20180918
WE ARE CHRIST’S BODY
18 SEPTEMBER,
2018, Tuesday, 24th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour:
Green.
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First reading
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You together are Christ's body: each of
you a different part
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Just as a human body, though it is made up
of many parts, is a single unit because all these parts, though many, make one
body, so it is with Christ. In the one Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well
as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to
drink.
Nor
is the body to be identified with any one of its many parts. Now you together
are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it. In the Church,
God has given the first place to apostles, the second to prophets, the third to
teachers; after them, miracles, and after them the gift of healing; helpers,
good leaders, those with many languages. Are all of them apostles, or all of
them prophets, or all of them teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles,
or all have the gift of healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all
interpret them? Be ambitious for the higher gifts.
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Responsorial Psalm
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We are his people, the
sheep of his flock.
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the
earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for
joy.
We are his people, the
sheep of his flock.
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep
of his flock.
We are his people, the
sheep of his flock.
Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of
praise.
Give thanks to him and bless
his name.
We are his people, the
sheep of his flock.
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to
age.
We are his people, the
sheep of his flock.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.2Tim1:10
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the
Good News.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Lk7:16
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Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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The only son of his mother, and she a
widow
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Jesus went to a town called Nain,
accompanied by his disciples and a great number of people. When he was near the
gate of the town it happened that a dead man was being carried out for burial,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a considerable number of
the townspeople were with her. When the Lord saw her he felt sorry for her. ‘Do
not cry’ he said. Then he went up and put his hand on the bier and the bearers
stood still, and he said, ‘Young man, I tell you to get up.’ And the dead man
sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Everyone was filled
with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great prophet has appeared among us; God
has visited his people.’ And this opinion of him spread throughout Judaea and
all over the countryside.
WE ARE CHRIST’S BODY
The world is divided
because of individualism. In
a world of relativism, this emphasis on individualism will become more and more
accentuated. The focus today is about the freedom of the individual to do
what he or she likes. It is about satisfying one’s needs and
self-fulfillment. The emphasis is on self and not on others. When
we put ourselves above the greater good of others, this is where the community
is fragmented because everyone wants his or her own things to be done.
On the larger scale of
reality is the division of the world because of a narrow interpretation of
nationalism. In
spite of globalization, there are some countries that do not see themselves as
part of this world. They care for their own countries’ economic progress
and prosperity at the expense of the rest of the world. This is clearly
shown in the poverty of many countries and also in the lack of concern to
protect ecology. Multi-national corporations are making money at the
expense of the destruction of this earth without a care for the future of
humanity or the ecological imbalance created.
For us, we see ourselves
as Catholics. To be called
Catholic means that we belong to the universal Church. Regardless of
nationality, race, language and culture, we are called to be united in Christ.
We have a common faith in Christ and this faith is the basis of unity
among a very diverse community. Indeed, the Catholic Church is present in
all parts of the world. But it is not enough to call ourselves “Catholic”
if we do not live as such. We might be universally present in every land,
but unless we are united not just in beliefs but in charity, we are not truly
Catholic.
Being Catholic is to
take St Paul’s doctrine of the body of Christ seriously with all its
implications. The basis of the catholicity of the Church is that we all
have the same Father and belong to the same family. St Paul prayed, “For this reason I bow my
knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth
takes its name.” (Eph 3:14f) Indeed,
this is what the psalmist says, “We are his people, the sheep of his
flock. Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him, we
are his people, the sheep of his flock.” Consequently, the Church is a
family of families from every corner of the earth. We are called to
recognize that God is our Father and that we are all His children.
St John wrote, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called
children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.” (1 Jn 3:1)
Secondly, Christ is the
head of the Church and we are His body. By virtue of our baptism,
receiving the same Spirit of Christ, we are all connected with each other in
Christ. “Just as a human
body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unit because all these
parts, though many, make one body, so it is with Christ. In the one
Spirit we were all baptised, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as
citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.” If we are members
of the one body of Christ, then St Paul reminds us to treat Christ’s body well,
just as we treat our human body well, with respect, love and consideration.
It is therefore important
to bear in mind that as Church, we are not simply individuals but we all act as
one for each other, from each other, by each other, with each other and in each
other. This
is what it means to be members of Christ’s body. Every part is individual
and unique and different from the other parts. But on their own, they are
useless unless they collaborate with the other parts of the body to function
together.
Following from this
fundamental principle, then we must recognize that whatever gifts and resources
we have must be used with others for the good of everyone. Those of us who have been blessed with
special gifts should not become too proud of ourselves. Rather, because
they are gifts from the Lord, they must be received with humility and
thanksgiving. These gifts must be used for the common good. They
are not given to us for ourselves and our own benefit only. Rather we are
called to be trustees and stewards of God’s grace. God wants us to use
them for the building of His body. This means our happiness is
inter-dependent on others’ happiness and well-being.
Conversely, those who
are without the gifts that others have should not be envious of
them. Gifts
are given to us for service to the community. If we are not given the
gifts that others have, it is because God has other plans for us. God
wants us to contribute to those areas that need our talents. There is no
need to envy others because our calling, interests and talents are
different. But if we put them together, we help each other to achieve the
larger interest of everyone. If only each one of us live according to our
vocation and are responsible in what is given to us to do, this world would be
such a happy place.
Deriving from this
fundamental principle of using whatever gifts we have for the service of the
community, we must realize that everyone is important in the community. No one is greater or lesser than
others in the eyes of God. No gifts are more important than other gifts
as well. St Paul said, “As it is, there are many members, yet one
body. The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again
the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.'” (cf 1 Cor 12:18-21) Indeed, we all need each other to
build the Church. This is what globalization is all about, making use of
the different talents and richness of individuals and cultures to strengthen
and increase our own.
In God’s eyes we are all
equal because no one part is the body but all parts make the body. “Indeed, the body does not consist
of one member but of many. If the foot would say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I
do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the
body.” (cf 1 Cor 12:14-17) Instead of competing with each
other, we need to complete each other so that we truly make the Body of Christ
grow. If we do not hoard our talents and our gifts but use them for
others and others use them for us, then we can do more, and more
effectively. Joy will be shared but joy will be increased.
The truth is that we all
need each other.
“Now you together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of
it. Are all of them apostles, or all of them prophets, or all of them
teachers? Do they all have the gift of miracles, or all have the gift of
healing? Do all speak strange languages, and all interpret them?” The
answer is negative. We cannot do without each other. On our own, we
cannot accomplish anything but with others’ assistance, we can accomplish more.
So what is preventing us
from living out our identity as the Body of Christ? It is pure
selfishness. There
are two forms of selfishness. One is protectionism when we lack the
generosity to share what we have with others. We keep what we have for
ourselves. As a result, the gifts die with us. The other reason is
laziness and complacency. There are those who have been blessed with
gifts but they are irresponsible and fail to develop them and use them for
their growth and for the service of others. By their negligence, they
cause the community to suffer and eventually to protect the community from
them, they are marginalized.
Today, Jesus shows us
the way to care for others as if they were our own. Jesus was filled with
compassion for the widow who lost her only son. She had no way to sustain herself
because of the loss of livelihood. Jesus felt and wept with her not only
because she had lost someone whom she loved dearly but also because she was
without support. In those days, the widows and orphans were often poor
and taken advantage of. That was why in the Old Testament and in the time
of Christ and the early Church, special funds were set aside for widows and
orphans. We too must also care for the poor and the underprivileged
especially. St Paul says, “If one member suffers, all suffer together
with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.”
(cf 1 Cor 12:24-26)
So let us act as One
Body of Christ. If we love our Lord, then we must love His body, the
Church. Jesus said to us,
“Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are
members of my family, you did it to me.” (Mt 25:40) And to St Paul, He said, “Saul,
Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4) The early Church grew only because they loved
and cared for each other. Tertullian wrote: “It is mainly the deeds of a
love so noble that lead many to put a brand upon us. See how they love one
another, they say, for they themselves are animated by mutual hatred; how they
are ready even to die for one another, they say, for they themselves will
sooner put to death.” (The Apology, ch. 39) Truly, this is the way
for others to see us as Christ’s Body. As with Jesus, the people
remarked, “Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, ‘A great
prophet has appeared among us; God has visited his people.’ And this
opinion of him spread throughout Judea and all over the countryside.”
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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