One way to think of the parish is that it is a family. In the best sense of the family, relationships are everything. A family is made up of relationships with different roles and functions and gifts. Not all are the same in a family. The roles are different. The function of authority is different. For example, the parent’s function of authority is different and even greater than that of the child. Yet, a thirteen year old girl taking care of her two year old sister has an authority over her two year old sister. The teen age girl derives her authority from the parents. Yet, her authority is lesser than that of the parents. I used the example of authority because it is often misunderstood in the church world. Authority in the church world derives from calling and gifting. All authority is to be exercised in love and a spirit of service. Yet, the purpose of the authority is to promote the Gospel.
In a family, the members come to know one another. Through the thick and thin, the good, the bad and the ugly, relationships share life. Joys and sorrows, triumphs and successes, dreams and hopes are all shared.
A parish community is to be about relationships as well. Yet, how often members of the faith community go through the “stuff” of life alone. Struggles and even joys are often time gone through alone. This is not the body of Christ, the people that Jesus died and rose from the dead for.
One concrete expression of a parish community “sharing life” is through small groups. I will call them for our purpose “life-groups.” Life groups are the frequent coming together of Christians to share prayer, faith, life situations and common mission together. It is frequent enough where Christians over a period of time get to know each other. They help each other through life’s struggles; share prayer together and grow in their faith together. They reflect on the word of God in Sacred Scripture together and see how the Lord is speaking to them. They even decide on what kind of outreach or mission they engage in because faith grows best when it is shared. These life groups are under the leadership of the pastor and he is responsible for training of leadership, communication of teaching of the Word of God to reflect on and apply to people’s lives. Life groups come in different sizes and kinds and are different from one parish to another.
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” Phil. 2:12-13.