BLOOMING KIDS - THE WEB OF LIFE | KAIROS GLOBAL | JULY 2019

Author: Julia Roncy

Intro: Julia Roncy looks at how Church as a community helps in building good, lifelong friendships, nurturing and sustaining faith as well.

Church. Relatives. Family. Friends. 

Sometimes we can’t imagine life without these people. 

Our daily interactions with these communities make us who we are, and form the foundation of what we believe. We can't imagine life without them because God created us for them and them for us. Having the capacity to love and live and have relationships are what make us who we are. Fellowship is a gift from God no matter how you look at it, so let's take a look at how relationships forge who we are.

Those of us who grow up in church get an automatic fellowship group, and the friends we get from church often become lifelong friendships. As we see them every Sunday for catechism, we grow mutually in faith with them and that is a strong bond that has the capacity to support us. When you find good fellowship, with people of the same faith and beliefs, it provides a moral boost and encourages us to keep our faith in a faithless world. And usually fellowship and relationships with those of a strong faith is what brings non-believers to our faith. In other words, fellowship and sharing are some of the best ways to get others to heaven. Whether it be urging a friend to go to confession or going to mass with family, fellowship provides a support system to ensure that you aren’t at it alone.

 One of the greatest examples of fellowship bearing fruit would be the early church and the apostles. The early Church had a very strong bond and the apostles were the best of friends. All they had, they shared with each other. When Jesus Christ was still with the apostles in the flesh, it was his friendship and fellowship that strengthened their faith. And that fellowship was passed on to the early Church, which fueled their zeal for Christ even more.

 Fellowship in its many forms is usually our pathway to a closer relationship with Christ. Whether it be a prayer meeting, a dinner with the church youth, or family prayer – fellowship has an impact on our life and we can count on it for support whenever we need it.

Julia Roncy is a 14-year old High Schooler from Texas, USA, and a proud Catholic with versatile interests. She enjoys her JY fellowship, reading, cooking, and spending time with kids, with her favourite hobby being art.