To follow Jesus means to relate to each other with the mind of Jesus; that is, to relate to each other as Jesus did to us in servanthood and humility. Community is journeying together, each on our own path, but supporting each other in that journey. You have discoved fellow travelers on a journey and share your journey in relationship and community. We are all still subject the issues of the world in which we live and still deeply involved in the human struggle, but we have formed a community of support and hope because of our common fellowship with Jesus. Compassion then, can never be separated from community, and being together. Fellowship with Jesus is fellowship with our human family and with all creation. This is most powerfully expressed by St. Paul when he wrote “for the Creator chose us in Jesus, the Christ, before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in the Creators sight. In love the Creator through Jesus chose all humans for adoption as his children in accordance to his pleasure and will and we are thus the body of the Christ.” It is in community that we can be open and receptive to the difficulties in our lives and the world and offer it a compassionate response, just as the creator does for us. Jesus, the Christ, remains a radical manifestation of the Creators generosity, love, and compassion.
Excerpt from: The Only Necessary Thing, by Henri Nouwen
