Your Parish's Bond Map

Imagine that you had a device like an infrared scanner that would allow you to visualize the bonds of love. You would be able to see the bonds that connect your parishioners:

1) With the Lord
2) With each other
3) With their families
4) With their communities

Imagine what those bonds would look like if they could be placed on a map.

If we had such a device, we would also be able to measure the effectiveness of our leadership and the progress of the community. Through the Holy Spirit, how are the bonds multiplying? How are the bonds strengthening?

Scripture talks about "building one another up in love". How can we reshape the life of our parish with that as our priority? People no doubt come into the community because of some bond that is unknown or unexpected. If they are not grafted into our bond map they may drift away. If they hope to find God bonds and find only human bonds they may be left unfulfilled. But human bonds are the medium whereby people can trust and grow the God bonds.

Each of our parishioners would have dozens of links that go beyond the boundary of our parish. These friendship and kinship links are the most likely channels for building up the family of God. An underlying sense of purpose and momentum, along with special occasions, will provide the context for invitations being issued down those friendship and kinship links.

Ideally, over time, the map would display new linkages as well as an intensification of existing bonds.

Although the bonds of love are invisible, they are directly related to human happiness and well-being. Christ calls us to come to the Father, to live by His Word, to celebrate the sacraments and be in community. This is the context through which the Christian community builds the bonds of love. These bonds may be invisible, but they are very real and very necessary for every human heart!

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©2005 Ronald C. Ferris