Acts 6:1-7; Ps. 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; 1Peter 2:4-9; Jn. 14:1-12
The church is born in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ! Ecclesiology is the study of the nature of the “church” and traditionally Pentecost celebrates the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus after his Ascension as the birth of the church. Recently I heard the argument for the Last Supper as the birth of the church when Jesus by the breaking of the bread and giving of the wine instructs his disciples thereby instituting the priesthood of the church. Thus, the church is the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist which we become when we receive the Eucharist at Mass. The unity in the one body the church comes to its’ fullness in the Eucharist. We could say the descent of the Holy Spirit is the “Confirmation” of the church.
In our times it is often repeated “the church is the people” who share in the one priesthood by baptism. This focus on the people is meaningful to the extent the source and summit of the church remains in the Eucharist and is not lost. Unfortunately, too many people identify as Christian without unity to the Eucharist becoming “churches” of their own body. The people are called to “follow” in the body of Christ which they receive in the Eucharist and in the sacramental life of the church. Can there be church without the Eucharist? If history is a sign then we see the multiplication of “churches” into isolated cells when people separate from the Eucharist only to rise and fall.
Easter season is a renewal of the Church as we celebrate its formation in the early church. Today’s first reading in Acts is the birth of the diaconate into the church. “Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom…They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them”. The origins for the call to the diaconate was to serve the needs of the people. In being “reputable”, they were trusted with the resources of the church and not prone to scandal. In being filled with the Spirit and wisdom they served as a channel of grace to minister to the needs of the people as the hands of the church. Deacons called apart out from the people but not to the priesthood become the bridge living “in the world but not of the world” uniting church and people as a visible Christ. The diaconate is to be Jesus as a voice for our times in our homes, work places, and in the community.
Jesus is our cornerstone present in the Eucharist. In the gospel he reminds Philip, “The words I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.” Today Jesus who dwells in us in the Eucharist is doing the works of the Father “and will do greater ones than these because I am going to the Father.” These are the works of salvation through evangelization as the church fulfills its mission of adding to the house of the Lord many more dwelling places prepared for us. This is our Easter hope and victory as we wait to gather together after this pandemic crisis is won.
“Come to him, a living stone…built into a spiritual house…to offer spiritual sacrifices”. This pandemic is our invitation to offer spiritual sacrifices for the recovery of this nation and the world. It is also a time for renewal of the “church” into a spiritual vessel of faith, hope and love, and prayer is the sacrifice needed. Prayer Matters!! As the nation celebrates the National Day of Prayer bringing people of all faiths we join in prayer for healing, the end of the virus, a return to a healthy work environment, and an opening of our houses of worship.
A spiritual house recognizes we are all created equal but not equally gifted for the same purpose. Each is called by name for a given purpose in the house of the Lord yet all serve the same greater good. As the early church quickly grew in number it realized the need for a house of God united in order of service just as all parts of the human body all come together to create a functioning human. The homeostasis of the human body is in care for its physical, psychological and spiritual needs and as such the body of the church must be cared for also.
The living stone is the Eucharist inviting us to a transformation of our body into his body and our souls into his spiritual vessel each called by name to our place of order within God’s house. Let us enter into it in body, soul, and spirit and our transformation will transform our world into a house of worship with many rooms to serve each purpose in the mystery of faith.
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