Conclave

by Robert Harris

Paul tells the Ephesians—who were, let us remember, a mixture of Gentiles and Jews—that God’s gift to the Church is its variety: some are created by Him to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and others teachers, who ‘together make a unity in the work of service, building up the body of Christ.’ They make a unity in the work of service. These are different people—one may suppose strong people, with forceful personalities, unafraid of persecution—serving the Church in their different ways: it is the work of service that brings them together and makes the Church. God could, after all, have created a single archetype to serve Him. Instead, He created what a naturalist might call a whole ecosystem of mystics and dreamers and practical builders—managers, even—with different strengths and impulses, and from these He fashioned the body of Christ.”