Ephesians 4:1-6 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 Galatians 6:2
I often hear this said in Mass:
“Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church, and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.”
When I go to receive Communion, I often hear the hymn “We Are Many Parts.” But what does it exactly mean to be “one body, one spirit in Christ?”
There’s a fun activity that I do on retreats along with my friends and the other retreat participants that ties into the passage from 1 Corinthians. All the groups are given a ball of yarn. Everyone wraps a bit of yarn around themselves and then tosses their yarn towards the other groups. Before you know it, everyone gets all tangled up. Whenever someone tried pulling away from the tangled web, everyone would feel it. In the same way, as the passage from Corinthians says
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.”
All for one and one for all!
How exactly can we help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? The answer is found in Galatians 6:2
“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
This means helping anyone in your circle of friends who is in need. But charity does not just end with your circle of friends. It also means helping out total strangers, like the homeless and the hungry.
Just remember that when you go out and help your fellow man, do so with a spirit of compassion and, as today’s passage from Ephesians says
“humility and gentleness, with patience.”
However good your intentions may be, you also have to be willing to accept help and feedback from others in your ministry. You don’t have to go to a third world country to start helping your neighbor. Start with your local community and with your family. A little charity makes all the difference. And I’m not just talking about donating money.
Remember: All for One and One for all!
God bless, dearest sisters in Christ!
Study Questions:
- How has someone else’s actions impacted your life, even if it was in an indirect sense?
- How do you think you can increase charity in your local community?
