Word to the Wise
Tuesday, November 4, 2025 - Tuesday in the 31th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 12:5-16ab and Luke 14:15-24]We, though many, are one Body in Christ and individually parts of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them....Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. [Romans]
NOVEMBER 4 ST. CHARLES BORROMEO
St. Paul offers us today a short course in Christian community life and behavior. He first echoes an image of human body as a way of understanding the Body of Christ, the church, which he used extensively in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31. The implications of this image are then spelled out in the words that follow. It is more like a pep talk to a community not to succumb to fatigue in their efforts to love and care for one another and to use the gifts and talents each one has for the good of the community.
Experienced pastors know that it is often the case that the essential work of the church community falls on the shoulders of a small group who persevere through thick and thin. This may be due to any number of factors but the result is the same. Broad-scale enthusiasm is hard to maintain when the church is regarded as primarily an institution which competes with other "priorities" in family life.
The recent emphasis on "synodality" should awaken us to the fact that St. Paul's words apply to all levels of Christian life from family to classroom to workplace to parish activity. The Body of Christ is not coextensive with the institutional expression of the Church, whether it be parish, diocese or the Vatican, but those necessary elements of organization should enable and invigorate the People of God - the Body of Christ - to work for the good of all. Dedication should not be limited to a small group. The concept of "synodality" is an effort to spread the responsibility for the work of the gospel to a greater number of members - to ALL the members. AMEN