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From: Romans 12:5-16
Solidarity in the Mystical Body (Continuation)
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[5] So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one
of another. [6] Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us
use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; [7] if service, in our serving; he
who teaches, in his teaching; [8] he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who con-
tributes, in his liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy,
with cheerfulness.
Charity Towards All
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[9] Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; [10] love one
another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. [11] Never
flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. [12] Rejoice in your hope,
be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. [13] Contribute to the needs of
the saints, practise hospitality. [14] Bless those who persecute you; bless and
do not curse them. [15] Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who
weep. [16] Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate
with the lowly; never be conceited.
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Commentary:
4-5. The variety which is to be found in every well-organized social structure is
also, by God’s will, a feature of the Church. This variety reflects the differing
needs of the Christian community, which is not an amorphous grouping of peo-
ple, each working separately for personal salvation, but an organized body. In
that body each member has a defined role and functions for the benefit of all,
while at the same time seeking personal spiritual advancement. This variety is,
moreover, consistent with and conducive to the carrying out of God’s desire to
sanctify and save men, not one by one, as if they were unconnected to each
other, but rather constituting a people which is established and governed on the
basis of this wonderful variety .This distinction was established by God in order
to build up the Church. Therefore, for example, pastors and people are of mutual
supernatural help to one another (cf. Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium”, 9 and 32).
Each of us should feel called on to invigorate—through personal effort, virtue—the
entire Mystical Body of Christ (cf. “Introduction to the ‘Theology’ of St Paul”, pp.
44-6 above). It is inaccurate, therefore, to make a distinction between “personal
virtues” and “social virtues”. “No virtue worthy of its name can foster selfishness.
Every virtue necessarily works to the good both of our own soul and to the good
of those around us [...]. Ties of solidarity should bind us all and, besides, in the
order of grace we are united by the supernatural links of the Communion of
Saints” (St. J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 76).
6-8. “Gifts”: also called charisms, these are special, transitory, divine graces,
granted not so much for the personal benefit of the recipient as for the general
good of the Church. This term (charism), we might note, was introduced into the
New Testament by St Paul.
9-21. “After speaking about those gifts which are not common to all, the Apostle
now teaches that charity is common to all” (St Thomas, “Commentary on Rom,
ad loc”.). True charity takes different forms depending on the needs and capacity
of each person; it always involves seeking good and avoiding evil (v. 9); it has to
be exercised with those who are already Christians (vv. 10-16) and those who are
not (vv. 17-21); indeed, the charity shown to the latter is instrumental in bringing
them closer to the faith. However, it is not always possible to do to othersall the
good we would wish: we have limited resources, more pressing duties; there are
problems of physical distance, etc. Only God, who is infinitely perfect and almigh-
ty, can do good to everyone all the time; this does not mean that he always gives
everyone the same gifts: to some he gives more, to others less, according to the
designs of his Wisdom.
Even bearing in mind our own limitations, our love for others should affect every-
thing we do, everything we think and say. Obviously, one of the first consequen-
ces of charity is never to judge anyone, or speak badly about anyone, or scan-
dalize them by what we say or do. Moreover, we should perform positive acts
of this virtue; it would be impossible to give a complete list of the ways of being
charitable but they certainly include, Fray Luis de Granada says, “among other
things, these six—loving, counselling, assisting, suffering, forgiving and edifying.
These are so closely connected to charity that the more one does them the
more charity one has, and the less, less [...]. For, according to this order a per-
son can check to see what he has and what he does not have as far as the per-
fection of that virtue is concerned. For we can say that he who loves is on the
first step; he who loves and counsels, on the second; he who assists, on the
third; he who suffers on the fourth; he who forgives and suffers, on the fifth; and
he who builds on all this with his words and his good life, as is the task of per-
fect and apostolic men, on the highest step of all” (”Guide to Sinners”, I, II, chap.
16).
12. The love of God makes us joyful, strong and persevering. Therefore “one ac-
cepts tribulation with joy and hope, because one knows that what is promised
in exchange is something much better” (Pseudo-Ambrose, “Comm. in Epist. ad
Rom, ad loc”.)
This setting gives us every opportunity to derive supernatural benefit from suf-
fering, which is quite a normal part of the Christian life: “A whole program for a
good course in the ‘subject’ of suffering is given to us by the Apostle: “spe gau-
dentes”—rejoicing in hope, “in tribulatione patientes”—patient in troubles, “oratio-
ni instantes”— persevering in prayer” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 209).
Joy in the midst of difficulties is in fact one of the clearest signs that love of God
is influencing everything we do, for, as St Augustine comments, “where one loves,
either one does not feel the difficulty or else one loves the very difficulty [...]. The
tasks of those who love are never laborious” (”De Bono Viduitatis”, 21, 26).
13. “For he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God
whom he has not seen” (1 Jn 4:20). Similarly, it can be said that Christians, that
is “servants of the Lord”, unless they serve their brethren whom they see before
them, cannot serve God either. Serving God, in other words, ultimately means
alleviating “the needs of the saints “ and offering hospitality to strangers, after
the example of the patriarchs Abraham and Lot (Gen 18:2-5; 19:2-3; cf. Heb
13:2).
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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, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.