Bodies matter
7th October 2021
Here is the reflection adapted from today’s Communion service in the Chapel – the first there for 18 months. We were thinking about the importance of our bodies, remembering St. Francis, who day was on Monday. Here’s the reading set for the day:
At that time Jesus said, ‘I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will….
‘Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’
From Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 11.
I like that reading because it picks up the childlike naivety and simplicity of Francis. One day, sitting in the ruined chapel of San Damiano, near Assisi, he had a vision as he looked at an icon of Jesus on the cross. He heard Jesus say to him ‘Francis, Francis, go and repair my house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins’.
Francis took this literally, first trying to get money to repair the church, and then begging for stones, carrying them to the chapel, and repairing it with his own hands. This was the beginning of a much greater work of restoring the church – drawing it back to the heart of the gospel.
Francis embraced poverty, changing his rich merchant’s clothes for coarse robes. He overcame his fear of leprosy, kissing a leper he met on a journey, and caring for lepers in their isolated colonies.
Towards the end of his life tradition says that Francis’ physical identification with Jesus became even closer, when he received in his body the wounds of Jesus on the cross.
Francis is a reminder that our faith is not just a mental thing or a spiritual thing – it is also lived out in our bodies. Franciscans are still examples of this – the community we visit each year at Hilfield – prays with the work of their hands as well as with their voices. Francis is often quoted as saying, ‘Preach the gospel – use words if necessary’.
We are physical people – our bodies matter. That’s why it’s been so hard not to meet physically over the last 18 months – so hard for some people not to be hugged, or touched. Yesterday I was at a service for the clergy of our diocese of Gloucester in the cathedral. It was the first time we had been together for two years, and it was very moving – Bishop Rachel wasn’t the only one wiping away a tear.
So today we met again in in the Chapel. Our last service there was in March last year. We have met in other ways since then, Facebook live from my kitchen table, Zoom morning prayer, seeing each other on campus. But even though this is just a simple short service, often with just a few of us there, I feel that it matters that we do this – it is somehow at the heart of things.
I saw this, written by Lucy Winkett recently: ‘The physicality of the church matters. The muscle memory of the eucharist (the service of communion) – physically getting to eat and drink – centres and stills us, even while we know it is a broken hearted celebration of love at the heart of things.’
Meeting in a space like the Chapel, or a church, and sharing communion together, can centre and still us. Reconnecting our bodies and our minds, our hearts and our spirits. And making us more able to live out our faith physically in the rest of our day – in the way we eat our lunch, look at those around us, drive, cycle, walk, sit, stand and maybe reach out in some way to others.
Loving God, we thank you for meeting together, and sharing this meal together – the celebration of your love at the heart of things…
Lord Jesus, as we sit in your presence we are aware of our bodies – maybe tired or stressed. And we remember your promise: Come to me all who are weary or heavy laden, and I will give you rest….
We remember the words of St. Teresa – Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Lord, these are our hands – yours for the world. These are our feet – our eyes, our ears, our lips, our arms – we offer them to you. Lord, give us grace to receive and to live out your love through our bodies, and through all of our lives. Amen.