The way I (Brian) see it, of the wonders of Christmas and Epiphany, there is no more clear statement of God’s loving intention for the world than Jesus Christ’s incarnation—his taking on human flesh to become one of us. God’s embodiment as a human is a great demonstration of solidarity with us and love for us. It is also a strong statement about the value God places on human bodies.
Thomas Merton, Trappist monk and American mystic, wrote often about God’s strong message of the dignity of humanity, realized in Christ-enfleshed. In New Seeds of Contemplation Merton says that if “we believe in the Incarnation of the Son of God, there should be no one earth in whom we are not prepared to see, in mystery, the presence of Christ.” In essence, not only is Jesus Christ’s taking on flesh an act of solidarity between God and humanity, it is a call for all of humanity to be united under the banner of the love of God in Christ. What greater statement of human solidarity can there be?
Everybody—every human body—is an image bearer, an icon of God’s love. But this mysterious reality has so frequently in our history been overlooked, ignored, or forgotten. Headlines and history books attest to the human tendency to not see the presence of Christ in our sisters and brothers, Black and Brown sisters, homeless brothers, Immigrant parents, Refugee children.
But humanity’s selective solidarity does not negate God’s intention. Throughout the gospels, Jesus clearly puts himself, as the Christ of God, on the side of those who are not recognized as icons of God’s love. Samaritans and Gentiles, demon-possessed and prostitute, tax collector and thief—they all fall under the loving gaze of the Jesus’ love. Their bodies—their lives—matter to God. And that is a great cause for joy!
The outpouring of a soul who has discovered that God sees them in the light of love, as an image-bearer of Godself is cause for great celebration. That the workings of the human body—its sight, hearing, sense of taste and touch—are all brought under the canopy of God’s delight.
And what better way to celebrate the love of God than in a body? To hear children singing, to smell a bonfire and be warmed by its radiance, to dance freely, to be held in the embrace of a spouse or friend, to eat and drink of a meal prepared in love—these are the joys of life for which all humans were made.
Our first parents, and all of humanity, were given bodies so that we could celebrate the good gifts that our bodies possess. When we press into the mystery of God’s embodiment and the dignity of our own, we may be surprised to discover that we do not find joy in aspects of our own bodies. When contemplating the gift of our body, we may hear whispers of condemnation that linger from the past. While sitting in stillness and taking inventory of our own bodies, we may gain insight into messages we have held about the beliefs or desires to one day be freed from our bodily existence.
And in our embodied silence, we may also hear the words echoing from ancient scripture that our bodies are very good. “You realize, don’t you, that you are the temple of God, and God himself is present in you? No one will get by with vandalizing God’s temple, you can be sure of that. God’s temple is sacred—and you, remember, are the temple” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, The Message).
