February 27
Therefore King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why aren’t you repairing the house? . . . ” 2 Kings 12:7
The Lord’s house was being neglected. For one excuse after another, the priests had failed to maintain it, even though they had been ordered to do so by the king. There appeared to be enough resources for this to be carried out, but those resources were apparently used for other things, not for God. Then Jehoiada, one of the priests, put a plan into action that enabled the repairs to begin from the ground up, until it was fully repaired; taking care to oversee that the repairs were prioritized, that what was most important to be done first was done, and so on.
Those of us who are Catholic remember so well our green Baltimore Catechism! In it we were taught that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit – these bodies of ours are vessels to house this extraordinary spirit that God has blessed us with. Yet, how often do we really think about that? We spend our hard earned money foolishly on things that do not promote good health, physical or otherwise. Our automobiles and homes are typically cared for more than our bodies! How many times do we misuse this precious vehicle that God has given us? This gift that enables us to live our lives serving God and praising Him with every action: when we love deeply, create life, develop and utilize our unique talents, work at our vocations, play to exhilaration, dance, sing and even grieve – in our joys and in our sufferings, we praise Him. Nevertheless, we neglect this “house” of ours! We oversleep and overeat; we over work and over play, some use alcohol and/or recreational drugs that destroy bodies and souls, and then we ask where God is in all of this when our bodies break down.
Our bodies age and change daily, but it is not easily visible to us as we grow older; the changes are subtle until suddenly one day we look in the mirror and note the lines and gray hair that were not there yesterday! Yet, we see change so easily in little ones as any parent purchasing shoes and clothing for a growing child will attest to! There are times we need extra help in caring for this temple God has given us to house our spirits. Simple things like extra rest or an improved diet, a change in environment or time to reevaluate our lives and improve the balance of it, all influence the health of our bodies. Some of us need mechanical repairs: new hips and knees, etc. but wait to have surgery for a variety of reasons, delaying the body’s ability to heal. Others who are facing more serious health issues and are challenged by decisions to be made, may procrastinate in obtaining treatment, postponing valuable first steps in the healing process. We too need to prioritize; to keep ourselves as healthy as we possibly can, starting from the ground up. When we have a physical, emotional or spiritual ill, we need to address it promptly.
And all the while, our spirits continue to fill these houses of ours, contained and restricted perhaps by this cumbersome body, but none-the-less present, actually getting larger than the receptacle holding it, until they can be contained no longer. Whatever our circumstances, whatever our health issues, God expects us to take care of our bodies until His work in us is completed on this earth. Stopping at some point each day, in gratitude to God for these mysteriously incredible bodies, and to seek His direction in what we are to accomplish with them, will help us on our way toward receiving improved physical and spiritual health from the ultimate Healer.
Lord, until we return to you, may we gratefully appreciate and take care of these houses – these bodies you have given us!
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson
Therefore King Jehoash summoned Jehoiada the priest and the other priests and said to them, “Why aren’t you repairing the house? . . . ” 2 Kings 12:7
The Lord’s house was being neglected. For one excuse after another, the priests had failed to maintain it, even though they had been ordered to do so by the king. There appeared to be enough resources for this to be carried out, but those resources were apparently used for other things, not for God. Then Jehoiada, one of the priests, put a plan into action that enabled the repairs to begin from the ground up, until it was fully repaired; taking care to oversee that the repairs were prioritized, that what was most important to be done first was done, and so on.
Those of us who are Catholic remember so well our green Baltimore Catechism! In it we were taught that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit – these bodies of ours are vessels to house this extraordinary spirit that God has blessed us with. Yet, how often do we really think about that? We spend our hard earned money foolishly on things that do not promote good health, physical or otherwise. Our automobiles and homes are typically cared for more than our bodies! How many times do we misuse this precious vehicle that God has given us? This gift that enables us to live our lives serving God and praising Him with every action: when we love deeply, create life, develop and utilize our unique talents, work at our vocations, play to exhilaration, dance, sing and even grieve – in our joys and in our sufferings, we praise Him. Nevertheless, we neglect this “house” of ours! We oversleep and overeat; we over work and over play, some use alcohol and/or recreational drugs that destroy bodies and souls, and then we ask where God is in all of this when our bodies break down.
Our bodies age and change daily, but it is not easily visible to us as we grow older; the changes are subtle until suddenly one day we look in the mirror and note the lines and gray hair that were not there yesterday! Yet, we see change so easily in little ones as any parent purchasing shoes and clothing for a growing child will attest to! There are times we need extra help in caring for this temple God has given us to house our spirits. Simple things like extra rest or an improved diet, a change in environment or time to reevaluate our lives and improve the balance of it, all influence the health of our bodies. Some of us need mechanical repairs: new hips and knees, etc. but wait to have surgery for a variety of reasons, delaying the body’s ability to heal. Others who are facing more serious health issues and are challenged by decisions to be made, may procrastinate in obtaining treatment, postponing valuable first steps in the healing process. We too need to prioritize; to keep ourselves as healthy as we possibly can, starting from the ground up. When we have a physical, emotional or spiritual ill, we need to address it promptly.
And all the while, our spirits continue to fill these houses of ours, contained and restricted perhaps by this cumbersome body, but none-the-less present, actually getting larger than the receptacle holding it, until they can be contained no longer. Whatever our circumstances, whatever our health issues, God expects us to take care of our bodies until His work in us is completed on this earth. Stopping at some point each day, in gratitude to God for these mysteriously incredible bodies, and to seek His direction in what we are to accomplish with them, will help us on our way toward receiving improved physical and spiritual health from the ultimate Healer.
Lord, until we return to you, may we gratefully appreciate and take care of these houses – these bodies you have given us!
Copyright© 2014 Kathleen A. Matson