The Lord calls us not only to go to church but to be members of the Church. This means that we are called to be baptized (that is, immersed) in the body of Christ, the Church (1 Cor 12:13). We are to continue steadfastly in Christian community life (Acts 2:42). We must live our baptismal brotherhood and sisterhood "in deed and in truth and not merely talk about it" (1 Jn 3:18).
Are you obeying the Lord's commands in the Bible to live a communal life? Are you living a communal life in accord with the meaning of Baptism? If you can write something similar to what Paul wrote in the sixteenth chapter of Romans, then you are probably living a communal life which is pleasing to the Lord. In that chapter, Paul mentions or greets by name over thirty people. Moreover, the church of Rome was only one of the communities Paul worked with. Additionally, Paul's relationships with most of these people were not superficial; they were deep. For example, Prisca and Aquila "risked their lives" for Paul (Rm 16:4). To be in Christian community is to live in such a context which will make it possible for us to know and love deeply many Christian brothers and sisters. In our Western society, we have tried to live more independent, less committed lifestyles. This experiment has proven to be a failure. Let us come back to Church, that is, to the communal life described in the New Testament.
| PRAYER: | Jesus, Head of the Church, teach me what You mean by "Church." |
| PROMISE: | "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or be attentive to the one and despise the other. You cannot give yourself to God and money." –Lk 16:13 |
| PRAISE: | St. Martin responded to Jesus' love by leading his pagan mother to faith in Christ. |
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