“For even as the body is one and yet
has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are
one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)
Frequently in the bible, we read that
we are all members of one body, making up the church in our world. We must work
as one body, sharing as one large group, the church. Although I’ve heard and
read this teaching several times, for most of my life I still saw the church as
a building. Sadly, this imagery left me with gaps in my understanding which
impacted my spiritual life.
In Spanish, the word “compartir”
means “to share.” One of the biggest impacts that mission and life in Bolivia
has had on my spiritual life is the “compartir” culture. Not only do people
share with their friends and the people they know well, but they share with
everyone.
I am currently serving as an overseas
lay missioner at the Universidad Academica Campesina-Carmen Pampa (UAC). So far
in my time here in Carmen Pampa, Bolivia, I have witnessed everyday acts of
sharing. People don’t always have much, but they are always happy to share what
they do have. On campus, students have shared their snacks with me. A student
invited me to his home to share about Bolivian culture with me. Whenever
students attend events and are asked why they chose to come, the resounding
answer is simple: “compartir.” Their desire is to share.
I learned a great lesson on what it
means to share while on a recent trip to a local town with a group of students
in Pastoral, the campus ministry group at the UAC. It was a day full of
activities to get to know one another: we played games, shared in music,
celebrated mass, and ate wonderful food. I had a great time and really got to
know some of the students better. I was amazed by the way that everyone shared
their time and energy, even when it would have been easier to let someone else
take charge.
Because I was so amazed by all of the
sharing, I was caught off-guard by a conversation that occurred a few days
later at our Pastoral group meeting. The group leader asked each person to
share a reflection about the trip.The first student to speak shared that she
thought the trip had been “mas o menos”, “more or less.” I was a bit
confused. As we continued around the circle, many people voiced similar
thoughts. I was shocked that the trip I thought was so beautiful had left
others feeling disappointed.
Then someone started to go deeper:
the reason many people had felt a little discouraged was because during most of
the trip, people had been in separate groups—one group working on the cooking,
one group singing, one group playing soccer. We hadn’t truly been sharing as
one.
I thought back to what was the most
powerful part of the trip to me, and I realized that it had been in mass. The
church was small and made of cement. It had plain, cracked windows, and we sat
in red plastic chairs. But during mass, we had all come together as one group
to share in praise to God, to share in the word of God, and to share in the
Eucharist. It had been so powerful because we were all there as one.
I want you to close your eyes now and
come up with an image of church. I’ll admit that every once in awhile, I’m
still going to picture a building. This building may have the most pristine
stained glass windows, with beautiful mahogany pews, and a perfectly polished
tabernacle. But no matter how beautiful the building may be, this image still
leaves gaps. Because no matter how many people are packed in that church, there
are still hollow spaces when it is just a building.
Like Jesus taught us, we are the
church. As the church, it is our mission to act as the body of Christ here on
earth. The truth is that we aren’t truly acting as the hands and feet of Christ
until we use those limbs to reach out and share. And reaching out isn’t a task
we were made to do on our own. Christ’s body was made to work as one unit. When
we spread the gift of sharing as one people, we begin to fill voids.
The desire of my students to share and to work together as one
community and one body has been such a powerful experience. I am still learning
what it means to truly “compartir” each and every day. I’m learning how to see
myself as a part of a larger, complete body. In embracing this life of sharing,
I have found myself more deeply appreciating my time with others, as a part of
God’s church, and so becoming closer to Him and to His people.
To learn more about service opportunities through Franciscan Mission Service, please click here.
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