a community builder - 21st week tuesday

Today we reflect on our first reading from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians.  When Paul wrote to them, Thessalonica was still a young church.  Paul founded it but he did not stay long in that church because of the persecution coming from Jews.

In our reading today Paul shows us how to become community builders.  We are a community and we need to do our part to build up our chapel community and Paul by way of example shows us how.  Three characteristics. 

First to be a community builder one has to speak boldly.  Paul said, that is how we speak, not as trying to please men, but rather God, who judges our hearts.. To speak boldly means to tell it as it is.  Many times the easier way in our relationship in this chapel or in our parish communities is to avoid conflict and allow things as they are.  Yet, to truly build community, we need to be fearless in speaking out, we need to be courageous in pointing out for example moral laxity or the abuse of power taking place within the community.  In the spirit of concern we need to speak boldly even if this will make us unpopular.  Only when we have learned to confront the truth – to speak boldly as Paul said, then we will gradually create an environment where true community can grow.

The second characteristic of a community builder is integrity, personal integrity.  Paul said, “We did not appear to you with flattering speech, or with a pretext for greed, nor did we seek praise from men, either from you or from others.”  Integrity means transparency – there is no evil intent, one can go beyond selfish and even personal interests.  To be a community builder it is important that one examines his or her motives – basi luyag ka lang dayawon, basi luyag ka lang magpa-papel-papel.  It means that in what I say and do either I lead people to God or away from God; I can be a path or an obstacle. It also means being humble.  It also means that I must discern when to speak or act, and when to let another speak or act.

The third characteristic of a community builder is the capacity to share our souls or to share our very selves to others.   Sharing our souls requires a willingness on our part to be vulnerable; to not only share what we know, but how we strive to live what we know and the failings and doubts we have encountered along the way. True community is built upon openness and sharing. To be a builder of Christian community we need to open up, to be vulnerable, and to share with those around us our struggles, our triumphs and even our failures. Only then can true community be developed.