Fat Body of Christ?

[ 23 ] February 23, 2013 AD |
Fat Jesus

Photo Credit: Pax Arcana

My wife and I usually go to the Sunday evening Life Teen Mass at our parish church. After communion the youth ministers announce the event planned for the evening along with the meal that is being served.  I can always anticipate, like clockwork, my wife (who is a fitness and weight-loss consultant) cringing as they announce that the kids will be served chicken fingers and cokes, pizza and dessert, or something along those lines.

She used to whisper, “Don’t they know they are missing out on an opportunity to teach those kids good nutrition?” Now she just looks at me and rolls her eyes.

I explain to her that they try to make youth ministry enticing and that serving sprouts and herbal tea would not help the cause. But she does have a point. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit; fill it with goodness.

Theology of the Body is More Than Sex

I have always been chubby, plump, large-boned…pick a euphemism. As I get older, though, I am taking much better care of my health, eating more whole foods, drinking less alcohol, and exercising more. Initially it was just to lose a little weight, but now I see it more as a way to better treat the body that God gave me.

At the grocery store I no longer buy empty carbohydrates, anything with high-fructose corn syrup, and processed foods if I can help it. These sorts of foods are poison for the body no less than pornography is for the mind. There is a recent article in the New York Times about how food companies work hard to make junk food addictive.  I mostly stick to the perimeter of the grocery store where the produce, fish, and meats are for sale.

Most Catholic literature you find that addresses the body is focused on sexuality and sexual morals.  This is good. But there is more to the body than sexuality. We have other organs like our hearts and lungs and whole systems like our g.i. tracts.  To honor the gifts of these things we have to honor the Giver by treating them with the best of care.

Is Obesity a Mortal Sin?

I can’t answer that. Probably not. But I can tell you that Jesus wants us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This means that we first have to love ourselves, not in any sort of vain way, but real respect and love and appreciation of our existence, including our bodies.

The Catechism describes a mortal sin as one that attacks charity in the heart of man.

Mortal sin is sin whose object is (1)grave matter and which is also committed with (2)full knowledge and (3)deliberate consent.

(1) What could be more grave than choosing or not choosing to poison your own body? (2) There is enough information in the world, especially in America, to know what proper health choices are. (3) I rarely see anyone force feeding other people.  Our Mother Church needs to incorporate good bodily health into Her teaching as a supplement to Her moral, spiritual, and intellectual teaching.

Now, I’m not saying that making bad food choices is necessarily uncharitable or that eating a dozen doughnuts on your death bed will send you to Hell, but gluttony is one of the Cardinal Sins. Let us encourage each other in the Cardinal Virtues of Temperance and Fortitude.

But the Body Doesn’t Go To Heaven

No, it doesn’t*. However, if you have more bodily energy and feel better then you can happily do more for the cause of Heaven while on Earth.

Moreover, if we are to use Jesus’ metaphor for all of us being the Body of Christ, then shouldn’t we deepen our appreciation of the body by taking care of our own? From the visible things we understand the invisible.

If the Pope handed you a plant and told you that it was a gift from God, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to make it grow healthy and bloom according to its own nature?  Would you give it food made in a lab somewhere that you knew could possibly shorten its life, or would you give it natural sunlight and water and treat it with honor? Then how much more should you treat your own body?

All this being said, I am still on the chunky side. And I am not so insensitive as to not know that people have eating disorders and food addictions and are not perfect. But please use the reply box below to share your story of how you or your parish might be addressing these issues and improving the quality of life and physical health of the Body of Christ.

*Clarification

This needed clarification because of some of the comment threads you will find below. What I am saying here is that when the natural body dies, it is a temporal and spacial lifeless body which gets buried and decays.  Most of us have seen this at a funeral. The body with all of its finite limits and flaws is separated from the soul at the moment of death.  This does not mean that I do not believe in the resurrection of the body on “the last day,” because I do.  In some mysterious way your body will exist again and is re-spirited,  reunited to your soul, glorified. Although, I do have difficulty wrapping my mind around what that means exactly or how there can be a “last day,” especially when we say in the Glory Be, “world without end.” Perhaps someone could explain that to me below.

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Category: Health & Fitness, Life, Uncategorized

About the Author ()

Burke Ingraffia is a jazz and folk singer/songwriter and band leader of Jazz Animals. A native New Orleanian, Burke and his wife, Melanie, reside in Fairhope, Alabama. His music has been featured on EWTN's Life on the Rock and Backstage, and he has participated in events like Catholic Underground and Love Come Alive. Burke was also a 2012 Kerrville New Folk finalist, and his songwriting has been recognized by the Telluride Bluegrass Festival and Mountain Stage. He has a B.A. in theology from Steubenville and a Master of Humanities from the University of Dallas.

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  • Robin

    The body DOES go to Heaven. We profess this belief in the Nicene Creed at Mass (“I believe…in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.”). One of the most beautiful teachings of the Theology of the Body is that when our bodies and souls are finally reunited in Heaven, that all of the scars and imperfections we see now on earth will be glorified in Heaven. Yes, you should treat your body well as it will eventually be with you forever. And there’s also great hope, for if you hate your funny nose or ugly feet here on earth, in Heaven, they will shine as glorious as the sun!

    • IrishEddieOHara

      Thank you, Robin! Nice to see that someone else caught that. I’m not sure if the writer knows what he just said. I’ll just think the best at the moment.

      • http://yheard.me Burke Ingraffia

        Thanks for your comments. What I meant is that when you die there is a temporal and spacial lifeless body that is put into the ground. That stays on Earth. Is that not true?

  • Edward Hara

    No.

    But some [man] will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?

    1Cr 15:36 [Thou] fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: 37 And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other [grain]: 38 But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. 39 All flesh [is] not the same flesh: but [there is] one [kind of] flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, [and] another of birds. 40 [There are] also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial [is] one, and the [glory] of the terrestrial [is] another. 41 [There is] one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for [one] star differeth from [another] star in glory. 42 So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43 It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

    Jhn 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

    • http://yheard.me Burke Ingraffia

      Edward – thanks. I understand about the resurrection of the body, and I believe it, but I do not presume to have all of the details. What I do know is that at natural death the body and the soul are separated and that there is a dead lifeless body that is buried. I do know that the body that is put into the ground is temporal and spacial and that God and Heaven are not.

      I believe what the Catechism teaches on the resurrection of the body “on the last day,” whatever that means, that our souls and our bodies will somehow mysteriously be reunited. Although I don’t understand it, I know that has been a part of the Christian faith from early on.

      Above you quoted:

      “44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.”

      The dead body that is put into the ground is the natural body. The nature of my future spiritual body I cannot claim to know. And what purpose will bodies have on and after that last day that were not necessary for pure eternal bliss in Heaven during the time between natural death and “the last day?”

      When you gave a flat dismissive, “No,” to my question followed by something you copied and pasted from the Internet, I don’t think that you were being open to the point that I was making.

      In Christ,
      Burke

  • Melissa

    Thank you, Burke, for such a beautiful and truthful article!
    This is an important topic that I often ponder and pray about. It is true that our bodies are a temple of God. Yet, I often find it difficult to separate vanity from honoring God with how I care for the body He gave me.
    The state of my body on the day of the reserection is of little importance to me since, it will only be a reflection of the state of my soul. I believe that is the whole point to this topic. Do our bodies, how we care for, display and use them reflect our dying to this life and complete love and submission to the Holy Will of our God? I believe that this should be our only focus and goal. …To strive to love Him perfectly with every ounce of our being: body, mind and spirit.
    I also battle with my weight and, I thank you for clarifying obesity with the definition of mortal sin and the temptations that lead to obesity. I have sometimes wondered if giving in to the temptation to overeat is a mortal sin. I am trying this lent, with the grace of God, to improve myself in all three: body, mind, and spirit, so that I may better serve Him. This is not an easy task. Please pray for me and, I will do the same for you.
    Thank you again for your wonderful article.
    Melissa

    • http://yheard.me Burke Ingraffia

      Melissa, than you for your comment. The temptations to be undisciplined happen to us all in one way or another. It is always helpful to me to be both mindful and held accountable to someone else in some way, like a coach, mentor or good friend. One thing that has helped me is to keep a food diary. This alone, just being aware of and keeping track of what you are eating can help you all on its own. There is an iPhone app I use called “Lose It” which is a food diary and calorie counter. Hopefully my efforts for increased health will prolong any good work God wants me to do in my life.

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  • Diane Peske

    Burke, I find it fascinating that you& I are thinking along the same lines

    My husband (formal Naval Officer) has always had great fitness/eating habits. Over the years he’s taught the wife who was 40# heavier on her wedding day to develop lifelong healthy habits.

    We are at a large Religious Educators Conference this weekend and I realized wayyyyy too many if us Catholics in Faith Formation are terribly unhealthy! The amount of severely overweight people literally waddling around shocked me. I turned to my husband and said: gosh- what kind of witness are we Catholic Educators when so many are so unhealthy?

    I actually made a note to bring this up to my spiritual Director- so I find the balance if concern& possibly practical teaching/ encouragement w/o judgementalism

    Many are probably familiar with Evangelical Pastor Rick Warren ( The Purpose Driven Life. ) he used to be overweight until The Lord convicted him and he led his church on a year if spiritual discipline/ teaching to get his flock to get their lives in order physically.

    I told my husband this morning the Catholic parishes need a similar campaign

    Thanks for sharing

    • http://yheard.me Burke Ingraffia

      Thanks Diane. I am somewhat familiar with the Purpose Driven Life series, although I have not read any of it. I know it has helped some people focus their lives.

      The one person I know about in the Catholic Church who addresses maintaining a healthy body as a form of prayer is the Paulist Priest, Paul Ryan, CSP.

    • http://bethannesbest.com Beth Anne

      I honestly think that if more catholic educators weren’t so overworked we wouldn’t be so unhealthy in our eating habits. There are days my mom (who works for the church) literally works 10am – 10pm and ends up just picking up fast food for dinner or lunch in between meetings. Is it ideal? No but when you work 100 hours a week it’s hard to make freezer meals and bring food to eat for lunch and dinner.

  • Becca

    Gee, I wish we could all afford to eat nutritious food. People eat that junk and fast food because it is cheap and they can’t afford to eat well. That’s the reality. Single Moms feed their three kids hot dogs all the time because that’s all they can afford.
    Also, I find that picture depicting Jesus in that way ON THE CROSS offensive and repulsive.

    • http://yheard.me Burke Ingraffia

      Hi Becca

      You are right about cheap food being cheap. There are ways to eat healthy,though, that are not expensive, it just takes time to think it through and prepare it. Just Google “healthy inexpensive food” and you’ll see hundreds of websites that can help. Some people spend 5 or more hours/day watching TV and say they don’t have time to do things. One thing I did was to cancel my cable TV – it gave me time and more money every month.

      The picture of Jesus on the cross was meant to get my point across about us as the Body of Christ – we are not taking care of the gifts we are given, me included. I think it is normal that you find it offensive.

  • poetcomic1

    One thing that Catholics, Mormons, Jehovahs Witnesses and even Unitarians could probably agree on: Jesus was NOT fat.

  • Becca

    Got this off yahoo answers:

    world without end is a bad translation.

    In the original Greek:
    Δόξα Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι,
    καὶ νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.
    [Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
    Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.]

    World without end” is an idiom that means “forever” and is not meant to be taken literally.

    In Latin, the phrase “saecula saeculorum” means “ages of ages” (i.e., forever).

    Sometimes this is translated into English as “and will be for ages unending.”

    • http://yheard.me Burke Ingraffia

      Becca, thanks for this reply. That makes more sense.

  • Cathy

    “World without end” is said in the Glory Be prayer to mean that we give glory to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit without end. The Liturgy of the Hours’ translation of this prayer is: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen. Also, only Jesus and Mary have their bodies in Heaven so far. (Think of Jesus’ Ascension and Mary’s Assumption by God). The resurrection of everyone else’s body will happen at the end of the world. Then we’ll get our glorified body back.

    • http://yheard.me Burke Ingraffia

      Cathy, I appreciate the clarification. I wonder what use we will have for our glorified bodies that we didn’t need between death and the the end of the world.

      • Debra

        Paragraphs 1042-1050 of the Catechism discuss the mystery that the “End” of the world is also a new beginning or renewal of the cosmos, united to the death and resurrection of Christ. Maybe we don’t need bodies in heaven until after that renewal at the end of time and final judgment. I can’t imagine, of course, what that “new creation” will be like but the Catechism says the Eucharist itself is the sign and pledge of it (CCC, 1405) and that it will be a fullness in Christ in which “happiness will fill and surpass all the desires of peace arising in the hearts of men” (CCC, 1048). Pretty amazing. : )

        Catechism Paragraph 1042:
        At the end of time, the Kingdom of God will come in its fullness. After the universal judgment, the righteous will reign for ever with Christ, glorified in body and soul. The universe itself will be renewed:

        The Church . . . will receive her perfection only in the glory of heaven, when will come the time of the renewal of all things. At that time, together with the human race, the universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its destiny through him, will be perfectly re-established in Christ.

        1043 Sacred Scripture calls this mysterious renewal, which will transform humanity and the world, “new heavens and a new earth.” It will be the definitive realization of God’s plan to bring under a single head “all things in [Christ], things in heaven and things on earth.”

        The Catechism continues to discuss this great hope and destiny through paragraph 1050. It’s beautiful.

      • Cathy

        Food for thought, my husband says that there are two Old Testament figures who were assumed into heaven- Enoch and Elijah.

  • http://strengthforthekingdom.blogspot.com Jared Zimmerer

    Burke,

    Fantastic article. This truly is a detrimental problem within our Church. I have written a book called ‘The Ten Commandments of Lifting Weights’ in which I incorporate Catholic spirituality with the act of body-building. As a 11 year bodybuilder, fitness advocate and having a degree in Kinesiology, I hope to help the Church find new and exciting ways to bring the ideals of healthy living and body building into our parishes.
    I have also been blessed to contribute articles to Fr. Barron’s Word on Fire blog incorporating these principles as well.
    I firmly believe that the Church needs a cirriculum to teach that caring for and nurturing the body goes hand in hand with authentic holiness.

    Keep fighting the good fight!
    Jared Zimmerer
    strengthforthekingdom@yahoo.com

    • http://yheard.me Burke Ingraffia

      Jared – thank you for this comment. I enjoy Fr. Barron’s podcast and his other work. Perhaps now is the time for a renewal of physical healthy vibrancy in the Church.

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