"Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but only God, who causes the growth.
He who plants and he who waters are one,
and each will receive wages in proportion to his labor.
For we are God’s co-workers;
you are God’s field, God’s building." -1 Cor. 3:7-9
09/03/2014 Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church
Paul is telling the members of the church at Corinth not to dedicate themselves to him or any other teacher for that matter. He knows that he is just a messenger, an instrument that God uses to proclaim the good news, and that he will pass away and hand that duty down to someone else. It's interesting that this reading falls on the Memorial of a Pope and Doctor of the Church. For even the Pope is just a temporal leader of Christ's church. He too will pass on and hand the reins over (and on extremely rare occasion hand over the reins while he is still with us).
Not only does this message apply for the Pope, but for the people of the church. There are many times we will see a parish change pastors and people will choose up sides. There are also times when a group of people will grow attached to a building and stage vigils in churches that are meant to be shut down. But no matter how attached you may be to your church building, your pastor or even the Pope, they are nothing without the glory of God and the miracle of Christ resurrected.
This message could be taken as an admonition, but it also can be a beacon of hope to those in ministry. Surely there are days when a Pastor feels like he is not reaching the congregation. Even the Popes words fall on deaf ears. And if the Pope can't reach them, then what about people who act as catechists and facilitators at their parishes? This spring, my wife and I will return to teaching Theology of the Body for Teens to the confirmation classes at our church. There is no crowd that could be any more enthusiastic, excited and engaged than a group of teenagers forced to sit in a room in a church basement and learn about Catholic teaching on God's plan for human sexuality. But we have said many times that it's not the reaction and response we get in the room during class time that makes us want to do this. It's knowing that maybe one of these kids, someday maybe not even until they're in college, will find themselves in a situation where they are questioning what to do and they will remember what they learned and realize that it's okay to strive toward chastity. It may not be until they are married and one of them makes a better husband or wife because they maintain a pure vision of their spouse. Essentially, we are planting the seeds.
We can plant and we can water, but it's up to God to make it all grow. It relieves the anxiousness a bit when we realize that our job is just to do the best we can. We can witness to our story in our Coming Home to Catholicism group and we can share the beauty of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body with the kids, but that's all we can do. Then God does the rest.
God bless,
P.D.O.
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