“...A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You, the people must get it this soul.”

-------Community--------
When you hear this word what or whom do you think of?
The city you live in? Your neighborhood? Your place of work? Your group of friends? (from high school, college, post college?)
Is it easy to find? Is it good community or bad community? If you have it, is it easy to maintain? Do you have more than one community? Does your community challenge you/hold you accountable in your words/actions?

I have been thinking about what community means to me. This weekend I have been here at the house by myself and so my community (my 3 roommates) are gone so I have had a chance to reflect on this area of my life.

In my service program 'community' is one of the pillars that is focused on during the 2 years that we are here in Chicago. Because of this I thought 'this will be easy.' This has been anything but easy. In the day to day of life, community can be lost so easily when you are focused on what you need to get done and what is due the next day. It is easy for me to be selfish and not want to participate in community when I want to use the shower without having to ask if anyone needs to use it. Or having to talk when I just got finished teaching Kindergartners all day, yet I know when I get home everyone will be wanting to know how it went and sometimes I just don't want to talk.

When first processing through these thoughts I am thinking, do I enjoy community? Is this what I am supposed to be experiencing? I must be experiencing these negative and challenging aspects of community for some reason. I know they didn't just appear. I know that for some time calluses have been forming on my heart.

I think community comes down to sharing life with others and it is a lot easier to not share what is going on in your life with your community of close friends. But does this challenge mean not beneficial? No, it is challenging and in turn is beneficial to the growth of me as a person and understanding myself more and seeing areas that need improvements and this allows for me to grow closer to God.

Indeed my conclusion and reflection is that community, true authentic community, where everyone is sharing in joys and struggles and everything in between, is that community becomes lifes on lifes terms, compromising, thinking of others before yourself, seeing the spirit in others' lives.

Community becomes a matter of making the choice to surround yourself with those who will challenge you, hold you accountable, encourage you when you need it most, laugh with you, comfort you when you want to give up, ask you if you are doing okay, pointing each other towards living a righteous life filled with justice and mercy.

Pope John Paul II said, "“...A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You, the people must get it this soul.”