Third Sunday in Ordinary Time: The Broken Body
Readers: Below is a testament of the power of one's parishioners to come to the aid of a struggling homilist. All week, I struggled to find some point of entry into this Sunday's readings. The first draft that I finally posted on Friday was the homiletic equivalent to "running on fumes."
Fortunately, an e-mail inquiry to a young husband and wife who are both physical therapists resulted in a much more profound and, literally, "hands-on" message. Much of the second homily is drawn directly from their reflections with their permission.
Many thanks to Pete and Eileen Mosher for their deep and profound insights!
Fr. Jim
When it comes to various jobs and professions,
the Bible, as you all know,
contains a cross-section of the kinds of trades that any society,
ancient or modern,
needs to keep running.
We find fisherman, carpenters and farmers.
tax collectors, table waiters, rabbis and teachers,
sailors, soldiers, shepherds, kings and astronomers.
With that in mind,
what profession might hearken most to today’s second reading
about the human body?
How about doctors, nurses,
chiropractors and physical therapists?
It seems to me that these people
will to sit and listen to this reading.
the same way a farmer will attend to the Parable of the Sower
or the way a soldier might identify with Jairus the centurion
who sought out Jesus when his daughter grew sick.
The new youth ministers here at St. Al’s,
Pete and Eileen Mosher,
happen to be physical therapists.
So I asked them if their work gave them and particular insights
into this passage of St. Paul’s
which compares the Church to the inter-connectedness
of the human body.
They had some interesting thoughts to share.
The first thing they mentioned was how ironic it is, in our religion,
that redemption of humanity,
the healing of the world
and the restoration of individual wholeness
came about by virtue of Christ's tortured and broken body.
These physical therapists,
Pete and Eileen,
find it very interesting that
Thomas the apostles
could not accept the possibility of Jesus’ resurrection
until he physically touched Jesus’ wounds.
In a similar way, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus
do not recognize the Risen Christ until that evening, at table,
in the breaking of bread which, of course, was the sign and sacrament
Christ’s body broken on the cross.
But it doesn’t end there.
Tracing Church history through the Crusades, the Reformation
we find the Body of Christ divided again and again.
In today's world we continue to be a people broken by the power of sin:
racism, sexism, poverty, terrorism,
abortion, war, disease, famine, and so much more.
We are a divided and broken people
and only a Savior who knows first-hand our brokenness
can make us whole again.
So, like Thomas the Apostle,
we come to this Mass today
to touch the broken body of Christ
that we might be healed.
Like the two disciples
trudging down the road to Emmaus,
we recognize new hope in the fracturing of the Bread
which is the Body of Christ.
The message that Pete and Eileen find in today’s readings
starts off like a just another day on the job.
For them each day begins with the experience of human bodies
that are broken.
Patients who come for physical therapy
experience deep-seated brokenness.
Some have suffered a stroke,
others a broken leg or arm,
still others a damaged heart.
They are not fully themselves,
they aren’t able to do what they want, as they want.
As therapists, they bring the gift of Jesus healing and wholeness
to their patients.
They do their best to restore the lives of their patients
to the highest level of function possible.
That is their gift; it’s not everyone’s gift.
Christ's body is broken and hurting in so many ways.
And we each have a gift, a mission, a vocation, and a calling
to heal the broken Body of Christ.
As St. Paul puts it,
“the foot can’t live without a hand,
the knee can’t do its job without the leg.”
We are one body.
We are all part of one another.
We touch the broken body of Christ to be healed,
we extend that healing to the world
through the touch of our faith.
(First Draft)
When it comes to various jobs and professions,
the Bible, as you all know,
contains a cross-section of the kinds of trades that any society,
ancient or modern,
needs to keep running.
We find fisherman, carpenters and farmers.
There are stay-at-home moms like Mary,
as well as professional business women like Tabitha and Lydia,
both of whom dealt in fabric,
one as a seamstress, the other as a merchant.
There are tax collectors, table waiters, rabbis and teachers,
sailors, soldiers, shepherds, kings and astronomers.
If you look hard enough,
you can find a connection to almost any kind of professions
or trade.
With that in mind,
what profession might hearken most to today’s second reading
about the human body?
If you ask me,
doctors, nurses,
chiropractors and physical therapists
are going to sit and listen to this reading.
The same way a farmer will attend to the Parable of the Sower
or a soldier might identify with Jairus the centurion.
So, with that in mind,
I got on the Internet and typed in the words “physical therapy.”
Guess what I pulled up?
Articles about women’s fashions and big purses.
Maybe you came across some these same articles last week.
Evidently, some health care workers
are calling for health warnings big handbags.
One explained it this way:
modern business woman are likely to go to the gym,
so they carry an extra pair of shoes, they have their make-up, so there's more stuff to carry around.
According to this article,
most of the woman who prefer the new, large handbags
are toting an extra 7 – 10 pound inside those bags.
The strain on the spinal column could be relieved with a backpack,
but backpacks are for casual use
and do not appeal to the fashion customer.
Maybe St. Paul’s passage on the harmony of the body
could be supplemented with a few comments about how much the body is
adversely affected by the heavy loads we hang on it.
Does this apply to your life?
Does the lugging of heavy burdens
affect your spiritual posture?
I know that I, myself, have a tendency lug a lot around a lot of unnecessary weight.
I’ve had days when resentment has caused my shoulders to slump.
Other days when arrogance gives me a stiff neck.
And then, all those times of trying to prove myself to others and to God.
The result? More than a few bulged disks in the backbone of my faith.
Now, what happens when someone notices that you’re walking stiffly
or have a sore neck.
They ask you, “What happened?
Did you fall off a horse, Father?
Did you go skiing with the youth group this weekend, Father?”
Then they add a little twist to the knife,
“You know, Father, you’re not as young as you used to be.”
And I know that.
I know that’s true.
But the point I want to make is this:
when we’re talking about the organism of a body,
whether it be the human
or the body of an organization like the Church,
it’s difficult not to concentrate on the aches and pains
when the body isn’t functioning as it should.
And this is where St. Paul’s insight proves its genius.
In the body of the church,
harmony and healing go hand-in-hand.
You see, when my competitive streak
causes me to see life as a race,
I begin to see my brothers and my sisters
as obstacles that get in my way.
When that kind of selfishness causes you to take others down
that get in your way,
what happens, eventually?
Sooner or later,
you’re going to sprain an ankle and collapse on the track.
And the world says,
“Serves you right”
and kicks you out of the way.
But St. Paul sees a deeper truth.
In the Church which is the Body of Christ,
when you rush ahead and push your brothers and sisters out of the way,
yes, you’re eventually going to sprain an ankle and collapse.
But, who’s going to help you help?
Don’t be surprised if it turns out to be the very ones you shoved away.
Why?
Because, in the words of St. Paul,
“the foot can live without a hand
and we are all part of one another.”
We are one body.
You may not be aware of this, but Pope John Paul II
had some wonderful things to say about the human body
and how it offers us a beautiful way to discover the truth about God.
In his work called,
“The Theology of the Body,”
John Paul reminds us that Christ came to restore us
to the purity and true purpose for which our bodies were made.
Christ came to restore sight to the blind,
strengthened weak limbs
set captives loose
restore the paralyzed to freedom of movement.
There’s a saying that no one stands taller
than when they stoop to help another.
This is the truth that lies deep within our readings this morning
from the Word of God.
Despite the aches and pains and brokenness
we experience within ourselves or cause to others,
God’s desire is that we be healed.
And today, the Word of God makes it clear
that the best of healing comes by way of human hands:
the hands of others that pick us up when we fall;
the hands of others that brush dust of sin off our knees and face,
and hold us steady
until we’re strong enough to walk again.
Fortunately, an e-mail inquiry to a young husband and wife who are both physical therapists resulted in a much more profound and, literally, "hands-on" message. Much of the second homily is drawn directly from their reflections with their permission.
Many thanks to Pete and Eileen Mosher for their deep and profound insights!
Fr. Jim
When it comes to various jobs and professions,
the Bible, as you all know,
contains a cross-section of the kinds of trades that any society,
ancient or modern,
needs to keep running.
We find fisherman, carpenters and farmers.
tax collectors, table waiters, rabbis and teachers,
sailors, soldiers, shepherds, kings and astronomers.
With that in mind,
what profession might hearken most to today’s second reading
about the human body?
How about doctors, nurses,
chiropractors and physical therapists?
It seems to me that these people
will to sit and listen to this reading.
the same way a farmer will attend to the Parable of the Sower
or the way a soldier might identify with Jairus the centurion
who sought out Jesus when his daughter grew sick.
The new youth ministers here at St. Al’s,
Pete and Eileen Mosher,
happen to be physical therapists.
So I asked them if their work gave them and particular insights
into this passage of St. Paul’s
which compares the Church to the inter-connectedness
of the human body.
They had some interesting thoughts to share.
The first thing they mentioned was how ironic it is, in our religion,
that redemption of humanity,
the healing of the world
and the restoration of individual wholeness
came about by virtue of Christ's tortured and broken body.
These physical therapists,
Pete and Eileen,
find it very interesting that
Thomas the apostles
could not accept the possibility of Jesus’ resurrection
until he physically touched Jesus’ wounds.
In a similar way, the two disciples on the road to Emmaus
do not recognize the Risen Christ until that evening, at table,
in the breaking of bread which, of course, was the sign and sacrament
Christ’s body broken on the cross.
But it doesn’t end there.
Tracing Church history through the Crusades, the Reformation
we find the Body of Christ divided again and again.
In today's world we continue to be a people broken by the power of sin:
racism, sexism, poverty, terrorism,
abortion, war, disease, famine, and so much more.
We are a divided and broken people
and only a Savior who knows first-hand our brokenness
can make us whole again.
So, like Thomas the Apostle,
we come to this Mass today
to touch the broken body of Christ
that we might be healed.
Like the two disciples
trudging down the road to Emmaus,
we recognize new hope in the fracturing of the Bread
which is the Body of Christ.
The message that Pete and Eileen find in today’s readings
starts off like a just another day on the job.
For them each day begins with the experience of human bodies
that are broken.
Patients who come for physical therapy
experience deep-seated brokenness.
Some have suffered a stroke,
others a broken leg or arm,
still others a damaged heart.
They are not fully themselves,
they aren’t able to do what they want, as they want.
As therapists, they bring the gift of Jesus healing and wholeness
to their patients.
They do their best to restore the lives of their patients
to the highest level of function possible.
That is their gift; it’s not everyone’s gift.
Christ's body is broken and hurting in so many ways.
And we each have a gift, a mission, a vocation, and a calling
to heal the broken Body of Christ.
As St. Paul puts it,
“the foot can’t live without a hand,
the knee can’t do its job without the leg.”
We are one body.
We are all part of one another.
We touch the broken body of Christ to be healed,
we extend that healing to the world
through the touch of our faith.
(First Draft)
When it comes to various jobs and professions,
the Bible, as you all know,
contains a cross-section of the kinds of trades that any society,
ancient or modern,
needs to keep running.
We find fisherman, carpenters and farmers.
There are stay-at-home moms like Mary,
as well as professional business women like Tabitha and Lydia,
both of whom dealt in fabric,
one as a seamstress, the other as a merchant.
There are tax collectors, table waiters, rabbis and teachers,
sailors, soldiers, shepherds, kings and astronomers.
If you look hard enough,
you can find a connection to almost any kind of professions
or trade.
With that in mind,
what profession might hearken most to today’s second reading
about the human body?
If you ask me,
doctors, nurses,
chiropractors and physical therapists
are going to sit and listen to this reading.
The same way a farmer will attend to the Parable of the Sower
or a soldier might identify with Jairus the centurion.
So, with that in mind,
I got on the Internet and typed in the words “physical therapy.”
Guess what I pulled up?
Articles about women’s fashions and big purses.
Maybe you came across some these same articles last week.
Evidently, some health care workers
are calling for health warnings big handbags.
One explained it this way:
modern business woman are likely to go to the gym,
so they carry an extra pair of shoes, they have their make-up, so there's more stuff to carry around.
According to this article,
most of the woman who prefer the new, large handbags
are toting an extra 7 – 10 pound inside those bags.
The strain on the spinal column could be relieved with a backpack,
but backpacks are for casual use
and do not appeal to the fashion customer.
Maybe St. Paul’s passage on the harmony of the body
could be supplemented with a few comments about how much the body is
adversely affected by the heavy loads we hang on it.
Does this apply to your life?
Does the lugging of heavy burdens
affect your spiritual posture?
I know that I, myself, have a tendency lug a lot around a lot of unnecessary weight.
I’ve had days when resentment has caused my shoulders to slump.
Other days when arrogance gives me a stiff neck.
And then, all those times of trying to prove myself to others and to God.
The result? More than a few bulged disks in the backbone of my faith.
Now, what happens when someone notices that you’re walking stiffly
or have a sore neck.
They ask you, “What happened?
Did you fall off a horse, Father?
Did you go skiing with the youth group this weekend, Father?”
Then they add a little twist to the knife,
“You know, Father, you’re not as young as you used to be.”
And I know that.
I know that’s true.
But the point I want to make is this:
when we’re talking about the organism of a body,
whether it be the human
or the body of an organization like the Church,
it’s difficult not to concentrate on the aches and pains
when the body isn’t functioning as it should.
And this is where St. Paul’s insight proves its genius.
In the body of the church,
harmony and healing go hand-in-hand.
You see, when my competitive streak
causes me to see life as a race,
I begin to see my brothers and my sisters
as obstacles that get in my way.
When that kind of selfishness causes you to take others down
that get in your way,
what happens, eventually?
Sooner or later,
you’re going to sprain an ankle and collapse on the track.
And the world says,
“Serves you right”
and kicks you out of the way.
But St. Paul sees a deeper truth.
In the Church which is the Body of Christ,
when you rush ahead and push your brothers and sisters out of the way,
yes, you’re eventually going to sprain an ankle and collapse.
But, who’s going to help you help?
Don’t be surprised if it turns out to be the very ones you shoved away.
Why?
Because, in the words of St. Paul,
“the foot can live without a hand
and we are all part of one another.”
We are one body.
You may not be aware of this, but Pope John Paul II
had some wonderful things to say about the human body
and how it offers us a beautiful way to discover the truth about God.
In his work called,
“The Theology of the Body,”
John Paul reminds us that Christ came to restore us
to the purity and true purpose for which our bodies were made.
Christ came to restore sight to the blind,
strengthened weak limbs
set captives loose
restore the paralyzed to freedom of movement.
There’s a saying that no one stands taller
than when they stoop to help another.
This is the truth that lies deep within our readings this morning
from the Word of God.
Despite the aches and pains and brokenness
we experience within ourselves or cause to others,
God’s desire is that we be healed.
And today, the Word of God makes it clear
that the best of healing comes by way of human hands:
the hands of others that pick us up when we fall;
the hands of others that brush dust of sin off our knees and face,
and hold us steady
until we’re strong enough to walk again.
posted by BlueCollarPreacher at 11:00 PM
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