Our Spiritual Home

Somebody was asked once, ‘Why do you bother staying in the Church?’ The answer is, ‘I’ve no other spiritual home.’ We’ll hear the word and return, often during Lent. We stray away from God in small journeys or big ones. We might not feel like returning, but when we do, we know we’re home.

Church is home because it is where Jesus lives – not in the building only but in the people. Jesus lives with each of us, as ‘he makes his home with us’. He also lives among us in community, ‘wherever two or three are gathered in my name’.

We need to make the building and the spirit of our gatherings a homecoming. In our Church home we can hear each week of different needs and celebrations of the parish. We remember especially the sick, the dying and the ones gone before us.

Everyone helps build a home. The priest cannot do it alone. Can we ensure that every parish has a welcoming group, a group that keeps in touch with locals and plans future events?

Donal Neary SJ, The Sacred Heart Messenger, February 2023