One Body in Christ Jesus

In today's second reading, 1 Cor 12: 12-30, Paul speaks about the human body having many parts.  One part of the body, say the head, cannot say to the feet: "I do not need you." Nor can the eye say such to the ear nor the digestive system to the respiratory system and so on. Furthermore,  if one part of the human body becomes diseased, the whole body is diseased and suffers, not just that one part.

St. Paul goes on to remind us that we "are Christ's body,  and individually parts of it."  Like our human body, the body of Christ has many parts and what happens to any part effects the whole body.  Therefore, when I, or any other person,  engage in loving, healthy behaviors, toward oneself and others,  the entire body of Christ is effected by that action. Likewise, when I, or anyone else,  engage in unhealthy behaviors that hurt others or bring harm to others, the entire body of Christ suffers.  Everyone is hurt; everyone suffers.

The corrupt, evil, deceptive behaviors of members of our government effects all of us throughout the world.  The evil behaviors of criminals effect non-criminals.   The unhealthy behaviors or wrongdoing in which any one person engages effects human beings throughout the earth: young and old, the innocent along with the guilty. Why? Because we are one body in Christ Jesus and all members of the body of  Christ are effected by the good or bad choices another member make.

Lord, may I grow in my awareness of the effect my behaviors, good or bad,  have on others. And may I choose the good over evil, the pleasant over unpleasant, those that give light over those that give darkness, those that further one's faith over those that weaken one's faith in God and in humanity's power to do good!

Striving to Live a Mature Life in Christ Jesus

In today's first reading, Ephesians 4: 1-7, 11-13, St. Paul calls you [and me] to "live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace: one Body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." 

We live in one Body, the Body of Christ. The bond of Christ's peace unites us. May we strive "to preserve" that peace, living a life of "humility and gentleness, ...patience, bearing with one another through love," and thus preserving "the unity of the Spirit."  How patient am I/are you? How humble and gentle am I/are you? In what ways today did I/did you create unity by "bearing with ...another through love"?

We have been baptized into the Body of Christ, and, in baptism, Paul tells us, "[g]race was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift."  The gifts we have been given are for "building up the Body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood/[womanhood], to the extent of the full stature of Christ."  Am I/are you growing in maturity or are we, as adults, still having temper tantrums when things do not go our way or when we encounter obstacles to our ego's desire to be in control or to assert its "authority over others"? A person who reflects the "full stature of Christ,"  in no way acts in these ways but lives a humble, patient, gentle life, bearing other people's burdens so as to lighten the load another may be carrying!