Gladly will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
Among the biblical readings from today's liturgy there
is the celebrated text of St. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians in which
the Church is compared to the human body. The Apostle writes: "As a body
is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many,
are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one
body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to
drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). The Church is understood as
a body, which forms with Christ, who is the head, one single whole.
Nevertheless, what the Apostle wishes to communicate is the idea of unity in
the multiplicity of charisms, which are the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Thanks to
these gifts the Church presents itself as a rich -- and not a uniform -- living
organism, the fruit of the one Spirit who leads all into a profound unity,
assuming the differences without abolishing them and realizing a harmonious
ensemble. It prolongs the presence of the risen Lord in history, especially
through the Sacraments, the Word of God, the charisms and the offices
distributed in the community. For this reason, it is precisely in Christ and in
the Spirit that the Church is one and holy, that is, an intimate communion that
transcends and sustains human capacities.
I would like to emphasize this aspect
while we are observing the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,"
which concludes tomorrow, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Following
tradition, I will celebrate vespers in the afternoon in the Basilica of St.
Paul Outside the Walls, with the participation of representatives from the
other Churches and ecclesial communities present in Rome. We will ask God for
the gift of the complete unity of all the disciples of Christ and, in
particular, according to this year's theme, we will renew the commitment to
being together witnesses of the crucified and risen Lord (cf. Luke 24:48). The
communion of Christians, in fact, makes the proclamation of the Gospel more
credible and efficacious, as Jesus himself said as he prayed to the Father on
the eve of his death: "That they may be one ... that the world might
believe" (John 17:21).
(Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Address, January 24, 2010; Image of the "Conversion of Saint Paul" by Hans Speckaert)
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