Word to the Wise
Sunday, January 14, 2018 - 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time - B
[1 Sam 3:3b-10, 19; 1 Cor 6:13c-15a, 17-20; John 1:35-42]SUNDAY, JANUARY 14, 2018 SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME [1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19; 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20; John 1:35-42] Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body. [1 Cor.] (Samuel and the two disciples [John] made an appearance this past week or so, and what St. Paul has to say about the body is important. I want to reflect on it.) Every evening when I am able to watch the network news, I am amazed at the healthcare products that promise so much. I am also amazed that anyone would use them after listening to that low voice that comes on to warn about the possible side effects! I am also deeply saddened by the opioid epidemic and the almost-as-bad widespread use of other addictive drugs as well as addictive behavior like Internet pornography. There is so much around to degrade the one body the Lord has given us. But even people who do not engage in addictive behavior still hurt themselves by failing to watch their exercise and consumption habits. There is an expression, "My body is my own!" St. Paul disputes this by saying we are stewards of our bodies. Over the centuries, Christian tradition has promoted wise use of the body. It has also fought any philosophy or theology that taught that the body is a mere container of the soul and perhaps even the enemy of the soul. Temptation to harmful behavior can make us think our body "has a mind of its own," but harmful behavior is a choice we make. When Christ instituted the Eucharist, he said, "This is my body." The body is part of the whole person. The whole person needs spiritual, moral, emotional and physical care. Healthcare inserts in the newspaper will often tell us that thirty minutes of brisk exercise a week can help our bodies (and spirits) a lot. Thirty minutes of intentional prayer can do the same. St. Paul calls the body the "temple of the Spirit" (but not a mere container). Temples require loving and determined maintenance to be a place of worship. We owe it to God and ourselves to do that maintenance! AMEN
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