Mother Teresa said, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”
Most of us can attest to belonging to some type of group, whether it be family, friends, fraternities, teams or neighborhoods.
However, peace does not come from just the sense of belonging to a group. True peace comes from God. Therefore, the most important belonging relates to being in relationship with God.
Jesus tells us that as the body of the Church, we are each living stones that make up the Church with Himself as the cornerstone. Each of us builds the spiritual body of the Church through human belonging. The Church is not the physical stones and mortar of a structure – rather it is our connected souls as Christians. We make up the body of the Church or the body of Christ. As Christ, we have a job: to save souls, encouraging one another in the pursuit of sainthood, for this is how we attain heaven.
Christ, by His life, death and resurrection, has laid the foundation. We build upon that foundation to support one another in a Christ-centered life (1 Peter 2:4-5). This is the belonging that St. Teresa refers to – the belonging that brings peace because we have a unified mission to lead one another on the path of salvation.
To create belonging, take part
To build the Church together as one body, we must belong to one another. Doing everything together, such as in the sacrament of the Eucharist, creates belonging. Research into Catholic education reveals that the more we build relationships between staff or between staff and students, the more of an impact we make in the formation of the Christian disciple, whether student or adult.
The disciples knew this. Paul tells us that the disciples had everything in common. They sold property to support the good of the group. They took care of one another, broke bread together and prayed together.
Do we feel this belonging? If we work within the Church using our time, talent and treasure, we likely feel this belonging. If we just come to sit in the pew, listen and fulfill our obligation, we may not get a sense of the union Christ intended us for.
In fact, when Jesus says that at the end of time all will be brought under His feet, He means everyone in the world. He calls on us, His body, His Church, to bring this about through belonging, through charity.
Therefore, to accomplish Christ’s mission, we should not tear one another down, whether face to face or through the silent shield of social media.Despite our good intentions, we so easily become addicted to social media, gossip in the breakroom, hateful emails, constant complaining or avoiding others. These actions fracture our belonging and our relationship with the Holy Trinity.
Build the body of Christ with love
The goal is love. God is love. What allows us to attain to His perfection is grace: the grace Mary was filled with that allowed her to say yes to God, even in danger, uncertainty and poverty. She trusted and found peace.
If we are in line with God, then we bear His light inside our soul. We only have to see where the rays of this immense and compassionate light are directed to realize that they are emanating from us, and fall on the world. This light softens our eyes so that we see one another through the lens of charity, not jealousy, greed or anger.
We are not just building an institution, a Church, but we are building Christ Himself. The Church is the body of Christ. He gives of His body freely to us to make us completely one with Himself.
We are not alone. We are not meant for existence behind a screen. We are meant to teach and to guide. To be a witness, you must be present. We must make a resolve to step out of our culture, which is all too caught up in social media and devices.
This takes special thought and attention in each heart and in each home. It requires a different way of raising our children, a different way of interacting with friends, a different importance and central focus. Let Christ be in the center and love be the focus.
April Parker is a member of St. Pius X Parish and assistant principal at St. Pius X School.