December 1979
Whether we journey to Lourdes or stay at home, we are all invested in pilgrimage—before it begins, while it unfolds, and long after…
"All the believers were of one heart and soul. No one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common." (Acts 4:32)
We walk different paths, but we ask the Spirit of Pentecost to make us, more and more, one family—where each of us has a place.
Jacques Delaporte - Auxiliary Bishop of Nancy (France)
to the Faith and Light communities of his diocese:
Living in a Christian community is a mission. As your Bishop, I say this to all of you: the Church needs you. Build communities together that are deep, demanding, that radiate the love of Jesus—communities open to other communities, to parishes, to movements. One day, in the fullness of light, we will see all that God has written in the hearts of those who are wounded, their communion in the love of his Son, and their missionary witness.
Walking in Community
A burden carried by two is twice as light;
a joy shared grows larger still;
a holiday alone is lonely, with friends it becomes a celebration.
The road is long and harder for those who walk it alone. Walking in community means walking together—counting on one another, matching our pace to theirs, sometimes faster, sometimes slower.
It means sharing our picnic, the good and the simple, the salty and the sweet, the bread and the butter.
It means sharing a smile, a word, a gesture, tiredness, suffering.
It means carrying someone else's burden, sometimes letting them carry mine.
It means accepting that I may need to change the path I wanted to follow, discovering marvels we would have passed by alone.
And living together in the presence of Jesus with us—even if, like the pilgrims on the road to Emmaus, we don't recognize him. But we know: "Where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
Paulette Feller - Luxembourg
I like meeting friends.
Faith and Light forms a family in God with God's friends.
We no longer feel our handicap.
We are all well together.
Nathalie
Ideas to Consider
- Do we know each person's name, family name, and what they do? Their sorrows and interests?
- Walking in community: spend a day together, a weekend, make a retreat, share a meal in the group, listen to Sunday Mass together…
- In the early Christian communities, everything was held in common. How might our community live out this sharing and mutual support among brothers and sisters? A shared fund for pilgrimage, yes—but also all those small gestures that will make the journey easier for each person.
- December '79: in just days, CHRISTMAS! Let the community prepare this feast with great care, making sure each person has something to do in the preparation—invitations, decorations, carols, welcome….