This is My Body

I was reading an article last week[*] when I was struck by a profound quote:

“Every time you make love to your husband, carry an infant in your womb, nurse a baby, or hold an older child until your arms ache, you’re saying, ‘This is my body which is given up for you’ (Luke 22:19)” (Kate Wicker, qtd. Celeste Behe).

I realized this easily applied to my own life, even though I am not married. Every time I wash dishes, sweep the floor, or hug my aching friend, I am saying, “This is my body which is given up for you” (Luke 22:19).

The same article also mentions how women cannot give themselves fully to their husbands in intimate gifts of love if they are obsessed with their body image. Once again, I applied this to my own, single life. All people are called to love, and to give our lives in selfless gifts of love. Whether we are married or single, we cannot give ourselves fully if we are obsessed with our own body image. I realized that I am not given my body to look attractive; I am given my body to serve, and to lay it down, with Jesus’, for the good of others.

Do not judge yourself by how you look. We are so much more than our bodies, and our value lies far beyond them. Whenever you are tempted to judge yourselves by how you look, remember that you are worth more than that. And remember, that on the last day, at the final judgment, God will not ask how much you weigh. He’ll ask how much you loved.

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[*] Behe, Celeste. “Wonderfully Made: Break the Cycle of Despair and Make Peace With the Body God Gave You.” Faith and Family. Fall 2011: 37-41. Print.

A copy of the magazine can be found in the John Paul II Library on Campus