Then we lived for a few years in a four-family apartment house in a town’s historic district before moving just down the same street to a duplex that we purchased. This neighborhood has lent itself to more interaction and familiarity. Over the many years, children played together. Porch and backyard conversations were not uncommon. We knew a lot about each other’s lives.
Now, in a broader sense, I suggest that we each live in a spiritual neighborhood of sorts. We may feel close to various saints in our lives, for example. My middle name is Anne, after St. Anne, our Blessed Mother’s mother. I was made aware of that as a youngster and have prayed for her intercession over the years. She is one of my spiritual neighbors.
I chose Mary as my confirmation name, so Jesus’s mother is one of my close companions. I guess many of us have St. Anthony as one of our helpful neighbors whom we have asked to pray and intercede to help us find something we had lost. My family and friends, whose souls I pray for and who pray for mine, are spiritual neighbors as well. I think we all have favorite saints whose help we often seek, and whose virtues we try to make our own. I know many of my relatives and friends who have died pray for me, too, so my neighborhood is happily well-populated. The more the holier!
It is not only at Pentecost that I personally recite the sequence prayer (from which I partially quote) and invite the Holy Spirit to come in my spiritual neighborhood:
The saint whose memorial we celebrate today, St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253), is a spiritual neighbor to emulate because of her humility and piety. Greatly influenced by St. Francis of Assisi, she founded the order of the Poor Clares. Through her prayers, her sisters’ prayers, and her arranging to have the Blessed Sacrament visible to enemies who were going to attack Assisi, she saw the enemies change their plans and flee. Numerous other miracles were credited to St. Clare. In 1958, she was declared the patron saint of television; when she was too ill to leave her room, she was able to see and hear Mass on a wall in her room.
I remember the children’s television show, Sesame Street, featured a song that still rings in my ears: Who are the people in your neighborhood? Now, you might want to consider: who are the people in your spiritual neighborhood?
The passage from the Pentecost sequence is from the Roman Missal, Catholic Book Publishing; 3rd Chapel ed. edition (October 25, 2011).
Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Manchester, Connecticut. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.