Communities

Dear sisters & brothers in Christ,

Happy Easter!!!

I pray that even with the social-distancing that your Easter celebrations were joyful, and if you could not be physically present with loved ones, that you were with family & friends in spirit & love. I want to thank all of you who had me in their thoughts and prayers over the last couple weeks. Of all times to be sick and miss! The Triduum and Easter are certainly my favorite liturgies. The only thing worse than the pain of a kidney stone, and having to miss celebrating Easter with all of you, is the fact that, due to an infected kidney, they were unable to remove the stone... UGH! And so, the drama continues.

I also have to thank my confreres for dropping everything and coming to our assistance. (I was flattered to think it took two of them to take my place... LOL... I actually think it was more of a matter of their eagerness to lend a helping hand, not to mention, spending a few days with Fr. Chung.) Of course, this also meant that their own communities had to adjust to fill in due to their absence. It is all part of belonging to a religious community that supports one another. While we are certainly not as perfect as the community found in our first reading from Acts of The Apostles, we do strive to love and support one another, to try and be there for one another when in need. We Redemptorists strive to be family to one another, in the same way that the first reading calls us Christians to be a family, bound together by love and mercy, to share our blessings, and to be there when our sister or brother needs us.

Scholars still argue over whether or not the communities described in The New Testament, especially in Acts of The Apostles, actually existed to the degree that they are described or were described this way to create an “ideal community” toward which we must strive. Personally, in spite of how impossible they may sound, I like to think that due to the freshness of The Gospel and the excitement and passion of building a new Church, that they did in fact exist, no matter how fleeting. But no matter the truth, the reality is that we are called to love one another, to share our gifts and blessings with our neighbor, especially those in need, and to simply be there for each other.

The final verse is highly significant, “distributed to each according to their need.” Not everyone’s needs are the same. Some people can survive on very little, and others need more. It isn’t always a matter of simply giving everyone an equal share. Someone might require medicine, and someone else might “eat like a bird” and still be as energetic as the next person. The key to practicing this verse is that you have to know your neighbor in order to understand what their individual needs are. You also have to trust someone when they say they “need” something and not just want it. At the same time, you may need to challenge someone to discern whether something is truly a “need” or merely a want in disguise. It is all part of living in a loving and trusting community.

In the Redeemer, Fr. Rick

P.S. Occasionally we need some artwork. I am curious if we have anyone in the parish who is a graphic artist, or someone who is proficient with software like Illustrator, and would be willing to share your talent. If so, please send Sandy or I an email to office@stalphonsusgr.org. Thanks.