As the body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.(1Corinthians 12:12-13 New American Bible translation)
We’ve all heard this one before, right? We’ve read it, we’ve heard homilies and sermons on what it means and how it applies to our lives. However, we will never truly be able to understand it ourselves until we understand that there exists a spiritual realm, that “we are spiritual beings having a human experience” as Pierre Tielhard de Chardin said. I believe that a lack of understanding of this spiritual realm is the reason it is so difficult for Catholics and non-Catholics alike to understand what we mean by the True Presence of Christ, but I’ll leave that for another day.
This scripture verse could not make it any clearer for us to see that we are ALL connected, yet we choose to walk through life with a separatist attitude. An attitude of “us” and “them”. When I sit back and think about the physical body, I am amazed at how intricate most of its parts are, the eye, the ear, the brain, etc. Human beings are truly complex “machines” (if that’s not proof enough that God exists, I don’t know what is). Obviously, each of our parts have different functions, but when all of our “parts” work together and are in good working order, we feel great. Everything comes together, each and everyday, and the body puts on an award winning performance – think about it – how our brain functions to make our hands and feet work, how our breathing is effortless, how our eyes work to allow us to see, how our thoughts become spoken words – HOLY MOLE is what I say. Yet, if one part were not functioning properly, we feel it. The same holds true for the world.
I see it this way: We are all adopted sons and daughters of God. This scripture verse tells us that just as the body has many parts and yet is ONE body, so also Christ. SO: Christ is the one body and we, all of creation, are the various parts of that body. In Catholicism we call that the Mystical Body of Christ. Just as our physical body cannot function to it’s full potential when even the smallest part is not working, so it is with our society. As parts of the body of Christ, we each bring unique gifts to the “table”, and just as our physical body has such intricate parts, so does the body of Christ. Some of us can be likened to the eyes, others the ears, others the tendons, ligaments, etc. All so intricate and important to the functioning of the whole.
Many people worry about what society is becoming. The question of the day seems to be “what is this world coming to?” But when we ask this question, it seems to be shifting blame somewhere outside of ourselves. The question should be: What am I doing to make things better for society? Most of us do good deeds, worship, pray and are generally “good people” but are we still identifying with our gender, nationality, religion, profession or political party? If we are, then we are not doing ENOUGH! Until we start viewing all of God’s creation as an integral part of the whole, as connected to us, as a part of us, we remain in a separatist mindset, failing to do our part to change the trajectory of the world.
So our challenge today and everyday from now on is to be aware of the moments we begin to exhibit a thought or attitude that works to separate us from the Mystical Body of Christ and change it. A task that is difficult indeed, given our many years of programming. I’m up for the challenge and looking forward to making progress, are you?
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