You Need a Tribe

Samantha Stephenson reminds us why we all need a supportive community of women to help us live out our calling. 

As Catholic moms, we have a lot on our plates. We have to take care of our children, our spouses, our homes, our work, and our faith. We have to juggle multiple roles and responsibilities, and face various challenges and difficulties. We often feel overwhelmed, exhausted, and lonely. We may think that we have to do everything by ourselves, and that we don’t have time or need for anyone else. 

But this is not true. We are not meant to live in isolation, but in communion. We are not meant to carry our burdens alone, but to share them with others. We are not meant to be self-sufficient, but to depend on God and His grace. We are not meant to be independent, but to be interdependent. 

We need community.

We need other moms who can understand, support, and encourage us. We need other moms who can pray, laugh, and cry with us. We need other moms who can inspire, challenge, and teach us. We need other moms who can be our friends, our sisters, and our mentors. 

Why do we need community? Because community is good for us. Community helps us to grow in our faith, our vocation, and our holiness. Community helps us to cope with our struggles, our doubts, and our fears. Community helps us to celebrate our joys, our achievements, and our gifts. Community helps us to become better moms, better wives, and better women. 

How do we know this? Because God tells us so. God created us in His image and likeness, and He is a communion of Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God created us for Himself, and He wants us to share in His life and love. God also created us for each other, and He wants us to love one another as He loves us. God commands us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. God also gives us the Church, the Body of Christ, where we can find and form community with other members of His family. 

The Bible also tells us the importance of community. It shows us how God’s people lived in community throughout salvation history, from the patriarchs to the prophets, from the apostles to the saints. It also gives us many examples and instructions on how-to live in community, such as: 

• Two are better than one: They get a good wage for their toil. If the one falls, the other will help the fallen one. But woe to the solitary person! If that one should fall, there is no other to help. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)  

• Iron is sharpened by iron; one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17) 
   
• Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2) 
   
• Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. (Romans 12:15) 
  
  
• We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another, and this all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25) 

How can we find and make time for community in our busy and hectic lives? Here are some tips to help you with this: 

Pray for community.

The first and most important step to find and make time for community is to pray for it. Ask God to show you His will and His plan for your community. Ask Him to lead you to the right people, places, and opportunities. Ask Him to give you the grace and the courage to reach out, to open up, and to commit. Ask Him to bless and protect your community, and to make it fruitful and faithful. 

Seek community.

The second step to find and make time for community is to seek it. Look for other Catholic moms who share your faith, your values, and your interests. Look for them in your parish, your neighborhood, your school, your diocese, or your workplace. Look for them online, on social media, on blogs, or on podcasts. Look for them in groups, ministries, or organizations that cater to Catholic moms, such as Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS), Catholic Mothers Group, or Catholic Mom. Look for them wherever you can, and don’t be afraid to initiate contact, to invite, or to join. 

Create community.

The third step to find and make time for community is to create it. Once you have found some potential friends, start building relationships with them. Start by getting to know them, by sharing your stories, your hopes, and your struggles. Then, start spending time with them, by meeting regularly, by doing activities together, or by going on outings together. Then, start growing with them, by praying together, by studying together, or by serving together. Then, start supporting them, by listening to them, by encouraging them, or by helping them. Create a community that is based on love, trust, and respect, and that is open, welcoming, and inclusive. 

Prioritize community.

The fourth and final step to find and make time for community is to prioritize it. Make community a part of your schedule, your routine, and your life. Make community a non-negotiable, a necessity, and a joy. Make community a source of strength, of grace, and of growth. Make community a way to honor God, to love your neighbor, and to love yourself. 

These are some of the ways that you can find and make time for community as a Catholic mom. They are not meant to be exhaustive or exclusive, but to inspire and encourage you to live out your vocation as a Catholic mom and a member of God’s family. You may not be able to find or make time for community easily or quickly, but you can do it gradually and persistently, with God’s help and grace. You may not find or make the perfect community, but you can find or make a good enough community, with God’s guidance and providence. You may not feel the benefits of community immediately, but you can trust that God is working in and through your community, and that He will reward your efforts. 

Let us pray for each other, and for all Catholic moms in the world, especially those who are suffering or struggling. Let us ask Mary, our mother and our model, to intercede for us and to teach us how to find and make time for community. Let us remember the words of Jesus:

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) 

Where do you find community as a Catholic mom? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2024 Samantha Stephenson
Images: Canva