We One!

Tuesday of the Twenty fourth Week in Ordinary Time &
St. Januarius (San Gennaro), Bishop and martyr

Biographical Information about St. Januarius
Readings for Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 1 Cor 12:12-14, 27-31a

Responsorial Psalm Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.

Gospel Lk 7:11-17

Reflection:

Why, you might ask, do we celebrate the feast of St Januarius in September and not January? My answer is; I don’t know. According to tradition, when the Bishop was martyred during the persecution of Diocletian (I like this saint, he was arrested while visiting his Deacons in prison), his blood was collected preserved, and dried. Since at least 1389, on his feast day, and on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May, the blood liquefies. This is one of the few repetitive, verifiable miracles in the Church. I had not heard of it until I started research on this member of our communion of saints. It still does not explain why his feast day is when it is, but the mysteries of the church are profound.

Let’s get to today’s scripture. In Luke’s Gospel we find that following his cure of the Gentile (Centurion) whose servant was dying (Lk 7:1-10), the Lord now uses his power to raise the son of a Hebrew widow for death. All things are possible for the Savior of the World.

Guided by this faith we come to Paul’s on going instructions to the people of the Church in Corinth. Today he gets to the heart of his view of the Church as the living Body of Christ. He focuses on the need for diversity within the congregation. It is clear the divisions he exhorted against yesterday when he was talking about the Lord’s Supper and the Eucharist are still being addressed. What should strike us most directly is the translation of this idea into the secular work place. It is amusing that encouraging diversity is considered by some to be a unique and new development in our society. If you read any of the work written about the advantages of a diverse work force and culture, you can hear Paul’s words echoing in the background.

Perhaps, though, we should not be judgmental of our secular brethren. In addition to feeling the need to reserve judgment to Him who is our ultimate judge, we have not done a terrific job of being inclusive in our own faith communities. While our doors are always open to the poor and marginalized, we find, on an individual level, we still have a long way to go.

To exemplify this point I will tell a tale on myself. Some four or five years ago when my son was still active in the youth group at our church, the youth minister held a service day. It was held in either late or early winter (in Michigan) and groups of tees accompanied by volunteer parents went to various parts of the Detroit metropolitan area to help people or organizations in need for about 6 hours on a Saturday. At the end of that work period we gathered back at the youth room which is in what was once the home of Gabriel Richard High School. Many of our larger Church events are held in this facility so it was no surprise.

What I was not told Is that our Youth Minister had arraigned for a Christian Actor who did a program on the homeless to join the group at the end of the day. As a Deacon of the church, I have both keys to the facility and a responsibility for its security in addition to my more spiritual role. I say the person who would be participating in the program walking in the halls of the complex on my way down to the youth room. (This is were I expose my own failings) My first thought when I saw the man, who was dressed in worn and torn clothing and had an unkempt appearance, was; “Holy cow, did someone leave the doors unlocked?” I was actually pretty alarmed. I remember looking stonily at the man and walking past him (I almost turned and asked him if he was not supposed to be somewhere else. I’m really glad I did not do that.)

I was intent on reporting his presence to other members of the staff so we could have him removed when I noticed he was walking into the same room I was; where all the teens were. Since our Youth Minister clearly expected him, I relaxed thinking; “Ah, she brought a homeless person for ‘Show and Tell.’” He later revealed himself as an actor (the performance was very moving) and I was forced to confess what I have told you here to the group of teens (including my son). When I first saw the man, I did not think; “Here is a brother who might need my help.” My first thought was, “Here is a potential threat to our facilities and our people. I did not accept him as part of our faith community or even think he could possibly have been part of it dressed that way. How can I judge others who reject the poor and marginalized when I myself still struggle with it.

Paul’s great treatise on the Body of Christ should be a constant reminder that we are one in Christ and that with him, all things are possible.

Pax