Stewardship Spotlight: We Are The Body of Christ

This weekend we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) and together we recognize the gift of the Eucharist. We can give great honor and glory to the Eucharist by living the message of the Gospel. Thus, we move from being a spectator at the Eucharist to an active participant with Christ’s sacrifice, putting into action his message of love and service.

The Eucharist can provide the energy and sustenance for us to go out and be Christ to others. By this we then follow Christ’s instruction to His disciples after the Resurrection: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

A prayer commonly attributed to St. Teresa of Avila, author of spiritual classics of the Church, speaks vividly and understandably about Christ’s great commission, which compels us forward:

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which He looks out
compassionately to the world
Yours are the feet with which He is to go about
doing good;
Yours are the hands with which He is blessing all now.”

There is no doubt that we, our body, our hands, our feet, our eyes, indeed our whole being, are to be Christ to others. By and through our actions we are stewards of the Gospel.

We are to be “doers” of God’s word. We are called to serve, each using our own unique gifts. We can also be stewards of peace in our day-to-day lives by:

• Honoring the expression “not keeping score” within our family, relationships with our co-workers, or our fellow parishioners.
• To be the first one to step forward for others, not waiting to help or to ask, “whose turn is it now?”
• Not exaggerating slights or perceived insults, but to think well of others and to show empathy and understanding.

We honor Christ when we are good stewards of the Word and bring honor and glory to His life of selfless love.