Know thyself, and thy faults, and thus live. Augustine
- Why?
Beginning of the New Year, common for some to make resolutions. Let us consider a resolution that will give us eternal life, a saner and happier life currently, and this will invariably affect the condition of our body to make it the healthiest possible.
The order of motivation is critically important. Seek first the kingdom of heaven and all else will be added unto you. The kingdom of heaven consists essentially in doing of God’s will. Jesus clearly says, I have come to do the will of My Father.
Jesus’ counsel helps us in our quest.
Our tendency to sin, concupiscence, is a result of the Fall. Even though we are baptized, it does not erase the propensity to sin. Each of us have a principal vice that needs to be identified and then combatted. If these sins are ignored, they begin to fester and before one knows it Legion has moved in. Without Christ, this battle is not possible. He provides the necessary grace to help us know and understand then how to overcome our wounded nature.
The freer one is of sin, especially to the attached principal vices, the saner the world appears.[1] We are able to see more as God sees, and this will make us happier. Happier because that is a fruit of virtue. Happier because God is happiness. He is the fullness or origin of all that is good, true or beautiful.
By seeing more like God, we understand things better including how to care for the gift of our body. Our body is not a machine, and it is not a shell to be discarded at death with no more thought, loke a cape or jacker. It is how we participate in building the kingdom of heaven on earth.
Jesus chose to have a body to accomplish His redeeming mission. The body will be resurrected like His at the Last Judgement and will enjoy the beatific vision as well.
Not only will our body enjoy the merits of Christ’s victory in heaven, while on earth, it will benefit from proper care. The body will then not become our sole focus nor totally ignored. This provides the best foundation for true health.
Given the absolute disorder of our world, focused on self-disordered with sin.
Approach our body in a holy way is in a state of grace. See ourselves as we are and how God longs to see us. Honesty before God as sinners with glorious hope of potentiality that God has made us with.
Better reconciliation of intellect and will.
Holiness approach issues of the senses a better ability to do that.
Sins clouds judgment, out of correct perspective.
Equilibrium of virtue between sins. Sin prevents the mean. Aristotle happiness is at the mean. Find without a clouded judgement.
[1] Frank Sheed, Theology and Sanity (Ignatius Press: San Francisco 1946)