I hate to run. Unless someone is chasing me, of course. I mean, it seems so senseless to expel all that energy and effort without really going anyplace in particular. With this in mind, you would likely be very surprised to find out that I ran on the cross-
country track team in high school. For those who may not be familiar with cross-country, it is a sport where groups of runners from various teams run across uneven terrain for anywhere from a mile or two up to several miles. The idea is for the team’s runners to finish close to the front and the team with the lowest score wins the event.
So how was it that someone who despises self-propelled locomotion wound up running distances exceeding the distance to the couch or the refrigerator? Because it was a TEAM. A collection of friends with a goal in mind. To win for each other and our coach. We were able to do more as a group than we could alone. I actually looked forward to running the 10-12 blocks from our school to the park where we practiced with the rest of my friends. If I had to train by myself everyday I likely would have just made it as far as the hot dog wagon near the park and that would have been my day.
The point is, we can achieve more than we thought possible as a group than as individuals. Our diocese here in Illinois sends out a newsletter every month called Christ is Our Hope. It has information about what is happening around the diocese as well as articles of inspiration by various authors. As I was preparing for this reflection I read an article by someone who was talking about the 2019 World Youth Day in Panama and the other World Youth Day events she had attended in the past. In her commentary she kept reflecting back on the joy the attendees got from each other as they prayed, sang and worshipped together. I have felt this same energy during retreats I have attended, such as Cursillo, and during mission trips.
We are a people of community are we not? Even Monks, who live much of their time in silence, live together in community. How often do we read of saints who lived in caves, described as cells, or even on top of poles (seriously, what is that about). But even these hermits periodically came out of solitary existence to lead others as bishops or to start monasteries, Saint Theresa of Calcutta began working the streets of Calcutta alone but soon attracted a group of sisters to her work.
And so we come to today’s story from Acts. Paul, AND HIS COMPANIONS, walked into a synagogue and gave a discourse on Jewish history and later went on to give the Jews gathered there the Good News of Christ’s resurrection. This was enemy camp and he won them over…at least at first. As the chapter continues past today’s section, the Jews invited them all to return the next week to present, “Tongue Lashing, Part Two”. That next week the whole city turned out, Jews and Gentiles alike, to hear their words. But the potential power of this new group of believers threatened the Jewish establishment and they had the disciples expelled from the city.
I often wondered how the early church got so much accomplished. Where did the fire come from in their hearts that led to them traveling around the world testifying and dying for Christ? True, some had actually seen the resurrected Christ and that certainly would have motivated me. But most had not and were going on the word of others. Maybe even just being driven by Paul’s letters. From my view, the key is that most of the time they moved in groups or they drew strength from reuniting with their communities. For the longest time Paul had Barnabas as well as Timothy. The Apostles had each other. And when we talk about the power of the Holy Spirit, isn’t it in these types of groups where we really feel that power? We draw strength from each other when we work together. We are Corpus Christi. We Are Many Parts, but all one body.
I did Cursillo weekend with someone, Bob (he reads A Catholic Moment so I give him a shout out), who is now in our weekly study group. He likes to convey the story of how he viewed going to church before Cursillo. His feeling was, why do I need to go to church? I can pray to God on my own. The discussion response to his statement included the fact that the reason he was at Cursillo was because someone from our church invited him to do a Cursillo weekend. If this person was not a member of a community, he would never have asked Bob to go. And I think Bob would agree that his growth as a Christian would never have occurred.
As a church we help the homeless, we feed the poor, we educate children, we heal the sick, we train seminarians, we care for the elderly and homebound, we administer sacraments…..we work miracles.
We are meant to help each other grow in love and in Christ. As Father Burke Masters, who is vocations director in our diocese, likes to say, “We are here to help each other get to heaven”. The apostles couldn’t do it alone. Heck, Christ elected to not do it alone.
Why should we?
