From the Friars: Brother Body

When St. Paul went to Athens and was preaching at the Areopagus, he did not win many converts. Some mocked him while others more politely dismissed him, mainly because he spoke about Jesus rising from the dead. The Epicureans were materialists who thought our existence ends with death and the Stoics believed that the individual soul does not continue after death but is reabsorbed into the divine fire. Plato had taught that the soul was confined in the body and death was a release from this prison.

As we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord we are reminded of the importance of the human body as part of our nature and identity. Like the Greeks, many other philosophies and religions have attempted to explain the mystery of our experience as rational beings that are bound to a physical body. Often the body is seen negatively as a burden and obstacle to complete freedom. Prior to his conversion, St. Augustine himself was a follower of the Manicheans who believe that matter is evil and the human body is a trap for the soul made by demons.

Jesus reveals to us the truth about human nature which includes the great dignity of the human body. Our nature is composite, both body and soul are essential and good, both are in the image and likeness of God. We also recognize that our nature is fallen and through bodily procreation we inherit the negative effects of original sin. Hence, “the flesh” in St. Paul’s language is a source of temptation but he refers to concupiscence, not the body itself. Similarly, St. Francis was very hard on “Brother Ass” in his life of strict penance, but at the end of his life he apologized to “Brother Body” for being too hard on him.

It is precisely through the offering of the human body of Jesus that we are redeemed. And after He rose, He was very insistent in showing his disciples that His body was indeed alive. Ghosts don’t eat fish or have a side where you can put your finger. And if we are to also to receive a glorified body like His, we must likewise offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, our spiritual worship. (Rom 12:1)

Happy Easter!
Fr. Peter