Word to the Wise
Saturday, October 22, 2016 - Saturday in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 4:7-16 and Luke 13:1-9]Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole Body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the Body's growth and builds itself up in love. [Ephesians]
These words reflect the tremendous vision of the Body of Christ that the Letter to the Ephesians outlines. The human body becomes a kind of icon for the Church as a whole. An icon is not just a picture of someone holy but is an invitation into the life of the one who is depicted. Paul is trying to get the reader to understand that every part of the "Body" has a role to play in the proper functioning of the whole. We all know what even a sore finger or toe can do to getting through the day!
The institutional or canonical aspect of the Church comes in for some tough criticism from time to time, yet it is much like the skeleton and bones. The heart and brain and muscles and sinews, etc. all are essential. But the Church, like the human person, is more than the sum of its parts, no matter how important each part is. There is something transcendent about it, just as a human "person" is more than a human body. This is where God's presence or grace in the person of the Holy Spirit gives a precious identity. Each of us receives our part in that identity through baptism. Every local parish represents the whole, from the most isolated mission to St. Peter's in Rome. We are all called to "living the truth in love" by our representing the person of Christ. AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
231 ms
4
