…the ordinary things of daily life are just as important as great theological ideas when it comes to living God’s plan for us. I have been more conscious of how my expressions and way of talking affect other people. I’ve been trying to spend time with the people I care about rather than texting or interacting online. I’ve been trying to experience things such as music, art, or nature in real life and not through a screen. I’m trying to take better care of my body, which means that eating organically, working out, and dressing well need not be viewed as vanities. I am more conscious of the amazing gift that is my body. That I can think, read, paint, work, laugh, clean, walk, run, hug, sing, serve. God gave us the ability to live, create, and love – not solely in a spiritual way, but through our bodies. This vision of life makes it easier for me live out chastity. From this vantage point, it feels less like an idea from outside myself, and more like a transformation of my whole person.
How we work, how we dress, the gifts we give, our schedules, how we use our minds, the way we use technology, where we focus our attention, how we treat our bodies, our expressions and mannerisms, our posture when we worship, the things we speak out loud, the way we sing songs when we mean it, how we create or build things, how we show affection, the way in which we welcome others, how we care for each other – these are part of Theology of the Body. No matter our state in life, we can stop and assess what truths we profess through these activities. It is all connected, and part of the sacramentality of God’s amazing creation. The visible creation makes known the invisible. It is all part of the redemption of our souls and bodies to which God is calling.
All of this underscores Pope Francis’s point that theology has to be embodied within a context. The context of daily life.