Body and Spirit --- Who Am I?

The Gospel had Jesus say who He was: “I came from the Father.”  But the Jews HEARD He was born of Joseph and Mary.

They were speaking different languages.

After the Gospel was read this morning, we began our prayer intentions.  We prayed for our incoming new pastor, that his spirit would unite with ours.  We prayed for our local parish and our united efforts, united in spirit, to do the will of God.  We prayed for all God’s children --- on earth, in Purgatory, and in heaven (The Church once emphasized how we were united in spirit, the Church Militant on earth, the Church Suffering in Purgatory, and the Church Triumphant in heaven; we are all one in spirit).

When we are too hung up with this world, we forget there is a world beyond, promised to us by Jesus Christ.  We think our body and all its longings is all there is.  Once, there was a huge emphasis in the world on family or community.  We longed to, in some way, belong with others, even if only as a group of bodies.  But it was our spirit yearning, for we are not JUST bodies.

A number of times at mass we are reminded, as the priest says: “The Lord be with You,” and in case there is any doubt about what that means, the people respond: “And with your spirit.”  And then at the Consecration of the mass, we ask the Spirit to come down on the bread and wine we offer “that they may become the Body and Blood of Christ.”  Even that bread, the Spirit comes upon it, and it becomes the Body of Christ.  Body and Spirit; it’s who Jesus Christ was; it is who we are.  We need to remember that.

I think that, in part, because of the decline in emphasis on family, on community in the world, many people have come to seek a different kind of community, a much more superficial one than the union of spirit we were made for --- the ultimate reason we were created.  Instead we settle for “something, rather than nothing.”  And we began to seek a community, a unity, in some small fragment of who we are.

I’m a Tiger’s fan.  Us blonds have to stick together.  I’m a Nike person.  I have 300 likes on Facebook.  I’m a member of Mensa.  I am gay.

A relatively tiny part of who we look like physically, or what we do in our spare time, becomes a major focus of our thoughts, to the point where we say: “That’s who I am.”  And we seek community in that piece of us, of who we really are.

We might as well say: “I’m an ear, and let’s all us ears get together so we can hear better.”  That’s not how we were made, nor what we were made for.  Gathering with other ears does not make us hear better.  We are not an ear, even though the ear is an important part of the body.  It needs the other parts which are also important.  And even more important, it needs all the parts united which make up the body, and the union of body and spirit which truly makes us who we are.

Who am I?  It’s not what I do.  It’s not what’s in the mirror.  It’s who I was created to be --- despite whatever I might want.  We need to find who that is, and be all of that person, body and spirit.  Only God knows who that is, but He will tell us, if we ask Him.