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... we, many though we are, are one body ...

The feast of Corpus Christi gives us cause to remember not only the wideness of God's family but also the truth of the importance of every member of that family.



If you were to compose a list of the top ten poets or the top ten writers of all time there's one person heading both lists. That person is responsible for warming billions of hearts and getting billions to lift their voices to the heavens above. All of you here have sung that person's songs, you've read some of that person's poetry. That same person has authored stories that I've told and read as well as stories you've told and read. I'm talking about the woman or man known as Anonymous.

Every hymnbook will list at least 25 hymns to the credit of that unknown person, likewise for every book of poetry, likewise for every book of stories. Listen to some of the entries credited to that wonderful individual. There's the Old English narrative poem Beowulf. There's the often-read play Everyman. There are those beloved Christmas carols, "Adeste Fidelis," "The Twelve Days Of Christmas," and "Jolly Old St. Nicholas." Michael Flatley is dancing up a storm these days with a song called "Lord Of The Dance." That song is really titled "Simple Gifts" and the author is Anonymous. We've all sung "The Strife Is O'er, The Battle Done." We've said the "Hail Mary" many times. I could go on and on until tomorrow with songs and prayers and poems and stories, all of which came from a writer whose name is unknown and who has long since been forgotten.

Consider, as well, some of the greatest inventions of all time. There are things that have greatly benefited humankind and we have no idea who was ultimately responsible for their discovery. There are a lot of gods and goddesses, for example, associated with the gift of fire, but as far as human beings are concerned there's no one to whom we can credit the idea of rubbing two sticks together to make a flame. Or how about the wheel or the lever or how about silk or wool? There's no name associated with their discovery except the person called Anonymous.

Or take what I have tabbed as the greatest discovery of this century: cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the art of compressions to the chest and mouth-to-mouth breathing. There's probably a surgeon associated with its predecessor, the open heart massage, but there's no individual, to my knowledge, whom we can cite as the one who practically converted that grisly surgical intervention into something which ordinary people could do. The world of invention and discovery is filled with all kinds of gadgets, procedures, and products of nature which have come our way via the one known as Anonymous.

Consider the New Testament. How many of those who served greatly the cause of Christ were without name? There was the man, for instance, in our Gospel today who was carrying the water jar and who told of the man who provided the room where the Last Supper was held. We do not have their names but they were a vital part of one of the greatest days in the life of Christ and ultimately our lives as well. Or how about the town clerk in Ephesus who saved the life of Saint Paul by a flash of common sense amidst confusion? We know his position, but not his name. Literally thousands of figures, not just in the New Testament but in the Old Testament, as well, factored greatly and critically in Salvation History. They are individuals known as Anonymous.

Then you have those who have left their mark on life but not as dramatically or as notably as those I've just mentioned. I'm reminded of the scene that took place at the burial of the poet Longfellow. A notable company gathered at the funeral, among them Ralph Waldo Emerson who had come up from Concord. He, too, was up in age. He stood for a long, long time staring down at the quiet, dead face of Longfellow but he said nothing. At last he turned sadly away and, as he did so, he remarked to those who stood reverently by: "The gentleman we're burying today was a sweet and beautiful soul, but I'm afraid I've already forgotten his name." Now Longfellow was lucky because, although Emerson forgot his name, others didn't and Longfellow ranks among the greatest in literature. But down through the years I'm sure there have been many extremely talented people who might have been equal to or a greater than a Longfellow but, unfortunately for them, everyone has forgotten their names and they left no traces of their work for us to remember them. So they, too, rank amongst the anonymous but perhaps not as notably as far as history is concerned.

Besides all the writers and poets and inventors and discoverers and figures of scripture who share the moniker Anonymous and who have made their mark directly on life, there are those anonymous individuals who left their mark indirectly on life. I'm referring here to those who helped shape and mold the known greats of history. I'm referring to those who were a major influence in the life of someone who will forever be remembered because of what he or she achieved or accomplished.

There's a legend concerning a king who decided to set aside a special day to honor his greatest subject. When the big day arrived, there was a large gathering in the palace courtyard. Four finalists were brought forward; from these four the king would select the winner. The first person presented was a wealthy philanthropist. The king was told that this man was highly deserving of the honor because of his humanitarian efforts. He had given much of his wealth to the poor. The second person was a celebrated physician. The king was told that this doctor was highly deserving of the honor because he had rendered faithful and dedicated service to the sick for many years. The third person was a distinguished judge. The king was told the judge was worthy because he was noted for his wisdom, his fairness, and his brilliant decisions. The fourth person presented was an elderly woman. Everyone was quite surprised to see her there because her manner was quite humble, as was her dress. She hardly looked the part of someone who would be honored as the greatest subject in the kingdom. Everyone thought: "What chance could she possibly have when compared to the other three who had accomplished so much?" Even so, there was something about her, the look of love in her face, the understanding in her eyes, her quiet confidence. The king was intrigued, to say the least, and somewhat puzzled by her presence. He asked who she was. And the answer came: "You see the philanthropist, the doctor, and the judge. Well, she was their teacher."

Now, if you were to comb through the history of the movers and shakers from the past as well as the present, if you were to peruse the life stories of the very famous poets, inventors, and even famous figures of Sacred Scripture, you won't read who their teachers were, you may not even read who their parents were, and I'll bet that all and any who greatly influenced their work won't be mentioned either. But you can bet that the person, whose name will go into the history books or the Scriptures, wouldn't have amounted to anything without them.

Anonymous individuals have not only been responsible for great things and inspiring things on their own part; they've also been responsible for great things and inspiring things on the part of someone other than themselves. Those known individuals who will be or have been recorded in history because of their accomplishments owe a huge debt of gratitude to people who may have been known to them, but who will remain eternally anonymous to us.

And then, of course, there are all those people who may not have directly influenced someone great and famous but who instead did all the spade work necessary for greatness and notoriety to be achieved. Because he signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln will always be acknowledged as freeing the slaves. But, if truth were told, many anonymous people put their lives on the line to call attention to the evil of slavery. Many people were humiliated, harassed, and silenced because they dared attack an institution that provided a considerable profit for many an influential person. Many a slave was killed because he/she dared to protest his or her indentured status. They've long been forgotten, they'll forever remain anonymous, but without their sacrifice Abraham Lincoln would never have been able to sign the Emancipation Proclamation.

You can say the same thing for Martin Luther King, Jr., who spearheaded the Civil Rights Movement of the '60s. He's looked upon as a hero but, without those anonymous crowds of people who marched on Washington, without those anonymous individuals who risked their lives and gave their lives to register black voters in the South, I doubt if he would have accomplished what he ultimately did accomplish. If not for the Anonymous, Martin Luther King, Jr., may not have made our history books.

I've been touting for the past several minutes the accomplishments and the influence and the importance of those we call Anonymous because we're celebrating in essence their feast day. The Body of Christ encompasses all the people in this world and it encompasses the many generations of people who preceded them. Some of them are famous, some of them are saints, some of them will be recalled and known until the end of time, but the vast majority are anonymous and that includes you and me.

This feast of Corpus Christi, the celebration of the Body of Christ, lets us know that the Anonymous are as important as the famous. Those who are forgotten are as cherished as those who are remembered. In the eyes of God we are equally loved. We are all members of God's family; as such, every hair on our head has been counted. God knows us each by name whether we're famous or whether we're anonymous. So the anonymous are important not just for what they have contributed to the world, not just for the great and famous people they've inspired, not just for the spade work they've done to further important causes, they're important because they happen to be the major stockholders in the club called the Body of Christ.

Four travelers were recently at a conference at Chicago. They stayed talking too long and were late in arriving at the local train station. Grabbing their bags from the taxi, they ran to the platform. One of them in his haste knocked over a table in which a local boy had some apples for sale. Being late, not wanting to miss the train, they ran on, cleared the gate, and arrived at the train before the doors closed. As they were about to board the waiting train, one of them stopped and, instead of getting on the train, decided to go back and see if the little kid whose table they knocked over was all right. When he got there, he discovered that the boy was nine years old and blind. Some of the apples he had been selling were damaged. He helped the boy as best he could and then said to him: "Here's ten dollars to cover the cost of whatever is damaged." As he walked away the boy called out after him: "Hey, mister, are you Jesus?"

Now, the boy didn't know the man, the man didn't know the boy, and chances are good that they'd never see each other again and would probably soon forget that the incident ever took place. But the question the boy posed could have been posed as well by the man and the answer would have been "Yes" on both counts because, you see, Jesus chose anonymity as the vehicle by which he would enter life again. He said he would come blind and poor and as the least of one's brothers and sisters and he would come as well as a stranger helping out a person in need. That incident at the Chicago train station -- two anonymous individuals in an interchange of love and help -- that's vintage Jesus working as he always does under the guise of anonymity.

So, my friends, the Anonymous are not only the backbone of what goes on and has gone on in life. The Anonymous are not just the stockholders in the Body of Christ. They are the incarnation of Jesus himself.

So don't fret if someone forgets your name. Don't fret that you never get the credit you deserve. Don't fret that no one really knows who you are. You're in great company. You're a vehicle for Jesus and you might even be the one responsible for the emergence of some man or woman who will some day become famous. On this Corpus Christi day, give thanks for all the anonymous people who make up the Body of Christ. Give thanks to the anonymous people who've been a big part of your life. Give thanks as well that, even though we won't make the history books, even though we'll forever be anonymous to the world, we are never anonymous when it comes to God. He knows us each by name.