Paul is for me the best example of a man whose psychology caught up with his ontology when he wrote, “For me, life is Christ and death is gain” (Phil 1:21). Gain! In other words, so long as we live, we will do so for the glory of God and the good of our neighbor. But death need not frighten us. It has no power over us. What’s up ahead is infinitely greater than all that is behind.

“You are Christ’s body,” Paul says. This is not an image. It’s a reality. In baptism we personally became members of Jesus’ body. His body has many parts, and so we are united not only to Him but to each other through our unity with Him. It cannot be otherwise. When we receive the Eucharist too, we are united not only to Him but to each other. This is unlike anything the world can conceive or do.

The truth is that our communities need us all to contribute; everyone needs to step up. As my Archbishop, Allen Vigneron of Detroit puts it, “There are no bystanders in the Church” — and no consumers.

Trust is something that, if we’re honest, we all desperately need. Not trust that God will answer our prayers the way we think best. Trust that He is good, faithful, and knows what He’s doing, especially when we don’t know what He’s doing.