YOUCAT the catechism for Catholic youth
How should we treat our body?
The Fifth Commandment forbids also the use of violence against one’s own body. Jesus expressly demands that we accept and love ourselves: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39).
St. Paul wrote: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take Christ’s members and make them the members of a prostitute? Of course not! [Or] do you not know that anyone who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For “the two,” it says, “will become one flesh.” But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple* of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” --1 Corinthians 6:15-20…
Self-destructive acts against one’s own body (“body piercings”, cutting and so on) are in most cases psychological reactions to experiences of abandonment and a lack of love; hence they call first and foremost for our sincere and loving response. Within the context of organ donation (while living), it must be made clear, however, that there is no human right to destroy one’s own God-given body. 379
Apostle Paul by Bartolomeo Montagna
No comments:
Post a Comment