Family relationships define so many of the moments of life. Family gatherings; milestone celebrations; individual’s achievements; even sickness and death bring out the loyalty of family. How often we hear people say: After all, he or she is family. Few bonds in life are as strong and enduring as family.
St. Paul in today’s second reading goes even one step further as he talks about the family of God. He compares the bond that we share through God to the interconnectedness of the body, specifically the Body of Christ. He says that each of us is an essential component to that Body of Christ here on earth. Each of us has a unique purpose and function in God’s plan that no one else can fulfill.
He goes on to talk about different senses that each body part transmits. The eye for example cannot hear as an ear cannot see. The eye cannot say to the hand “I do not need you”, nor the head to the feet. Each body part interacts with the others to make for a harmonious functioning of the whole.
Paul wants to emphasize that each and every person has a unique value in the eyes of God and together we make up that Body of Christ here on earth. He encourages us to look around and to see one another with the eyes of God; to value the uniqueness we see in each other and to withhold any judgement and leave that to God.
We are many parts but all essential to the Body of Christ…God’s living and loving presence here on earth