Memorial of St. Josephat, Bishop & Martyr
Have you ever slowly read a familiar passage of scripture and suddenly noticed something new? Something that made you say, “How did I never see that before?!” This happened to me as I read our Gospel passage today, the story of the ten lepers who are healed, and only one returns to give thanks. Luke says, “As they (those with leprosy) were going (to the priests) they were cleansed.” Ok, familiar territory so far. They were healed on the way. Luke continues, “And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice…”
Suddenly, I wonder, “What if only one of them realized he had been healed?” What if the others were so preoccupied by their concerns, by their thoughts, their fears, their anxieties that they were not aware of what was happening in their bodies? What if only one returned at that time, because only one was attuned to what was happening here and now in his body?
In our time and in our culture, we at once glorify the body in unhealthy ways (for instance, our standards of beauty) and deny our bodies. We deny the effects of stress on our bodies, we suppress how our unacknowledged anxiety lives in sore muscles, fatigue, etc. We are also unaware that our joy lives not only in a metaphorical heart but can be experienced in the body, perhaps as a spring in our step or a lengthened spine. Each body holds and experiences our emotions and our spiritual lives in unique ways.
God affirms our bodies, not only by creating our bodies, but by becoming human - a person who is body, spirit, emotion, intellect, all together. What if the one leper who returned was the only one yet present and aware enough of his body, that he could name and give voice to the healing? Read through this lens, a question we might ask ourselves today is, “How am I experiencing God in my body?” Where in my body is God signaling my need for healing? Where in my body do I feel God’s presence?
Today, I hope to practice being a whole person as God created me to be - connected to my body, my emotions, my intellect, my spirit. Today, I hope to be aware of how God is communicating with me through my body and to give thanks for prompting me to seek healing for my whole self. I also hope to be aware of the ways healing is already happening and to give thanks. Will you join me?
—Kelly Adamson