3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Every January we seem to be flooded with advertisements for weight loss programs, exercise machines, or “miracle” pills that all claim to help us achieve our ideal body shape with little or no effort. Right! But as persons made in the image and likeness of God, we have a fundamental dignity that goes beyond anything we might ever achieve in outward appearance. It is a dignity that is inherent in us by virtue of our relationship with the One who has created us and sustains us in life.

Knowing this great human truth, it is no surprise that in our Second Reading today (1 Corinthians 12:12-30) St. Paul has chosen the image of the body to teach about his theology of the Christian identity. Paul could have chosen other images to depict the Christian community, but he knew that the image of the human body would speak clearly and symbolically about who we are in Christ. Just as the human body is made up of many different parts, so it is that each one of us is an important part of the Mystical Body of Christ – the Church.

We all know that when the human body is working well, without aches or pains, we feel fine. We also know that at times even the smallest ache or discomfort can undermine our sense of well-being. So it is, too, with the Body of Christ – the Church. St. Paul reminds us that if one part suffers, all other parts suffer with it, just as if one part is honored. All share in its joy. What Paul is telling us is that the pains and sufferings and brokenness of any one member of the Church is the pain and brokenness of the entire Church. And so it is that we must pray for one another and reach out to one another, particularly when we see someone suffering. With God’s grace we can help bring about healing within the individual and likewise within the Church.