The body does not consist of one member but of many. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you.” —1 Corinthians 12.14, 21
I God has so ordered the symphony
that all the different notes are indispensable.
Your gift may be a note of the melody,
shouted out by the trumpets
or it may be the harmony from the third violins,
subtle but changing everything,
or the oboe quietly offering a countermelody.
Each is part of the song.
II God is about healing, not wounding,
creating, not destroying.
Life for the body is its members joined,
not severed, not judged bad and good.
The healing of the world is the mending of its tissues,
the weaving together of its peoples,
all of us.
III The energy of the Spirit is harmony,
the togethering of different members.
The energy of judging and dividing
is the energy of evil.
The Spirit's loving energy is more powerful
than fear and separation.
All the gifts you have been given
are for the sake of the healing of the world.
Even the smallest gifts are mighty.
IV Everything belongs.
Your prayers, your conversations,
your riding a bicycle or a subway,
all are part of the symphony.
Religions are like that.
The observance of Torah,
the path to enlightenment,
keeping kosher, the hajj, the rosary, the fast,
the praise song, the compassion meditation,
each is a different gift,
but no less a part of the body.
Belong, and be at peace.