Leaven of God

Wednesday, September 21, 2011
The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts

"Community is going on a journey, experiencing different things, coming back to share it, and realizing that whatever everyone had shared has profoundly impacted each other's lives. "

After I finished doing up this picture, I felt very drawn to what the others had written, I wanted to know what it meant for them and what it meant for me. Quite unknowingly, their experiences and one-liners made an impact on my life, it resonated throughout my week and I feel -- richer.

As gestalt(some design dude) says "the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts"

From sharing our struggles in life, in community, something really hit me. It almost doesn't matter what you do, or who you are when you are around community. Community is about being there (mind/body/spirit), community is about communication, being in communion with each other.

Commun- , a prefix that means to share, and guess what 3 words all have that prefix?

That is why in the highs of community time, we are living together, doing things together, praying, eating, sleeping, sharing together. After camps we feel such a sense of unity because we shared our struggles and triumphs regardless of what individual people think of it.

In the lows is when communication fails. When I fail to be a friend because I haven't talked to you, and when conversations just don't go into raw emotions, feelings, desires, hurts and joys. Over the past few days, I've come to realize how some of my friendships have failed, how I am unable to break through the emotional barrier that people put up and left feeling so dazed and how relationships break down when we cannot share in the joys and sorrows of our days.

Even the simple act of saying "I saw your picture on the bus! but I was damn angry because the bus was blocking my car!" is sharing. (I quote anne)

"I've always said yes to community."

It was always left unsaid, and to hear it being said out loud by andrew really touched me quite a bit. I've never said no to suppers, never said no to long hthts, never said no long car rides, and for me, it's really these moments that make up community because it's when people go deeper. His statement made me question why on earth do I cling onto community even though I never really gained anything.

I've never not been in community

In the past 7 years, I have never felt like I was not part of the community. When we are happy, we give a group hug and smile and sing more. When we are down, we poke each other and ask what is wrong, and if we dare not do that we ask others or pray over silently. When we are tired, others step in and help lift the burden. When we are burdened, we share the burden and God gives us rest. Regardless of time or the number of people, someone has always been there for me and that someone( or 'someones') is what I'd like to think as God personified. God is always there. I don't think I could ever ask for a better community experience.

With the realization of how many of my friendships aren't where they should be in community and outside, I can't help but feel the need to do something. To be in constant communication with everyone. That is the ideal. But God gives strength.

Sure, people are different, people want different things in life, I have things you don't have and you have experiences I don't have, we all do live in our own private world and we can choose to live life that way. But at the end of the day, only one thing is needed, the desire to share (but as a catholic community it's not just that, it's the desire to share God. )

"Diversity is a source of richness. It is the expression of one and the same spirit which enkindles in our hearts a variety of flames... an experience of family."

My issues are my issues and you can't do much to really help me or make my choices for me. But more often than not, we get lost in our thoughts, in our own world, on a slippery slope to doom. Sometimes, some things only start to make sense in the context of friendship. Like how, with God, all things are possible. Being vulnerable and sacrificing oneself (our need to look strong), that is love, and community is love. (i forgot who said this) I don't know about you but I know that when I die to myself, my own desires and wants, I feel peace and freedom, I really do, like this is what I was called to do.

"Faith ought to be my personal and most free conviction; it must be experienced in the innermost part of my existence. But this existence is found only in community and in society"

You know that extra bit that comes out from working as a team? Group synergy is what they term it in business school, that extra bit to me is Faith, faith in God and faith in one another. (though in log, it's just termed as loglove)

"Friendship which is born out of faith has to do with being able to respect one another, treating one another with sincerity, accepting one another with compassion and communicating with ease and joy"

In Spain, it was difficult to really be community sometimes, stepping on each other's toes and accumulated sleep deprivation, but we all had that desire and I believe that the friendship we had(born out of faith) was strong enough to pull through the storm we went through. When we met each other after 1 week or when we were all dying of exhaustion, we sat down and shared because we knew we needed to. I hardly remember what anyone said but that conviction to share touched me.

Picture this. We are all lost, walking around aimlessly in a desert, tired, quiet, solemn, sad.. but if we all came together, imagine how we will all be. Will we just gather round in a circle and sulk and complain? or will we get up, and play some ninja? :D

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