Words of wisdom

When trying to examine a subject such as Fraternity, it helps to look to those who are effective models, and to ask the question, 'What's the secret? How do you do it?'

Today, we had an opportunity to reflect with yet another confrere about the subject of fraternity, and we discovered a person who has grown up knowing no other way but fraternity. Concern for others and an ability to give of ourselves, or to share our resources is learned in the family home. For those who were lucky enough to have this experience, fraternity seems natural, but for those of us who are part of the ... ehem ... younger generations, this supposition cannot necessarily be presumed.

Familes are the schools where valuable lessons about fraternity are first learned, but they are not the only places. If we are lucky, we've had other confreres who have modeled for us the essentials of welcome. Otherwise, perhaps there are lay people who have offered us a Bethany by welcoming us into their midst (though the subject of our gathering focuses more on the former situation rather than this latter one).

Fraternity challenges all of us to grow, to look beyond our own expectations, and to consider the others who walk the sacerdotal road with us. When we were ordained, we were welcomed into the family of priesthood, and this is where we must practice the virtues of fraternity. This is sometimes easy (as in moments when we welcome friends into our midst for a meal or when we offer advise to a close collegue), but fraternity can also be challenging (as when we reach out to the isolated, lonely and distanced among us.

To some degree, fraternity must be an intentional act, always aimed at welcoming and at hospitality, sometimes aimed at challenging out of fraternal love, and never practiced because of selfish or alterior motives.