Memorial of Saint John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
When first diagnosed with Celiac Disease several years ago, I was severely anemic, and my doctor ordered me not to engage in any strenuous exercise because I was at a higher risk of having a heart attack. This really surprised me. Obviously not being a physician myself, I had to learn about what was happening inside my body. Basically, my understanding is that this autoimmune disease was causing the lining of my intestines to be damaged when I consumed any gluten, which in turn was preventing my body from absorbing the nutrients and minerals it needed, including iron. I learned again that our bodies need iron to carry oxygen to the various organs, including the heart. This compromised my heart, apparently putting me at greater risk for a heart attack (although I was fairly young) until the iron my body needed was able to be replenished. Thankfully, once I removed all gluten from my diet, the intestines healed and I was able to absorb the iron I needed. This experience truly emphasized for me the complex interconnections within our bodies, and the important role that even small, usually unseen, parts play in sustaining the body and keeping it alive and functioning well.
If you’ve already read today’s first reading, a continuation of St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, then you have likely made the connection between Paul’s writing and my mini biology lesson. “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.” (1 Cor. 12:12) The Body of Christ, which we are all a part of, has many parts and various roles and gifts to be used to keep the Body functioning well, like our human bodies. Just as we might consider the heart to be a more important part of the body than the little villi lining the small intestines, apparently the people of Corinth were tempted to believe that some parts of the Body of Christ are more important than others, while each has a significant role to play in keeping the body healthy and functioning as a whole.
I have at times been tempted to do the same, comparing my role or gifts as less significant than others. Although many parts, we are all one body, each having a role to play, a gift to contribute. What has God designated you to be in the Body of Christ? Is there a gift you’re not using, not fully developing? Am I jealous of other people’s gifts? Am I aware of my gift being an important part of the Body of Christ as a whole? Can I thank God for the part I have been given to play rather than comparing it to that of others?
In today’s gospel reading from Luke, we read that “fear seized them all” upon witnessing Jesus bring a young man back to life. Are we fearful of the amazing things we can do together as the unified Body of Christ? Let us pray that with the Spirit’s guidance, we will have the wisdom and courage to fully live our part of Christ’s Body – the rest of the Body is depending on it.
~Eileen Miller