20TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME B
THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE
Many people today devote a great
deal of time to modern temples of beauty and wellness. In the gym for dips,
pull-ups and presses. In spas for massage, waxing, and facials. In cosmetic
clinics for reduction, augmentation, and alteration. All these troubles and all
these pains in the name of self-improvement, self-confidence and self-acceptance.
It is not wrong to love our
bodies. Just as we receive our body as a gift, we have the responsibility to
keep ourselves healthy and safe. But for many people, caring for the body has
taken the dimension of insane obsession. Already beautiful, they still feel
insecure, incomplete, and unsatisfied. This is because for them the perfect
body has become the focus of existence, the only value in life.
These past weeks we have been
learning about the Body of Christ discourse in John. The Lord explains how in
the deep loving design of the Father for the salvation of his children, he sent
his Son to the world. The Son in turn, bestows the gift of his own Self, his
body and his blood, to redeem us from sin. In today’s gospel, the Lord Jesus clarifies
the reason why he gives himself: for the life of the world.
There is no tinge of selfish
motive in Jesus words, no hidden agenda that redounds to his own satisfaction
and happiness. His words and its later fulfillment on the cross reveal only a profound
desire for our good of all of us, his brothers and sisters. Such a generosity
and kindness is rare in today’s world, where people are forced to think of their
own survival before they consider helping
others. For those who follow the
Lord, however, he gives understanding of the true meaning of the body, its
value as a gift and donation in love.
I recently discovered Chiara Corbella
Petrillo. Her first two babies were born with defects that led to death shortly
after birth. While conceiving her third baby, she was diagnosed with
life-threatening cancer. However, she refused to undergo medication until she
gave birth, fearing that this might imperil the life of her unborn son. After she
delivered a healthy baby boy, Chiara’s condition quickly worsened. But at 28, she
died in peace knowing that her sacrifice of her own body gave life to another. A
truly inspiring wife and mother, Chiara is now a candidate for sainthood.
Like Chiara who learned the truth
of the Body of Christ, let us pray to avoid selfish obsession and to attain
instead, selfless love.
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