You are not alone....

and you are not an island. This section reminds me of the Lord's Prayer: "OUR Father who art in heaven.... give US this day and forgive US as WE forgive.... In teaching prayer Jesus is very clear. This is not a Lone Ranger ideal we are pursuing here. The only way one finds real salvation is in relationship on the Lord's terms. Relationship with Christ, relationship with others, relationship with creation, relationship. Sin urges us to see ourselves as alone or set apart; Christ affirms how much we need each other. And Galli is so very correct; without some good interpretive skills we can easily turn the mother vs daughter stuff into a solo act. Worse yet, into a validation of our capacity to "be right". People don't like me anymore so I must be right becomes our mantra and before long we are doing more harm than good. Jesus is more than willing to be in relationship with sinners; he urges them toward a higher state of existence. So relationships become more solid, not more fragile. But the stress of seeking the welfare of others will always put us at odds with those we love. The story of Francis is one of my favorites; and to see that he didn't always get it right is very comforting to me!! He was fearful, he suffered punishment and was probably shaken by a few doubts. But, he eventually found his footing and makes a stand on behalf of the work of the Lord and in doing so finds life. The kingdom matters, the life together in community matters; and anyone who says we can do faith/discipleship thing alone is either quite uninformed or a liar.

Has your faith ever put you at odds with others? How did that feel? How much of your disagreement was theological rather than action oriented? Have you ever undertaken a radical endeavor and found yourself having to defend it?