Weekly Inspiration: Redemptive Beauty in the Body of Christ
by Elizabeth Rzepka | Oct 31, 2025
In 2018, I moved from one state to another after a heartbreaking loss. My first Sunday in my new home, I attended Mass in the local cathedral. As I sat alone in this unfamiliar place, emotionally numb, something powerful pierced through my deadened heart: music. I was captivated by the beauty of the cathedral chorale.
Soon after, I joined the choir, and we began to rehearse Duruflé’s Requiem and I hated it. I didn’t like how it sounded, how hard it was, or singing second soprano for the first time. I seriously doubted if I could sufficiently learn the challenging music. But oh-so-slowly, as the fifty-voice chorus learned their intricate, interweaving parts during long hours of effort, I began to love the music we were creating. I’ll never forget the evening we packed too many musicians into the cathedral loft and brought this piece to life with our voices. It was ethereal. Attendees said it was like glimpsing heaven.
It struck me so deeply that this was completely impossible for one to accomplish on their own. At times the music breaks into seven parts, so it isn’t even possible with a small choir. You need a large choir that is also willing to work hard to accomplish something together. No matter how much I may desire to recreate that beauty, it is impossible without others.
This is such a helpful analogy for us as members of the Body of Christ! We need each other. We cannot do it alone, and our effort matters. We are members of one body in Christ and like a choir, we are the most beautiful, inviting, and effective when we each do our part with excellence contributing to the Church’s collective effort to reveal God’s love and mercy to those in darkness. However, we are at our worst when we don’t learn our part and boldly sing wrong and discordant notes that mar our witness, sow disunity, and confuse and weaken our proclamation of the Gospel.
The world needs the Body of Christ to pull it back from its death-bound trajectory! In that pursuit, we each have a responsibility to build up the body by forming our hearts and minds in truth (even when it is hard!) and generously offering our unique, God-given gifts for the good of all. We each have a responsibility to repent of sin and restore beauty to the body when it has been lost. Because together as members of the Church, we are the “bearer of divine life” and Christ’s “instrument for the salvation of all” (CCC 770, 776).
Elizabeth Rzepka is Renewal Ministries’ Media Director. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Michigan State University, her Master's Degree in Theology from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, and completed the Intensive Program in Philosophy at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. She ran a small business for five years before transitioning to full-time ministry. Prior to coming to Renewal Ministries, she worked in parish, diocesan, and lay-led ministry in a variety of capacities, including youth ministry, catechesis, RCIA, pilgrimages, and national events and conferences.
rmartin@renewalministries.net
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Hello Elizabeth,
I presume you are the lady who was filling in for Rachel Herbeck during her absence. It’s been a couple of weeks since your outstanding, inspiring and moving episodes. It’s so ironical when you say that you are not gifted with speaking. 😉 I normally just listen to the episodes on Spotify, but I was so moved by your preaching and felt like I would be committing a sin of omission by not dropping a note. I mean, it’s been a few weeks now, but I’m still digesting many of the things you said.
Your approach is quite unique and really stands out. It was a fantastic one week. I learned a lot. For instance about something called the Knox translation. It’s true that repetition could be boring (I know you phrased it more diplomatically), and the idea of switching between different translation is really refreshing. I’ve been trying it out and I’m liking it. 🙂
You touched Romans 12 in a way that I have never really imagined. Offering our bodies as a living sacrifice is something I have never really really delved into. Your analogy to the Old Testament way of offering sacrifices made me realise how great an opportunity we have been given to offer a sacrifice with our bodies but still live. WOW!
That we all have different gifts is nothing new. But I never reflected on this in the context of jealousy. You equally touched on this topic in a way that makes it much easier to deal with jealousy by rather acknowledging the fact that we all have been blessed – but in just different ways.
I can go on and on….You have been such a blessing! Your calmness and approach of reading and interpreting Scripture is so unique, inspiring and just what some of us need.
There should be no doubt that you deserve your own programme! For sure, you are doing a great job behind the scenes, but you have also proven that you could be even more useful in teaching. Your above article also reflects this.
I sincerely beg you to continue what you have started. We really need to hear more from you.
God bless you abundantly.
Greetings from Germany.