I was that a friend had provided us with a roof over our head when we needed one and how we are preparing to welcome another group of retreatants to the Catholic Spirituality Centre (CSC) for CER#68. We are always reminded that as Catholics, we need to belong to a community and to be united with the body of Christ. Only then we can ensure that we remain rooted in our faith and firm in our convictions in order to be true evangelical Christians.

It has been an ‘eventful’ month for me – the passing of two cousins (one in his 80s, the other in her late 60s) and having to attend two weddings. At each gathering/celebration, I observed how the community around each family came together; and could somehow sense if it was close-knit or not. Naturally, there were meals shared and we sat around tables just talking, connecting and reminiscing. And whenever I shared about my faith journey since 2012, ears would prick up. Inevitably, the conversation either would end with, “Uncle/Brother/Cuz, please pray for me…” or “I am too busy with life to even think about attending a retreat…”

I also completed an intermediate module in coaching and after the course ended, a few of us gathered at a food court to just meet and share our experiences. We ended up arranging to practice among ourselves and to help each other gain hours on our coaching journeys. I even met a fellow Catholic (I spoke about how I start my day when we were introducing ourselves on day 1 of the course) and we shared a bit about our faith journeys.    

Brothers and sisters in Christ, ours is not an individualistic religion that is to be practiced within the confines of our own homes. We are called to be fraternal in our worship and to spread the love of God to others. St Paul travelled far and wide, spreading the Word, even when he was imprisoned. Of course, none of us needs to go to such extremes these days with our creature comforts and access to technology. What we need, however, is to be open to sharing His Word with others whenever we get the chance.

If you don’t know where to begin, start with coffee and a cake after mass with whoever you are sharing a table with. See where that leads you.

(Today’s OXYGEN by Desmond Soon)

Prayer: We pray for everyone who is in search of a praying community or group, that they may find shelter and comfort in their fellow brothers and sisters.

Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the brothers and sisters who pray with us and share our joys and sorrows with us. We thank you for all the times we have shared meals together while sharing our hopes, dreams and disappointments.