By Steve Hall
The nature of our humanity reveals that individuality cannot be denied. I am born as a separate, distinct person, as is every other human being. I am unique in all the world. At the same time, there has always been a measure of group identity in my life. If I had been sufficiently aware at the time of birth, I would have found that I was born into a group. And as I developed and matured, I would inevitably have become aware of more and more groups, and that groups play a significant role in my life. We are both individuals and, at the same time, part of groups. That is a constant and persistent aspect of humanity.
This is hardly a new thought. But I doubt that the observation has been seriously explored as a fact relevant to the spiritual lives of ourselves and others. There was a time when things were different. Days when communities were more cohesive, largely because travel and communication options were so limited. That being the case, it was almost inevitable that the immediate community should have a dominant effect upon individual lives. That was true of their spirituality as well.
Consider the great soaring medieval cathedrals, a treasured legacy from that age. Some took as many as three or four centuries to complete. But their architects and their builders are unknown to us. They may have done the work, but the structure was a community endeavor. All was done for the glory of God. Both divisions within Christendom and developments in science and technology have contributed to a decline in community cohesion. Yet, that cohesion was once taken for granted. But gradually, in the context of human development, an individual’s spirituality has evolved increasingly toward a spirituality of God-and-me.
The best-known stories from the Old Testament might lead one to think of spirituality as a me-and-God issue. After all, what do we read in the Old Testament Scriptural accounts but Abraham and God, Isaac and God, Jacob and God, Moses and God, King David, and God? The call of many Old Testament prophets likewise contributes to this initial impression. But such an interpretation misses a key element: God is always looking toward a people; no one is called for his own sake.
Abraham is called; but the divine promises made to him concern a people. “I will make of you a great nation . . . .” (Genesis 12:2) “All the land which you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever.”
Moses is called; but the reason he is called is because of the plight of the people. “I have seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt . . . I have heard their cry. . . . I know their sufferings. I have come down to deliver them . . . . Come, I will send you to Pharaoh.“ (Exodus 3:7-8)
Strength and guidance are given to the Judges, again for the purpose of dealing with the enemies of God’s people. So too with the Kings. In fact, it must be remembered that the King was more than just the ruler, the one in charge. He was the embodiment of the people. Even in Christian times, such was the case. Entire pagan nations and tribes were baptized because the king became a Christian.
The lesson to be understood in these events is both simple and direct: Salvation was and is within the group, specifically within the group we call the Chosen People.
The following passage from Jeremiah gives insight into the thinking of the time as well as helping us to understand the divine plan.
“Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the islands afar off; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd keeps his flock.’ For the LORD has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.” (Jeremiah 31:10-12)
Recall the incident from the book of Genesis (Genesis 32:28) in which Jacob’s name is changed to ‘Israel.’ Recall as well that Jacob’s (Israel’s) twelve sons, who are the origin of the twelve tribes, are the ones who go to Egypt and whose posterity are later enslaved. These are the people who will be brought out from slavery and into the Promised Land at the hand of God working through Moses. Yet, when we read the passage from Jeremiah (and many similar passages in both this and other books of the Old Testament), we find this anomaly: The nation of Israel is composed of twelve tribes, each with thousands of people, but the Lord refers to them in the singular.
Clearly, the emphasis is on the group rather than upon the individual members within it. But the ‘group’ in the Old Testament is not just a collection of individuals. So, what are the characteristics of this group we refer to? Theologians refer to a fancy word of Greek origin that has found its way into Webster’s Dictionary. The word is ‘Amphictyony.’ It means an association of neighboring states in ancient Greece that were to defend a common religious center, or an association of neighboring states created to protect their common interest. The word is useful because it incorporates the three chief characteristics of the kind of group we are talking about.
The first criterion for an Amphictyony is a shared or communal sense of belonging to the group. That factor is easily perceived in the lives of Old Testament Jews. There is no doubt that the Israelites of the Old Testament identified themselves as the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They were formerly slaves in Egypt. Now they were the Chosen People, the People of God, the sheep whom the Lord would shepherd.
The second criterion is understood to be an interactive and shared definition. In other words, one’s group/communal identity cannot be determined by the individual alone but only by those who share the essential elements of that group identity. For the Old Testament Jew, that identity would have focused on the Covenant made with the Lord at Mt Sinai. “I will be your God and you will be my people.” This was the essence of who they were as a group. The individual must commit himself to the group, and the group must accept the individual as one with them.
The third criterion for group/communal identity is that members share an emotional recognition or personal investment. This is a telling point. As regards the Israelites of the Old Testament, there are multiple elements to consider. There were obviously individuals. The individuals were members of one of twelve tribes. The tribes AS-A-WHOLE were the Chosen People. This is the ‘group we are talking about, and they — the members of that ‘group were to live and act in a certain way. Among other things, this meant that the needs of others — whether personal or communal — could not be ignored. All were to live for the benefit of all.
The descendants of Jacob’s sons — the twelve tribes — were distinct enough to be identified by their tribal names both when they left Egypt and when they entered the Promised Land. (Check any current map of the region drawn up to show the then-current territories, and you will find tribal designations attached to specific areas.) However, the intent was not that they be distinctive, independent states. Instead, they were to act as consorts to one another. They were to be invested in one another. Each tribe was to contribute to the well-being and protection of all others, both on an individual and tribal basis. That command is most clearly seen in the two books that describe the early years after the Israelites entered the Promised Land. The Old Testament books of Joshua and Judges both call for profound cooperation at the tribal level and describe the tribal failure in this regard. However, the tribal requirement was ultimately pre-empted when the Lord gave them a King. But the Lord’s expectation did not go away. The Prophets’ consistent complaints about the failure to provide for widows and orphans pointed to this expectation at both the individual and community levels.
We see, then, that in the days before Jesus, the members of the ‘group’ were those living not just within a given territory but as part of the Kingdom of Israel. In the New Testament and in the years after, the members of the ‘group’ are those living in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
Both Paul and John will also explore the essence of the Old Testament truth. Paul explains this teaching about salvation being within the group throughout his many letters though it is most vividly spelled out in his writing to the Corinthians.
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ.” (I Corinthians 6:15)
“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all. The members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” (I Corinthians 12:12)
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (I Corinthians 12:27)
This teaching from Paul has endured through the ages, not because it is a good image, but because it is a remarkable truth. We are saved by being joined in the group, and Paul identifies that group as those who are of the Body of Christ. Furthermore, it is worth noting something in that last line quoted above from Corinthians: “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (I Corinthians 12:27) You are ONE! YET YOU REMAIN INDIVIDUALS. You are not absorbed in the sense that your individuality is lost. You retain the uniqueness that is you.
But before we leave, Paul has a few more words for us that are worth our attention. These too come from his 1st letter to the Corinthians.
If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belon to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? (1 Corinthians 12:15-17)
But God has so composed the body . . . that there may be no discord in the body, but that the members may have some care for one another.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. (I Corinthians 12:24-26)
Is it even possible to draw a clearer picture of what was expected of our Old Testament ancestors in faith? Not only is there a shared or communal sense of belonging, not only is there a common central necessity of recognizing that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our Way, our Truth, and our Life; there is also the expectation that mutual care in joy and suffering will be part of our lives.
John places this same teaching within the context of the Last Supper, the Passover Supper. Consider the following three passages:
“Now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.” (John 17:11)
“That they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21)
“The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:22-23) (Certain phrases are put in bold because of their pertinence to our present discussion.)
It might be tempting to minimize Jesus’ statements or interpret them as mere hyperbole. Certainly, some have done so with Paul’s statements on the Body of Christ (it’s just an analogy, they say), but that is harder to do with the words we find in John. The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are Distinct Persons yet One God. We call this three-in-one aspect of God — the Trinity. That is our faith. So too with us. We are not to lose our individuality even as we really, actually, and truly become members of the Body of Christ or become one as the Father, Son, and Spirit are one. In fact, our identity will be retained even as we become perfectly one.
These Apostolic teachings have been incorporated into the Nicene Creed, which we pray at Sunday Mass: “I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints . . . .” The significance of the phrase “Communion of Saints” is somewhat lost in the shuffle as we proceed quickly into the prayers that follow. Nevertheless, it affirms the same truth that we found in the Old Testament – Salvation comes from within the group; the same truth we found taught by St Paul - “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (I Corinthians 12:27); and the same truth we heard from Jesus at the Last Supper — “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (John 13:34) “The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:22-23)
But you may ask, what is this “Communion of Saints?”
The teaching is simple. There are those Christians on earth, those being purified in purgatory, and those who have attained heaven. All who belong to one of these three are ‘saints.’ Further, all are in union with one another – that is the meaning of comm-union. In a definitive way, we are proclaiming the truth that Jesus prayed for and Paul preached. Our salvation comes through our union with the Communion of Saints, the Body of Christ.
In any analysis, it is evident that gathering in groups is a normal part of life. In family, with friends, in times of joy or sorrow, in times when we want to share with others in activities, we get together in groups. But it is equally true that not all groups are equal in substance or significance. Those who gather to celebrate a wedding are not in the same category as those who gather for a concert. Those who gather to remember one who has died are not in the same category as those fans departing the stadium together after their team has lost. Only some of these exhibit any of the three criteria previously mentioned as delimiting the special kind of group we are interested in here. For that reason, our clarity in the matter is better served by using the term ‘community’ to designate the spiritual group (community) we wish to focus on.
As with the mundane aspects of human life, so too with the spiritual aspects of human life. We have seen that, from the beginning, the group (the Community) was normative for the Chosen People and, subsequently, for the Christian people as well. Initially, the Christian Community and its cohesiveness were so remarkable that the wider public took notice. Tertullian was an early Christian theologian; he wrote in the late 2nd century. His words reflect the continuing character of the Christian Community.
“See how they love one another, they say, for they themselves are animated by mutual hatred; how they are ready to even die for one another, they say, for they themselves would sooner kill.”
The love the early Christians held for one another was not just a private matter but a public witness; it was sufficiently known as to draw attention and admiration from outsiders. While this characteristic of Christians persisted through subsequent centuries, it was gradually undermined in various ways. The establishment of Christianity as a legitimate religion within Imperial Rome readily comes to mind. The mass conversion of European tribes was also a debilitating factor. And obviously, we would be blind to ignore the divisions that came with the Reformation.
Nevertheless, the communal aspect of faith endured for a variety of reasons. The cohesiveness of families and the sacredness of marriage made their contribution. Certain normative facts of life also helped. Most people seldom traveled before the Renaissance. One’s job didn’t require relocation. Exterior dangers still encouraged togetherness.
On the spiritual level, we can also identify beneficial factors: The Church continued to preach what Jesus, the Apostles, and the Church Fathers had taught, and that teaching followed from centuries of the Judaic faith. Christianity and the development of Christendom had become a unifying and stabilizing element throughout Europe. By and large, Church communities were small, and so it was easy to know those with whom you worshiped personally.
The rise of modern Western Civilization changed that. While some of those negative elements were direct or indirect counters to the factors listed above, others were unique to the times. A simple but common saying immediately comes to mind: “We don’t discuss religion or politics.” Why? So as not to disrupt what bonds remain.
It’s time this key element of salvation is restored in the way we live our lives: Salvation comes through the group, the community.
I am personally familiar with two group/community developments that show great promise for allowing the Spirit to work in this dimension of our lives. Both suggest the Spirit’s activity in their development. One arose from a variety of circumstances; the other from direct prayer and planning.
The first of these began twenty-five to thirty years ago in the parish of which I am now a member. I was not living in the area at the time, but some men regularly attended morning Mass. A deacon brought them together after Mass at a local restaurant once a week for a brief prayer, breakfast, and discussion of the day’s Scripture.
Subsequent years brought developments. The average number in attendance grew to about twenty. A new pastor did not wish to participate. The deacon died. But then the community members themselves took over. Initially, only one member provided a weekly reflection on the Scripture of the day, followed by group discussion. Slowly but surely, others (now numbering eight) alternated in reflecting. COVID came, there was no morning Mass, restaurants were closed, but the community persisted. Thank the Lord for ZOOM.
Somewhere along the line, the community got a name. Now it’s known as the OMG or Old Men’s Group. But Covid, Zoom, and the Spirit provided for other developments. There are now members from California, New Hampshire, Mississippi, Kansas, and outlying cities in Colorado. Our bonding in Christ has continued to grow. Some members have died, but new ones have joined, and it should be noted that the new ones are younger. We may have to change the name.
The second development worth noting is one developed and encouraged by INFERNO. Inferno says this about themselves.
“Since our inception in 1917, Inferno has been empowering and gathering men to submit to the Holy Spirit and answer the great commission: “Go make disciples of all nations!” (Matthew 28:19) This call started with a small group (COR, ‘heart’) doing ‘lectio divina’ prayer together in a basement. From the start God directed the mission towards our 3 pillars of: Prayer, Friendship & Evangelization. The simple mission has extended upward and outward, like an unquenchable fire, now growing through Colorado Springs.
Their selection of the word COR to identify their small groups/communities readily attracted my attention. How could it not give the full spectrum of the word’s meaning?
The core of the planet is that innermost part — the part that determines what kind of planet it is.
The core of a fruit is where in lies the potential for the future of life.
The core of an argument is that part of a proposition which is foundational to the whole.
The physical core is that group of midsection muscles that stabilizes the body.
And even further, Coeur is French for the heart.
Cor is a slang term originating in the British Cockney accent, often used as a shortened form of “God.”
These varied meanings correspond almost perfectly to the ‘group’ of the Old Testament, in accord with the purpose of a people directed to love God above all and one’s neighbor as oneself.
Cor harkens back to the people who were to live for one another (remember amphictyony) in mutual support and faith as the people of the one God, a word for today that reminds us that together we are the Body of Christ and that we are to be one.