Word to the Wise
Sunday, January 27, 2013 - 3rdSunday in Ordinary Time - C
[Neh 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Cor 12:12-30 or 12:12-14, 27; Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21]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 of Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
It doesn't take much for us to learn how one small part of a human body can disturb one's whole life! A toothache or an infected toenail can make the whole person miserable! We often take the unity of the human body for granted till one part malfunctions and we discover how interdependent we are! St. Paul is anxious to establish unity in a community that had developed factions who were competing and quarreling! It was not a new problem. Jesus faced the same problem with his apostles who argued over who was more important among them. St. Paul speaks of the various sense organs trying to compete and what would happen if one dominated over the others!
I wish every church community or religious order would continually read St. Paul's extended metaphor. "If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy!" Paul wants all the various ministries to work for the good of the whole and not just for their own glory. Pastors are well-acquainted with the competing interests that can develop in a parish. I am aware from preaching retreats for clergy that self-interest among them can paralyze a bishop's efforts. On a much greater level, I wish all Christian communities could read the metaphor as well! Unity in variety is a difficult goal but St Paul reminds us that we were all baptized into one person Jesus Christ. Why does this seem to separate us instead of uniting us? AMEN
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