Longing for an Authentic Catholic-Christian Community
With the availability of mass communication, people can usually find an in-person or online community of people who agree with their subjective values, whatever these values are. But this isn't necessarily an authentic catholic Christian community.
An authentic catholic Christian community is a home to people whose very being and lives are centered and surrendered to an unconditionally loving God, experienced through God's creation and through the presence, teachings and examples of Jesus Christ as reflected in Scripture, discerned through the wisdom of tradition, and guided by the promptings of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It’s a community where people exemplify mutual love, faith, hope, openness, trust, a shared purpose and mission.
Authenticity invites authenticity. When we are present to others with integrity and openness, we create space for others to do the same.
In this community, we encounter God not only through attending and actively participating in Mass, listening to the Word proclaimed in Scripture, and receiving the sacraments, especially spiritual nourishment through the Eucharist, but also through the presence of others who reflect Christ to us and, in turn, call us to mirror Christ for them. It draws us into the mystery of divine love and reminds us that we are not isolated pilgrims, but we are joined in communion with other pilgrims—the People of God, members of Christ’s Body— who are on a similar journey towards God.
In such a community we learn how to follow Jesus’ Christ's teachings, values, and example, and to become more Christlike in our thoughts, words, and deeds—our very being: to love, reach out to others who are knowingly or unknowingly searching for God, especially the marginalized and neglected; to welcome, respect, value, accept, encourage and support one another; where everyone is called to contribute and receive; to be a place where people feel safe enough to be honest about their struggles and joys without fear of judgment; to forgive one another for our faults and failures; to bear one another’s burdens; to journey together and not give up on one another; to challenge, encourage, and support one another to grow in loving relationships with God, with others, with themselves, and fostering a sense of stewardship and reverance for all of God's creation; to selflessly reach out and serve those in need, especially the least of our brothers and sisters; and to continue Jesus's unifying mission to live, witness, and promote God’s reign of love, peace, justice, compassion, forgiveness, healing, and salvation for one another and for those we encounter in our daily lives.