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In the second reading today, the church of Corinth is in trouble. It is divided and fighting over things that ultimately didn’t matter, comparing who was greatest, and even taking each other to court. The Corinthians had become self-absorbed while striving to be top-dog in their community and they forgot what God actually cared about. In their quest for personal glory, in their striving to be admired, and wanting to be right, they put aside their responsibility to take care of other, less fortunate Christians. They were falling into a sort of spiritual jealousy by comparing their spiritual gifts and so-called credentials. 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 and needs all around them. 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 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 integration of all its parts.
This basic biology lesson 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 Incarnate Word, 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 and beautiful. 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 who 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.
The biggest threat for our parish right now, the number one tactic Satan is using very successfully, is to distract and divide people of good will. What is even more tragic is that we are not only falling into his trap, at times, we are even choosing to embrace it. St. Paul reminds the Corinthians, as different as they may be, they are still members of the same body. Last week we heard him teach a similar lesson that while we may have different gifts, they all come from the same Spirit. Our unity doesn’t come from all of us living exactly the same life, possessing the same gifts, or even thinking the same things when it comes to worldly concerns. Our community comes together not from anything we do or because of who we are, as good as those things can be, but it is formed because of Christ, in whose Name we were baptized and to whose Body we belong. This Unity is incredibly durable and resilient. If I remember that I am a member of Christ’s body and so are you, then we can even disagree on some pretty substantial things and still love and respect each other. Those disagreements cannot cancel the bond we share in Jesus.
However, if I define myself or someone else in terms other than Christ, then my love, kindness, and respect is limited and our unity becomes extremely fragile.
It’s no secret our parish and many other communities are deeply divided right now. St. Paul could have written the letter to the Corinthians directly to us. The details are a little different but the problem is the same. We are not fighting over who is the greatest healer or wonder-worker, we are fighting over politics and covid. We are evaluating one another and passing judgements about motivations and intentions, judgements only God can make. That would be bad enough, but the root cause of division and fighting is the fact that we have stopped defining ourselves, first and foremost, as members of Christ’s body. We have stopped looking at each other as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and members of his body. We instead have chosen to identify first as Republican or Democrat, pro-vaccine or no-vaccine, pro-Masks or no-Masks, etc…Our Christian identity is embraced but only so far as it fits in or stays out of the way of our personal ideology. And because of this approach, we see someone who disagrees on these topics as an enemy, a threat, someone who must be cast out or brought into line. It’s impossible to have unity and community because there are a million things that divide us but only one thing, one person who can unite us: Jesus Christ. He must always be front and center, even more so, when there is disagreement and difference!
This struggle hits home because we had to deal with it head-on within my family. Like many of you, there is a wide range of political views and opinions about the pandemic among the Schroeder’s. This summer, those differences were boiling over into nasty exchanges between us. It was sad, it was stupid, and it was unnecessary. After far too much time, energy, and good will had been thrown away, we had to make a choice: were we going to continue focussing on what divides us, or would we remember, that despite our differences, we are still one family who loves each other more than and despite, deeply diverging views on these topics? We knew the answer to that question and are working to live it in our interactions with each other.
Incarnate Word needs to get back to focusing on what brings us together. We need to define ourselves as members of Christ’s body and see others as fellow members, equally loved and equally vital. We need to love the different members of this one body rather than succumbing to comparison, competition, and judgement. Sometimes feet smell, hands get dirty, ears get clogged, and eyes grow weak. That’s no excuse to cut them off or hate them. In fact we love them more and help them return to their full function and glory.
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 our role? What is our place? Is it grounded in the knowledge that we are all members of Christ’s Body? How might we be holding back or even handicapping another member right now? Are we willing to see ourselves and others, first and foremost, as members of Christ’s Body and let that truth overpower the differences between us?
Unity is not something we accomplish or make. It happens when we become part of something larger and better than ourselves and submit our egos to a greater good than being right or being in control. May God give us the grace to regain our focus on what is truly most important, the truth that saves and unites us all, “in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, we are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.”
