Minds and Bodies and What to Do About Them
August 30, 2023
Fr. John Riccardo
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Romans 12:1-2
Few passages in Scripture rival these two verses from Romans for a punch in the gut.
Two things might be worth reflecting on as we let the Holy Spirit speak to us through Paul. One, a way to concretely present our bodies to God each day. Two, a remedy for our “mostly worldly minds.”
First, our bodies. Paul urges us to present our bodies as “a living sacrifice.” This was written to people who, unlike us, were very familiar with ritual animal sacrifices. Many of those in the Church in Rome had been Gentiles beforehand, and were most accustomed to seeing animals slaughtered and placed atop altars. Paul is presuming this as he writes to them. However, instead of presenting a calf to Jupiter, Mars or Venus, Paul urges the Christians to place themselves atop the altar as a “living sacrifice.” The problem with “a living sacrifice,” as has been noted by many people down through the ages, is that it keeps crawling off the altar. In other words, we have to choose each and every day to be disciples of Jesus again.
Some time ago, my confessor offered me a penance that has become part of my daily prayer routine. He encouraged me to lie prostrate on the floor as I begin to pray, so as to engage my body in an act of surrender to the Lord. Though from time to time in my life I had done this, it’s become part of my daily routine now. As I hit the ground (gently!), I simply say to the Lord, “Here I am, Lord. I’m crawling back on the altar. Help!” Mindful that we express ourselves bodily, whether that’s through handshakes, high-fives, hugs, or otherwise, this might be a practice worth trying this week. It’s one thing to say words to the Lord; it’s another to involve the body as we utter them.
Second, our minds. Joan of Arc once famously said: “All battles are first won or lost in the mind.” Everything starts with the mind. To repent in Greek means to change the way you think. And if you’re anything like me, my mind is a mess much of the time. Phillip’s translation of this passage reads, “Do not let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold but let God remold your minds from within.” Can anyone not relate to that? The world is constantly trying to “squeeze” us into its way of thinking, whether through social media, news, movies, music, or click-bait.
I came across this the other day and does it ever ring true in my life. “On the human side, we [Christians] are no different from other people. We have the same faculties and habits of thought, we are just as lazy, just as apt to let our emotions and imaginations run away with us, just as prone to be influenced by prevailing opinion. We read the same papers, see the same films, listen to the same wireless programmes; we are surrounded by a materialistic concept of life, and unless we are careful we shall unconsciously absorb much of this alien philosophy to the great impoverishment of our spiritual life … we can hardly escape having what Mr. Frank Sheed once called 'worldly minds with Catholic patches'.”
I don’t want a worldly mind with Catholic patches. I want a mind conformed to Jesus’. I want to see as He does, think as He does, desire as He does, will as He does, love as He does.
Up for a serious challenge this week? For every minute we spend listening to the radio, watching our devices, lingering on social media, or reading the news, we spend 10 seconds reading the Word of God. Imagine if the ratio became 1 to 1. Imagine how different our lives would be.