By Robert R.
Schwarz
For
the life of the world , we will stand together
,
we will cry for justice, and every heart
will
sing that Jesus Christ is Lord!
( refrain from the hymn "For the Life of
the
World",
text and tune by David Hass, )
Life has a sensitive nervous system through
which everything is connected .
( Fr. Alfred
Delp,
executed in the Nazi death camp
of
Auschwitz )
The concept of the Body of Christ hasn't
nearly
achieved its potential , which is
amazing and
has more potential than any
other organization
in the world. ( Dr. Mike Atella, Christian
psychologist )
I This
report is written by a
retired newspaper editor who has longed to wade into the deep waters of quasi-metaphysics
, namely that which many Christians call the Body
of Christ. Arguably, most of us Christians , as I have observed in global
travels, have limited or no knowledge of
this Body, and they appear comfortable with that . Through the years , the
journalist in me eventually demanded some facts about this Body, at least to come up with a
satisfying analogy for it .
Firstly, it
should be noted that though definitions
of the Body of Christ vary
among church denominations, these
definitions and their ensuing doctrines are rooted in New Testament verses such as these:
Now
you are Christ's body, and individually
parts
of it. (1 Corinthians, 12: 27 )…But now
God
has placed the members, each one of
them
, in the body , just as he desired. And
if
they were all one member, where would
the
body be? ( 18, 19 ) … So, we, who
are
many,
are one body in Christ [ the head ],
and
individually members one of another.
(
Romans 12: 4, 5 )
Secondly, I hope that the comments I have gathered from interviews will satisfy your likely question of why you should care about this Body while living in a culture alive today with increasing societal fragmentation and personal stress.
Incitement for
my inquiry occurred in the late 1950's in a forest of white pine and oak trees below the Ouachita Hills in a remote farming area in northwest Arkansas. I
had been hiking through the lush nature
around me with a kind of joy I had
sorely missed during my last two years
as a recent Army draftee. The canopy of swaying trees and
the blue cloudless above me , all
blending with the musty odor of fallen
acorns , touched me with an intimacy I had never felt from nature.
That prolonged
moment of rapture, however, lay idle in
me for several years; then I read these
words of the late Catherine de Hueck Doherty of Madonna House, a Chicago-based charity
serving families affected by homelessness.
You look …at what you think is God
in your mind ...[ and ] there is nothing to see….The God becomes bigger
than the whole of the cosmos. Then the
whole of the world is in me and I am the
whole of the world because God belongs
to me and I belong to God. It was a start .
In May of 2009, my actual inquiry into this Body of Christ began with a question I asked one night while falling asleep: Could the human body itself , with its billions of atoms and cells and molecules , be a fitting analogy for this Body of Christ referenced several times in the Bible ? Further , were all the organs in my own body working in divinely directed unison ? And could that concept be analogous to the 2.2 billion world Christians ( a statistic garnered by reputable Pew Research Center ) , each having a unique, living function in the Body , with Christ head of all ?
In May of 2009, my actual inquiry into this Body of Christ began with a question I asked one night while falling asleep: Could the human body itself , with its billions of atoms and cells and molecules , be a fitting analogy for this Body of Christ referenced several times in the Bible ? Further , were all the organs in my own body working in divinely directed unison ? And could that concept be analogous to the 2.2 billion world Christians ( a statistic garnered by reputable Pew Research Center ) , each having a unique, living function in the Body , with Christ head of all ?
But this
begged two troublesome questions for me ; did the complete Body of Christ include the dead ? ( At least one majorn church denomination believes dead Christians are also members . ) And the other question: though God be
omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscience,
how can He and how does He respond simultaneously on any given day to what must be millions of heart-felt-soul-felt prayers being offered to Him every second . (The best I could do with this question was to think of the electric circuit breaker switch in my basement which, with one tug, can simultaneously turn
on any number of light bulbs in my home.
But I also must tell you, dear reader, the thought of a loving touch or embrace from my wife can simultaneously
turns me on from head to toe. )
I also
wondered that night about all our "common folk" in the world
and those law-abiding , well-mannered neighbors of ours who
readily label themselves as Christian
yet might be deaf to what Jesus
proclaims in His summation of the Ten Commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and
with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment . And the second is like it : Love your neighbor as yourself . (Matthew 22 :37-39 )
But perhaps that's
another report to write about…
II Some time ago I interviewed several people in my village of Arlington Heights, Illinois for their thoughts . All were Christians whom I believed took their faith life seriously. Backgrounds
and denominations varied..
Fr. Matt Foley, pastor , St. James Catholic church , Arlington Heights, and former U.S. Army chaplain stationed in Afghanistan :
Q. How do you visualize the Mystical Body of Christ in human
terms ?
terms ?
A. We are all connected through Christ and the Sacraments. When I look out into the congregation during Mass , I see the face of God collectively as all the individuals at Mass.
Q. Who's in it, who's not ?
A. For me, I include everyone . I believe in Matthew 25; Jesus is the ultimate judge of who will be in the eternal Body of Christ. My role is to make sure all are welcome to be with Christ and in Christ.
Q. Is it important for all " bona fide" Christians to know that they exist in this body and know what their role or function is in it ?
A. The mystical lends me to believe that not all questions are answered during our life on earth. I prefer to live in this mystery.
Q. Can you describe any experience in your life—pastoral or not—where you were an active member in this body and the blessing you received from it ?
A. Every time I have the honor to celebrate Mass I feel connected on various levels with the community of believers. When I invite the worshippers to "go in peace", I feel we are sending each other out to be the body of Christ in our world today. Being nourished and fed by the Word and Eucharist compels us to go out and create a new world.
A. There are no insignificant ministries in the church. Some are visible and some are hidden behind the scenes, but all are valuable. Small or hidden ministries often make the biggest difference. In my home, the most important light is not the large chandelier in our dining room but the little night light that keeps me from stubbing my toe when I get up at night. There is no correlation between size and significance. Every ministry matters because we are all dependent on each other to function.
Rick Warren, celebrated author of the "Purpose Driven Life"and founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California :
Q. Why should one live with the awareness that he or she is a member of this Body ?
A. There are no insignificant ministries in the church. Some are visible and some are hidden behind the scenes, but all are valuable. Small or hidden ministries often make the biggest difference. In my home, the most important light is not the large chandelier in our dining room but the little night light that keeps me from stubbing my toe when I get up at night. There is no correlation between size and significance. Every ministry matters because we are all dependent on each other to function.
What happens when one part of your body fails to function? You get sick. The rest of your body suffers. Imagine if your liver decided to start living for itself: “I’m tired! I don’t want to serve the body anymore! I want a year off just to be fed. I’ve got to do what’s best for me! Let some other part take over.” What would happen? Your body would die. Today thousands of local churches are dying because of Christians who are unwilling to serve. They sit on the sidelines as spectators, and the Body suffers.
God calls you to a service far beyond anything you could ever imagine. He created YOU for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for you to do (see Ephesians 2:10). Whenever you serve others, you are actually serving God.
Brian
Reynolds, musician and popular inspirational
speaker to Christian senior citizens:
speaker to Christian senior citizens:
Q. How do you visualize the Body of Christ, in
human terms?
A. The visual I see when witnessing the Body of Christ is when “love in action” is
exercised. Love exercised through prayer, compassion, kindness, patience,
tenderness, mercy and in loving service to others. We all have been blessed
with many gifts and power from God, Our Father, and as I understand it,
someday these special gifts we have today will come to an end, but “love” goes
on forever.
Q. Is it important for all Christians to know
that they exist in this body and also to know what their role or function is in
it?
A. Our awareness of being one in His Body
helps each of us recognize the love of Christ in ourselves and within others.
As I attempt to live my life out in the Body of Christ, I believe my role or
function is continuously being shaped and directed through every interaction
God Blesses me to experience. Our Father in Heaven is constantly pouring His
love into our hearts, and it is up to each one of us to decide how to
share our abundance.
[ excerpts from a previous sermon of his ]
The
church is not an human institution . It is a living reality.
It is alive, because the living Christ is its head and lives in and through its
members... As an institution or human organization, the
church can be efficient, successful, well organized ; but unless Christ is its
Savior and Head, unless Christ, by faith is living in its members, it is not
the church, the Body of Christ…
You were born—reborn, once and for all—when you were united
with Christ's death and resurrection in Holy Baptism. There is one
Baptism, one faith, one Lord, one God and Father. That is what the Scriptures
say. This is our unity in the Body…
We should say to ourselves, [ our church ] is the Body I
belong to. The Body needs me. I may be only a little finger, but I am
important to the Body. We are not to consider ourselves inferior or inadequate.
We are not to despise our gift and be discontent with our
contribution. The Lord has place you in the Body and He wants you to exercise
your gift for the good of all. We are interdependent ! …
This calls for appreciation of gifts which we have among
yourselves. Some of us are good at exhortation…acts of mercy and
compassion…service…leadership…financial support…evangelism…teaching…craftsmanship…interpretation
of the Scripture…hospitality. These are all gifts mentioned in the
Scriptures. All of us have the gift of love, which is the most important gift
of all.
I think of the body of Christ ….[as] the
body that extends to all Christians who proclaim Jesus as Lord and follow
Him. I believe it also helps us have tolerance for people who do
this in many different ways. Paul's description as the body
parts all having different but equally important roles is a very good way to
grasp that. When you understand what your role is in the body of Christ,
it allows you to lose envy of others because we each have separate
gifts to bring, and they are all important, no matter how small or big, subtle
or well- recognized. This understanding helps us be humble and also more loving
and tolerant. The hard part is discerning what your "body part" is!
If you're an arm, but convinced you're the eyes, well ...many things can lead
you off course if you think eyes are more important than an arm. While
you may compensate and learn to be a decent eye, you'll never fulfill the full
potential that God created for you.
Another thing.... is that God places
us in situations to use our gifts, and perhaps those roles change over time and
with different circumstances. Praying to discern this is critical.
Be open to how He wants to use you as a part of the Body of Christ to further
His kingdom! My role continues to grow and unfold, which is pretty
cool.
Q. How do you visualize the body of
Christ in human terms?
A. You're talking about 3
different bodies: When He was His physical body; then as us
Christians—every last one of us— the communion of saints ; and also the
Eucharist , the real Presence of Him.
Q. So, all Christians of all
denominations belong to this body of Christ ?
A. That's right.
Q. Then, this body is a universal body ,
and baptism is sort of a credential to enter it?
A. That's right.
Q. Does it really matter whether a
Christian is aware of being a member of
the Body of Christ?
Christian is aware of being a member of
the Body of Christ?
A. It's important to remember because we are
carrying Christ into
the world . And whatever we do, people [ if they know we are
Christian ] see the act as being done by Christ. It's one of the most
essential beliefs of the church.
the world . And whatever we do, people [ if they know we are
Christian ] see the act as being done by Christ. It's one of the most
essential beliefs of the church.
Q. Is it also important to know
what your role is in this body, so
you can work for the common good ? For an analogous example,
think of the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup: Surely, it was
vital for everybody on that team to know his precise role and how
to coordinate it with all the other team member roles.
you can work for the common good ? For an analogous example,
think of the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup: Surely, it was
vital for everybody on that team to know his precise role and how
to coordinate it with all the other team member roles.
A. Well, the Body of Christ does have so
very many members. But I believe that if we are following the Ten
Commandments, we are functioning in Christ's name. Though not all of us may not
be aware of being in His Body, nevertheless this
is the truth , which takes hold of us whether we
believe it or not.
Q. Can you describe any personal
experience where you behaved as a member of the Body of Christ?
A. At Mass every morning. We are a
community there. I feel that I'm a part of the life of everyone of those
people. There's no doubt about it !
 |
| Matt with wife Zuly and kids |
Dr. Mike
Atella, Christian psychotherapist, Schaumburg , Illinois :
The concept of the Body of Christ hasn't nearly achieved its
potential. It has an amazing potential, more than any other
organization in the world. There is plenty of room for the church
to flex its muscles constructively to help our world become a better
place for us all.
III One
can't help speculating how much of Heaven could actually exist in our
human world if this Body of Christ would
truly start functioning as one healthy body
with one will and with loving obedience to one Lord,
Jesus Christ. It doesn’t require a
miracle; perhaps just a kick-start by leaders all over the planet , on every level
of life who have the common sense to shed their
contrary wills and throbbing ego
and then, simply , to let go and let God. Said the founder of the
ecclesial movement Communion and Liberation,
Luigi Giussani , before his death in 2005, " The greatest thing
that can be seen in the world is for people to be united as members of One Body , not because they are committed
to a particular task, but because they
are called by the same act of Christ ,
by one identical event, so that, although they were totally unknown to each
other, complete strangers up to that
moment, they are, and acknowledge themselves to be, bound to one another in a
way beyond compare. "
Yes, once wrote a saint, we all need one another. We can all help one
another. How good it is to feel supported by one another. At this moment, someone is praying for us,
and our soul is being vitalized by the suffering , the work or the prayer of
people whom we perhaps do not even know.
What Is Man ?
Dr.
Homa is a practicing internist and author of
the books
"
Standing Between the Gates of Heaven and
the Precipice
of
Hell" and " Archimedes' Claw" .
He maintains that
" In times of Universal
deceit, speaking the Truth is
Revolutionary. "
All
matter in the universe theoretically is in balance with all energy in the
universe. Perhaps there also exists the transitional phase of light energy
described as a particle named a photon.
The
description of matter comes from physical science which persists in searching
for smaller and smaller particles. For this discussion here, we will avoid
these particles and start with the atom.
A
hydrogen atom is composed of a proton and an electron held together by
something called the Coulomb force. It is the lightest and smallest atom and
composes 75% of the universe. Its diameter is 0.1 to 0.5 nanometers or one
millionth of the thickness of a human hair. 99.99999999% of an atom is empty
space.
The
body of a typical man weighs 70
kilograms and contains seven billion billion billion atoms (that is 7 followed
by 27 zeros ). Of this, 2/3 is hydrogen, 1/4 is Oxygen, and 1/ 10 is carbon. Of
course, all these atoms are not scattered
into a pile but organized into more complex molecules made up of more complex
atoms. Ultimately, these complex
molecules are joined together into biological cells which have an organized and
purposeful structure to form certain organs and perform certain tasks. This
fact has been addressed by science ; my
only task here is to explain that such highly complex chemical and cellular
activity, all with a very specifically designed purpose , is not an accident
but is directed by extremely superior
intelligence. I refer the reader to a book titled “The Case Against Accident
and Self Organization” by Dean Oberman.
The
typical man or woman is organized on a larger scale that a cell. But pause to
absorb this fact : The inner workings of a cell follows a set of rules and
function like a Swiss clock. These functions are complex, not simple. When studied by scientists, these
functions draw out a sense of awe at the
precision with which sub cellular component works for the purpose of each
cell. Cells, of course, have
multiple different purposes and functions and
become organized into become
organs.
This
process alone is a compelling argument for a Grand Design by a supremely
intelligent engineer. So it is that the organs all fit together with singular
purpose to form a human being . From conception to maturity , these organs are choreographed to function
within a strong, resilient, intelligent,
and adaptable being called man.
The
brain provides reflexes, sensation, motor function initiation, cognition, and
communicates to the body by nerves, and the thyroid gland…and so forth.
Jesus
was also a real man, a product of a virgin birth—all rather impossible without
divine intervention. Scripture describes that after He took his last breath at
His crucifixion , a spear was used to
pierce his side. ( Historical artwork and other research show that the stab wound was just under his ribs . ) The
result was an out pouring of both blood and water. The blood that gushed from
His side was likely from a lung contusion due to his torture, and the water was the effect of prolonged
hypoxia, which causes clear watery fluid to fill a human's chest cavity. I will not address the
spiritual interpretation of this.
Physiologically, crucifixion is the worst torture. Jesus, the
man, lost the a major protective organ,
his skin , due to scourging. He was kept from consuming fluids , he lost vast
quantities of blood. It is no wonder that he fell 3 times on the way to His
crucifixion. Once nailed to the cross he was hung in a way to induce more pain.
In order to breathe and rest, he had to keep
holding himself up, seeking relief , with nails in his hands and feet.
All this caused asphyxia. This process went on for three hours. He finally
expired from blood loss, suffocation, and chronic asphyxia that led to low
oxygen levels in his blood and painful carbon dioxide elevations from the
inability to breathe.
The End
All comments welcomed at
rrschwarz7@wowway.com
© 2019
Robert R. Schwarz
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