THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME–1/24/10
BY MSGR. ERIC R. BARR, S.T.L.
READING: CORINTHIANS 12:12-30
I. No Man Is An Island
A. John Wayne has got to be the coolest cowboy ever. Although Clint Eastwood runs a close second. Look at them. The rugged American individual, who rides into town, finds a problem, confronts the bad guys, fights the bad guys, kills the bad guys, and saves the day.
B. It’s a story everyone likes to hear, the great American hero. The man who stands alone, against hopeless odds, and wins. There’s plenty of room for heroism in our world today, and we sure do need people who will stand up for what they believe in. But, there’s a problem. The rugged individualist may make a name for himself or herself, but that’s not the usual way the world is changed.
C. Think about it for a second. You can name individuals who made great discoveries on their own, but that’s the exception, rather than the rule. Look at all the great things that have been done in the 20th and 21st centuries–putting a man on the moon, antibiotic and viral research, surgical and health care advances, high tech and computer advancements. One man or woman may have had an insight or an idea, but it took many dozens, hundreds, thousands of people working together to make those advances available and workable for all of us.
D. John Donne, the old English poet, said it best when he wrote that "No man is an island," in fact we are all part of the whole, part of a great unity. And it’s together that we advance and succeed.
II. We Are One Body, One Body In Christ, And We Do Not Stand Alone
A. St. Paul knew this well, when inspired by the Holy Spirit he gave us the great image of the Church as the Body of Christ. It’s not rocket science to understand this. Christ has ascended into heaven and the way he is present on earth now is through his Church. We are the arms and hands, the voice and eyes, the ears and mouth of Jesus Christ. And though, alone, we can’t accomplish much, each of us is an important part of that body, and if we don’t function, the Body of Christ is that much less. St. Paul says that each of us is part of the Body of Christ, each of us is essential to the working of the Church.
B. Carrying this image just a bit further, remember what animates this Body–God’s Holy Spirit. Remember what feeds this Body–the Eucharist–the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus. That means that we are in touch with God when we are a part of the Church. That means we have God’s blood coursing through us when we are a part of the Church. That means that when we take Communion, we get the strength to do God’s will on earth, and though we may have to act by ourselves, we are connected by the Holy Spirit to each and every member of the Church. We are One Body, One Body in Christ, and We Do Not Stand Alone.
III. To Be Separate Is To Starve And Die
A. You ought to be able to guess where we’re going with this. Suppose a person decides not to be a part of the Body of Christ, namely the Church, what happens? Some people say, "I can be close to Christ on my own–I don’t need the Church." We hear that all the time, don’t we? People who say they are spiritual, just not religious. People who say they love God but without the Church. St. Paul is really saying today that this type of thinking is irrational, that this type of living is impossible. We can’t be a part of the Body of Christ by being apart. We cannot stand alone and be the voice of Christ. We must be together.
B. Out in our communities right now, among your family, friends and co-workers, are Catholics who are apart from us. They are standing alone, by themselves. Many of them don’t even know how solitary they are. But because they are apart from us–because they do not practice the faith, they are starving, and they are weakened, spiritually unhealthy, and vulnerable to all the types of darkness we see around us.
C. Who will bring them in from the night and the dark? Don’t we want our Body, the Church, to be healthy again. Because, trust this, we are not a healthy Church is they are away from us. We need them as much as they need us. We can feel sorry for them, pity them, whatever, but don’t forget, if they don’t come back, we are just that much weaker.
D. If there is anything the Scriptures are saying today, it’s this: Bring them home. Invite them here. Take them to Mass. Get them involved in our re-entry program called "Catholics Returning Home." Those who have separated themselves from us for whatever reason are not the John Waynes or Clint Eastwoods of religion. They are apart from the Body of Christ–they are standing alone in the night–they are in danger even if they do not know it. And we are weaker without our brothers and sisters. If there was something wrong with our physical bodies, we would get that sick part of our body fixed fast. Let’s do the same with our spiritual body called the Church. Let’s bring in our absent brothers and sisters and make the Church of Christ strong again. No man is an island; no man stands alone. We are one body, one body in Christ, and we do not stand alone. We are the Catholic Church–invite those who have been away to come back home and make us strong again.
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