1 Corinthians 3: 10-23 (links validated 1/24/23)

When young St. Francis knelt before the life-sized crucifix in the little tumble-down chapel of St. Damien in Assisi, he heard God’s voice: “Renew my church.” Francis was not sure what that summons meant. Taking it literally, he set about restoring the badly decayed chapel itself. But as others began to join him in the work, forming a community focused on Christ, and as they together began to reach out to the poor and hungry, Francis began to understand that something far more costly was being asked of him. The renewal of the chapel building was only a symbol of what was supposed to be going on in them and around them. God’s call was for the renewal of the interior life of the people, and through that renewal the reaching out to heal the world. That is our summons today as well...

Scroll down the page for these resources.

("The Doonesbury cartoon is so serious that it often appears on the editorial pages of our newspapers. In one cartoon, Mike, the central character, was looking for a church, so he interviewed the pastor of the Little Church at Walden. He asked, 'How did you get your church started?' The pastor replied, 'I took a survey in the community, and they all wanted aerobics, so we started an aerobics class...")

My colleague David Stammerjohn wrote this week about the building of cathedrals in Europe. In a building project that takes several generations, he writes, building upon the solid foundation with the right materials takes on a special meaning. A master craftsman had to be sure to communicate the plan across generations and each craftsman bore a personal responsibility to get it done right. And then he makes a metaphorical leap similar to St. Paul’s: Perhaps we need to look at the church that way. Each one of us is building upon a foundation of Christ. We must use the right material, lives of faithful witness. Jesus gives very stern warnings to anyone who would cause someone else to fall away. Are we raising up the example of a life lives in faith that others can build upon?...