Spiritual Community

A Spiritual Community is one where you....
feel safe to be yourself
are not ostracised
can pray together
trust
support
grow
given the space to be who you ARE




Good News Reflection
Tuesday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
January 29, 2008Today's Readings:2 Samuel 6:12b-15, 17-19Ps 24:7-10Mark 3:31-35
http://www.usccb.org/nab/012908.shtml

Jesus as your brotherAll too often as adults we have better relationships with friends than we dowith our brothers and sisters and parents. Family relationships are supposedto last a lifetime. Never mind the squabbles. God's plan for the family — asmodeled by the Holy Family — is for us to be a community even duringdisagreements and even despite each other's short-comings.But what happens when a family member doesn't want to belong to God'sfamily? That's when relationships become most difficult. Jesus said thatfollowing him means leaving mother and father and sister and brother (seeMatt. 10:34-36) when they don't follow him too. How grievous it is to livewithout some of our families because we're walking a different road.This is why God gives us brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers inChristian community, i.e., people who are not blood relatives but arerelated to us by the Blood of Christ. This is the kind of family that Jesustalks about in today's Gospel reading. God is our Father, and doing his willunites us to him. ALL those who do his will are united to him. Therefore,when we do the Father's will we are bonded to everyone else in his family.At the top of the list of Blood relatives is our brother Jesus. What's itlike to have God for a brother?Remember the best time you ever had with an earthly relative. Remember thecamaraderie, the companionship. Remember the secrets you shared. Rememberhow you could rest in that relationship, assured that nothing would evershatter the bond you felt. Remember playing together, laughing together,crying together, complaining about whatever was unfair and whomever wasbeing mean, and remember the sympathy you received along with some advicethat lifted you out of your bad mood.Do you give Jesus opportunities to be a brother like that?Do you spend enough time alone with your Brother to tighten yourrelationship with him? Do you allow him to be your companion, sharing yourdeepest secrets with him? When was the last time you were playful with him?Do you cry on his shoulder and complain to him instead of sinning by takingyour complaints to everyone else who will listen? Do you pray long enough tofeel his sympathy? Do you pay attention to his advice (which is readilyavailable in scripture and other avenues of revelation). And do you taketime to laugh together about whatever strikes you as funny or silly?This is the real Jesus! He likes being your Brother. Go have fun with himtoday.

© 2008 by Terry A. ModicaFor PERMISSION to copy this reflection, go to:http://gogoodnews.net/DailyReflections/copyrights-DR.htm