“Birds of a feather flock together,” goes the saying.

 

We humans are much the same way, but finding our flock is not always automatic.

 

That sense of needing to belong is a powerful one. We may have been blessed to have felt we fit right into our family without fuss. But many people don’t, for any of a number of reasons. Those without the sense of stability that comes with feeling “at home” at home are at a huge disadvantage, of course. That lack of foundation can lead young people to take big risks as they search for a feeling of “family” in other groups and gatherings. Depending on what they find, their lives can turn toward goodness and healthy relationships, or toward unhealthy and even evil paths. 

 

The Church can be seen as a community of people who are seeking God together. Those of us who have been active in our parishes hopefully have found that sense of connection with each other, over and above the individual idiosyncrasies and natural differences that are inevitable in any good-sized group. The cross of Christ overcomes such barriers as we grow in faith over time and realize our own sins and where we still need to heal. That gives us more tolerance for others who are wrestling with their own pains and problems.

 

Not everyone is going to click into place and have that feeling of belonging when they walk through our parish doors, of course. Consciously or not, we come into any group with a tendency to gravitate toward those who seem to be like us in some way. We may feel connected to others of our generation, or of those who dress and talk like people we have felt a kinship with during our lives. 

 

We seek, you might say, common ground with the strangers we meet.

 

As a Church, we cannot overestimate the importance of community-building efforts in our parishes that also encourage growth in knowledge and practice of our Catholic faith. 

 

Youth ministry is hugely important both for sharing the faith and also for helping young people to feel they belong in the Church. Retreats and work/ministry trips, regular social gatherings and opportunities to share in safe environments all can help young participants connect with others and with God Himself. That builds fortitude and virtues that will help them stay connected as they go along in life.

 

It is much the same for those not as young. Events geared for seniors, new mothers, men, professionals, singles and so on can bring a sense of belonging that will hopefully expand to the larger parish.

 

Once we truly feel we belong to Jesus within our parish community, if we move or otherwise become disconnected with that parish we likely will have the ability to find something similar in another parish. We will see the larger Church as our Church, and Jesus as our Savior and companion through everything that comes our way.

 

Once we individuals — with God’s grace — have embraced our Catholic identity and become aware of how Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist, in prayer and adoration, in our relationships and the service we give and receive, then we are fortified and will know where to go to be in our “flock.”

 

Let us pray for all in our pews — that Jesus will help us reach out to those who are no longer in our pews and invite them into our parish family and into the larger Church family. 

 

The word “evangelization” is off-putting to some who think it is a complicated process. It doesn’t have to be. We all have a desire to belong, and perhaps we all can see that our gift of a smile and expression of kindness to others is a first step. 

 

We can begin with that, and welcome Jesus’ expansion of our parish family.