The Spiritual Life Is A Life Together

The Role Of The Caring Community

The new year of 2024 stretches out before us. A key question for us to consider is “Do we walk it alone or with others?” For many in the Christian camp there is a rising trend to go it alone. Other Christians are seen as judgmental, narrow, and overall just irritating, so many decide to walk the spiritual path on their own. As attractive as this choice might seem, sages from the past suggest that this is an unhelpful decision. For example, Henri Nouwen who chose to leave the venerable halls of Harvard Divinity School to live at L’Arche Daybreak north of Toronto wrote,

“God’s compassionate presence can never be separated from experiencing God’s presence in the community to which we belong. The crisis in the lives of many caring Christians today are closely connected with deep feelings of not belonging…[A]part from a vital relationship with a caring community a vital relationship with Christ is not possible” (Nouwen, Compassion).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer also knew about the power of Christian community (or the lack of it) when he wrote from his prison cell in Nazi Germany,

“Therefore the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth…The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure” (Bonhoeffer, Life Together).

These mentors encourage us to travel in community and to not give up because everyone else is not exactly like us. (Maybe that’s a good thing!). Rather than being frustrated by people’s idiosyncrasies, perhaps we can marvel at the variation of God’s creativity? We are not all the same! Such differences in the end may actually be what saves us.

Don’t give up on community. Nouwen and Bonhoeffer were on to something. If you dig a little deeper there are some incredible gifts waiting to be tapped in your local church family (or the church/synagogue/mosque around the corner). My advice in this emerging year of our Lord is to hang in there with your community. People are a gift. Even the irascible types might just surprise you when the foundations are shaking.