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Before her tragic death in 1997, the circumstances of which continue to be investigated all these years later, Princess Diana was championing the cause of those who had been victims of land-mine explosions. Who will ever forget in the weeks following her funeral, the television footage, still shown today, of her last visit to Bosnia. Featured in this footage was the princess reaching out to those who had survived the explosions but who would have to live the rest of their lives maimed by the loss of one or more of their limbs.
Her care for those poor wretches was a reminder, and remains a reminder, of what St Paul teaches us in tonight’s second reading… Just as every part or member of the human body is necessary to the well being of the whole person, so every member of the human family is necessary to the well being of the body of Christ. Therefore each member must be cherished, valued, respected and protected.
My friends, “this body of Christ theology” of St Paul has helped our church, particularly since Vatican II, shift from a purely hierarchical structure to an appreciation of the gifts of more and more believers. This shift, by implication, reminds us that as members of this body we are not just related to a theme or an idea – we are related to a person – and we are related to each other. After all, the body to which we belong is not any old body, it’s the body of Christ.
This point is underlined for us in the decrees of the Second Vatican Council where it says: “The fruitfulness of the apostolate of lay people (and clergy too, of course), depends on their living union with Christ.” But the one who was in the strongest position to make the point was Our Lord himself: “I am the vine” he said, “you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, with me in him; bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me, you can do nothing”.
We know, of course, from our own experience that relationships give us tremendous energy and motivation. If we are working for somebody we love and for whom we are very close, nothing is too much trouble, no sacrifice is too great, our love is our strength. In Christ’s case, his love is our greatest strength as well. We are not the only ones who are doing things; Christ is doing things in us.
In light of what St Paul is saying, we can never be members of the body of Christ in isolation. Surely, St Paul’s theology and the theology adopted by Vatican II has introduced to us a doctrine called co-responsibility.
For example, if the doctrine of co-responsibility is applied to its maximum effect as it should be, in our Catholic parishes and communities around the world, it will emphasise that lay people are full members of the Church: that between clergy and laity there is diversity of function but equality of membership: that lay people share in the common priesthood of Christ as a chosen race, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a people to be a personal possession. Further, this doctrine of co-responsibility will clearly state that there are certain areas in life that can be evangelised only by the laity, and that, as a result, active co-operation between clergy and laity is absolutely essential. It makes no sense whatsoever if members of the same body are not working together. The cost to the body of Christ of a failure to co-operate is far more than an arm and a leg.
What do we need to do then? Well, we need to give teeth to this kind of theology – to put substance on to tonight’s scripture. We have come a long way since Vatican II but we still have a long way to go.
Where we need to go further most, of course, is here within our own parish. We need to bring our parish more fully alive than it already is. We need to recognise the talent within it. We need to release this talent. We need to give it responsibility and train it for leadership. It’s not a question of leaving it to the priest – on the contrary, whilst the priest has certain responsibilities the laity must step forward more and more and be prepared to lead prayer services, to lead funeral services, to go and be with the sick and dying. Whilst the priest does all these things already, there is going to come a time – and in some ways it is here already – when the priest is unavailable, when he is away, sick, doing something else, when he is assigned two or three or six parishes as has happened recently. Of course, we should not have to wait for these eventualities – we should be involved now so that the body of Christ can continue to function, one part relying on the other with Christ at its head.
For me, this means being Church more than anything else. It means being Christ-like. It means saying to one another with openness and appreciation, “I have need of you” and “How can we together make the body of Christ all that it is called to be?”
In our particular context of Catholicism, we will always need the ordained minister and we will always need the active involvement of the laity to keep the body of Christ alive and well. Together we are our brothers and sisters keeper, for society’s problems are our problems, global issues are our issues. If and when, in this “body of Christ theology”, one member suffers, all suffer together; if and when one member is honoured, all are honoured together.
When we embrace this kind of spirituality or theology we are more authentically in touch with God and we become closer to him. After all, the body of Christ does not consist of one member but many. Let’s forget God and little old me and think about God and us. Us life in the future – eternal life – which of course is the best life of all.
Fr Tim Harris
Parish Priest, Corinda Graceville Parish
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