From: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31
Unity and Variety in the Mystical Body of Christ
[12] For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
[13] For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or
Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
[14] For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
[27] Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
[28] And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second
prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers,
helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. [29]
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work
miracles? [30] Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with
tongues? Do all interpret? [31] But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
And I will show you a still more excellent way.
Commentary:
12-13. In Greek and Latin literature, society is often compared to a
body: even today we talk of "corporations", a term which conveys the
idea that all the citizens of a particular city are responsible for the
common good. St Paul, starting with this metaphor, adds two important
features: 1) he identifies the Church with Christ: "so it is with
Christ" (v. 12); and 2) he says that the Holy Spirit is its life-
principle: "by one Spirit we were all baptized . . ., and all made to
drink of the Spirit" (v. 13). The Magisterium summarizes this teaching
by defining the Church as the "mystical body of Christ", an expression
which "is derived from and is, as it were, the fair flower of the
repeated teaching of Sacred Scripture and the holy Fathers" (Pius XII,
"Mystici Corporis").
"So it is with Christ": "One would have expected him to say, so it is
with the Church, but he does not say that [. . .]. For, just as the
body and the head are one man, so too Christ and the Church are one,
and therefore instead of 'the Church' he says 'Christ"' (Chrysostom,
"Hom. on 1 Cor", 30, "ad loc."). This identification of the Church with
Christ is much more then a mere metaphor; it makes the Church a society
which is radically different from any other society: "The complete
Christ is made up of the head and the body, as I am sure you know well.
The head is our Savior himself, who suffered under Pontius Pilate and
now, after rising from the dead, is seated at the right hand of the
Father. And his body is the Church. Not this or that church, but the
Church which is to be found all over the world. Nor is it only that
which exists among us today, for also belonging to it are those who
lived before us and those who will live in the future, right up to the
end of the world. All this Church, made up of the assembly of the
faithful--for all the faithful are members of Christ--has Christ as its
head, governing his body from heaven. And although this head is located
out of sight of the body, he is, however, joined to it by love" (St
Augustine, "Enarrationes In Psalmos", 56, 1).
The Church's remarkable unity derives from the Holy Spirit who not only
assembles the faithful into a society but also imbues and vivifies its
members, exercising the same function as the soul does in a physical
body: "In order that we might be unceasingly renewed in him (cf. Eph
4:23), he has shared with us his Spirit who, being one and the same in
head and members, gives life to, unifies and moves the whole body.
Consequently, his work could be compared by the Fathers to the function
that the principle of life, the soul, fulfills in the human body"
(Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 7).
"All were made to drink of one Spirit": given that the Apostle says
this immediately after mentioning Baptism, he seems to be referring to
a further outpouring of the Spirit, possibly in the sacrament of
Confirmation. It is not uncommon for Sacred Scripture to compare the
outpouring of the Spirit to drink, indicating that the effects of his
presence are to revive the parched soul; in the Old Testament the
coming of the Holy Spirit is already compared to dew, rain etc.; and St
John repeats what our Lord said about "living water" (Jn 7:38; cf.
4:13-14).
Together with the sacraments of Christian initiation, the Eucharist
plays a special role in building up the unity of the body of Christ.
"Really sharing in the body of the Lord in the breaking of the
eucharistic bread, we are taken up into communion with him and with one
another. 'Because the bread is one, we, who are many, are one body, for
we all partake of the one bread' (1 Cor 10:17). In this way all of us
are made members of his body (cf. 1 Cor 12:27), 'and individual members
of one another' (Rom 12:5)" ("Lumen Gentium", 7).
14-27. The unity of the mystical body, which derives from a single
life- principle, the Holy Spirit, and tends towards a common same goal,
that is, the building up of the Church, means that all its members,
whatever their position, have the same basic dignity and the same
importance. St Paul develops this thinking by a very effective literary
device: he personifies the members of the human body and imagines the
nobler members looking down on the lesser ones (vv. 21-24). This serves
to reaffirm the truth of v. 25: "that the members may have the same
care for one another". The responsibility of each Christian derives
from the very essence of the vocation he or she receives at Baptism and
Confirmation: "In the Church there is a diversity of ministries,"
Monsignor Escriva explains, "but there is only one aim--the
sanctification of men. And in this task all Christians participate in
some way, through the character imprinted by the sacraments of Baptism
and Confirmation. We must all feel responsible for the mission of the
Church, which is the mission of Christ. He who does not have zeal for
the salvation of souls, he who does not strive with all his strength to
make the name and the teaching of Christ known and loved, will not
understand the apostolicity of the Church.
"A passive Christian has failed to understand what Christ wants from
all of us. A Christian who 'goes his own way', unconcerned about the
salvation of others, does not love with the heart of Jesus. Apostolate
is not a mission exclusive to the hierarchy, or to priests and
religious. The Lord calls all of us to be, by our example and word,
instruments of the stream of grace which springs up to eternal life"
("In Love with the Church", 15).
28-30. St Paul concludes this description of the different parts of the
body by applying it to the Church, where variety of functions does not
detract from unity. It would be a serious mistake not to recognize in
the visible structure of the Church, which is so multifaceted, the fact
that the Church founded by Christ is "one", visible at the same time as
it is spiritual. The Second Vatican Council puts this very clearly: "But
the society structured with hierarchical organs and the mystical body of
Christ, the visible society an the spiritual community, the earthly
Church and the Church endowed with heavenly riches, are not to be thought
of as two realities. On the contrary, they form one complex reality
which comes together from a human element and a divine element. For this
reason the Church is compared, not without significance, to the mystery
of the incarnate Word. As the assumed nature, inseparably united to Him,
serves the divine Word as a living organ of salvation, so, in a somewhat
similar way, does the social structure of the Church serve the Spirit of
Christ who vivifies it, in the building up of the body (cf. Eph 4:15)"
"Lumen Gentium", 8).
The Church is this way because that is the will of its founder, Jesus
Christ: "The Church is by divine will a hierarchical institution. The
Second Vatican Council describes it as a 'society structured with
hierarchical organs' ("Lumen Gentium", 8) in which 'ministers are
invested with a sacred power' ("ibid., 18). The hierarchy is not only
compatible with freedom: it is at the service of the freedom of the
children of God (cf. Rom 8:21). [...] 'Hierarchy' means holy government
and sacred order. In no way does it imply a merely human arbitrary order
or a subhuman despotism. Our Lord established in the Church a
hierarchical order which should not degenerate into tyranny, because
authority is as much a call to serve as is obedience.
"In the Church there is equality, because once baptized we are all equal,
all children of the same God, our Father. There is no difference as
Christians between the Pope and someone who has just joined the Church.
But this radical equality does not mean that we can change the
constitution of the Church in those things that were established by
Christ. By expressed divine will there are different functions which
imply different capacities, an indelible 'character' conferred on the
sacred ministers by the sacrament of Order. At the summit of this order
is Peter's successors and with him, and under him, all the bishops with
the triple mission of sanctifying, governing and teaching" (J. Escriva,
"In Love with the Church", 30).
31. "Earnestly desire the higher gifts": according to some Greek
manuscripts this can be translated "earnestly seek the greater gifts".
St Paul is encouraging his Christians to put greater value on those gifts
of the Holy Spirit which contribute most to the goal of the Church than
on those which are spectacular. He probably has in mind the teaching he
will develop (chap. 14) about the superiority of graces and charisms to
do with teaching and catechesis.
"A still more excellent way": this undoubtedly refers to charity, which
he goes on to describe and praise (chap. 13). Therefore, what is called
his "hymn to charity" is not a digression, much less a later addition,
but an outpouring of the Apostle's soul, which perfectly explains why
charity is the greatest of all gifts, a sure route to holiness and
salvation, and the identifying mark of the Christian: "the first and most
necessary gift is charity, by which we love God above all things and our
neighbor because of Him [...]. This is because love, as the bond of
perfection and fullness of the law (cf. Col 3:14, Rom 13:10), governs,
gives meaning to, and perfects all the means of sanctification. Hence
the true disciple of Christ is marked by love both of God and of his
neighbor" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 42).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries".
Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate.
Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University
of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin,
Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from from Four Courts Press and Scepter
Publishers, the U.S. publishers.
From: Luke 7:11-17
The Son of the Widow in Nain Restored to Life
[11] Soon afterwards He (Jesus) went to a city called Nain, and His
disciples and a great crowd went with Him. [12] As He drew near to
the gate of the city, behold, a man who had died was being carried out,
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow; and a large crowd from
the city was with her. [13] And when the Lord saw her, He had compas-
sion on her and said to her, "Do not weep." [14] And He came and
touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And He said, "Young man,
I say to you, arise." [15] And the dead man sat up, and began to speak.
And He gave him to his mother. [16] Fear seized them all; and they
glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has arisen among us!" and "God
has visited His people!" [17] And this report concerning Him spread
through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding country.
Commentary:
11-17. "Jesus crosses paths again with a crowd of people. He could
have passed by or waited until they called Him. But He didn't. He
took the initiative, because He was moved by a widow's sorrow. She
had just lost all she had, her son.
"The evangelist explains that Jesus was moved. Perhaps He even
showed signs of it, as when Lazarus died. Christ was not, and is not,
insensitive to the suffering that stems from love. He is pained at seeing
children separated from their parents. He overcomes death so as to
give life, to reunite those who love one another. But at the same time,
He requires that we first admit the pre-eminence of divine love, which
alone can inspire genuine Christian living.
"Christ knows He is surrounded by a crowd which will be awed by the
miracle and will tell the story all over the countryside. But He does
not act artificially, merely to create an effect. Quite simply He is
touched by that woman's suffering and cannot but console her. So He
goes up to her and says, `Do not weep.' It is like saying, `I don't
want to see you crying; I have come on earth to bring joy and peace.'
And then comes the miracle, the sign of the power of Christ who is
God. But first came His compassion, an evident sign of the tenderness
of the heart of Christ the man" ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "Christ Is
Passing By", 166).
15. This mother's joy on being given back her son reminds us of the joy
of our Mother the Church when her sinful children return to the life of
grace. "The widowed mother rejoiced at the raising of that young man,"
St. Augustine comments. "Our Mother the Church rejoices every day
when people are raised again in spirit. The young man had been dead
physically; the latter, dead spiritually. The young man's death was
mourned visibly; the death of the latter was invisible and unmourned.
He seeks them out Who knew them to be dead; only He can bring
them back to life" ("Sermon", 98, 2).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries".
Biblical text from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate.
Commentaries by members of the Faculty of Theology, University
of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin,
Ireland.
Reprinted with permission from from Four Courts Press and Scepter
Publishers, the U.S. publishers.