"Impressions of a Visit to Bloomington Christian Radical Catholic Worker Community"
Two millenniums ago a man was left for dead by robbers along a rural road. Twice, men of considerable means came upon the injured man; assessed the situation; and refused to help. When a third less well appointed individual, a Samaritan, happened upon the individual, he took the man to a safe place, tended to his wounds and saw to it he made a full recovery.
We all are aware of the Good Samaritan story - one told by Jesus to make a point that to be a good neighbor is to be like the Samaritan, not those that looked the other way. We have been instructed to tend to the needs of those less fortunate in so many ways: to feed the hungry; to tend to the ill and infirm; to share our bounty with those that have little or nothing; and to be good neighbors to every individual we happen upon. With that in mind, one need not look very far to answer the call of Jesus to be a good Samaritan.
On Tuesday, November 8, Julie and I took the opportunity to visit a community of individuals that have decided to live the life that follows the basic tenants of Jesus' instructions to be the good neighbor. We took the boys with us to visit the only Catholic Workers community in Indiana located in Bloomington . Calling themselves the Bloomington Christian Radical Catholic Worker (BCR/CW), they work every day to maintain and build a community whose purpose is to serve the poor and homeless. I could go on and on about the background of the Catholic Worker Movement that began in the late 1920's as a protest against the oppression of the working class to the advantage of the rich, but I feel the BCR/CW Manifesto says it more succinctly than I could ever do:
“The BCR/CW is a community in the tradition of the Catholic Worker Movement. The Catholic Worker Movement lives in the vision of Dorthy Cay and Peter Maurin, who believed that a peaceable revolution would result if people imitated Jesus Christ's nonviolence (Matt 5:38-48), voluntary poverty (Matt 6:24,19:16-26), and radical hospitality (Matt 25:31-46). The BCR/CW is an ecumenical Christian intentional community that tries to live, pray and work both with each other and the poor we encounter. The BCR/CW is completely autonomous and has no institutional connection to the Roman Catholic Church. We try to offer housing, food, clothing and love to the people facing homelessness. We perform the works of mercy and nonviolently oppose the works of war. We strive to practice the Sermon on the Mount, community living, voluntary poverty, personlism, and care for the environment.”
When we arrived at the address in a part of the city that many would consider distressed, we found a newly renovated house, sporting a fresh coat of bright aqua paint that summoned the senses to say, that this place is not like the rest, but some how belongs here. Evan ran ahead knocked on the door and loudly announced there was no one home, then proceeded to open the door and walk inside before we could stop him. At first we were embarrassed that our son would trample on the most basic of manners, not to mention privacy, illegal entry..... But now that I think about it, he innocently demonstrated what it was about this place that set it apart from the rest in the neighborhood; that all the normal restrictions we place on ourselves to living a life of neighborly love are null and void inside the walls of the BCR/CW. Once inside, Evan was greeted as an equal as if to say “welcome, we are so happy to see you." When I caught up with him, already in a conversation with those inside, I hardly felt the need to apologize for the intrusion. Evan was already introducing himself with the youthful enthusiasm only a 4 1/2 year old can exhibit. When asked how old he was, he answered “four” and the little boy in the crowd said “Hey, so am I!” and off he and Owen went with their new found friend for an afternoon of play and noise-making. I've never experienced that degree of immediate unconditional acceptance. The warm heartfelt welcoming attitude of this group was apparent in the initial moments of our arrival and continued throughout the afternoon and evening.
We spent our time watching the children while we talked about the Catholic Worker Movement, the history of the Bloomington community, and the personal histories of the individuals that lived in the community. At no point did I happen upon a forbidden topic. I found these people fully transparent and open to the world. They live simply to simply live.
As the day wore on, we moved into the kitchen and were encouraged to dive into the preparations for the evening meal of vegan (a more specific type of vegetarianism) fare. I chopped the vegetables for a tofu veggie stir fry while Julie cut up various fruits for a fruit salad, mindful that all the ingredients we were preparing had been recovered from dumpsters behind local grocery stores through a process lovingly referred to as "dumpster diving." One of the basic tenants of the group entails the concept that the needy are needy not as the result of a lack of abundance, but due to a lack of distribution. As a society, we produce plenty for everyone to get by on in good fashion, but we waste so much that many go without.
As the nightly dinner guests began to arrive, a group that adds 6-10 individuals to the table, the mood turned festive as everyone was greeted as long lost prodigals and re-welcomed into the group. Julie and I were introduced over and over as “our new friends from Lafayette” and in turn each person welcomed us into the group. Once again, I felt the warmth of their genuine inclusiveness. This radical hospitality thing felt pretty good.
When it came time for their little ones to go to bed, we bode our farewell and were encouraged to visit again any time we were in the area. I felt everyone was sincere in their farewell wishes and desire to see us again. I hope that we can visit again soon.
I learned from this group a lesson I've long pondered, but never really tackled; that of forever competing with the Joneses to the delight of those that gain the most from such uncontrolled consumption, consumes our energy, our attention, takes time away from our friends and family and grinds us down till at the end of our careers we are too consumed to partake of the beauty that life affords. When the basic concepts of living simply to simply live, to aid others wherever need is encountered, to leave as little a mark on the world as possible, to preserve the environment at all costs and to question the wisdom of waging war are considered as real alternatives to the constant rat race of traditional Western values, it becomes clear the way Jesus envisioned and encouraged us to live wins out every time. These people spend quality time with their family every day, commune regularly with their closest friends, and meet regularly to chart the route they as a community will take. I find a great deal of good in all of this. In a lot of ways, I envy their simple existence, patterned in the words of Jesus.
One last note. On several occasions I was asked if I had read “The Irresistible Revolution” by Shane Claiborne. While I had to say I had not, I will most certainly in the near future. In addition a quick search on the net using key words, “Catholic Worker” will yield a plethora of background material on the Catholic Worker Movement.
