Why we should have respect for our bodies

WHY WE SHOULD HAVE RESPECT FOR OUR BODIES

I would have thought that the doctrine of the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady into Heaven would have been a definition of our faith years ago.  In fact was only defined in 1950.  Why did the Church wait this long?  There must have been a reason.  I hope to explain why in my homily.

Pope Pius XII in 1950 declared an essential truth of our faith, which all Catholic must believe, that Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven in these words, "Mary, the immaculate and ever-virgin Mother of God, when the course of her earthly life was over, was taken up, body and soul, into heavenly glory."  

I was 12 years at the time, huddled around a wireless listening to Pope Pius XII proclaim this a doctrine of our faith.  You may remember the outcry and the protests which it provoked.  Many Christians of other denominations were angry and distressed that the Pope had placed yet another formidable obstacle across the path leading to Christian unity.  Sadly, too, there were some Catholics who wondered whether a solemn definition in this matter was either necessary or wise.  They have all been proved wrong.  History has shown that from that moment, Christian unity began to be taken seriously and was given fresh impetus.

Some people might ask the question, 'Is the doctrine of Our Lady's Assumption really that important?'  For 1900 years the Church survived and then flourished without insisting that everyone should believe that Our Lady is already glorified in her body, like Jesus her Son.  What point was there in making so contentious an issue an article of faith in 1950?  Did not Christians in a pagan world have much more urgent problems to worry about?

We have to consider what made the first half of the 20th century so different from all the preceding centuries in the history of the world.  May I suggest two?  Firstly, never in human history had there been such appalling bloodshed, cruelty and torture as in the first fifty years of the 20th century.  In Europe alone, 60 million men, women and children lost their lives in two World Wars.  Just think of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, or Auschwitz and the many other concentration camps - never before on such a large scale have human beings shown such utter contempt for the human body.

The second feature which distinguishes this period from all the preceding centuries can also be summed up in one word.  Let me label it as 'glamour' which sums up the idolization and worship of the beautiful human body, and particularly the beauty of a young woman's body.  In the majority of films and television shows, the character of the individuals being portrayed is secondary to a consideration of how they look.  A whole industry has been built on that 'glamour' word.

These two factors together capture the essence of the first half of the 20th century at its most distinctive.  Never has the human body been so debased, frequently regarded merely as an object and even a thing.  On one side it is treated with contempt and on the other idolized.  Pope Pius XII's solemn proclamation of the doctrine of the Assumption of Our Lady was a cry to the Church and the world that both these ways of looking at the body are intolerably wrong.

Our bodies are neither to be despised nor to be worshipped.  They are to be treated at all times with reverence and respect because they are a part of a person who is created in the image of God.  And that is the importance of Our Blessed Lady's Assumption.

Our final destiny is to enjoy the resurrection of the body, too, when we are cleansed from all sin.  In the meantime our bodies are to be used in the service of God and our neighbour.  They may be ugly, old and crippled; that does not matter.  Nor does it matter whether they are handsome, young, healthy and strong.  All that matters is the soul of the person inside.

We must never belittle the body.  For every person the body is an essential part of what makes each of us uniquely you and uniquely me as we look forward to the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

If the doctrine of the Assumption was relevant to the Church and society at large in 1950 it is just as relevant to our world today.  The body is still despised through bloodshed, the massive increase in abortions and the growing acceptance of euthanasia.  It is also worshipped through the blatant and unashamed display of pornography, exploitation and child abuse.

May the purity of Mary, Our Blessed Lady, be a beacon attracting us all to have the correct attitude to our bodies, which enshrine our souls and form the complete human person.

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