United in the Body of Christ

A Reflection on the Second Reading for June 11th, 2023:
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

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1 Corinthians
​10.16-17

Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the Blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the Body of Christ?

Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.

As a disabled person, I’ve often tried to compartmentalize my body. My lungs are bad, but I’m determined to enjoy this vacation. I have a migraine, but if I time my medication just right, I can make that family outing. I’m hanging out in the ER today to rule out a blood clot, but I can bring my laptop and at least get some spreadsheet work done. 
 
This is rarely successful. Before long, my body’s limitations catch up to my mind’s plans. I still vividly remember a trip to Rome when I had to accept that climbing to the top of the Dome of Saint Peter’s Basilica was simply impossible for me. I took the elevator as high as it went, looked out over Saint Peter’s Square, and sat on the roof while my fellow visitors climbed the 320 stairs the rest of the way up. It was profoundly bittersweet, knowing I was in the midst of a wonderful experience and yet also knowing I was missing out in a meaningful way. 
 
One of the core themes of Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, exemplified in today’s short passage, is the unity of the Body of Christ. When we become followers of Jesus, we are no longer our own. We belong to God, and we are part of the Body of Christ in a real and meaningful way. If we accept this truth, we quickly find it overwhelming. Every single Christian in the world – all 2.6 billion for us – is as much a part of ourselves as our hands or feet. I would guess I’m not alone in spending most of my time trying to compartmentalize most of the other parts of this Body. I’m highly invested in the well-being of my family and close friends, perhaps a beloved parishioner or three, but how can I possibly care about a third of all the people in the world? 
 
As I write this, Pope Francis has just added 21 Coptic Orthodox martyrs to the collection of Roman Catholic saints. These men were beheaded in 2015 for refusing to renounce their faith. It is extremely rare for Orthodox faithful to be recognized as saints by the Catholic Church – in fact, these 21 may be the first since the Roman and Orthodox churches split in the 11th century. It would have been easy to mark these men as other, as outside of us, but Pope Francis lived what Saint Paul wrote and welcomed both their suffering and their sainthood into our community of believers. 
 
As faithful members of the Body of Christ, our lives are always bittersweet. We rejoice with those who are happy and grieve with those who mourn. We may try to compartmentalize or divide ourselves, but the divisions only hurt us in the end, just like someone foolish enough to ignore a migraine and trying to power through. If we are trying to love Jesus, we must work on loving one another as much as we love ourselves.


Jenna Young

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