Day 299: Respect for Health (2288-2291)

• It’s Day 299!!

• RESPECT FOR HEALTH

• We are called to have respect not only for life in general, not only for the spiritual life, but also for health

• Not only for our own health, but also the health of others

• We will talk about the virtue of temperance which is incredibly important when it comes to the goodness of the body and the goodness of health

• Let’s pray!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, I ask that you please help all of us in the midst of life. Help all of us in the midst of this day, right now when we are listening to these words. Help us all, whether we are healthy or sick, whether we are strong or weak, whether we are whole or we find ourselves broken in this moment. We ask that you please come and meet us. Meet us with your grace, not only to heal our souls, but meet us with your grace to give us strength in body, give us clarity of mind and thought, give us the ability to focus on the task at hand and the strength to carry out, the courage to carry out the task at hand. Whatever your will is for us, Lord, in this moment, we ask you to give us the grace to be able to accept it, to enter into it, and to find joy in the midst of whatever it is-health or sickness, wholeness or brokenness, strength or weakness. Lord God, may all of us find your will in this moment. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen”

• So there we have it!!

• When it comes to these commandments, we are talking about goods

• We are talking about goods that are not absolute goods

• The Fourth Commandment says family is a good but not an absolute good

• A couple of days ago we talked about life and the good of life

• We are not going to work against life, but at the same time discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome

• To discontinue those can be legitimate 

• One does not will to cause death, one’s ability to impede it is merely accepted

• Life is a good but it is not an absolute good

• Paragraph 2288 says, “Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into account the needs of others and the common good. Concern for the health of its citizens requires that society help in the attainment of living-conditions that allow them to grow and reach maturity: food and clothing, housing, health care, basic education, employment, and social assistance.”

• Paragraph 2289 says, “If morality requires respect for the life of the body, it does not make it an absolute value. It rejects a neo-pagan notion that tends to promote the cult of the body, to sacrifice everything for its sake, to idolize physical perfection and success at sports. By its selective preference of the strong over the weak such a conception can lead to the perversion of human relationships.”

• Let’s listen to Fr. Mike tell a story about St. Pope John Paul II…

• Physical activity is a good, but not an absolute good

• We have such a bifurcated culture right now where it falls into both extremes at the same time

• One extreme being that you are not your body and your body does not reveal anything about who and what you are

• At the same time, we have people who are exalted for their body like celebrities

• If they get older, society says they need to preserve their youth

• The Church says the answer is the middle of both extremes

• Virtue lies in the middle

• Your body is you and we have to take reasonable care of our bodies

• Your health is given to you as a gift so we have to take reasonable care of our health

• At the same time, it is not an absolute value

• IN FACT…

• There are so many dangers we can fall into

• If we allow ourselves to be affected so strongly by our culture that exalts the strong over the weak and prefers the healthy to the sick and prefers the young to the old, that brings about a distortion of how we approach other human beings, how we see others, and how we value others

• Paragraph 2290 says, “The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others’ safety on the road, at sea, or in the air.”

• Fr. Mike’s definition of temperance is, “Doing or using the right thing at the right time in the right way”

• I’m not going to write down Fr. Mike explaining this definition using food as an example…

• The Bible praises, “wine gives joy to men’s hearts.”

• We must avoid every kind of excess

• We live in a world right now where everyone has a smartphone it seems

• We are all tempted to glance at our phones when we drive 

• That could incur grave guilt

• If we are going to be in this hunk of metal and plastic hurtling down the road, we need to be attentive

• If we are not attentive, we are endangering the people around us and we are endangering ourselves

• Paragraph 2291 says, “The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct cooperation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law.”

• The opioid epidemic is gravely contrary to the moral law

• Let’s listen to Fr. Mike ruminate about doctors prescribing opioids because he’s making me dizzy…

• It’s not just illegal drugs

• It could also be abused prescription drugs

• Excessive use of any good is a direct assault on the goodness of the body, health, and life

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• I cannot WAIT…