Word to the Wise
Saturday, October 26, 2024 - Saturday in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 4:7-16 and Luke 13:1-9]Grace was given to each of us according to Christ's gift...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, building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God... 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]
We are more than the sum of our physical body parts, but there's only just so much of us that we can give up before we disappear as a person! The same is true of the Body of Christ, the mass of all believers. The Church is the continuation of Christ's presence on earth, especially in the celebration of the Eucharist, but in all aspects of Christian life. There is no Church if there are no believers, but the believers, united in faith and love and action, create something greater than the sum of the persons who make it up.
This reality in faith requires the discernment and recognition of the various gifts of the Spirit that are given to the members. These gifts are not the same in each person, as St. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 12:4-31, but all of them are necessary for the Body of Christ to accomplish its mission of proclaiming the gospel. Indeed, one of the important aspects of the current Synod on Synodality, occurring in Rome at the present time, is the discernment of how the various elements of the Body of Christ can work together. Among many things, the role of women in the Church is a big subject.
The Church is an "incarnate" reality that must reflect the incarnation of Christ. The Letter to the Ephesians is a reminder of this dignity and of our obligation to work together so that the Body of Christ can be a healthy and effective missionary force! AMEN