“For there can
be no particularism of hope; hope loses all sense and all force if it
does not imply the statement of an ‘all of us’ or an ‘all together’.”

-Gabriel Marcel

The
heresy of individualism: thinking oneself a completely self-sufficient
unit and asserting this imaginary “unity” against all others.  The
affirmation of the self as simply “not the other”.  But when you seek
to affirm your unity by denying that you have anything to do with
anyone else, by negating everyone else in the universe until you come
down you: what is there left to affirm?  Even if there were something
to affirm, you would have no breath left with which to affirm.

-Thomas Merton

It’s
like smog to the atmosphere of our soul that not only makes breathing
difficult but unhealthy.  It’s humanities punch to the gut of God that
leaves His body breathless.

Individualism.

Privatized faith. 

Solo salvation.

A dagger that pierces the heart of hope – the body of Christ in Christian community – that leaves it staggering, losing breath.

Jesus breathed on His disciples.

Jesus,
the blessed hope, breathed on His disciples.  He gave life to the new
community initiated by his life, death and resurrection.  Since then,
we’ve continually placed our hope in other things and are constantly
receiving spiritual CPR from any one and any thing we can find…except
Jesus.

Is there anything darker than individualism – this mutation of narcissism?

Has vanity become a blinding veil?

Vanity
has to have others involved in order to fulfill its purpose. 
Individualism needs no one else because it is a separation from
others.  It’s equal to narcissism but too enveloped in it’s self to
even make a comparison because it sees no one else.

How can we breathe again?

Just
like the disciples, we receive the breath of the blessed hope – the
pure oxygen of Jesus.  We receive this in communion with the world that
Jesus came to save. 

This
is the breath of faith that we worship God with.  This is the breath of
hope that enables us to walk with Jesus.  This is the breath of love
that fuels a life lived in His Spirit.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

Faith, Hope, Love.

Like the patch of blue sky amidst the gray clouds of Autumn.

Like the isolated flower along a mountainside trail.

Like a city on a hill.

Breathe again.