What Member of Christ’s Body Are You?

In our Baptism, we receive the same power that Jesus has. In Baptism, the Spirit is fulfilled in us as well. That means we can do as Jesus said. Before he left, he said, “You will do not only the things that I did, but greater things.” Isn’t that amazing? You will not only do the things that he did, but you will accomplish even greater things.

This happens because of our reception of all the sacraments, but I want to talk just a little bit about Baptism and Confirmation. Not many of you remember your Baptism (a lot of us were infants at that time), but maybe you remember your Confirmation.

In both of those sacraments, we have been sealed with the Holy Spirit – that same spirit that was working in Jesus. This same spirit is working in us. God wants to do amazing things with us in this world.

Often times, we never activate the Spirit within us. We never actually allow it to work in our lives or become the people that God has created us to be. So, I want you to think about yourself for a moment as I just read that passage from the Gospel. I am going to say “you” because the Holy Spirit is now working through the Body of Christ. So, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you because he has anointed you, in Baptism and Confirmation, to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent you to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind; to let the oppressed go free and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord. Just as Jesus read these words in the synagogue and the eyes of all the faithful looked intently at him, that same dynamic is going to happen when you take your place in the Body of Christ.

Once you begin living God’s call and doing the same—if not more than—what Christ did, people will look at you in awe and think, “What is with that person?”

I think the difficulty sometimes comes when we haven’t found our place in the Body of Christ. However, in the second reading today, we hear that we each have a place in the Body of Christ. That could be the eye, it could be the mouth, it could be the foot, it could be the hand. St. Therese the Little Flower really took this to heart. She discerned that her place in the Body of Christ was to be the heart of Jesus. She knew she was called to be his heart.

So, I just want you to think of what place you are in the Body of Christ. We hear in the second reading that we are not all going to do the same things. We are not all going to work the same miracles. God has called you to a very unique and particular vocation to work miracles in the world today, and we are all part of his body.

So, what I would like you to focus on today at Mass, and actually for the rest of this week, is what is your place in the Body of Christ? Who is he calling you to be? And, not only what is your place, but what are the profound works and acts the Holy Spirit and God are calling you to work in the world today? Is it going to be healing?

You may be able to actually heal those who are blind and bring sight. Is it going to be prophecy? You may be called to be a prophet in this world. Is it going to be some of the spiritual gifts of encouraging one another? Is it going to be a call to a vocation of priesthood or religious life?

We hear in the second reading that we are all members of Christ’s Body and individually parts of it. Some people God has destined in the Church to be first apostles, second prophets, some teachers, some will do mighty deeds, some will have the gifts of healing, some will be assistants, some might do administration, some might have a variety of tongues; however, the reality is that we are all called to something.

So, I just want you to take a moment in silence after this homily to ask God to help you know your place in his body. Try to think of that within the mystical Body of Christ. What is your place, and what does that mean? But also, what does that mean for your vocation – your call in this world?

He has called us all. You are baptized and confirmed into this Body of Christ, and you have a very important role and a very important mission.