your body of work
"He will give a new form to this lowly body of ours and remake it according to the pattern of His glorified body." —Philippians 3:21
Many people desire to get their bodies "in shape." They want to feel good and look good. Having a healthy, fit body is a good thing, but it's not the only thing. The reality is that our bodies will die. Health and fitness are fleeting. Whether your body is sick, infirm, or healthy, you can join your body to the body of Jesus hanging on the cross. Now your suffering is united to His, and is powerful. The psalmist observes: "Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong" (Ps 90:10). Modern medicine and nutrition might even push life expectancy a few years longer. Yet our ultimate goal is not a few extra years of life, or a healthy, fit life, but the resurrection of our holy body to eternal life, so that our bodies will be members of the risen Body of Jesus.
How should we live in our bodies while on this earth so that our bodies and souls will be with Jesus forever? We make our bodies enemies of the world (Phil 3:19); we deny our very flesh, and crucify ourselves to the world (Lk 9:23; Gal 6:14). We don't wait until heaven to have "remade" bodies (see Phil 3:21); we let Jesus "remake" us right now. Our bodies are "begotten from above" in the waters of Baptism and rise from the waters of Baptism reborn, remade. By hauling our bodies to frequent Confession and Mass, we keep our bodies holy and pure (see 1 Jn 3:3).
Prayer: Father, my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and is not my own. Help me to glorify You in my body (1 Cor 6:19-20).
Promise: "We have our citizenship in heaven." —Phil 3:20
Praise: St. Charles reformed his diocese which had been without a resident bishop for eighty years.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
(We offer a Men's Retreat Dec. 3 entitled Set the Captives Free - Overcoming Addictive Behavior). Don't let the Year of Mercy end without ridding your self of habitual sins. Call 937-587-5464 or 513-373-2397 for more information or to register.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, March 31, 2016
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