Forming community in adversity

There are times when we need to come together in seemingly adverse conditions. At least adverse for someone and thus there is a reluctance to participate. In the Gospel passage there is a story of a a person from the opposite culture who has the love to provide the cooperation necessary to bring healing (Lk 10.25-37). Often we become discouraged and easily give up our efforts relying on others to do the hard yards. Yet we are called from baptism to begin the formation of community in a manner that does not create tensions but rather accepts the other.

The Luke passage is clear on the formation of a loving community. In fact our initial steps in the creation of a community begin when we are very young. This is why it is so important that we have sponsors, godparents, to support our growth in community. It is the family that is the basis of our own forays as a faith forming community. Only the model of the family's love can serve us in the wider implications of community forming. Our acceptance of the other begins within the family. We can clearly see that if our teachers within the family do not uphold what it means to be as Christ then how can we mirror that in our own lives as we interact with those around us. It is the family, no matter how formed, that forms us in our youth. Whilst in a tight knit community the presence of the other is not really required unless death is a constant presence that can irreparably destroy the bonds of family. It is for this reason that we have Godparents who are set to guide and strengthen us on the path of Christ.

Offer the hand of love and restore the community

The Godparent is there from our birth into a new life to assist the parents in guiding their child(ren) into the life that is promised by dying to sin. These are substantive people who are outside of our own familial context who are present to show us the needed understanding of giving of self to the other. This is in some respects something of a violent act as it draws us apart from the familiar into a new understanding that is based on the other. In the adversarial context of an other who is outside of the family the person baptised to Christ is confronted in a loving manner that opens their own world view that is, ultimately from birth, one that is centred on self. Thus by bringing a loving enemy into our midst we demonstrate the understanding of giving to the other who is not us. We are taught that not only does the family give but also those who are outside of the family, which allows us to sacrifice ourselves and give in return.

This does not necessarily mean that everything is easy. Sometimes it requires persistence and patience to obtain the gift of love whilst at others it demands of ourselves a sacrifice that is more than we expect (Amos 7.7-17). In demonstrating our power to love those that are different and condemning those that appear to be familiar we open ourselves up and allow the possibility of hurt. Yet, being in the presence of Christ we are able to achieve the binding of the other to ourselves and to God's will for a harmonious community. Our vulnerability becomes our sacrifice to the other allowing a new understanding to form and so build community. We could create tension by bypassing the other and only keeping to ourselves. In this way we may hold a semblance of community but we do not have a viable thing as it is ripped apart by division. Only when we are prepared to face the other in the strangeness can we find true community.