There are many forms of poverty: economic poverty, physical
poverty, emotional poverty, mental poverty, and spiritual
poverty. As long as we relate primarily to each other's
wealth, health, stability, intelligence, and soul strength,
we cannot develop true community. Community is not a talent
show in which we dazzle the world with our combined gifts.
Community is the place where our poverty is acknowledged and
accepted, not as something we have to learn to cope with as
best as we can but as a true source of new life.
Living community in whatever form - family, parish,
twelve-step program, or intentional community - challenges
us to come together at the place of our poverty, believing
that there we can reveal our richness.
Scary stuff...but I'd love to try.
3 comments:
thanks for that - timely and helpful
Oh, yes.
Wise words.
I've been thinking a lot about community lately, as I have grieved for the loss of one church community and wandered about trying a new place to belong. In all of my musings about the purpose of community this was not one of the possibilities that occurred to me, and it's an enriching addition to the mix. But I wonder how long you have to walk together before you can reach this depth? How do you find a group where you can throw your lot together in this way?
Post a Comment