Catholic Diocese of Arlington video screengrab / YouTube
Speaking to young adults at a Virginia Catholic conference this month, a youth minister who has traveled the globe evangelizing gave a message on the importance of local relationships: take Jesus literally and care for those who live in your neighborhood.
Speaking to 500 young adults at the Sept. 21 CALLED conference in Reston, Virginia, Ennie Hickman shared about a conversation with his son that “changed his life,” according to The Arlington Catholic Herald.
“Dad, can we meet our neighbors?” Hickman’s son asked him.
The question spurred Hickman and his wife to think concretely about how they could love their neighbors. They began holding a weekly open house social on Wednesday nights. People from their neighborhood started attending. The Hickmans now feel that they really know their neighbors.
He shared that some of his neighbors have entered the Church because of these socials; however, he added, getting to know neighbors is not primarily about proselytization, but about following a command from God.
“It’s a very simple challenge — infuriatingly simple, but it is not easy,” he said, according to The Arlington Catholic Herald. He added that while he doesn’t always feel like hosting, “it’s always worth it.”
Hosting a weekly gathering is far from the only way to get to know one’s neighbors, Hickman explained. The key thing is identifying practical steps a person can take to come to know and love one’s neighbors, such as cultivating gratitude for their presence and asking about their hobbies and interests.
The Arlington Catholic Herald reports that he also encouraged reflecting on whether history would look back on contemporary Catholics as a people bringing light into darkness.
“Or,” he posited, “will they say, ‘These folks watched hundreds of hours of podcasts and downloaded apps and generally did religious stuff but they never even knew the name of their neighbors’?”
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