Constitutional text - Chapter Tree - Our Community life

relationships that exist within the cornmunity group. These
are people who gather together in community to survive,not
in the sense of existence, butto survive in terms of living
life with as much "human quality" as possible. Here thecommunity
can be the couple, the family, an encounter group, or
various therapeutic groups such as houses of affinnation,
Alcoholics Anonymous, etc.
3. Theological and ecclesial insights, greatly influenced by biblical
and liturgical scholarship, have shifted the emphasis
from personal sanctification and salvation to a consciousness
of each individual as part of the "People of God" -
a "people" called and saved by God - a "people" called to
worship as a co1TDTiunity - a "people" who must effectively
witness to the resurrected Lord by being a loving corrrrnunity,
as was powerfully demonstrated by the primitive Church.
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When the dominant conception of Christian life was "saving
one's soul," the social dimension of personal and Christian
progress were often given a place of minor importance. Tue
emphasis was on the vertical - the "God and me" perspective.
Cornmunity, therefore, which stresses the horizontal dimension,
was not given particular stress. But the emphasis has
shifted. Rather than speaking of "saving one's soul" the
Church now speaks of the universal "call to holiness" and
that this "holiness" consists in the "perfection of charity."
This char ity, as is stressed over and over again in the
Council docl.Ilnents, is love of God and of man. Love cannot
exist in isolation, but demands,as well as creates cornmunity.
A Christian in i solation is an anomaly. M.Jch more so,
therefore, a religious. Even the most solitary contemplative
will speak of carrying the whole world in his or her
heart. To be Christian is to be called to corrrrnunity. The
whole Body of Christ lives rnost effectively in and through
corrnmmity.
Our world that is broken and fragrnented in so many ways -
filled with people alienated from themselves and frorn one
another - more than ever needs the reconciling power of God
made present in Jesus. An individual can bring this power -
but how much more powerful and effective is the reconciliation
present and extended through a cornmunity united in
faith and love.
Our world that prornotes every mistaken "truth" and surrogate
salvation imaginable more than ever needs the light of Jesus
who is the truth, the way and the life. An individual can
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