In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul issues two strong challenges to us as disciples of Christ. We should reflect carefully on what the significance of these challenges for each of us.
“…You are the temple of God, and…the Spirit of God dwells within you.” In baptism, each of us received the gift of God’s Spirit and each of us was joined to the life of the Risen Christ. As a result, our bodies are the dwelling place of God. Remarkable! In Christianity, there has always been a tendency to denigrate the body and think of it as the source of temptation and sin. In fact, our bodies are a precious gift of God, made in God’s own image, and are dwelling places of God. To honor the body means that we are moderate in our use of alcohol. We seek to maintain a healthy weight. We exercise regularly. We use the gift of our human sexuality in a way that is appropriate to our state in life. In all these ways, we honor the body, the dwelling place of God. And we reveal to the world that God dwells within us by the manner of our lives, which leads us to the second challenge of St. Paul.
St. Paul tells us not to seek the wisdom of this world. Yet, many of us do! We conform our lives to prevailing cultural values. We look to pundits on the internet, radio and television to shape what we think and how we act in the world. As persons in whom God dwells, we should seek to shape our lives according to the values of the Gospel and the teaching of our Church. It is not easy because the values of the Gospel represent a strong challenge to prevailing cultural values and prevailing popular opinion – to offer welcome to those seeking refuge, to respond generously to the needs of the poor, to see all persons as brother and sister to us and so accept our responsibility for the well-being of all, to place the needs of others before our own desires. Do our lives reflect the values of the Gospel or the wisdom of this world?
Celebrate the dignity that is yours as a dwelling place of God! Reveal to the world God’s presence within you by your commitment to the values of the Gospel.
Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J