A few points for Community Living

St. Paul begins the 4th chapter of his letter to the Ephesians with these words:

I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you
have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another
through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:

one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call;

one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all

and in all.

I find the greeting quite dense, a bit puzzling, and yet full of practical advise for living in community. Several things strike me:

1) Our unity is supposed to be a sign of the unity of having "one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all."

2) We must strive to preserve and further this unity.

3) Humility is very important. How can reconciliation happen if we are not able to admit we were wrong?

4) Gentleness is very important. Does any one wish to be one with people who are not kind?

5) Patience is very important. If God bears with us patiently, we need patience to deal with the aspects of others we find difficult.

6) Love for each other is very important. This point reminds of St. Teresa of Avila's quote, "It is love alone that gives worth to all things."

Carlos J. Medina