Friday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 327

Let brotherly love continue.
Do not neglect hospitality,
for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.
Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment,
and of the ill-treated as of yourselves,
for you also are in the body.

As I recall my theological studies in the early 1970's, the study of Christian morality began with a simple question, "What am I, as a believer in Jesus Christ, to do?" Perhaps I misremember, but that's how I recall it. 

Today, I would put it differently: "As believers in Jesus Christ and members of his Church, how should we act?" I find the answer in Hebrews, "...for you also are in the body." American Christians need to be reminded frequently that we do nothing alone and every act has consequences for the body which is the Church. Saint Paul urged his Ephesian disciples 

....do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.

Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. (Eph 4:30-32)

As we approach the Sacrament of Penance we do well to ask, "What is the Spirit of my community right now?" That community might be my household, my extended family, my parish, the company I work for, or my support/prayer group. Consecrated religious will consider their communities of sisters, brothers, or priests. 

The reflection will continue with, "...and what has been my response to this spirited or dispirited condition? Have my attitudes, thoughts, words, and deeds improved or worsened the situation?" 

Readers who cannot identify an immediate fellowship or community might ask themselves, "What have I done to isolate myself, and what should I do to escape this isolation before I am strangled by it?" Not even demons can endure solitude.

Although some of the New Testament writings are apparently addressed to individuals -- Timothy, Titus, Philemon, and Theophilus -- none is written to that one alone. They are addressed to us and assume that we think, act, and move together. Our American predilection for individualism is a spiritual death trap; and self-professed Christians who cling to isolation, thinking they are saved, are lost sheep without a shepherd.  

Hearing the Lord's call to repentance, we turn away from self-interest and personal pursuits to find our place in the companionship of Jesus Christ. He has not promised an easy road but he has promised us abiding support and encouragement as we travel together.