We all have a role to play in the life of the Church. Just because what we do maybe unseen, it doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.
Readings for Wednesday of week 21 of ordinary time can be found here.
According to official statistics, around 34 million people in Britain get up and go to work each day. That’s teachers, nurses, builders, cleaners, drivers, office workers, and countless others. Of course, we don’t know who most of them are, what they do or when they do it. But quietly and without fuss they each contribute to the functioning of society. Maybe sometimes they don’t feel like getting up for work, but nonetheless they get on and do it, and in some way we all benefit.
Paul reminds the Thessalonians of how, when he was with them, he worked to support himself, so that he wasn’t a burden on anyone. Now he encourages them to imitate his example. Each and every member of the Christian community has a role to play, some work to perform. Some of this work may be up the front, such as in teaching or leading worship. Some of it may be behind the scenes, in administering the church or encouraging others. Elsewhere in his letters, Paul reminds us that the church is the body of Christ, and like a human body the members – that is us – are all different, and have different roles, but must work together for the whole body to function.
In the Gospel, Jesus is once again criticising the Pharisees. They are all about the show, wanting to appear righteous, but inside they are full of hypocrisy. They are not getting on with the hard work of being faithful followers of God, which is often unglamorous work. Some of us may have retired from full-time work, but we still have an important role to play in the life of the church. We might sometimes feel that there is little we can usefully do. However, every unseen prayer, every encouraging smile, every time we come to Mass and meet with the Lord, we are contributing something vital to the advancement of God’s Kingdom. Let us never think that our effort does not matter, or that to count it needs to be dramatic or showy. Just like the countless millions who work away unseen for society to operate, our faithfulness to God and his church can make a difference we may never know about.
Mass today is in St Paul’s at 10am and in St Mary’s at 11am.
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