THE DIGNITY OF THE BODY

II SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - 1 Corinthians 6:13-15,17-20

In this passage of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul calls on us to reflect on the importance and the dignity of the human body.

Throughout the centuries, Christianity has been influenced by Greek philosophy, which sometimes overshadows the biblical understanding of being human. In Greek philosophy, there was a dualistic understanding of the human being, which is made up of body and soul. The body was considered a shell in which the soul dwells; at death, that shell will be discarded and the soul will be liberated. In the third century, Mani founded the Manichaeism, a religion which had a big influence for a long time. St. Augustine was a Manichaean before becoming a Christian. Manichaeism professes a strict dualism of good and evil in a permanent struggle. The body belongs to the realm of evil, which entraps the soul until it will be liberated by death.

The biblical way of looking at the human body is quite different. In Genesis, we are told that “the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground” and then “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” (Gn 2:7). The human was formed by God who made it alive with his breath. Then, at the appropriate time, “the Word became flesh” (Jn 1:14), meaning that with the incarnation of the Son of the living God, the human body can become a source of blessing and salvation.

St. Paul is well aware of the dignity of our bodies due to the body of Christ. Our body “is the temple of the Holy Spirit” and “you have been bought and paid for”. Then, our body “is for the Lord”. This implies that “God, who raised the Lord from the dead, will by his power raise us up too.” “That is why you should use your body for the glory of God.”

This means that we must respect our body and, through it, become closer to the Lord, remembering that our “bodies are members making up the body of Christ”. Whenever we use our bodies to separate ourselves from the Lord, we are wronging our bodies. Paul uses this type of reasoning to show how fornication and prostitution are out of place, diminishing the dignity of our bodies. The use of the body for self-satisfaction and pleasure without any other consideration is the fruit of our selfishness, which ignores the demands of true love. This is only possible where there are self-giving and commitment, which lead us to be at the service of those we love.

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” (1 Co 6:18).