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Meditate on God’s Word
1st Reading: Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
2nd Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-30
Gospel: Luke 1.1-4; 4.14-21 – Jesus Reads in the Synagogue
Embracing our Uniqueness
In today’s second reading St. Paul teaches us a great lesson that can enrich our lives of stewardship. He says, “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” We are made up of many different body parts that each have their own important and distinct role to play in order for the entire body to live. It is the same way in the Church.
The Church is made up of many individuals who are all uniquely and wonderfully made. If we tried to change ourselves to become like someone else, we would be robbing the Church of our own unique contributions. St. Therese uses a beautiful image of a garden to express the importance of embracing who God made us to be. She says, “The splendor of the rose and the whiteness of the lily do not rob the little violet of its scent nor the daisy of its simple charm. If every tiny flower wanted to be a rose, spring would lose its loveliness.”
In our lives of stewardship, these different types of flowers represent how all of us have our own unique set of gifts from God. When we recognize that we each have our own strengths, we are less likely to compare ourselves to others and we begin to rid ourselves of envy and pride. We all have a role to play in our parish communities. Let us gratefully acknowledge the unique gifts God has given us and seek ways to offer them back to the Church.
Summary
In today’s second reading, St. Paul tells us that just as the body is made up of many individual parts, so too the church is made up of many individual disciples, all of which have an important role to play. We each have a unique set of gifts and talents that God has bestowed only on us. Let us gratefully acknowledge these unique gifts us and seek ways to offer them back to the Church.
