Word to the Wise
Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - Sts. Cyprian and Cornelius, martyrs
[1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31A and Luke 7:11-17]As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. .......
One of the courses that I had to take as a seminarian was (and still is) called ECCLESIOLOGY. This is a study of THE CHURCH. I am still amazed at the variety of metaphors that are used to describe the reality that we call THE CHURCH. There is the canonical notion of THE PERFECT SOCIETY, the scriptural image of THE PEOPLE OF GOD and the Pauline image of THE BODY OF CHRIST - just to name a few prominent ones. The first scripture today gives us some of Paul's most famous words about the Church as the Body of Christ. We must remember that Paul is concerned in this letter with the problem of factionalism and disunity. He is trying to get his readers to understand that there are a variety of roles to play in the community and not everyone has the same skills or plays the same role. Yet, every role is important. That makes sense but the human factor sometimes has a way of identifying certain skills or roles as being more important or more powerful or superior. Occasionally certain roles take on such importance that they are identified with the very nature of the whole, while others are seen to be derivative! This is what creates problems in some sincere folks about the role of the hierarchy. Leadership is an essential role but that is not really the question - as in so many organizations or societies or "bodies" the real issue is POWER! After noting various roles in the community and how everyone has received these gifts by virtue of God's Spirit at work in the community, Paul, in the next chapter (stay tuned for this one) directs the attention of ALL the body to the highest gift, that of LOVE. I have seen some very hard examples of confusion between what is "power" in a community and what is truly "love" in a community. I would want to hand the person or persons involved the words of St. Paul and, for that matter, the words of Jesus about service and ask them how their "political moves" reflect those values and teachings. The Body of Christ is not simply the consecrated bread and wine at the Eucharist! It is the gathering of a community of faith and love. Only the "power" that comes from that is worth having and sharing. AMEN
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