Word to the Wise
Saturday, October 22, 2022 - Saturday in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 4:7-16 and Luke 13:1-9]And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for gilding up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature adulthood to the extent of the full stature of Christ......[L]iving 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]
Not long ago I mentioned in this space the exercise at a recent student retreat [Raider Awakening] the exercise involving balls of yarn shared across individual tables and then across the room between tables. Aided by the enthusiasm of the speaker, the effect was a dramatic demonstration of the words from the Letter to the Ephesians, which were read at the beginning of the exercise. However, we can experience these words in our own bodies, realizing how even one small part can affect the whole body, like a sprained ankle or an earache! Of course, pastors can testify to the feeling that "everything" is going smoothly in the parish or campus ministry center until one leader fails to show up or even an assigned lector or Eucharistic Minister fails to show up. In short, the Body of Christ, like our own bodies, has a lot of moving parts!
From the very beginnings of the Church, discernment of talents and organizing for goals has been necessary. The Body of Christ requires a skeleton! The Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of St. Paul demonstrate this necessity. As in all organizations, bureaucracy can become both blessing and curse and take on a life of its own. This challenge has been demonstrated in Pope Francis' reorganization of the Vatican bureaucracy (which the conclave of cardinals who elected him had demanded in sessions before the election!). But the challenge exists from local parish/campus ministry all the way up to the top. How can the Body of Christ function in a way that promotes healthy and wise growth in bringing the love of Christ to the world? AMEN!