God never gives less than himself.
—St. Augustine

The daily readings for Mass a couple days ago really moved me. They were about how the Church is one body, how Christ is one body, and the least among us are actually the greatest.

It was the twelfth chapter of 1 Corinthians. A few verses in particular bounced at me, so I took to my journal and reflected. Here are the verses: (NAB)

20 But as it is, God placed the parts, each one of them, in the body as he intended. … 22 Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary … 26-27 If (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.

The weakest are indispensable. So why aren’t you, a Christian, standing up for them? The young (Jesus did say children are the greatest in His kingdom!) and the handicapped, the unborn and the homeless, the suffering and the blind, why do you let them be trampled by followers of darkness if they are a part of you?

In your silence, you’re hurting yourself. Through the weak we become strong; each soul you abandon is a stab to your own heart, for we are one. Every time you choose to ignore the homeless person, you’re starving yourself; when you fail to console the elderly woman, you’re isolating yourself. It all comes around because we are one.

Why aren’t you doing anything? Go feed a homeless man. Go play with a lonely child. Speak comfort to an abused woman, tell her she is capable of protecting her baby. Be an angel at an abortion clinic–tell the scared teenager there’s a better way. If you’ve got to be selfish, which we humans naturally are, hold onto something you can’t replace.

There’s only one way to feel whole! Everyone is so sad nowadays because we are losing ourselves and falling apart. In order to find real happiness, we must give–we must care. God will tell you what to say! Be His eyes, arms, and voice. You need only ask Him what to do–there’ll be an answer.

The secret to happiness is this: Give nothing less than yourself. Save other people and you’ll become whole. It will take a while, but it’ll happen, because when you help others you also help yourself.

We are one body.

God says: I have willed that one should need another and that all should be my ministers in distributing the graces and gifts they have received from me.
—St. Catherine of Siena