The word Community has been frequently heard in recent weeks, no more so than in the aftermath of the Boston marathon tragedy.

The phrases ‘the community came together’ or  ‘we are a strong community’  are stock in trade after some major disturbance that has shaken the stability of a normally quiet and peaceful place.

But do we stop to ask at other times just what we mean by this convenient phrase Community? And what in particular does this word tell us about a Christian Community?  Maybe we should argue that these words are complimentary, that you cannot be a Christian without being in Communion with others, our Christian faith is not an isolated journey, lived for ourselves alone without the need of or care for others.  The life-work of Dorothy Day in New York City was evidence enough of that.  The Catholic Worker movement she founded spread way beyond the confines of the city.  

Now it is reported that in San Antonio , CA , a city code inspector has slapped the Catholic Worker House with a violation for serving food to the homeless without the proper permit. Some people consider the Catholic Worker House a threat to neighbourhood safety and property values, and they are relieved the place is temporarily shut down and unable to serve meals to its homeless clientele.  

Care in the Community seems alright so long as it is not in my community.  

They may have a case. But what is to become of those who live on the margin of society, how should we react to those we see in need and who pass down our street, the poor, the derelict, the homeless?  

In the UK , a prime minister once said that ‘society doesn’t exist’ and the consequences of those few words now stare us in the face. Our affluent Western societies have developed an underclass that has no real hope of sharing in the good life.  

One of the strongest messages of the Gospels centres on this theme of compassionate care for what else is the Sermon on the Mount but a call to awareness and service of those who have less than others, for those whose place in the community is downtrodden or ignored. We are told that this is the way to the Father, that we care.  

In this post-Easter Season, it is good to remember those whom it is more convenient to forget. A friend of mine, with long service as a priest in the prison service, Gerry McFlynn, wrote this short piece,  published in the Furrow last April, 2012.

                     Resurrection

                                     On the morning of 

                                     the third day

                                      I went to 

                                      the tomb and rolled back

                                      the stone.

                                      out came

                                      the poor and destitute

                                      the prisoners

                                      Travellers 

                                      the old and forgotten ...

                                       blinking in

                                       the sunlight ....

                                       all 

                                            ready for a

                                       new birth.

The over-riding message from the first few weeks of the papacy of Francis has been just that. A simple personal lifestyle and actions that care for all in Community, for hands give solace to the hurting heart, held open they receive the broken bread, then they pass to others, a cup for sharing.

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