Service of God And The Many Functions In The Church (Rom. 12:1-8)

I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. 2 Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. 3 For by the grace given to me I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than one ought to think, but to think soberly, each according to the measure of faith that God has apportioned. 4 For as in one body we have many parts, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ and individually parts of one another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us exercise them: if prophecy, in proportion to the faith; 7 if ministry, in ministering; if one is a teacher, in teaching; 8 if one exhorts, in exhortation; if one contributes, in generosity; if one is over others, with diligence; if one does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. 

Paul advises the Christians in Rome about daily life.  He tells them to consecrate their bodies and souls to the service of God.  They must commit their whole being as a living, holy, and pleasing sacrifice to God.  They must not let sin reign over their bodies (Rom. 6:12-23) but be transformed by the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18) so that they can have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) to discern what is good and true and perfect.  The grace to consecrate their whole being to God has been given to them by the mercies of God.  True worship demands ongoing obedience and commitment to live in accordance with God’s will.  

Christians should not think too highly of themselves but use sober judgment.  They must be content with the functions assigned to them in the Church according to the gifts given to them by God through grace (1 Cor. 12:11).  They are in unity with Christ and are all members of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, with different functions, but need to work together as one for the welfare of all.  They should use the gratuitous gifts received from the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12-26) for the common good of the Christian community without envy or jealousy of the gifts of others (1 Cor. 12:27-30).  Paul lists seven gifts that are to be used for the benefit of the community, but the gifts must be used correctly in proportion to the measure of the faith assigned to them by God.  The gift of prophecy is prized (1 Cor. 14:1-5) but it must be used honestly and as prompted by the Spirit so that there is no abuse.

Almighty God, through the grace earned for us by the death and resurrection of your beloved Son, grant us a clear conscience so that we may serve our brothers and sisters with a pure heart.  This we pray through Christ our Lord.  Amen!

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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.

                Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.