What is born of flesh is flesh
and what is born of spirit is spirit.
Do not be amazed that I told you,
‘You must be born from above.
The wind blows where it wills,
and you can hear the sound it makes,
but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes;
so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ – John 3.6 – 8
The Gospel stories leave clues as to the nature of Jesus’ ministry: life moves from the Spirit to the body and into Spirit again.
Jesus’ mother Mary is overshadowed by the Spirit. Jesus is baptized by the Spirit. Jesus is led by the Spirit. Jesus is promises the Spirit. And Jesus Ascends and the disciples are are anointed by the Spirit. In a certain sense Christianity isn’t Christianity without the Revelation of the Spirit embodied.
The upshot for you and me is that our bodies are a part of the process. Spirituality is physicality and body can be guided by Spirit not just its appetites. Discerning how requires the wisdom of the spiritual tradition and its practices – such as silence, solitude, watchfulness and fasting – to name a few.
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