19 Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you? Don’t you know that you have the Holy Spirit from God, and you don’t belong to yourselves? 20 You have been bought and paid for, so honor God with your body.
Reflection
What first thoughts come to mind when I ask you to think of your own body? In my opinion, emotionally, people often fall for disliking, or complaining about at least part of their physical selves. If pressed on your thoughts, perhaps you’ll think of a physical ailment or just how you’re not as… (fast, young, lean or whatever…) as you once were. Or maybe you’ll think how, as unique human beings, some people’s bodies include challenges, tragedies or even blessings much different than your own.
Whether we marvel or shudder at the personal differences of human beings, whenever we hear of the “temple of the Holy Spirit,” are we not reminded of our spiritual connection to the Divine? Through this scripture, Saint Paul reminds “that (we) have the Holy Spirit from God” within us. Paul is telling us that we cannot be separated from our God. We are the complete package. Through the Spirit, we are both whole and holy – just as we are – in our unique selves!
What I find most remarkable is that our wholeness is not just within ourselves, but also within us together! The church is One Body, and the whole is much greater than the sum of the individual parts. Even through our unique differences, we share in a completeness within the Body of Christ that we cannot know individually.
So we are not just living for ourselves. As the parts of the Body, we are responsible for living for one another. Just as Christ bought and paid for our sins, we in turn honor God by being responsible to and for each part of the Body. May the Holy Spirit remind us of all of our connection to the Body of Christ! Together, we are both whole and holy!
By Barbara Carlson
For Pondering & Prayer
Our bodies are holy vessels, including the vessel that is the Body of Christ, believers called together in Christian unity. Since we are better together than as individuals, how might we, as the Body, really support one another through this time of change and challenge? How does our togetherness honor God? How might we connect today through the wonders of the Holy Spirit? How must we be whole and holy?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, we know you as the loving spirit that soothes our hurts and hearts. We know you also help us connect one to another in Christian unity. We ask that you continue to be with us as we honor God altogether, as the Body of Christ, for God’s holy mission on earth. Through you, Loving Spirit, we are both whole and holy. Amen.
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