The Jeff Cavins Show (Your Catholic Bible Study Podcast) - He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother

Episode Date: November 15, 2024

We are all brothers and sisters in the family of the Church. We are one. Jeff Cavins encourages us that even in a political climate that attempts to divide us, we need to maintain this unity in each other. Jesus is the only one who is able to heal our world, so let us remain in His love together. Snippet from the Show The number one thing for us as Christians is not that we all politically agree, but that we maintain the unity of the Spirit in the Body of Christ. Email us with comments or questions at [e-mail]. Text “jeffcavins” to 33-777 to subscribe and get Jeff’s shownotes delivered straight to your email! Or visit https://media.ascensionpress.com/?s=&page=2&category%5B0%5D=Ascension%20Podcasts&category%5B1%5D=The%20Jeff%20Cavins%20Show for full shownotes!

Welcome to the Jeff Kaven show, where we talk about the Bible, discipleship, and evangelization, putting it all together and living as activated disciples. This is show 403. He ain't heavy. He's my brother. Welcome to the show again this week, my friend. Wow, what a week we just came off of with the election and all the changes going on in the country and people are up and people are down. And even within the church, you talk to people and some people are very excited about the results of the election and others are really discouraged about it. And I imagine it comes from, you know, the news they've been watching.

It comes from their worldview for the formation of their conscience, all of their background. but I know one thing for sure in the church we are one and I want to talk to you about that this week I want to talk about the union we have with one another as the body of Christ and just how special it is and really kind of throw out a call today to remind you that the number one thing for us as Christians is not that we all politically agree but that we maintain the unity of the spirit in the body of Christ And so that's what I'm going to emphasize today. And maybe this is the kind of show that you might want to share with somebody else who feels down, really discouraged because of the results of the election.

Maybe it was a local election statewide or, of course, the general election. So, and we have to remember to pray for our leaders. And we talked about that last week, in fact, to pray for our leaders. So if I've got a lot of scripture for you today, and we'll try to get through as much as we can. But I am going to put all of the citations in the show notes for you and some of the quotes. So you don't have to worry about that, especially if you're driving, you're jogging, or getting breakfast ready for the family.

And I get a lot of response from people telling me that they listen in the morning while the kids are getting ready for school. Hello, kids. And it kind of prepares for the day. so a big shout out to all the kids that are listening as well you know when we talk about the body of christ we're not talking about just a theological idea we're talking about a reality and that is that those who have been baptized are members of the household of god making us brothers and sisters in the truest way and what binds us together is the eucharist and the blood of jesus and his kingdom his lordship. And we have to remember that, especially when we have so many social differences

among us. Hey, by the way, let me, before I share any more with you, if you do want the notes for the show, you just have to write my name in, Jeff Kaven's one word, and text it to the number 33777. And we'll get you the show notes. I think I forgot that at the top of the show. Okay, so when we talk about the church, we're talking about the beauty of the church, the church. is a beautiful, beautiful family that's like any other family. And it has problems, right? And it has strengths and weaknesses. But Christ is the head. The Holy Spirit's been given to us. And our destiny, our pilgrimage is finally going to be the house of our father in heaven. So it's a very beautiful church. It's also a very, very powerful church. You know, I'm not going to give it to you right now.

but if you look up T.S. Eliot, he has a poem called the hippopotamus, which is about the church and how powerful it really is. It's big and slow, but it's powerful. And it's also holy. The church is holy. And that is that we are set apart. We are different and distinct in the world. And that is something really to remember that political issues should not divide us, but what should bring us together is what we have in common and that which makes us distinct and unusual in our relationship with one another. And Paul tells us that the world can judge whether the father sent his son to this earth by our love for each other. So our love for each other is a witness.

You know, I've gone to Rome many times and many times with EWTN when I was doing coverage on the Pope in Rome. I've been there on pilgrimage many times. Of course, World Youth Day, I covered that. And if you've ever stood in the middle of St. Peter's Square in Rome, it's amazing what you hear. You can stand there still for five minutes and listen to the languages that walk by. It's languages from all over the world. And I have actually stood there thinking just that and listened consciously to all of the languages. And I didn't hear any English for quite a while. It was just languages from all over the world. And it really, it made me feel two ways. One, small, because I was the English guy. But it also made me feel like big. And part of something really, really big and powerful and beautiful and

holy and that is the church and Paul spent a lot of time talking about this you know when he spoke to the Corinthians in chapter 12 he really really nails this down let me share a little bit of it with you here and I will put it in the notes for you as well he said is Christ divided was Paul crucified for you or were you baptized in the name of Paul I am thankful that I baptized none of you except Christmas and Gaius, lest anyone should say that you were baptized in my name. I did baptize also the household of Stephanus. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else. And then he goes on, he says, for Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel and not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the

cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved. It is the power of God, for it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God the world did not know God through wisdom, it please God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness. of God is stronger than men for consider your call brethren and this is the part i want you to hear here after all of that he says for consider your call brethren not many of you were wise according to worldly standards not many were powerful not many were of noble birth you see paul directs his message to the Corinthians, and he's reminding them that this amazing family, this church, is made up of people who weren't wise, necessarily wise. That doesn't mean there isn't wise people in the church, but they weren't wise according to worldly standards. And not many were powerful. Not many were of noble birth, the beginning of the church there. And so we have to

remember that, that, you know, the church is filled with all kinds of people. but we didn't have a whole lot to brag about before Jesus got a hold of us. Now, we as the people of God are one. We are the body of Christ. And that's something that we have to remember is that Jesus sees us as his body and he gives us instructions as his body and he expects us to carry out his mission as his body. And with all that's going on in the world today, I think we need to remember. that we are one. Continuing on with the thought of Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verses 27 through

31, I'll put it in the show notes for you. He says, now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, then healers, helpers, administrators, speakers in various kinds of tongues. And then he says, are all apostles? And that's a rhetorical question. Are all apostles? Well, no. Are all prophets? No. Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But then he says, but earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you still a more excellent way. And then he leads you right into 1 Corinthians 13, which we affectionately call the love chapter. You have probably heard this

in weddings, for example, or the renewal of marriage vows, where people will use these words to express their love for one another. And it's not an accident that 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and chapter 14 are talking about the unity of the body of Christ and the various gifts that work together as one, even though we're different, we're one, and we have to move forward as one. And right in the middle of those two chapters which talk about the church is chapter 13, which I really believe is the heart of who we are as a people. We love and we are known for this. As Paul said, you know, that they will know us, you know, by our love for one.

Another, Jesus said, but he also gave permission to the world to determine whether the Father sent the sun based on our love for each other. So this is a time, especially in political arena, this is the time for us to remain one and to love each other. And political differences must always be underneath love. Listen to what he said in chapter 13. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love, I'm a noisy gone or a clanging symbol. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love I am nothing. If I give away all I have and if I deliver my body to be burned but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient. He goes now,

now he's going to start describing this. Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful. It is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice that wrong but rejoices in the light. And then he says this so beautifully. He says love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away. As for tongues, they will cease. As for knowledge, it will pass away. For our knowledge is imperfect, and our prophecy is imperfect. But when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away. And then he says, when I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish

ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So, faith, hope, and love abide, Paul says, these three, the greatest of these is love. That's the greatest. Now, you know, I think about this election that we just got out of, but I think about the way we treat one another, you could put in there where Paul talks about in 1st Corinthians 13 when he says, if I speak in the tongues of men and angels but have not love, I am a noisy gong. You could easily put in there if I have all of the people that I voted for in

office now, but do not have love, that's nothing. If I fight for justice in the streets and and I make sure that I give to this campaign or that campaign, but I do not have love, well then you have nothing. And so love even guides us all throughout the election. and the results afterwards. Very, very important. You know, I want to talk to you about this in a moment, but I want to take a break. But when I come back, I want to talk to you about the Old Testament and some of the documents of the early church that spoke about this being one with one another and how the people of God have historically always been known as a people, as a family, as a nation. You're listening to the Jeff Kaven's show. Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and I would like to invite you to spend Advent

with me on the Ascension app. Sometimes Advent is just that season where we kind of pre-celebrate Christmas. Imagine if I were to die on December 25th, how would I spend that season? How would I spend that season of Advent in a way that would prepare me to actually be ready to see the Lord face to face? So this Advent, we're having a series called Face to Face. That'll be a collection of Sunday homilies, as well as daily reflections on the Ascension app that every day you could spend time reflecting on how can you and I grow in love each day of Advent so that we can be ready on December 25th to see the Lord face to face. If you're interested in joining me and interested in joining the wait list, go to the Ascension app or you could go to ascensionpress.com

slash Father Mike Advent. Join us on the Ascension app today. God bless. Well, thank you for coming back, we are looking here at what it means to be the body of Christ. Paul spent a lot of time talking about this, and he was very concerned that we would walk in love and that we would maintain the unity of the Holy Spirit in our midst. This is a priority. You know that in the Old Testament, this isn't a New Testament thing alone. In the Old Testament, the people of God, Israel, were known as one. They were one people, one family, one nation, and that's part of their identity,

is that they are one. And you know where it comes from? It comes from the Trinity. The one verse in the Old Testament that is really considered to be the verse in Judaism is Deuteronomy, 6-4. It's called the Shmah, S-H-E-M-A. Shima, Israel, Adonai Elohainu, Adunai Echad.

Here, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Now, you know that God, the Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Spirit, the Trinity, three persons, and we have Father, Son, Holy Spirit, but they are one, one God. Isn't that beautiful? And so it stands to reason that His kingdom, his church, his body, would all walk that way. We are one. We are many people, but we are one. We are one body. And that's, as I said earlier, that's not just like theoretical. That's, that is absolute. So, and another thing that's interesting, you know, in the Jewish background, and I have to say that when we lose sight of our

Jewish roots, we, we miss out on so many beautiful things and understanding a worldview, the worldview of Jesus and what he teaches about it. But this, this, this idea of being one is very deeply rooted in the community of God in the Old Testament. In fact, in Jewish prayer, they encourage the people in their prayers to always be addressing themselves in the plural, we, we, not the singular I, we. And we, we tend to do that in Catholicism too. You know, in the math, we talk about we, but we also do mention I, but we do pray as we, our father, who aren't in heaven. So prayer expresses the cry of the whole community. And that's a beautiful thing.

Let me give you just a few things from the New Testament here that really build up this idea of being one, and especially in a time like this. In the New Testament, the New Testament teaches that when one comes to saving, faith. One is incorporated into Christ so as to eat his flesh to become one with him. And we are called one body in 1st Corinthians 12. One body and Christian's actions within the fellowship are not solely a private matter. When one member suffers, for example, the whole body suffers. They suffer grief. And when one rejoices, all rejoice in the joy. And so it's the whole spectrum from suffering to joy. It affects all of us. And Pope John Paul II, he talks about how sin is never isolated

in the individual, and that's where it stops. That even sin, he says, even the most private of sins affects the rest of the body because we are one. We are the body of Christ. You know, in First Clement, Clement wrote in First Clement 38, one and two, he talked about the duties of mutual help, mutual love, and he said, let therefore our whole body be saved in Christ Jesus and let each be subject to his neighbor according to the gift which he hath received. And then he goes on and says, let not the strong man despise the weak, and let the weak pay regard to the strong. Let him that is rich minister to him that is poor. Let him that is poor, praise God that he hath given unto him, one by whom his want may be supplied. Isn't that beautiful?

Let the wise show his wisdom, not in words, but in good deeds. Let him that is humble, not bear witness to himself, but leave another to bear witness. to him, let him that is pure in the flesh boast not of it, knowing that it is another that giveth him the power of continents. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Here's from Ignatius to the Ephesians. He exhorts them to get together regularly, you know, in Paul's letter to the Ephesians. But in Ignatius to the Ephesians, he writes, you are imitators of God. And it was God. blood that stirred you up once more to do the sort of thing you do naturally and has now done to perfection. Let not then anyone deceive you as indeed you are not deceived in as much

as you are wholly devoted to God. For since there is no strife raging among you, which might distress you, you are certainly living in accordance with God's will. So even these early church fathers were encouraging the church to walk as one. And the poor have the wealthy in their heart and mind. And likewise, it's the other way around. Hebrews 1025, I'll put that in the show notes for you as well. All this is good and it's for your encouragement. Paul or whoever wrote Hebrews, some people think it was Apollos, the writer of Hebrews says,

don't neglect meeting together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near. So the writer of Hebrews is encouraging the Christians, don't neglect getting together, because getting together is very important for us as we worship together. We hear God's word together. We are exhorted together. And we heal. We can pray for each other and experience that healing. Now, second Peter 1.20, first of all, you must understand this. This is Peter. He says that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man. But men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. That's beautiful. I love it. I love it. Now, I want to end with this as far as

scripture goes, okay? It's Ephesians 4. And I kind of hinted along the way here today about this. He talks about with all lowliness and meekness with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Now, when he says that, when he talks about maintaining the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. He's not saying you have to create unity. There is unity in the body of Christ by means of the Holy Spirit, the unity of the spirit. It's here.

It's with us. We have to maintain it. We don't create it. You can't create it as a created being. But that unity is here by means of the Holy Spirit. So our job is we must maintain it. Well, how do we do that? Well, we do that by walking in the spirit and the fruit of the spirit.

And we walk in such a way that we prefer others before ourselves. That's humility. That's what we do. Can you imagine if the body of Christ walked that way right after the election? The elections should not separate us. I hear on the news some of the most horrific stories of people not only leaving their families over this issue, but encouraging other people not to be with family members if they voted a certain way. That's not God. No matter how you look at it, that is not.

It just isn't. Now, years ago, there was a song, I want to end with this. There was a song by the Hollies. and the name of the song was he ain't heavy, he's my brother. And it really became quite an anthem at the time. And I know that a lot of people were singing it's a very popular song.

Let me share the words here with you because I think it's apropos. It really is appropriate for what we are talking about here today in our relationship with one another, preferring one another and encouraging one another, loving one another,

being kind and gentle. The lyrics go like this. The road is long with many a winding turn that leads us to who knows where, who knows where. But I'm strong, strong enough to carry him. He ain't heavy. He's my brother. So on we go. His welfare is of my concern.

No burden is he to bear. We'll get there. For I know he would not encumber me. He ain't heavy. he's my brother. If I'm laden at all, I'm laden with sadness that everyone's heart isn't filled with the gladness of love for one another. It's a long, long road from which there is no return. While we're on the road to there, why not share? And the load doesn't weigh me down at all. He ain't heavy. He's my brother. So the idea there is,

that when it comes to bearing the burdens of others and carrying people when they're weak, you're not heavy. You're my brother. And by being my brother, it makes the load lighter. There's a purpose in this as we love one another. Well, just some words of encouragement this week for you. I hope that it's of encouragement. I know from some of the correspondence that I have received that a lot of people are going

through a tough time right now over division and let's just pray together that there'll be unity in the body of Christ and I mean that not only among Catholics but evangelicals and non-denominational Christians and Pentecostal and covenant everybody. Can we pray? Let's pray about that right now. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, we thank you today for giving us this unity, that means of the Holy Spirit, binding us together in love, bringing us together in the Eucharist. We are one body. There's one bread, one Lord. And Lord, I pray that you will help us to remember this and draw us together. Help us, Lord, to come together, in some cases, come back together and heal the wounds that politics brings. And may we find our true answer. And what we're fighting

for we'll find it in you and that you will be the first thing that we share with people because you are the only one who can heal this world we pray this in jesus name amen name of the father and the son and the holy spirit amen