Don't Go It Alone

When I was a child I heard my church teaching, "Outside the church there is no salvation."  I was told this meant that outside my Catholic Church their was no salvation.  My protestant friends had no chance, but I had a step up on getting to heaven.  But this is not the true meaning of that saying.  What it means is that outside of the group, the tribe, the fellowship, you just won't become all you are meant to be, which is salvation.  God made everyone with great potential, but it must be developed, fostered, nurtured by and in a group.  You don't practice much virtue alone and you don't learn much virtue alone.  How can you love if there is no one around to love?  To care for those in need if there are no such?  Church represents group that knows one another and relates to one another.  The fellowship of Recovery Programs is the way that addicts recover.  They don't do it by themselves.  Alone, at best, you will be dry, not injecting your substance, but probably full of anger, restless, resentful and irritated by the world around you.  I cannot go it alone.  I need a "We." Where you find your “we” you have found your church.