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Good Flesh

Posted on: Sunday, 2 April 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Brussat, Frederic; Brussat, Mary Ann

See your body as God does-with love

Although Eastern religions have many spiritual practices centered on the body-yoga, tai chi, aikido, breathing exercises, walking meditation-Christianity, in theory, has the highest theology of the body among all religions.

But old attitudes that put the mind above the body and regard the flesh as prone to sin undermine our appreciation of our bodies.

Protestant theologian Sallie McFague in The Body of God (Augsburg Fortress, 1993) puts it this way: "The most prevalent spiritual disease of our time is not wanting to be here, not wanting to be in a physical body."

The incarnation of Jesus proves that God loves human bodies and wants us to honor them. Jesus didn't proclaim the immortality of the soul. He spoke of the resurrection of the body.

When Paul saw that some early Christians were regarding the body as a foe, he wrote: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?" (1 Corinthians 6:15).

To embrace our physical self as a fine companion, a capable mediator of our experience of the world, a vehicle for transformation and a temple of God can be an exhilarating experience. Fred discovered that one year when we were vacationing in Antigua.

One day while exploring some rocks by the beach, he slipped on some algae and fell down, hitting his head hard. There was a good 1- inch gash in his scalp. The nurse at the hotel took care of the wound, declaring that it wasn't very deep and didn't require stitches. But the next morning there was blood on the pillow. The Antiguan maid said, "No problem. I'll clean it, I heard you cut your head."

A few day s later he met her in the hallway and was about to share the good news that his head had healed. But she beat him to the point. "Preacher man," she said with a big smile, "you have good flesh."

Good flesh. Those were the sweetest words he had ever heard. He told Mary Ann he wanted to put them on a T-shirt. He had always struggled with a negative view of his body. As a boy he was just skin and bones and was often ridiculed. Now his body had created a miracle. It was a simple one-a cut healing quickly. But it helped him appreciate his body as he had never done before.

Here are some spiritual practices you can use to celebrate your good flesh.

* First thing in the morning, say a prayer blessing your body and its energies. Thank God for each organ, gland, bone and muscle.

Joyce Rupp in Out of the Ordinary (Ava Maria, 2000) offers a prayer that focuses on hands: "May these hands touch all life with reverence and gratitude. May these hands reach out with care to others. May these hands be willing to receive from others."

* When you are showering, imagine that Jesus is washing your feet, as he did the feet of the disciples.

* The great modern dancer Martha Graham called the spine "the tree of life." Stand up tall in the presence of your God today.

* While working at a desk or a computer, take a few minutes to vigorously rub your face and shake your hands to remind yourself not to forget your body when you are using your mind. You might say: "Clean me, shake me, make me yours always, Lord."

* Come to the Lord as a little child. Skip down the street.

* Make your meals a time to remember your body's needs and gifts. Don't distract yourself with work or television.

* Occasionally kiss your wrist and say the words "good flesh" to remind yourself that your body is a temple of God.

The incarnation of Jesus proves that God loves human bodies and wants us to honor them

The Brussats are the authors of Spiritual Literacy: Reading the Sacred in Everyday Life (Scribner, 1996). They welcome comments on experiences with spiritual practices (brussat@spiritualityandpractice.com).

Copyright Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Apr 2006

Source: Lutheran, The

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