The Human Body - An Analogy of Living for Christ
THE
HUMAN BODY – AN ANALOGY OF LIVING FOR CHRIST
Mario
D’Couto
Around some time back, I read a book called “Fearfully
and wonderfully made” and as I read it, it brought to my mind the
vulnerability and the complexity of human life. We may pride ourselves with
technology, advancement in science, lifestyle, entertainment, you name it, but
if life itself is not there, all else is of no use. What struck me as I read is that
in as much as each part of our body is so carefully designed and created by our
dear God, each part is a reflection of some aspect of human reality. For
example, if you take the cells of the human body, if one cell or a group of
cells do not function as they ought to, it could lead to cancer or think about
the human skeletal system, it is what gives shape to our bodies and grows and
expands with time or the skins which through the sense of touch help us to
understand reality. As St. Paul beautifully compares the Church with the Body
of Christ in his first letter to the Corinthians 12:4 – 28, we all make up His
Body.
This quarantine has taught me two things, first, that as
life can be uncertain, to thank God for the gift of another day. The second is
that although we may be diverse, with different temperaments, beliefs,
nationalities and so on, there is something very basic about the human person
and that’s the will to live and find meaning. We may just say that this
lockdown has to an extent brought the mobility of human life to a halt if not
at a very slow pace. People laid off from their jobs because companies are not
able to pay them, the economy of many countries being affected because of the
virus, the death of near and dear ones, all these are things to reflect on and
yet while all these things may not sound good, we can all relate with it
because who knows whether we would be part of it in some time.
We are all in this together and I think that just as the
cells of our bodies work in cohesion, enabling it to work optimally or the skin
that acts as detectors, helping us to make sense of reality, we as members of
Christ Body are called to work in cohesion. This does not imply that we should
become saints overnight but whenever the opportunity to do good presents
itself, to not let go off it as Mother Teresa would say, “Not all of us
can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”
As cells in the Body of Christ, if greed, jealousy and
envy enter human relationships, each of us would be no better than the cancer
cells because that’s what they are; they do not contribute to the functioning
of the human body. As His skin, we are called to help the people around us feel
His love (which I did write about in my previous blogpost/reflection, “Quality
Time”,
There’s a story told that after the World War II, there
was a group of German students who volunteered to help rebuild a cathedral in
England, one of the many casualties of the Luftwaffe bombings. As the work
progressed, debate broke out on how to best restore a large statue of Jesus
with His arms outstretched, bearing the familiar inscription, “Come unto Me”.
Careful patching could explain all damage to the statue except for Christ’s
hands which had been destroyed by bomb fragments. Should they attempt the
delicate task of reshaping the hands? After much discussion, the students
finally reached a decision that still stands today. The statue of Jesus has no
hands. The inscription reads, “Christ has no hands but ours.” St.
Paul writes this beautifully in his letter to the Ephesians, “In Him you
too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His
Spirit” (Ephesians 2:22). We are Christ’s hands in the world.
What about the bones? In our journey of faith, when we
begin our faith journey, our faith is soft and pliable like the fragile and
delicate bones of an infant, consisting of vaguely understood beliefs about God
and our spiritual hunger. Over time, God uses scripture, the teachings of His
Church and other Christians to help ossify the framework of our faith. In the
process, the substance of our faith becomes harder and more reliable just like
osteoblasts (the osteoblasts are the pot – like fibres of the bone that are
responsible for repair if there is any damage to the bones) which lay down
firm new minerals in the bone. Slowly and eventually, the Lord becomes our Lord
and all the doctrines that were once cold and formal then become an integral
part of our lives. In other words, our faith becomes alive and does not remain
a dead entity.
We see something similar in the book of Ezekiel. In
Chapter 37, we see the prophet touring a surrealistic valley piled high with ‘bones
that were dry’ (Ezekiel 37:2). God addressed those bones, “I will
attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I
will put breath in you and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am
the Lord.” (Ezekiel 37: 6)
The bones Ezekiel saw symbolized a great nation, Israel,
that had degenerated into a dead skeletal form of antiquity. Israel’s obedience
and faith in God existed only as a dry lifeless memory. Yet, even the ancient
bones had value. Ezekiel watched breathlessly as the bones rattled together and
formed the framework for a new body. This new nation would come to life with a
pre-existing heritage and understanding of God.
Just as the human body has a structure that is caused due
to the bones present in one’s body, likewise, the Body of Christ needs a
framework of hardness, to give it shape. Like the bones of our bodies, in the
Body of Christ, we too give shape through our thoughts and actions. In this
regard, it is also worth mentioning about the need to appreciate and respect
one’s own self.
Comparing is the root of all envy. St. Paul in his second
letter to the Corinthians writes. “When they measure themselves by
themselves and compare themselves to themselves, they show how foolish they
are” (2 Corinthians 10:12). So why is it foolish to compare ourselves with
others? Because we are incomparable! And so is everyone else. God made each one
of us, ‘one of a kind’. Besides, comparing leads to one of two negative
reactions, namely, pride and envy. You can always find someone
you think you’re better than and you will become prideful. On the other hand,
you will always find people that you think are doing better than you and you
will become envious and discouraged. What matters is not who’s better off but
are we doing what God created us to do? Are we making the most of what we have
been given? God doesn’t judge us for our talents we don’t have or opportunities
we didn’t get. He evaluates our faithfulness by how we live and what we do with
what we are given (check out another blogpost/reflection that I wrote around nine
years ago which is, “You are YOU”, https://insightsfromacommonman.blogspot.com/2011/12/you-are-you-mario-dcouto-sdb-it-was.html).
Having said that, it’s important to keep in mind that God
has not called us to be the best in the world at anything! He has called us to
be the best we can be in our own capacity given our background, experiences,
opportunities and abilities. This may sound easier said than done but with time
and conscious effort, change is possible.
It’s sad to see when people compare and then begin to
sulk and grumble because of the things they don’t have. Such people will always
remain unhappy because even if they are given what they want, they will again
start comparing and want something more. On the other hand, people who are grateful
for the little things they have in life, are more at peace with themselves and
with others and are more productive.
If all of us know our true worth (without being proud)
and live our lives faithfully and fruitfully, imagine the good that can be done
through the efforts of each of us. We then become healthy good cells, bones and
skin in the Body of Christ that help in its smooth efficiency. On the other hand,
when we don’t try to live up to our best, when we start comparing, causing enviousness
and jealousy, each of us could go our own way which eventually does not help
at all.
The important thing, as we seen in Mother Theresa’ quote
about doing small things with great love, is to actually start by doing it because
we only get better when we keep working at it which applies to all aspect of
human growth, including spiritual and moral development.
The world’s needs are increasing like molten lava in an
overdue volcano and this pandemic only seems to have brought it to the forefront
given how vulnerable human life can be. We may not be able to save the whole
world but we can certainly do good to those who come in contact with us. Why!
Take a look at Our Blessed Lord Himself! He healed people … but in a localized
area. In His lifetime, He did not affect the Celts or the Chinese or the
Aztecs. Rather, He set in motion a Christian mission which was to spread
throughout the world, responding to human needs everywhere. When our Blessed
Lord departed, He left no body on earth to exhibit the Spirit of God to an unbelieving
world – except the faltering, bumbling community of followers who had largely
forsaken Him at a time when He probably needed them the most, His death. We
are what Jesus left on earth. He did not leave a book or doctrinal
statement or a system of thought; He left a visible community to embody Him and
represent Him to the world. The seminal metaphor, Body of Christ, hinted by
Christ Himself and fully expanded by St. Paul could only arise after Our Blessed
Lord left the earth. Note how St. Paul, a master of simile and metaphor, does
not say the people of God are ‘like the Body of Christ’ rather in
every place, he said we are the Body of Christ. The Spirit
has come and dwelt among us and the world knows an invisible God mainly by our
representation, our ‘enfleshment’. We can therefore begin from our own resources,
our neighbourhood and from our theatre of service. Although we cannot change
the whole world individually, together we can fulfill God’s command to fill the
earth with His presence and love. When we stretch out our hands to help, we
stretch out the hands of Christ’s Body, no matter how insignificant the
situation may be.
