The Lord is very concerned about the structures in which we live. He made us to live in certain interconnected ways. So, if we make any unauthorized changes, the whole system gets messed up. For example, the chosen people were called to be a loose federation of tribes with God as their King. However, the people decided to change structures and adopt the pagan system of a kingdom ruled by a human king (1 Sm 8:5). This change proved catastrophic.
The Lord has called His people in the new covenant to live in communities (see Acts 2:42). We are to live in extended families as Jesus did (see Lk 2:44), like that in which Jesus and the twelve apostles lived. However, many Christians have ignored God's call to community. We usually live in "nuclear families," not extended ones. The people we see at church on Sunday are strangers, acquaintances, or friends, but they could hardly be called brothers and sisters in a true sense of the word. We may hardly know our fellow parishioners and probably haven't tried very hard to get to know them. Many Christians live almost the same as non-Christians – living in isolation or in a circle of friends based on sexual attraction, business, or personal interests. When will we live as brothers and sisters? When will we live as God's family? When we do, we will see the "Acts of the Apostles" become our acts.
| PRAYER: | Father, may I not reject You by rejecting Christian community. |
| PROMISE: | "Your sins are forgiven." –Mk 2:5 |
| PRAISE: | St. Hilary was "the mildest of men" except when zealously defending the Faith. He rebuked heresy with both gentleness and persistence. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College