The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
“Your body is a temple.”
This statement has long been a part of the secular lexicon, though its actual origin is presented in this Sunday's second reading from Corinthians.
As I approach middle age, I sometimes find myself looking with disappointment at the dilapidated state of my own “temple.” The ravages of time and life are evident all over my body. The deep wrinkles under my eyes earned in the trenches of a decade of overnight wakeup calls tending to the bottles and bad dreams of four children. The balding head that seems to be ceding hair to my ears and nose these days. The back and neck that ache from simply sleeping the wrong way or picking up a grocery bag out of the minivan at an awkward angle.
Some days, my temple feels like it's on the verge of collapse.
But no matter how many wrinkle creams, workout routines, or miracle shampoos we invest in, the fact remains that we are on an unstoppable conveyer belt of physical decline. No one escapes death, yet Catholics do have the secret to the fountain of youth—our belief in the resurrection of the body and eternal life.
In this weekend’s Gospel, Jesus refers to the temple of His own body and its eventual resurrection, declaring that the temple could be destroyed and He would rebuild it in three days. This proclamation was as confusing to the disciples and the Jews as the idea of the resurrection of our own physical bodies might be to us. How can Jesus rebuild a temple in 3 days that took 46 years to construct? How can God restore our physical bodies that have been battered by the mileage of 80-90 years of earthly toil?
Just as Jesus' death and resurrection are a gift from God for the redemption of our souls, our earthly bodies are an intricate, beautiful gift manifesting the majesty of His creative powers and unending love for us. We're made in His image and likeness—bald head and all—and we believe that our souls will reinhabit our physical bodies in a glorified state at the end of time.
In your words (self-talk) and actions (healthy routines), care for your body with the same respect the ancient Jews would show for the temple. Your body carries a tabernacle more glorious than any gold-plated box found in a church.
You are God's building, and this body is yours now and forever—the physical vessel for your immortal soul.
Matt Paolelli is a writer and marketing professional who lives outside of Chicago with his wife and four young children. He loves playing board games, taking family bike rides, and trying to learn the guitar. Read more of his writing in his Amusing Catholic newsletter.
