It's a memory from long ago. I was standing in the monastic choir, chanting the Liturgy of the Hours, and we came to psalm 133, How good and how pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in unity! It is like precious ointment on the head, running down upon the beard, Upon the beard of Aaron, upon the collar of his robe."
I remember stopping at that verse and thinking just how lucky I was, to live in community, to be surrounded by those with similar goals, ideas and values.
I mourn that loss to this day.
That is why, when reading Irvin Yalom, I am fascinated at the clinical benefits of community. I know the spiritual benefits. But Yalom tells us, there are immense clinical and emotional benefits: People need people--for initial and continued survival, for socialization, for the pursuit of satisfaction. No one--not the dying, not the outcast, not the mighty--transcends the need for human contact.
Jesus asked me to love my neighbor, to leave my gift at the altar if I need to be reconciled with a brother or sister, to love my neighbor as myself. And I see, it has far reaching consequences. It isn't just for feeling good. It isn't even for spiritual growth. It also affects my mental health.
Science proves that when I feel loved and accepted by others, I am willing to take more risks, to take on more responsibilities, to be bold. I am emotionally, and also spiritually, healthier.
No man (or woman) is an Island. Each needs the other.
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