Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, bishop and doctor of the Church
In today’s first reading, Paul calls the Corinthian church to task because they are not sharing in each other’s suffering. The Corinthian church has divisions evident in their gatherings where some (the wealthier) eat and drink well while others (the poorer) go hungry. Paul indicates that this is not merely a case of bad manners, but rather it is contrary to Jesus’ own institution of the Eucharist. For in offering himself as body and blood, Jesus left a memorial of his death. Both in the Eucharist and in the fellowship of other meals, Christians ought to recall Jesus’ saving work, and this ought to bring compassion and concern for the others in the community. The Corinthians’ failure at this seems to bring out both the anger and the sorrow of Paul. He suffers in seeing these very un-Christian divisions.
We all have this tendency to put ourselves first, and to think that we deserve certain things simply because we desire them; at times this leads us to neglect others, as in the case of the Corinthian church. Even in our faith life we can fall into this trap of thinking that we have earned favors from God, or, more likely, thinking that we do NOT deserve suffering. We often find it difficult to bear the challenges that life brings to us... or at least, we may not take advantage of the opportunity to remain serene and even cheerful when we encounter difficulties such as financial worries, family conflicts, bad traffic, and so on. The proper Christian attitude, however, we find exhibited by the centurion in today’s gospel reading. This man was a Roman, not a Jew, nor a disciple of Jesus. And yet the elders of the Jews tell Jesus that the man “deserves” to have Jesus heal the centurion’s dying slave. The centurion’s own attitude, however, was one of humility before Jesus. He understands Jesus’ authority and knows the power of Jesus’ words. He does not claim a right to Jesus’ healing powers. He does not think he deserves favors from Jesus.
These words of the Roman centurion have been adopted by our Church during the celebration of the Eucharist. We say, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you,” or, more precisely, as in the Latin, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter into my house.” And then we say, “but only say the word, and I shall be healed.” We continue to recognize the power and authority of God, who comes to us, who are unworthy and yet are given Jesus’ very flesh in the Eucharist. Like the humble centurion, we recognize that we are not worthy to receive Jesus, but that we can receive him nonetheless because he chooses to come to us in our fallenness. Jesus redeems us, saves us, and lifts us up so that we can become his body – the body of Christ. So it’s no wonder that Paul would be so upset with the Christians that allow the Eucharist to become a source of selfishness and division, rather than humility and healing.
Today we celebrate the feast of St. John Chrysostom, a doctor of the Church who lived in the 4th century. He was known as one of the greatest of the early Christian preachers; in fact “Chrysostom” means “golden tongue” and is a reference to his speaking ability. Among other things, St. John Chrysostom called Christians to be faithful to the message of Christian humility found in our readings today. He was concerned with the needs of the poor, and he was not afraid to criticize the wealthy for their selfishness. His homilies were often very practical and geared toward the everyday Christian, with no favoritism toward the wealthy, the elite, or the powerful.
As we meditate on our readings today, we might ask John Chrysostom to pray for us, that we might grow in humility, recognizing our unworthiness and our need for healing from Christ. In so doing, we will also see the many gifts we have been given by God, including the Eucharist that sustains us as we strive for holiness. We are not worthy, but God is willing, and if we are willing to receive him in humility, we can attain that final end for which we long.
- Maria Morrow