The Walls

Today I had the pleasure to write this week's edition of The Epistle, the weekly letter from St. Paul's Within the Walls to our congregation and supporters near and far. The following is my reflection on this week's Gospel readings and the life of this wonderful parish.

 "As Jesus came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!" Then Jesus asked him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down." (Mark 23: 1-3)


This has me thinking quite a bit about buildings, and the ways in which we as people of faith occupy (or are sometimes occupied by) our houses of worship. If we are honest, we often think of our Churches as structures of wood and stone, and perhaps secondarily as the group of people who gather weekly within those structures.

One of the great benefits of living in the Collegio is the opportunity to see so many of the wonderful ways in which we use the structure that our community calls “home”. From our two weekly worshiping communities to the Refugee Center, the weekly concerts, community meetings, thanksgiving services for newlywed couples and even the occasional fashion show, St. Paul’s has without question the best-used church building I have ever seen.

But with all of this activity keeping our shared space abuzz with energy, it can be difficult to remember that it is an edificio – an edifice that houses and represents the real church body. The real St. Paul’s Within the Walls has nothing to do with walls a
One of the great benefits of living in the Collegio is the opportunity to see so many of the wonderful ways in which we use the structure that our community calls “home”. From our two weekly worshiping communities to the Refugee Center, the weekly concerts, community meetings, thanksgiving services for newlywed couples and even the occasional fashion show, St. Paul’s has without question the best-used church building I have ever seen.
But with all of this activity keeping our shared space abuzz with energy, it can be difficult to remember that it is an edificio – an edifice that houses and represents the real church body. The real St. Paul’s Within the Walls has nothing to do with walls at all. It is the people spread across five continents who will read this epistle. And it is the people in every part of Rome and around the globe who inhabit this space with their bodies, their contributions of all kinds and especially with their prayers.
The real essence of our Christian life is the continuous work of bringing what is outside the walls in, and what is inside the walls out. It is about bursting out of the locked doors of our like-minded Anglican comfort zones, wherever we might be geographically, and rushing out to bring the love of Christ into the world. And yet that essence is also in carrying the needs, the pains, the sorrows and the joys of this world into the church body to pray, prepare and work for the betterment of God’s creation.
 
 
Charles Graves IV
Young Adult Service Corps Missionary


Those of us who have been blessed to live in Rome have the great luxury of traversing some of the most beautiful and historic buildings found anywhere in Western civilization. Being new to this city, I often marvel at the casual nature with which we happen to stumble upon the Colosseum or the Pantheon, or the Circus Maximus – venues that have entertained countless throngs since the days when the first generations of Christians walked the earth.

No matter how old the buildings that surround us may be, they all - and we all - will one day be gone. Yet the mission of Christ will continue. Join me this week in considering our work of ministry throughout all of the many spaces and places that we may occupy. Pray with me that this community within the walls (and all Christian communities) may be defined not by our walls, but by the boundless love of Jesus.