Brothersinmorewaysthanone!

Beyond friendship, however, I think we should focus more specifically on friendship. For example, in my community we don’t typically give each other Christmas gifts because it hasn’t been initiated by anyone, so it was not a part of our communal culture. But interestingly enough, the locals give me Christmas presents. The love that I receive from the lay people and various outsiders made me realize that I also have to actively cultivate this energy via the friendships I have with my brothers.

This form of active friendship is so rooted in Chulucayan culture and it has helped me to remember that I am friends with my brothers. Within this sacred fraternity, we are all brothers. With them, I can share my belongings, my thoughts, my dreams, my ideas and my time. But how does one establish true and engaged friendships? For a friendship to be truly profound, one must actively and tangibly invest energy, resources and time into the relationship. That giving energy tends to be infectious, so the more time you take to find ways to pour into the members of your community, most of them will surely try to re-gift that energy back to you to the best of their ability. What better foundation for community could there be?

Share your favorite scripture.

It was the biblical quote that I chose for my solemn vows, Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” For me this scripture perfectly reflects what I try to live every day.