We are all part of the Body of Christ

"As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. . . .Now you are Christ's body, and individually parts of it."
1 Corinthians 12:12,27

I've always enjoyed this scripture passage from St. Paul. We are all parts of the body of Christ, the Church here on earth, and each part has its job to do to keep the body working. We each have been given gifts from God that we bring to the table. There are those who are wonderful teachers or talented speakers. Some bear silence witness in prayer. Others have the gift of compassion. Still others have great understanding. Some have forgiving hearts or the gift of patience. There are as many gifts as there are people, but we each have something to offer. Perhaps most importantly the Church is not complete without our gifts.

Sometimes I suffer from "comparisonitis". I look at other people and wish that I had their gifts. I look at my own and feel like I come up short. But this is the exact behavior that St. Paul is speaking against. "God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. If they were all one part, where would the body be . . . Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary." (1 Corinthians 18,22). We all matter. Isn't that a wonderful comfort as well as an awesome responsibility?

We need to bring all that we are and put it to use in the service of the Lord. I am reminded of the hymn, "Christ has no body now but yours." If people are to know the love of Christ, they will come to know it through our acts of kindness, through our charitable actions, through our human embrace. If people are to know the forgiveness of Christ, they will come to know it through our ability to forgive and heal broken relationships. If our children are to know about Christ and what it means to be a Christian, they will learn it through our sharing of our faith. If others are to learn what it means to live in relationship with Christ, they will see it in our prayer and witness to the truth.

St. Paul exhorted the Corinthian community to embrace their roles in the body of Christ. The message still holds true for us today. We live in a global community and are perhaps more aware than ever of our brothers and sisters throughout the world. Yet the vast majority of us will live out our faith commitment within the intimacy of our families, our communities, and our local parishes. We join our gifts with the gifts of others and together work to make Christ visible to those around us. Embrace your gifts and humbly offer them back to God in service.