At that time, the members who were in the group felt sorry for him. They gave him advice, comfort, and encouragement from the teachings of Jesus, and how Jesus was with him during the day as he continued to examine and reflect on his problems. The more he struggled, the more they listened and encouraged.
However, he was actually disappointed with what he heard. What he expected from the community was anger towards the boss, criticism of his behavior, and how difficult it must be for him to put up with the situation, he expected a lot of human comforts. If the
the community reacted in that way he would have felt much better.
As the community advised, he had no choice but to cling to Jesus and pray. While clinging to Jesus, on some days he dared to fight with his boss, and on other days he got deep comfort from Jesus. He despaired because of his unchanging situation, and other days, he felt joy and happiness in small things and gained strength again.
Each day was a time of struggle; he continued to share the process with the community. The community continued to be with him, listened to his sharing, and rejoiced together with him over the small happiness and joy he found in daily life. Because there was a community, he was able to meet Jesus and continued to have conversations with the community.
What if the community had only provided human comfort, sympathy, and encouragement for his difficulties? Of course, that would have helped, too, but rather than clinging to Jesus that much, he would have relied more on human comfort and encouragement, and the effect would not have lasted. Human comfort and encouragement are only incidental, and fundamentally, one must meet Jesus personally.
Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini's book of Bible meditations: "The Gospel of Matthew," compares the journey toward Jesus to dogs chasing rabbits. Several dogs all bark and run, but the dogs who did not see the rabbit eventually stop, and only the dog who saw the rabbit continues to the end. The same goes for the journey to Jesus. A unique encounter with Jesus is fundamentally necessary.
Of course, just as there were dogs that ran together to further fuel the will to chase the rabbit, the process of coming to Jesus also requires a community. The Christians are a community who share the journey with Jesus. While seeking hope and joy through Jesus and trying to resemble him more, they encourage challenge, and exchange strength with each other.
The community does not solve individual problems. The community is not always on the right path. However, they can help members of the community to look back on themselves honestly in front of God, feel his love, and choose Jesus' way. Individuals are selfish and weak, but they can look back through the community on the path they have walked, have a change of heart, and move on towards Jesus again. This is because the Holy Spirit works through the community. This is why we have to go to him through the community.
