Most Important part of the Body
My mother used to ask me, ‘What is the most important part of the body?’ Through the years, I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer. When I was young, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so one day I answered, ‘My ears, Mommy.’ She said, ‘No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it, and I will ask you again soon.’
Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had considered the correct answer. So this time I told her, ‘Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes.’ She looked at me and told me, ‘You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind.’
Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge. Over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times, and always her answer was, ‘No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child.’
Then last year, my grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. Even my father cried. I remember that especially because it was only the second time I saw him cry. My mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final goodbye to Grandpa. She asked me, ‘Do you know the most important body part yet, my dear?’ I was shocked when she asked me this now. I always thought this was a game between her and me. She saw the confusion on my face and told me, ‘This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in your life. For every body part you gave me in the past, I have told you, “you were wrong,” and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson.’ She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, ‘My dear, the most important body part is your shoulder.’
I asked, ‘Is it because it holds up my head?’ She replied, ‘No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. In life, everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it.’ There and then I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one. It is sympathetic to the pain of others.
Life sometimes becomes vicious. We practice pain, sickness, and suffering. We come across broken promises or physical disasters. We lose homes or jobs. And worst of all, we lose family members, friends, or fellow parishioners. Our society, which proclaims that we can solve our problems by ourselves and urges us to be strong, is not always the case. We need human support and a shoulder to lean on. And what will you do if that shoulder is not there?
We should not be discouraged! There is always hope. God is dependable through all of life’s difficulties. He is our ‘shoulder to lean on’ through all of our problems. God is always present in our lives. God provides security for us. Matthew told us that one of the names of Jesus is Immanuel. The name Immanuel means ‘God with us.’ We who trust Jesus have ‘God with us’ at all times. He is our ‘shoulder to lean on.’ When everything else in this world crashes in around us, God will hold us up. When nothing else makes sense in life, God will and does make sense.
I hear a lot: ‘Where was God when the tornado hit, or when the earthquake happened? Where was God when this or that massacre happened?’ Let me tell you: God stays there, where we left him in our life’s journey. God is where you left him last time you talked with him. The world says to us that if we want to solve our problems, then we should pull ourselves up by our own strength. The world tells us that we can find all the answers inside of us. The world often says don’t trust anyone, don’t rely on anyone, don’t put your hope in anyone. But God says something different to us. He wants us to rely on him when we are in need and to trust Him. God wants you to be strong, brave, powerful, and smart. And you can be that way with God’s presence, with Him on your side. God is dependable. Rest your head on His shoulder. Be recharged and move on.
God wishes for us to resemble Him, help each other up, and be the shoulder to lean on. That is why Jesus established the Church. He is among us through the Church, which is His visible Body on earth. God works through the Church. God works in various ways. God chooses to work through friends and family, through total strangers. When tragedy strikes, God can talk to us with the lips of babies, can touch us with the hands of the weakest man, and can visit us as a homeless person. You will never guess when angels visit you, like when the angels visited Abraham (Genesis 18:2). Just be open, be hospitable, trustful, patient, and never lose faith. God works in various ways. God works real-life miracles. He wants to use you for that. So be a miracle for others.
Fr. Zacharia
