In a conversation this past week, a parishioner spoke to a group of us about the role of dreams in their spiritual life. We had a great conversation and everyone involved in the conversation agreed that God could and does use dreams to communicate with us. 

But how? 

My answer to this quandary rest in my personal spirituality which doesn't necessarily adhere to the spirit/body division that permeates the lion's share of Catholic thought. For many centuries, the dominant undergirding philosophy of the Catholic Church was that of Plato and his body/spirit dualism. It posits, among other things, that the spirit (which includes the mind) exists apart from the body and the physical needs of the body somehow corrupts the spirit. 

While Church teaching has rested heavily on the philosophy of Plato, adoption of this body/spirit split hasn't been universal. (Thank God!) There is this stubborn strain in the Christian tradition that validates the goodness of the body and doesn't seek to denigrate the body as Plato would have us do. 

In Genesis, God creates the first humans hand finds them "very good." The public actions by Jesus often are accompanied by the healing of the body. The moral teachings of Jesus emphasize loving others through their bodily concerns... feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, etc. And a core belief that we proclaim in the Nicene Creed every week is that we believe in the "resurrection of the body." 

Why would God be so concerned about resurrecting the body if there wasn't something inherently good about the body to begin with? 

In ever more poignant way, Saint Paul states clearly in this weekend's Second Reading, "The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body;" and later admonishes us, "Glorify the Lord in your body."

To do this well, I believe it is important to recognize the phenomena that we personally experience such as "spirit," "mind," or "consciousness" are all embodied experiences. We don't have an experience of being a "spirit" or a "mind" unless we are at the same time tethered to our own bodies. None of us have never met another "spirit" or a "mind" in the world unless we have done so when encountering another body. Moreover, we know that degeneration in a body (as we see in Alzheimer's disease)or intoxication through legal and illegal drugs can alter one's subjectivity even to the point where we feel we lose someone's "soul" or "spirit." Simply put, we are bodies who experience a spiritual life, not the other way around. 

Indeed, even our subconscious state, the space in which we dream, is effected by our bodies. The neurons in our brains make connections that they cannot make when we are awake and thus bridge together new sets of meanings that are left unknowable by our conscious selves. When we look to God in all of this, we must somehow conclude that God is working in us a the molecular level and if God operates within this incredible space, it is less of a fantastical event and more inherent one. We participate in God's plan when we encourage the deep integration of our body's wellness and wellbeing and foster the same in those around us. 

This week we enter ordinary time. We have this time to live in ordinary holiness, to do what we should be doing normally. For a few weeks in the liturgical year, there are no special holy days which dictate to us either to fast or to feast. It's a great chance to put into practice ordinary wellness, eating healthily, exercising, and taking enough time to sleep. The perspective I would offer is that taking care of our bodies is participation in God's will for creation and promotes the inherent goodness which God then facilitates for deeper blessings. In this way, we can follow Saint Paul's instruction and "Glorify the Lord in your body." 

Come see our Super School!

Mark your calendars!  Super School Sunday is January 28. This is our kick off to Catholic Schools week. Tickets will be available for purchase in January.

• 8am- Prospective Family Tours  Schedule a Tour

• 9am- Family Mass

• 10am- Pancake Breakfast in the gym

• 11am- Current Family Tours

Baby Bulldogs Registration- All are Welcome!

It's coming back! Baby Bulldogs will be back in January. This fun program is open to all infants, toddlers and their caregivers in our community.  Registration is now open. Baby Bulldogs Winter 2024 Registration. 

Applications are now open for 24-25! Do you have a friend or neighbor that is considering applying to the best school in Chicago? Sign up for a tour here: schedule a tour New student applications for the 24-25 can be found here: New Student Application