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Welcoming Others

Who are being neglected?  This is the primary question for the Paulist ministry of evangelization and reconciliation, locally and nationally.  This is the primary question for any parish concerned with bearing and sharing the Gospel and message of Jesus the Christ.  When we think of a parish community we need to think of it as a circle, it needs to be in a formation facing outward not inward.  We need to be a circle facing outward in welcome to the needs beyond walls and official parish boundaries.   In old western movies there was always to call to “circle the wagons” a formation of defense against those “others” whatever form of unwanted “others” they may be.  We can name those others in our lives, in our families, workplace, nation and world; they come in all sizes, shapes, sexual orientation, nationalities and religious or non-religious groups and individuals.  Who ever they may be for us our call is to welcome, evangelize and reconcile; we are called not to “circle the wagons” but to reach out in welcome.

The formation of an outward facing circle is uncomfortable, probably the reason why it is so rarely formed.  It means that we need to trust what is in the middle, the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in our midst, the nourishment of the Eucharist, the support of a forgiving community; believe that all of that is behind our efforts to reach out in welcome.  This does not come easily.

The history of the early Christian community, which we hear so much about in our Easter readings, portrays how difficult facing outward was for them and is for us.  Yet our early history is a series of breaking outs, a series of discoveries that there are always more to be welcomed in.  Jesus broke out of the confines of the tomb.  The disciples broke out from the safety of their Upper Room, Peter and Paul constantly call the early communities of faith to breakout from their familiar friends and community members to reach out and welcome those “others,” be they Gentiles, Hellenists, widows, lepers and orphans – all the neglected. 

We Paulists celebrate 150 years of Gospel care for the neglected; we can celebrate as a Paulist community only in so far as we have met the Gospel requirement of reaching out beyond our walls and official offices and parish boundaries. Evangelization and Reconciliation must be the milieu, the backdrop, and the ambiance of all that we do.

Peace, Fr. Michael