All Together Now

     And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.(Eph. 1:22-23)

     In our second reading today from Ephesians, we hear this passage, which is rich with imagery of the promise of Christ’s Church. In Scripture, the Church is repeatedly called the Body of Christ. Through Christ, we are united to one another as one Church. As disciples, we are called to collaborate with Jesus in his mission. If there was any doubt of Jesus’ mission and what he expects of us, he made it abundantly clear in his Sermon on the Mount. We know how we are expected to live. But this mission is not a mission served individually.

     “Because its individual members do collectively make up the Body of Christ, that body’s health and well-being are the responsibility of all of us…” (U.S. Bishops’ Pastoral Letter, Stewardship: A Disciple’s Response, 1992)  What does this mean? According to the U.S. Bishops Pastoral Letter, it means building up the Church “through personal participation in and support of the Church’s mission of proclaiming and teaching, serving and sanctifying.” This is where that scary word, Evangelism, steps in.

     Evangelism of course, has been the hallmark of beloved Pope Francis’ message. Even before elected Pope, Bergoglio preached to his fellow cardinals on the church that evangelizes and the one that does not:

     “Put simply, there are two images of the church: a church which evangelizes and goes out of herself by hearing the word of God with reverence and proclaiming it with faith; and the worldly church, living within herself, of herself, for herself,”

     The need for the church to go out into the world with the Gospel also was the central theme of his Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), published last November. In this document, the Pope calls us to go out into the world to share our faith with “enthusiasm and vitality” by being living examples of joy, love and charity. He asks us to acknowledge the grace we have been given and accept responsibility for helping others experience the same grace, especially the disenfranchised. If we Catholics jealously hoard the grace of being loved by God, not sharing it with others, “we will become isolated, sterile and sick Christians.” (Pope Francis, World Mission Sunday 2013)

     God sent his son in human form in order to unify us to him and with each other. He created a “we” from the “I”. We are part of a far greater whole, the Church. As each of us are part of the Body, we are meant to steward the body, to keep it whole, to keep it healthy and vital and meaningful. As Pope Francis proclaimed to the crowd of 3 million people at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro: “Jesus did not say, ‘One of you go,’ but ‘All of you go.’ We are sent together…..Be creative. Be audacious. Do not be afraid.”

     Questions about this or stewardship ministry in general? Please contact M’Lis Berry at meberry@stanford.edu