The word community has many connotations,
some positive, some negative. Community
can make us think of a safe togetherness, shared meals, common goals, and
joyful celebrations. It also can call
forth images of sectarian exclusivity, in group language, self-satisfied
isolation, and romantic naïveté.
However, community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we
are alive not for ourselves but for one another. Community is the fruit of our capacity to
make the interests of others more important than our own… The question,
therefore, is not How can we make community, but How can we develop and nurture giving hearts?
--Henri Nouwen
Image source: https://www.dl-online.com/news/3939189-giving-hearts-day-include-several-local-charities
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