# We have so much to give
*2014-12-17*

> Reflecting on the third week of Advent, Bill Young explores the danger of spiritual complacency and the call to be a Church that reaches out to the suffering.

## The danger of a closed door

In the Gospel of Luke, we encounter a man who tells his neighbor, "Do not bother me; the door has already been locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything." This image of the locked door serves as a warning for us today. We are called instead to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ.

## A bruised and hurting Church

Reflecting on the words of Pope Francis, we are reminded that it is better to have a Church that is bruised, hurting, and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church that is unhealthy from being confined and clinging to its own security. We must avoid a Church concerned only with being at the center, caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures.

## The tragedy of isolation

It should rightly disturb us and trouble our conscience that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light, and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ. Too many are without a community of faith to support them, and without meaning or a goal in life.

## Overcoming false security

Our primary fear should not be the fear of going astray, but rather the fear of remaining shut up within structures that give us a false sense of security, within rules that make us hard judges, and within habits that make us feel safe. While our doors are closed, people are starving. Jesus asks us: are you giving them something to eat?

*We must ask Jesus to help us open ourselves to others and their needs rather than hiding behind the false security of our own structures.*