Fr Sean narrated an interesting analogy of the gospel about vine and the branches, using a story.
There was a Jewish woman who had stopped going to the synagogue. After a few days of her continued absence, the Rabbi visited her at her home. When invited inside, both of them silently sat at the fireplace for a long time. After a while, the Rabbi picked up a tong and from the burning fire picked out a burning ember and placed it outside the fireplace on the stone floor. At first the ember glowed brightly because there was nothing else around it so bright. However, after a while it began to fade out and soon died out. The fire from which it was pulled out continued to burn with intensity.
Our christian faith has a strong communitarian dimension. While each one is exhorted to deepen one's own spiritual life, the witness that we live out is primarily as a faith community. Besides the witness value, the community also offers each one a supporting and encouraging presence. All the more true of a religious community!
There was a Jewish woman who had stopped going to the synagogue. After a few days of her continued absence, the Rabbi visited her at her home. When invited inside, both of them silently sat at the fireplace for a long time. After a while, the Rabbi picked up a tong and from the burning fire picked out a burning ember and placed it outside the fireplace on the stone floor. At first the ember glowed brightly because there was nothing else around it so bright. However, after a while it began to fade out and soon died out. The fire from which it was pulled out continued to burn with intensity.
Our christian faith has a strong communitarian dimension. While each one is exhorted to deepen one's own spiritual life, the witness that we live out is primarily as a faith community. Besides the witness value, the community also offers each one a supporting and encouraging presence. All the more true of a religious community!
No comments:
Post a Comment