February 25, 2013 – Catechism 2168 – 2179

I have heard people say that they don’t go to church because they pray at home and that is all they need. But that is simply not true. God never intended for us to pray on our own. Everything about God involves community. Man and woman, He created them for community. The Trinity is 3 in 1, formed in a community. The Lord’s prayer starts off “Our”, not my or me or I, the prayer taught by Jesus starts off “Our”. Jesus spoke to the crowds. There were some private revelations, the woman at the well, Peter feed my sheep, the discussion with Nichodemus, but for the most part, Christ was in a crowd because we need community. How can you pray as well by yourself when you are missing the fellowship.

This isn’t to say that personal reflection is unnecessary. Absolutely not. It is essential to learn and grow in your faith and increase your personal relationship with God. But to think that this is enough is just wrong. Christ spent time alone, but He spent a lot of time in groups, in crowds, joining the people, building community. If you are not coming to Church and being a member of the community, you are missing out on a vital part of God’s lesson on what it means to follow Him. Community is a huge part of God’s message on how to live and how to become closer to God.