Bodily Worship

Praising God with body, mind, heart, and soul

04/06/2023

1 Cor 11:23-26 Brothers and sisters: I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.

One of the most distinguishing features of the Catholic religion, setting it apart from many Protestant denominations, is that we worship with our bodies. Have you noticed this at Mass? Of course we praise God with all our minds and hearts - that goes without saying. But we do not want to neglect to offer him the worship of our bodies.

That is why we stand and kneel and genuflect and hold hands and bow, etc. Catholicism is a very bodily religion. This is what I like to call our “Catholic calisthenics.” We should be the healthiest of all Christians! In other words, we want to glorify God with every ounce of what we have and what we are: body, mind, heart, soul, and spirit. It is in this sense that our worship of God should be total.

Many years ago I watched a very funny movie called “The Scarlet Pimpernel” about an Englishman who rescues people from France during the Reign of Terror following the French Revolution. Even though it is funny, there is a very touching and spiritual scene when the Scarlet Pimpernel gets married. After the couple exchanges their vows, he says something I will never forget.

Listen to this. While putting the ring on his bride’s finger, he states: “With this ring, I thee wed. This gold and silver, I thee give. With my body, I thee worship. With all my worldly goods, I thee endow.” Did you catch that part about his body: it is for worship? That may sound to some like idolatry or paganism – worshiping another person?? – but it conveys a deep spiritual truth. Bodies are made for worship.

In other words, the love that spouses show one another is a sort of dress rehearsal (although without the dress) for the real love and worship we render to God in Jesus. How so? Well, because Jesus is not only our Savior, he is our Spouse. And just like the Scarlet Pimpernel worshipped his wife with his body, (and with everything else), so we worship God in Jesus with our bodies (and also with everything else). That is why we do Catholic calisthenics: to worship God with our bodies because ultimately he is our Spouse.

I really love our second reading today from 1 Co 11:23-26. Why? Well, because it is the earliest written account of the Last Supper in the New Testament. Did you know that? That may surprise some people because they mistakenly think the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were written first. After all, the gospels are placed before the letters of St. Paul, so surely they were written before them. Right? Wrong.

That is a common misunderstanding of Catholics who do not know their Bible very well. But in reality Paul had written several of his letters – including 1 Corinthians – long before Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John picked up a pen and parchment to write their gospels. So, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 is super special because it is the oldest written account of the Last Supper.

But another reason this passage of 1 Co 11:23-26 is so significant is because Paul records Jesus saying: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Now, notice what Jesus did not say at the Last Supper. He did not say: “Read this in remembrance of me.” He did not say: “Memorize this in remembrance of me.” He did not say, “Write lots of books about this in remembrance of me.” Rather, our Lord commanded, “Do this in remember of me.”

Now, what exactly did Jesus want us to do? Well, he wanted us to do what he did, namely, reenact his celebration of the Passover of the Old Testament that had now become the Last Supper of the New Testament. The whole Christian life is "imitatio Christi" the imitation of Christ. In other words, Jesus wanted us to do Catholic calisthenics and celebrate the Mass.

That is, Jesus wants us to worship him not only with our minds and hearts – again, that goes without saying – he wants the worship of our bodies: the sitting, standing, the eating, and drinking. Why? Well, for the same reason that the Scarlet Pimpernel’s wife wanted the worship of his body. Because when you really love someone, you love them with everything you have and everything you are.

I will never forget attending a private Mass with Pope St. John Paul II. He was already in his 80’s, and in a wheelchair. He was no longer able to walk freely and he drooped to one side as his Parkinson’s advanced, and his right hand shook. But with a Herculean effort he tried to do all the motions of the Mass that day: standing, kneeling, bowing and even genuflecting.

I remember thinking while tears flowed down my face: “Surely, you can just sit through the Mass. You are the pope after all!” And I promised myself I would never complain about the movements of the Mass again. But John Paul wanted to worship God with his body, not just his mind and heart. Why? Because when you really love someone, you love them with all you have and all you are.

Praised be Jesus Christ!