Catholic Teaching On The Body

Running, sleeping, healing, helping, hugging, speaking, we experience them all through our body. So much is said about the body: having the best body, how to make your body look better etc etc. Living as humans not angels, our body is truly an integral part of who we are.

Man in the rain

St. Paul speaks of our bodies as something precious and sacred, “a temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives within you”. This section explores various “bodily” experiences yet believing that our body, heart, mind and spirit are inseparable.

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Prayer: A Prayer For Losing Weight

Dear Father,
I would like to be physically healthier. I want to go to the gym and the beach and not be ashamed of the way my body looks. I want to be able to wear smaller sizes. I want to go to long walks and have enough stamina to push my limits both in duration and also in intensity of walking. Having a healthy body enables me to be strong and fit to exercise.

Prayer for losing weight

My body is a gift from You. I want to nourish it not destroy it. When I feel alone, provide me with supportive people, who can journey with me, and let me never forget that You are always there and that You wish the best for me. Let the abundance in the fruit of nature remind me that from the beginning, you wished my nourishment, wellbeing and strength. I offer You all those who, like me, are struggling to lose weight....

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From the Bible

BIBLE VERSES RELATING TO THE BODY

Sheep, meat

“Do not join those who drink too much wine
or gorge themselves on meat,
for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”

Proverbs 23:20-21

FAMOUS BODY QUOTE

My body - a gift, a home

“If I don’t look after my body, I’ll have nowhere to live.”
87-year old homeless man - Ireland

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From the Popes

TOP POPE'S QUOTES ABOUT OUR BODY

"VALUING ONE'S OWN BODY in its femininity or masculinity is necessary if I am going to be able to recognise myself in an encounter with someone who is different."

Pope Francis, Care of our Common Home, 2015

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FROM LIFE: Living with Celebral Palsy: My Body is God’s Temple

Mike was born with cerebral palsy in 1981."There are days that I have a very hard time living in my body. I’m hating my cerebral palsy and dealing with my limitations...

Mike Matthews with his son Reese

Yet, I am so much more than the definitions the world tries placing on me..."