Brotherhood

The time has come for men (and women) to unite through sacred, not secret, pacts of love, generosity, goodwill, integrity and a deep respect for all of life.

Until recently, I did not consider myself to be a religious man. Religion for me was a blight on my spiritual development. As the special lady in my life, Erika, has pushed me to see things from a fresh perspective (firmly but gently), I feel very differently about this now.

Erika convinced me to attend a retreat this past weekend, against much of my own resistance, which literally changed my life. It is known as the Emmaus Retreat.

For those who might be unfamiliar, The Road to Emmaus biblical story is the first of three resurrection appearances found in the book of Luke, in which two men were traveling to Emmaus just days after the crucifixion of Christ when a third man "drew near to them."  Together they discussed the life of Jesus of Nazareth and how he may still have been be alive after his tomb was found empty.  When the men got to Emmaus and gather for supper, the third man is recognized as Christ himself as he broke and blessed the bread. Christ then vanished, and the two men returned to Jerusalem where they pronounced to the "Eleven" that the Lord has risen.

The central theme of the story is one that emphasizes the embrace of the mysteries of God in Christ, and in doing so, taking a stand for truth, particularly in times of great chaos and uncertainty (such as what we experience right now).

It is a call for all of humanity to come together in a context in which men provide, protect and preside over communities to right the wrongs of our sinful deeds throughout society.

Which brings us to the notion of brotherhood.

It is of no great surprise that our faith, the church, and our institutions face an ongoing spiritual attack - a spiritual war - which threatens our lives, our families and our communities.

How do we combat this? How do we transcend what isn't good or beautiful or graceful?

By building community through the power and protections of Christ. By embodying His grace through a recognition of our misgivings, and by developing our strengths through Him in learning from each other.

This is The Way, The Path.

Loving oneself so as to love others.

Trust-building.

Forgiveness.

Sacrifice.

Patience.

Understanding.

Being in Service.

Primary elements which enable us to see what we need to do to live a moral existence, through the Living Word.

[photo: Erika Martinez]

There will be more to come on the proliferation of the Emmaus brotherhood and sisterhood, and how we can integrate it with local communities all over the world.