But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore, it says: “He ascended on high and took prisoners captive; he gave gifts to men.” 9 What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended into the lower [regions] of the earth? 10 The one who descended is also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. 11 And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, 12 to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,13 until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. 15 Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.
Through the Ascension of Jesus (Acts 1:6-12) and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11), God’s gifts are given to every member of the Church through the merits of His Son, so Paul ascribes the gifts to Christ (v. 7: 1 Cor. 12:4-11). Paul speaks of a victorious Christ ascending to heaven taking prisoners captive, an allusion to Ps. 68:19. Christ gave gifts to his Church as opposed to asking his disciples to pay him tribute as a conqueror. Christ made a descent into the lower region, either the abode of the dead (Rom. 10:7) or the incarnation.
The apostles, prophets, and teachers represent the historical foundation of the Church (1 Cor. 12:28). Evangelists are those who preach the good news of salvation (Eph. 2:17), and Pastors (Presbyters) represent the leaders in the community who look after the community’s pastoral needs (1 Pet. 5:2-4). These charisms of service are given for the common good of the community and building up of the Church in unity of faith. Christians are to mature in faith so that they will not be easily led astray by false doctrine (1 Cor. 13:11). They must lead a Christian life of love and speak truth, and they will grow more like Christ. In this way, all of the parts of the body of Christ, the Church, will work together in unity
Almighty God, grant us the grace to hear your call and respond to it in accordance with your will. Help us to be patient with ourselves and others as we begin to see ourselves and others as you see us and grant us the fortitude to persevere as we try to be more like Christ. This we pray through the same 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.
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.
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