I’m a sucker for a good TV season finale, and this year “Grey’s Anatomy” did not disappoint. It centered on the departure of series original Christina Yang, played by Sandra Oh. Throughout the episode, Yang says goodbye to co-workers, but can’t seem to leave the hospital building, or say goodbye to her best friend Meredith Gray. Meredith even goes so far as to force Christina into a cab so she doesn’t miss her plane. But Christina comes back, bursting into the room, and tells Meredith she can’t go until they “dance it out.” They do, and she does.
Christina knew in her head that she had to go. Her body had unfinished business, however, and wouldn’t let her leave until she’d taken care of it. I can relate to this. I tend to live in my head a lot of the time, forgetting I have a body. I get so wrapped up in work, worry, and just the general whir of my thoughts that I relegate my body to an unappreciated servant. I don’t always give it the right food, or allow it enough sleep. I also don’t move it enough. Often, I leave my body out of my spirituality, too. I focus on praying with my mind and the urgings of my soul and ignore my body, as if it’s some kind of plastic wrapper that I really need to get rid of in order to be “spiritual,” whatever that means.
In his book “Immortal Diamond”, Richard Rohr says that one of the most unfortunate things that some early Christian theologians ever did was to incorporate the separation of body and spirit into Christianity. The body became associated with baser human instincts, while the spirit was everything pure that the body wasn’t. It’s sad, really, as this idea led us down a rabbit hole when it comes to a more holistic theology of the body. We lost a lot of time despising our bodies for the sake of supposed spiritual enlightenment, and we still feel the ripples today. How many diet and exercise fads, for example, are based on the puritanical idea that our bodies are some kind of enemy we need to conquer? Can all the guilt we attach to food possibly be good for our mental and spiritual health? Today’s hair shirts are made of lycra, and we self-flagellate at a Crossfit class. All for the sin of letting the body enjoy a cronut or two.
I also don’t think this is the path Jesus meant for his followers to walk. If the human body were truly meant to be discarded in the name of spiritual enlightenment, then Jesus would have shown up in our world as a breath of wind or glowing light. He would not have taken on a body, with all the big problems and minor irritations having a body entails, if it were not important. No, Jesus took on a body for a very good reason. It was to show his followers their bodies were just as holy and worthy of respect and love as their minds and spirits.
We had a good theology of the body with Jesus’ example, but we mucked it up. It happens. We’re only human, and we did what we thought best at the time. But now I think it’s time to give the body its rightful due when it comes to spirituality. It is not a source of sin, but a marvel of creation. Our bodies don’t weigh our spirits down, they let us dance.
I’m going to try and incorporate this thought into my prayer life a bit more. Who knows, maybe the next time I pray I’ll crank up some music, bop around the house, and take my soul for a spin.
Kevin Aschenbrenner is a Victoria-based writer, poet and communications professional. He holds an M.A. in Culture and Spirituality from the Sophia Center at Holy Names University in Oakland, Calif. He blogs at www.dearpopefrancis.ca.
