Called to Community
By Krystal Montgomery & Roland Flasch
The upcoming Welcome Retreats are just around the corner. Many of you have already experienced this powerful weekend, while others may still be considering it. If there is one lasting takeaway from the Welcome Retreat, it is this: community matters.
When we think of community, we often think of the town we live in, the people we work with, or even those we sit beside at Mass. But how often do we pause to consider how deeply connected all of this truly is? From the very beginning, God created us for relationship—not only with one another, as seen in Adam and Eve, but also with family, friends, coworkers, and even those we have yet to meet.
To live outside of community is to limit how Christ can work through us. When we close ourselves off, we not only deny others the gift of encountering Christ through us, but we also miss the ways He desires to work through them in our own lives. Faith was never meant to be lived in isolation. It is a gift meant to be shared.
As we continue in this joyful Easter season and look toward Pentecost—when the Apostles were sent out into unfamiliar communities to proclaim the Good News—we are reminded that we, too, are sent. The question is: are we open to being sent? Are we giving God the opportunity to work through us within our parish and our wider community?
We are called to look outward—to welcome, to invite, to accompany. We are called to reflect the love of Christ, a love most perfectly shown on the cross. Opportunities to grow in faith are also opportunities to grow in community, and the Welcome Retreat is one of those moments of grace.
So let us open our doors and our hearts. Each day, we encounter people who are longing—whether they realize it or not—for hope, for love, for Christ. Do they see Christ in you? Do they know that you love Him?
If the answer is no, then perhaps this is your moment.
As Joan of Arc reminds us, “I was born for this.” You, too, were made for a time such as this. Do not let the opportunity pass you by. Step into community. Step into mission.
Step into the life God is calling you to live.