...In the beginning...

A lot happened before God began to create, but since time is a creation it's hard to conceive of what that might have been. A lot has been at work in me and around me leading up to this blog. But here's the rundown. Since becoming a priest I've put on some weight. Not a ton, I was already overweight so the priesthood is not necessarily causative. I'd like to be much healthier than I am. This blog is partially a way for me to reflect on getting healthier. But it's a lot more than that. I'd like to begin to develop a theology of the body here as well: collect resources, reflect, but most of all, to live a theology of the body. Not think about, though there will be plenty of that, but to literally embody a theology of the body. So: What does it mean to have a body, be a body, be a creation? Before we can go any further with this we have to begin to look at the Scriptures and what they say. The starting point is obviously in Genesis. The refrain of Genesis 1 is clearly that God creates and the creation is good, period. Our bodies are good. The creation is good. This will be complicated later by sin but in the beginning creation is good. I guess I could go on record in saying that it is the creation that is good, but later the thing that makes us human is what also leads us away from God. Therefore, the body, in and of itself is good, and not broken. Here is a really good podcast that takes the stance that, "humans, by default are not broken." The presenter on the podcast is not making a theological statement, he is talking about the beautiful bodies that humans have which evolution has honed into an intelligent, healthy part of the ecosystem. I think that the Bible presents the human as a beloved creation first and foremost, we have to start with the amazing lovable body. It's a very good place to start.