Caring for the Earthenwares
Friday, 10th week in Ordinary Time2 Cor 4: 7-10; Mt 5: 27-32
Commercials that we see, for the most, have to do with our body - health drinks, hair care, skin care, cosmetics, jewels and dresses! Is there anything wrong here - ofcourse not! Caring for the body is an important part of our life. We have come a long way from the type of thinking that looked at the body as alien and something to be kept under constant control. But the danger is, has the world gone overboard? Is it being exaggerated to such an extent as to absolutise the care for the body, making it the top most concern? The Word today warns us against this exaggerated mindset that the world seems to be proposing.
The body has to be taken care of, it cannot be despised as if it is of no value! Neither should it become the sole focus forgetting the rest of the faculties that makes us so special. The Spirit or the Soul that we possess is what we are, the image of God within us, the spark of the flame that burns so bright...however it cannot be perceived or experienced or cared for without linking it to our body. That is why our bodies are compared to earthenwares that contain treasures within. They cannot be trampled upon without respect - with habits like abuse, despise and objectification. But neither can they be thought of as treasures in themselves - then it would be so disappointing to care for something so passing! Care for the body, keep it as the dwelling place of the Spirit and tend the Spirit within - that would lead you to holistic life!