What is Community?

I've been thinking a lot about community recently. This appointment has been the first time I have not been called to work with and in one or two specific communities. I doubted the wisdom of that at the time and have been trying to work out how and if that is actually feasible. I have always had strong family connections; my own parents, my husband and my adult children have always been part of a strong and equal partnership of individuals who share fears, adventures, excitement and frustration. The Order to which I belong connects me with people who share my passion and calling; who understand the tensions, who pray with me and for me as I do with and for them. My network of intimate friends however is noticeably sparse; I seem unable, and few other do, to keep the links close over the five yearly pattern of moves. They either move around as much as I do, or the desire to maintain strong links does not have sufficient priorityfor us. Some would say it is the pressure of not enough time. Others might say that trying to connect with new communities every five years is, in itself, a disincentive to maintain older links.

Part of me hungers for a close community of friends that can be maintained face to face, whose lives are deeply shared week by week, a place were I can know and be known. A loose network of acquaintances and colleagues is not enough. This is not just looking through 'rose tinted glasses' at grass supposedly greener on the other side. I am aware, through the close family community, that such living is costly in terms of tension, self awareness and pain as well as being made up of infinite opportunities for laughter, growth, pride and joy. Part of me wonders whether what I am experiencing is common for many today and asks can such communities can be maintained in the face of 21st century mobility and work patterns. With my gradual forays into the world of the blog I discover that others ask similar questions about online communities and friendships. Is it too simplistic to ask would Jesus be a blogger? How would the disciple community of learning and growing happen today and why isn't it happening very often in the Church?