1 Corinthians 12:26 "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it." Today's episode talks about how we are all part of something. We are not on our own. It talks about how all the good things we do build up the communion of saints. Our good deeds don't just benefit us. They benefit the whole body of Christ. Unfortunately, the same is true for our sins. Our sins don't just affect us; they affect the entire body of Christ. Music:"Adding the Sun" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
I Am Part of Something (Identity Series)
1 Corinthians 12:26 “ If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.”
I am listening to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) podcast with Father Mike this year. The last two years, I did the Bible in a Year, and this year, when he started this one, I thought it would be a good one to listen to. The Catechism is basically a rule book for the Catholic Church, and I am definitely a rule follower. Also, I have a lot of friends who are not Catholic, and they wonder why we do a lot of the things we do or why we believe a lot of the things we believe. I don’t want to have to say that is a good question; I have no idea. I love to learn why we believe what we believe. I did not really expect it to be too interesting. I mean, if you read the terms and conditions booklets of any of your appliances, you wouldn’t think that was interesting reading. However, I was wrong; I love listening to the CCC. It’s not just a list of rules. It explains exactly what we believe and why we believe it. I am learning so much from it. It really is beautiful.
I came across this verse the other day when listening to the CCC and knew I wanted to share it with you. I am sure I have heard this verse before. I agree with this statement. If one person in your family is suffering, you all suffer together. If one person is honored, you all rejoice together. This makes sense. I can see how this is true. Think about a time when someone in your family was suffering. Did your whole family suffer with them? What about when they were honored? Did the whole family rejoice? I know this is how our family works. Not too long ago, my sister sent a text message that her son was accepted into one of the top High Schools in the United States, and we all rejoiced with her. Another sister found out she was having medical problems, and we all suffered with her. I am sure you will be able to think of many examples in your own family as well.
I learned from listening to the CCC that we are all part of the communion of saints. We are all members of the body of Christ. We are members of the communion of saints, and that means that what we do is for everyone; it's not just for us. The CCC says, “In this solidarity with all men, whether living or dead, founded on the communion of saints, the least of our acts done in charity redounds to the profit of all.” Whenever we do something good, it is not just for our grace; it’s not just for our good; it is for the good of the whole communion of saints, for the whole body of Christ. Father Mike put it like this: “Every good thing we do, even the smallest thing, is for the community. If you're homebound right now, if you do nothing in the sense that the world would say that's productive or that's important, if you simply unite your prayers and your heart to Jesus and your suffering to Jesus, that doesn't just help you and purify your heart; it helps the entire body. If you just offer that suffering up in love and say, “Jesus, use the suffering, take my suffering and use my suffering, that doesn't just make you holy or sanctify you; it helps everyone. There is no such thing as private virtue or grace. It belongs to all of us.
This was really inspiring for me to hear. What are your thoughts on it? The reason I think it is so inspiring is twofold, I think. First, it lets me know that I am part of something bigger than myself. I am part of a community we all are. Sometimes, the world can feel like a scary and lonely place. Knowing we are part of a communion of saints can help us feel less alone. The second part of it is that it helps me see that what I do matters. It matters if I pray because my prayers, as small as they may be, are building up the whole body. My good deeds are not just my good deeds. They help everyone. It makes me realize I am not just part of a community, but I also have a responsibility to do my share in that community.
As inspiring as I thought this first part was, the CCC goes on to say in the very next line something that is pretty convicting. It is something that really makes you think. It says, “Every sin harms this communion.” This is not as inspiring, and yet it makes you stop and think. It makes sense. If we are part of a communion of saints, and every good thing we do builds up this communion, then it would make sense that every bad thing we do tears down the communion of saints. It makes sense, and yet it is not really something we want to think about. We like to think about how much our good deeds help everyone else out because it makes us feel good, and yet thinking about how our sins affect others is not something that makes us feel good.
Father Mike said there is no such thing as private sin. There is personal sin, sin that I have done on my own, but there is no such thing as private sin because our sin belongs to everyone. In the same way that our good deeds build up the church, our sins tear down the church. Our sins weaken the entire communion of saints. Wow, that seems like a lot of pressure. I think it does us good to know this information, though. I think knowledge can be powerful at times. I feel as if knowing that every good thing I do doesn’t just purify my heart but helps to purify everyone’s hearts will encourage me to do more good things. I also feel as though knowing my sin isn’t just my sin but that it affects the entire community may encourage me to sin less or at least try harder.
It’s an interesting fact I have been learning over these last few years about people. Oftentimes, we will show up for others in a way we won’t for ourselves. For example, you say you will work out each day, but then you hit snooze and don’t get up. However, if you set a time to meet someone at the gym, you will show up more consistently because you don’t want to let the other person down. I am not sure why we do this, but we do. Knowing this about people, I think the information above could help us. If we can’t manage to sin less for ourselves, maybe knowing that our sins are affecting others will be just the thing we need to motivate us to try to sin less. Also, if we are struggling to pray or do acts of service, maybe knowing others benefit from our good work will be just the motivation we need. How about you? Does knowing this information change anything for you?
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray that You bless all those listening to this episode today. Lord, help us to spend some time thinking about this concept today. All of our good deeds build up the whole body of Christ, and all of our sins damage the body of Christ. We can either see that as a lot of pressure, or we can see it as the motivation we need to try and live a good life. We can think of this every time we do something kind or something to build our faith. We can also remind ourselves before we sin that it is not just us we have to worry about; we are part of something bigger. Also, Lord, help those who struggle with feeling alone know that they are not alone; they are part of the communion of saints. We are never alone. Lord, we thank you, and we love you. You are truly amazing. We ask all of this in accordance with your will and in Jesus’s holy name. Amen!
Thank you so much for joining me on this journey to walk boldly with Jesus. I look forward to spending time with you again tomorrow. Remember, Jesus loves you, and so do I! Have a blessed day!
Today’s Word from the Lord was received in August 2024 by a member of my Catholic Charismatic Prayer Group. If you have any questions about the prayer group, these words, or how to join us for a meeting, please email CatholicCharismaticPrayerGroup@gmail.com. Today’s Word from the Lord is, “Watch and see the great things I will do for each of you, my children. I love you. I bore you in love, perfect love, love that is unchanging, non-negotiable love. I care not what anyone else condemns you for or judges you.”