I’ve been sick the past couple of days. I woke up on Thursday with an aching throat and head. I struggled for most of the weekend to keep up with my homework and focus on the things I needed to get done. My energy level was so low, though, that I didn’t get much accomplished, even though I really wanted to. I knew that I should let my body heal, but I also knew that with so many assignments and midterms coming up, I couldn’t afford to waste any time.
As I’ve reflected on the past couple days, I tried to think how I could parallel this with the Gospel in such a way to be able to find something inspiring from it. I remembered a scripture in Corinthians that I would like to share:
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
For the body is not one member, but many.
If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?
If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
…
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
1 Corinthians 12:12-18, 27
I have come to know very well the effect of a single body part being out of its homeostasis. Our bodies are so intricately designed, one part of the body has an effect on nearly every other part. So it is with our lives and the Church. A single member being “ill” has an effect on many others with whom that individual associates. When we are sick, we are more careful of our bodies. We sleep when needed, cough, sneeze, take medicine, drink soup, anything that will speed our healing process. We try to isolate the problem and treat it. Why then, do we not seek to care for those members of our Spiritual Body (the Church) who are in need of nurturing? Should we not treat them with the same tenderness? Should we not invite them to be healed through the atoning love of our Savior Jesus Christ?