TLDR: Today, I am deeply grateful for my new neighbors and for people everywhere who have been working tirelessly to care for their own neighbors. Please read below for more.
The power of human connection is powerful and beautiful to behold, especially at times of crisis. This morning, I woke up to the sound of chainsaws and at least a dozen work-crews clearing debris after Hurricane Beryl. The dedication of these crews was awe inspiring, but what truly impressed me was the sheer number of neighbors helping other neighbors in need, without an expectation of payment or any vested interest. I was at the office around 11:00am today (7/9) when I received a call from a neighbor. “There are people in your yard removing the tree that fell on your driveway. You better come and check. They might bill you exorbitant fees later.” I drove home in a hurry because I had not yet called any crews to help me, my main concern was coming to church to oversee things here and to be available to people who might need me. As I arrived at the house, I saw an older Hispanic man and his twenty-something son. They were busy chopping the tree down with the help of neighbors from across the street. I introduced myself and they told me they had moved about a month ago to a home they purchased at the corner of our block. I volunteered to pay them for their efforts, which had been considerable. The old man said, “Pastor (the neighbors had told him) where I come from neighbors help neighbors. I will help you today, and you will help me tomorrow. That’s how it works.”
I returned to the office filled with gratitude, thinking of the Church as the koinonia in the Lord Jesus. This New Testament principle appears approximately 20 times in the New Testament, and it means, “The fellowship, participation, sharing, or community” in Jesus. This is the sharing of common life that takes place among believers who place their talents, resources, and time at the service of others, as fellowship in the name of the Lord Jesus. In New Testament times, “The believers are caring for each other; they are spending time with one another and growing spiritually together. It is not simply a friendship among the believers, but a personal partnering to meet people’s needs. The Early Church was a community of compassion. Not mandated by a higher up, koinonia is a voluntary, sacrificial act of love.”[1]
As he was speaking to a group of 38 Christian leaders from various parts of the world (my wife and I were part of this group,) Pope Francis spoke about the “Baptism of Martyrdom and Tragedy” all Christians share in. When we confront martyrdom or great natural disasters, no one stops to ask what denomination we belong to, all that is required to be martyred is to be a Christian. Likewise, in a natural disaster, the storm doesn’t care what church we go to, all that is required to become a victim is to live in a particular place, at a particular time, which happens to be in the path of the disaster area.
Storms like Beryl leave a path of destruction that does not discriminate across religious lines, denominations, age, gender, economic status, or your side of the political divide. The silver lining of these storms, as I have seen numerous times in Louisiana, is the generosity of neighbors helping neighbors. At moments like this, I always remember the words of Maya Angelou, “We are more alike than we are unalike.” Beyond lines of separation, we are all members of the one human family, and we will depend on each other more and more as this planet heats up and storms continue to grow in severity and frequency. Beryl is just the beginning of what experts believe will be a very difficult season for those of us in coastal communities. Now, more than ever before, we need God’s protection, and we need the power of human contact. Ironically, politicians divide but disasters unite.
Today, I am deeply grateful for my new neighbors and for people everywhere who have been working tirelessly to care for their own neighbors. We are all one fellowship in the love of God in Christ. We are part of the human family, and we can cope with just about everything with a little help from our friends (as Lennon and McCarthy reminded us of a while back.)
I am praying for all of those affected by Beryl, especially those whose homes have been seriously damaged and those who are still without power during this heatwave. May our Lord continue to bless you,
Fr. Roman+
[1] Gill, Deborah, “‘One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread, and Prayer.’ Fruits of the Unified Practice of Discipleship,” Scriptural Commentary on Acts 2:42-47 for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2011, Ecumenical Trends, 40, no. 2, (February 2011): 1-9, 14-15.
