Isn’t it something how fragile a community can be! It is like each community is its own little eco-system, and one or two people can really throw-off the balance and harmony of the whole group. This is one of the great challenges of Christian voluntarism, that is, to not let one or two individuals so sour the charitable gathering, that the community actually disbands. It has become so toxic that no one comes, and it dies a slow and painful death. I am reminded of a priest from a religious order that so much wanted to create a harmonious fellowship of Christians, that he spent years trying to cultivate such a group from about 40 people who gathered for a weekly prayer-group. The group was cohesive until someone came and challenged the priest’s authority and split the group in two. Half of the group literally followed this other person and the gossip, mistrust and bad feelings replaced the openness, trust and joy that they once experienced before this disrupter joined and then severed the group. The group never recovered even when this destroyer left the group and moved to another state after the damage was done! In later years, and upon reflection, the priest who wanted that group to be an expression of Christian agapic (self-surrendering) love realized that this malevolent intruder was really “a Judas figure” sent by the dark side to dash any hopes of experiencing a bit of heaven right here on earth. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLY SAD STORY, because what this priest actively dedicated his life to build, every priest truly hopes for in his church, even if he doesn’t have all the time and resources to devote to its actual formation, this is what he truly wants for each of his parishioners to experience—a community of self-sacrificing loving service with each person wanting the good of all. How do you find our parish? Are we close to this ideal, or do we have a long way to go? If we are far from this ideal, then let us repent. Let us put our egos aside and truly experience this all-accepting-love that we long for!