Commentary on the Gospel of
REFLECTION
Read: When Ezra read the book of the law, the people answered “Amen!” rejoicing to hear the Word of God. St. Paul tells us that members of the church are not simply those who hear the Word, but they are actual members of Christ’s body. In today’s Gospel Jesus also reads aloud from Holy Scripture with the astounding comment: that God’s prophecies have come to life, today, in their hearing.
REFLECT: We may imagine the Church as a pyramid, with bishops at the top, clergy underneath, and ordinary people at the bottom. But St. Paul offers a different image--the Body of Christ—in which every member, each with his or her own gifts, is precious. In fact, the parts of the body that may seem merely ordinary may be the parts most needed. Not all are apostles! But those who put their more “ordinary” gifts at the service of God’s people are essential to the health of the Body.
PRAY: Lord, help me to know my gifts, and how I may put these at the service of your people.
ACT: Try to name the gifts that God has given you—whether “great” or “small” and consider how you might put them at the service of God’s people.
