by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
Today’s Responsorial Psalm reminds us to give thanks to the Lord, “for he is good, his love is everlasting.” On Mercy Sunday, we have much for which to thank God. Let us thank God for our lives and for His creation.
We thank God that we believe even though we have not ‘seen’ the risen Lord as Thomas and the other disciples did. As Jesus said in today’s Gospel (John 20:19-31): “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” And yet, we do ‘see’ Him in the Eucharist, in the face of every man, woman and child; and in his beautiful creation.
How do we show that we are thankful? The social teaching of our Church makes it clear that the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person are the foundation of all social justice principles. While our dignity is inherent, inviolable and inalienable, we have a moral responsibility to protect, preserve, promote, and enhance our lives and our dignity and that of others. This is what pro-life people do.
Now that I am not too well, I realise how I have failed over the years to look after my health. God did not make us in His image and likeness to ‘play the fool’ with our bodies!
In Genesis 1:31 we read that: “God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good.” Yes, he is proud of us, His creation, but are we looking after our bodies to give thanks to Him?
It’s no use preening one’s feathers stating that one does not ‘do’ drugs, smoke, or drink too much alcohol etc. if one fails to eat a balanced diet, exercise and do what is required to maintain a healthy body, mind and spirit. I Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds us: “God bought you with a high price. So you must honour God with your body.”
Anna Rose Meeds said in her article ‘Our bodies are living Cathedrals’, “We must keep striving to treat God’s creation with love, awe and joy… In the end, we were created to be body and spirit. The Holy Spirit graces us by entering into our very being and making us into living cathedrals. This is a huge responsibility and honour. Thus, treating our bodies with reverence and respect is an essential part of our Catholic faith.”
While seeking to enhance my spiritual fitness, I did not heed the view expressed in I Timothy 4:7-9 that physical fitness has some value. So now that I am waiting for my operation, my family and friends remind me of the many ways in which I have disrespected God by dishonouring the body he gave me e.g. by eating the wrong foods and not taking medical advice.
So there I was over the years, advising people about their rights and responsibilities and I was not taking my own advice. Mea culpa! As my father scolded: “How can you serve God and your neighbours if, by your own action and inaction, you put yourself in a position where you jeopardise the plans that you have set in train to serve?”
A friend sent me a link to Zoe Romanowsky’s article from Catholic Digest, ‘How to eat like a Catholic’. Inter alia, it states that: “Healthy food habits aren’t just good for the body: They renew the family, protect God’s creation, and invigorate the soul…Our bodies and minds need the right fuel to function at optimum levels – and that begins with knowing what we’re putting in our mouths…What and how we eat will change us and the world we live in – for better or worse.”
I know that after my operation I will have to change my way of eating. I pray for God’s grace that I will truly understand what authentic integral human development means. And while we are focusing on food and our health, you will recall that on April 7 the world observed World Health Day. The theme was Food safety: from farm to plate, make food safe.
The World Health Organisation said: “Over 200 diseases are caused by unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, parasites, viruses, chemical substances. It is estimated that two million deaths occur every year from contaminated food or drinking water. Food contamination that occurs in one place may affect the health of consumers living on the other side of the planet.”
Let’s work together to strengthen food safety since it is everybody’s business.
