Common Ground of Christianity
After arriving early to San Francisco for a set of clergy meetings, I spent some time sitting in a local coffee shop, located in the Mission District. The majority of the patrons and employees would be the object of conversation and recipient of stares in most districts of ‘Anytown, USA.’ Yet in the Mission District, in this coffee shop, dressed in clergy attire and polished shoes – I was the square in this gathering of circles. The stares were abundant, and for some reason the eclectic music was turned substantially louder after I sat down and opened a book. I felt almost as if I was being looked at in a suspicious fashion. I was definitely an outsider to say the very least. My initial reaction was one of discomfort and I began searching for the door until I saw a new patron enter with a large dog, not just any kind of a dog, but a Bull Mastiff (the same breed I own)! I walked over to the owner and began talking to him about his dog, and then started playing with the stocky canine. The looks were priceless as the patrons and employees saw a 6’9” priest in a black clergy suit wrestling around on the ground with a slobbery hulk of a dog! As I gathered my belongings and walked out the door, a table of patrons smiled at me and said, ‘Hey, come back again Father, you seem normal.’ What a compliment!
It occurred to me that this brief setting, and interaction, is not dissimilar to the way Christians are received by the societies we live in. The Christian message of a self-sacrificial lifestyle offered for the glorification of God, is not one commonly lived, promoted, or witnessed in the world around us. When we strive to actively live our lives in this fashion, the world tends to look at us in a strange way – perhaps even as outsiders. Suspicions mount, and often times this leads to an ‘underground expression’ of our Christianity. The dynamic lifestyle of love many times is then relegated to a “private expression of spirituality,” perhaps isolated from all other facets of our lives. The bright light of Christ is sadly tucked away under the table of seclusion – perhaps instigated by an uneasiness and sense of discomfort.
However, in any situation you never know when a Bull Mastiff might walk through the door! Common ground always exists! Whether consciously or unconsciously, all people yearn to have a closeness with God, as each and every one of us were created in the image and likeness of God and were given a soul, which naturally desires union with the Lord. Recognizing this God-given foundation, we may build an edifying relationship with the societies around us; the society of our local town, the society of our workplace, the society of our schools, the society of our neighborhood, and the society of our own families! Offering God’s love to the societies around us displays Christianity rather than hiding it, delivering the bright light of Christ to the top of the table, and shining light unto the whole room of the society.
With faith and courage, together and one-at-a-time, we will bring our Christian lifestyle out of the isolation of private expression and pronounce it to the world around us. As we continue to express the love of God to our neighbors, the suspicion and strange looks will begin to fade. Societies will continue to invite Christianity, making it the norm, and ultimately recognize that it is what all our souls desire!
+Fr Luke Palumbis