The goal of the Eucharist is communion: to be one with Jesus and with others who are united in his Mystical Body. As we seek Eucharistic Revival, we should expect that Jesus will draw us closer both to him and others. We long for deeper communion, but we’re often afraid to open ourselves in vulnerability or hesitant to sacrifice the time. What can we do, therefore, to foster growth in Christian community?
We approach Jesus with all of our needs and, as we grow in communion with him, we naturally expect him to help us. You might be surprised, however, to hear that Jesus also presents himself to us in need of our help. He tells us, “Whenever you did it for the least of my brothers, you did it for me” (Matthew 25:40). He allows us to give back to him by coming to us through others, asking us to pour ourselves out in imitation of the gift he gives us.
Communion entails a give-and-take. Jesus pours out his entire self to us: body, blood, soul, and divinity. He also wants us to give everything back to him. He wants us to become more present to him in prayer and to also give ourselves to others. Eucharistic communion should flow directly into Christian fraternity; drawing closer to Jesus necessarily entails building communion around us as we fully embody the great gifts he has given us.
We can also look at this from the other direction. Building fraternity within our parishes and communities will prepare people for a deeper encounter with Christ in the Eucharist. Being disconnected in an age of radical autonomy often leads to confusion and depression. Authentic friendship, however, provides a much better context for learning the faith and growing in virtue. It provides a place of trust to ask questions and receive the support necessary to work through difficulties. Reaching out to someone who seems disconnected or is struggling is an act of charity, opening up a needed possibility for communion.
Building strong Christian community takes time, but at Exodus 90 we have learned some of the keys to making it work.
First, we need a common purpose. It’s hard to make time for another commitment without a clear reason to do so. Christian community should help us to grow in the concrete demands of our faith such as growing in prayer, learning the faith, or serving others. Exodus gathers men to grow in greater freedom in Jesus Christ, throwing off the tyranny of many modern-day pharaohs that dominate us.
Second, we should form a reasonably sized group. The size of our parishes makes it hard to feel like we are growing in community because it’s too easy to get lost in the crowd. A small group helps us to get to know a segment of the parish and to go deep in the faith. In Exodus, we generally recommend a small-group size of 5–7 people so that we can actually relate to everyone in the group. Other groups, especially if they are focused more on learning the faith, could be larger in size.
Third, it helps to have a regular time to meet. Weekly meetings are ideal to get into a consistent habit of building community. Otherwise, other things tend to creep in and take the place of our small group commitment. Weekly or even biweekly meetings help prioritize community so that it can begin to shape our lives.
Fourth, we need to make a commitment to one another. Christian community shapes us by investing in each other. No program or process can do the hard work of growing in charity, because charity unfolds in our interactions with one another: listening, encouraging, supporting, praying, and being present. With a clear purpose in mind for the group, we can hold ourselves accountable to our shared commitment and learn from one another.
Fifth, we must build vulnerability and trust. The goal of Christian community has the same goal as the Eucharist: communion. God wants us to grow in his own love, and this requires becoming vulnerable enough to share ourselves and to receive the gift of another’s presence. St. John holds out a powerful benchmark for us in his first letter: “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14). Jesus wants us to rely on one another in order to learn how to love like he does—with humility, obedience, and self-sacrifice.
Exodus 90 is happy to sponsor the National Eucharistic Congress as a means of furthering renewal in the Church and our society. Growing in community is often difficult, because it’s hard to invest the time to make the gift of commitment to others. But, it should be one of our highest priorities. We invite men to check out our work at exodus90.com to learn about one particular way of investing in fraternity with other men in order to grow in greater freedom in Jesus Christ.
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Exodus 90 equips men throughout the world on their journey to greater freedom in Jesus Christ. Its approach draws men into daily prayer, regular fraternity, and ascetical practices such as fasting, moderation in the use of media, and cold showers. Exodus offers daily Scriptural reflections throughout the year and is known most for its 90-day program leading up to Easter.
