Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
“Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body?” The words of St. Paul from today’s first reading, his letter to the Romans. So many years ago and yet how many of us can relate even today? “The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not,” also from Paul’s letter. This reminds me of Jesus’ words to Peter when he and the other disciples fell asleep while praying in the garden of Gethsemane, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) These later named saints were human and struggled with living their faith in their mortal bodies, just like us.
Whether it’s unhealthy food cravings, struggles with substance abuse or dependence, sexual temptations, or choosing our own physical comfort over that of others, there are myriad ways in which we might relate to St. Paul’s frustrations with “this mortal body.” And yet the book of Genesis tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God, male and female both. We cannot get away from our humanity, at least while on this earth, so how do we make peace with these bodies and the conflicting needs and desires we are challenged with?
I’m not sure, but perhaps St. Paul’s words immediately following his complaint and seeming cry of despair provide some guidance: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Can we begin by thanking God for our amazing bodies even with the challenges and suffering they sometimes bear and sometimes bring? After giving thanks, what if we ask for the wisdom and guidance to treat our bodies with the care and respect they deserve as God’s creation and temples of the Holy Spirit? Lastly, let us remember that we are not alone in our struggles. We can call upon the communion of saints, Peter and Paul and the countless others who have gone before us in this struggle to live out our faith in these mortal bodies.
With the psalmist, let us pray, “Let your compassion come to me that I may live...I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts.”
—Eileen Miller