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Have you ever noticed how some small injury or ailment can affect your whole body? It’s incredible that something as durable as the human body can be impacted so dramatically. For example, when you have a problem with one of your teeth, maybe you’ve lost a crown or filling or cracked a tooth, it is hard to do much of anything. Even the basics like eating or drinking become cruel tortures. The same holds true for a sore throat or sinus infection or earache. Those of you who have had a broken limb or joint replacement can testify how once one part of the body is injured, the whole body is affected.
In today’s second reading, St. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth. The Corinthians have become self-absorbed and forgotten they have a responsibility to take care of other, less fortunate Christians. They have also begun fighting among themselves about which of them is more important. They were falling into a sort of spiritual jealousy by comparing their spiritual gifts. They wanted to be prophets, healers, and wonder-workers. This competition was destructive and dividing the local church rather than bringing them together. Their focus on themselves was blinding them to the sufferings of fellow Christians. So St. Paul uses the image of the human body to bring them back to reality. Just like you and me are composed of the proper parts that make us human, so too the church needs to have its parts in the right proportion and order so that it can be effective. St. Paul wisely reminds them that not everyone can be a hand or foot or eye or ear. He also points out that each part of our body relies on the others to be fully alive and effective. The human body is not composed of any one thing but is the whole of all its parts.
This is a very basic biology lesson that is just as obvious to us today as it was to the Corinthians. Equally simple and even more important is the spiritual lesson Paul was working to communicate. The people of Corinth and we, the people of Shrewsbury, need a reminder, that we are all part of one body, the body of Christ. Each part is equally important and necessary while also being different. Not all of us fulfill the same function in the Church. Not every one is called to be a priest, teacher, catechist, minister, or leader. Others are needed to be intercessors, planners, cleaners, organizers, coaches, consolers, healers, and so many other ministries that make up our beautiful body, which is the Catholic Church. In fact, some of our most delicate and fragile members are the ones that cry out for our immediate attention. The sick, the elderly, the unborn, the abused, the poor, the persecuted, those who have nothing and are seen as nothing by the world, these are all parts of the Christ’s body which must be loved and respected without exception.
St. Paul offers us a two-fold challenge today:
- Have we thought about the fact that we are part of the body of Christ through our baptism? Have we considered the role that we were made to fill with our gifts, talents, and personality? As hard as it might seem to believe, each of us fills a specific spot within the Church that cannot be replaced by any other person. The body of Christ might limp along without us, but it will never reach its full potential without you and me in our rightful place. That is why our Church constantly reaches out to those who have fallen away or lost hope. That’s why Pope Francis is so resolute about inviting people back. He offered something very beautiful and encouraging this week when he said “Every Saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”
Each and every one of you is a member of the body of Christ. And maybe some of us are only a toe or ankle or eyelash but remember what St. Paul says! Each part of the body is important and necessary for the good of the whole body. So claim your part, your role, no matter how small or insignificant it might appear, because no one else can and without you, the whole Church is impoverished.
- Secondly, St. Paul reminds us that if one member of the body is suffering, then the whole body suffers with it. It is easy to forget this truth, especially when we are living a reasonably comfortable life. I have to tell you, living in Shrewsbury is pretty nice. We have a wonderful little church, friendly parishioners, a healthy school, safe neighborhood, Ted Drewes, and close proximity to good food, parks, and entertainment. Its easy to let this become our world and our concern. As long as things are ok here, then that is good enough for me. But that is not the way of Christ. As members of his Body, we must always be sensitive to those parts of our body who are hurting, disrespected, ignored, or unwanted. It is not enough simply to know our place within the Church, we must also work to reach out to those who are hurting spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Of course each of us will do this in our own way, according to our means and abilities. The important thing, as Paul reminded the Corinthians, is that we do not become self-satisfied and concerned only about ourselves and our own well-being. If one of our members is suffering, here in this parish or even around the world, in some mysterious way, we are suffering too since we are joined to them in the Body of Christ.
Take some time this week to think about this incredible truth; we are part of the Body of Christ. We help make it holy, healthy, and capable of great things. What is your role? What is your place? How can God use you to reach out to someone who needs His Love? How might you become an instrument to restore someone else to this heavenly Body we call the Church?
