Walls




	I remember once driving through a very exclusive neighborhood in a small city. The houses were large, the lawns were green, and the trees were well trimmed. Everything looked so beautiful. Only one thing spoiled the appearance of the neighborhood and that was walls. Around every house and every lawn were huge, thick, brick walls. All of the entrances were gated and locked, too. It was like each home was a miniature prison.
	I am so happy to live in a neighborhood with no walls. I am so delighted to live in a neighborhood where people know each other, help each other, and stop by to talk and laugh on a warm summer's evening. It is so wonderful to know the people who live around me, to care about them, and to feel a sense of community with them. I for one have never understood why people wall their homes and lives away from others.

	I have seen walls made of more than just brick too. I have seen walls made of fear, anger, mistrust, doubt, and apathy. I have seen walls built around a human heart so thick and strong that nothing can get through them. It is sad too, because every wall we build to protect us only isolates us. The walls we build to protect us from the pain others might inflict only serves to hold in the pain of our own loneliness and fear.
	You don't have to live behind walls, however. You can tear them down. You can tear down the walls around your home, your life, and your heart. You can invite others in to join you in love and joy instead. Don't be afraid to live without walls. The love, joy, and oneness with God that you can choose daily will help you through any pain others may cause you. Remember, God wants us to live a life of loving, caring, and sharing, and you can't do that hiding behind walls.
	Joseph J. Mazzella