20240917 SPIRITUALITY OF COMMUNION
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.
17 September 2024, Tuesday, 24th Week in Ordinary Time
SPIRITUALITY OF COMMUNION
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [1 COR 12:12-14, 27-31; LUKE 7:11-17]
St Paul says, “You together are Christ’s body; but each of you is a different part of it.” He likens the Church as the Body of Christ and therefore analogous to the human body. “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.” As such, it is important that the Church functions together like parts of the human body. No one can work alone without the rest. No one is complete without the rest. We all need each other because no one has a monopoly of gifts. We are given different gifts for different purposes in building up the body of Christ. Consequently, no one must ever think that he or she is the most important and others are unimportant. Indeed, the greatest scandal in the Church is division and unity. How can the Church be a Sacrament of unity and love in the world? What is the cause of division?
Firstly, it is due to an exaggeration of one’s self-importance. Some of us think we are indispensable and more important than others. This is due to pride and egotism. Even in serving Christ, many of us think very highly of ourselves, our achievements. The Church becomes another arena to show off our knowledge and talents. It is not about helping the Church to grow but boosting one’s ego. As a consequence, we belittle the contributions of others to the community. We do not appreciate what they are doing for the community. The truth is that without the rest, no matter what we do, we cannot succeed. Everyone is important to the community in different ways. Just like a human body, we cannot function properly if one part of the body is not working properly. And if it is a critical part, we cannot even function at all. Even then, the critical organ needs the rest of the body for it to be well.
Secondly, because of jealousy, we compete with each other. We bring our worldly attitudes into the Church even when we serve. We want to be the best and be better than the rest. There is competition within each organization and among organizations. Instead of seeing others as complementing us, we are afraid that they are better or more recognized than us. We see this so often among church organizations. Choirs compete against each other; another organization claims that they are the best. Do we just care for our face or our hair without taking care of the other parts of the body? Don’t we want all parts of our body to be functioning well and properly? If we truly care for the Church or for the body, we must rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. If any part of the body is doing well, we should be happy because it means that they will help the rest. So, too, if one church organization or member is doing well, they can help the whole group to perform better. When we are competitive and thinking about our own interests and glory, we do not feel for the weaker members of our organization or the weaker organizations within the church. If the other organizations are weak, can the church be built and be strengthen if only your organization is doing well? The truth is that how strong the organization is depends on the unity and collaboration of all the members and the different units in the organization.
Thirdly, many of us do not treasure the gifts that we see in others. Instead of welcoming and praising God for blessing our members with the gifts, we see them as a threat to our existence. In truth, God gives us different gifts so that we can share with each other our unique talents and contributions. Whatever is given to us is always not so much for ourselves but for the good of the community. Any member of the church that cannot see beyond her organization does not truly understand what it means to be the body of Christ and why it is to their advantage and others that we help and cooperate with each other so that the whole church can grow. We are all for each other and in each other.
Fourthly, we lack love and compassion for the other parts of the body. In the gospel, we see the compassion of Jesus for the mother who lost her only son. He did not need anyone to tell Him what to do. Moved by human compassion for the mother, instinctively, He reached out to her son and raised him from the dead. We are called to exercise mercy and compassion for others. The Church is a community of sinners along the way to becoming saints. Often in the church we lack compassion and tolerance for those who are weak. We pass judgements on them and criticize them harshly and often presumptuously. The Church invites us to be forgiving and tolerant of those who are weak in their spiritual life and in their personal life. Although there are many things we can learn with respect to best practices in governance from the corporate world, we cannot import the meritocracy mentality of the world, the lack of tolerance for mistakes and expectation of perfections. The Church is happy to be imperfect because we are all sinners. But this does not mean we stay where we are. Through love and forgiveness, we help the weaker members of the community to grow. Instead of condemnation, we need to offer the gift of love, forgiveness, making room for each other and bearing the burdens of one another. Because we are not perfect, we need to embrace the fact that we are all growing in spiritual maturity. Even then, it is not by our efforts alone but with the grace of God. So there is nothing to boast about except the goodness of God.
In the final analysis, the gifts given to us are by God Himself to help us fulfil His divine plan and to realize ourselves. The Holy Spirit is the sovereignty of these gifts. God has a plan for each one of us. He calls us for different roles. Happiness in life and fulfilment is not dependent on which role we play in this world but how we play them. If we devote ourselves totally to whatever the Lord has assigned us, we will excel in what we do and we do so with joy and take pride in what we are doing. Indeed, it is only a part of the entire mosaic that we are called to form, but let each part stand out as unique. So it does not matter which position we hold in the community or what we do, because we are just different. St Paul asked us, “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 clear, not all have the same gifts. So instead of lamenting that we do not have what others have, leading to the sin of envy and jealously, let us develop what we already have to distinction so that we can effectively make the Body of Christ stronger and more attractive.
By using our gifts for the glory of God and the service of His people, and working together in love and unity, people will truly see us as the Body of Christ and we mediate Christ’s presence to them. We hope that what was said of Jesus would be said of His body as well. “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.” Alone, there is a danger we will bring people to ourselves rather than to God. Together, we will avoid being self-referential because the credit goes to all and not a single individual. In this way, the Church becomes truly a Sacrament of unity and love.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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