20220913 WE ARE CHRIST’S BODY
13 September, 2022, Tuesday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
1 Corinthians 12:12-14,27-31 © |
You together are Christ's body: each of you a different part
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.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 99(100) © |
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.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.2Tim1:10 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.
Alleluia!
Or: | Lk7:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 7:11-17 © |
The only son of his mother, and she a widow
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
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 Cor 12:12-14, 27-31; Luke 7:11-17]
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-fulfilment. The emphasis is on self and not on others. When we put ourselves above the greater good of others, this is where the community gets 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 only for their own country’s economic progress and prosperity, often 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 for the protection of ecology. Multi-national corporation are making money at the expense of this earth, without sparing a thought for the future of humanity or the ecological imbalance created.
However, for us, we see ourselves as Catholics. To be 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 “Catholics” if we do not live as such. We are more than just Catholic because 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 Church’s catholicity is that we all have the same Father and 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 other parts. But on their own, they are useless unless they collaborate with other parts of the body to function together.
Following from this fundamental principle, we must then 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 lives 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, 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 the widows and the 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 His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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