Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality

Reclaiming the Body in Christian Spirituality edited by Thomas Ryan, New Jersey, Paulist Press, 2004, 179 pp.

The central focus of this book is the place of the body in the spiritual life. The topic will be of particular interest to those who practise some physical discipline, for example, yoga, skiing, jogging, swimming, dance or manual labour. Above all, the book speaks to those who have the capacity for self reflection.

Thomas Ryan, CSP, stakes out the foundation for a positive approach to the body in Christian spirituality and the body language of faith. Four of the six chapters or essays were written by others.

Ft. James Wiseman's essay on "The Body in Spiritual Practice" provides some historical points of reference concerning the attitude toward the body in Christian spirituality. He clearly reveals major advances toward a more positive appreciation of the body when compared to some attitudes in the past. For instance, harsh mortification of the body as though it were an obstacle to holiness or wholeness is no longer advocated. Today, the role of the body in prayer and meditation is understood as being integral to spiritual practice.

The next two chapters, written by Thomas Ryan, are entitled "Toward a Positive Spirituality of the Body" and "The Body Language of Faith." They conclude with an emphasis on the need for balance. Ryan believes that in a secular culture, the challenge is not to overcompensate for centuries of misguided teachings, but to find a balance between idolatry and denial, between mortification and glorification. In his terms, when we are balanced, we treat our bodies as intimate friends seeking to know our bodies while honouring their mystery. He urges us to commit ourselves to care for our bodies.

With an inclusive approach to spirituality, Thomas Ryan invites us to respect the goodness of our bodies and how God created us, so that we can develop a positive, healthy attitude toward our individual bodies, toward the body of believers, toward the social community around us and toward the natural world.

In Casey Rock's essay, "Voices from the Mat," she reflects on her experience as a yoga teacher and practitioner in Toronto, and compares it to what she experiences in the contemporary parish. Through yoga, she found bodily awareness and breath control. She also retrieved wonders and wisdom that lay within. In her words: "I experienced growth and renewal. Yoga gave me this because of its commitment to quiet space and time, its concepts of acceptance and forgiveness, and the abiding presence of women. The yoga class brought me, brings me, again and again to a primal awareness of my existence and my innate goodness."

Rock concludes her essay by describing the relationship between Christianity and yoga as a tango. She is "grateful to have been invited to the dance."

In his essay, Rev. Jim Dickerson addresses the critical issue of the individual member's solidarity with the needs of the larger, social body. For Dickerson, a mature Christian life in the 21st century is one that sees the sociopolitical meaning of the gospels. He sees it as a life radically centered in God, passionate about compassion in the world, including passion for social justice.

The final essay by James Hall is entitled "Reclaiming the Body of Earth: Born Again of Water and Spirit." The author holds up to us the dust from which we came and to which we shall return, and reminds us that in the scheme of God's creation, the "body" in which we live is part of a wider "embodiment which includes all created things."

Six instructive essays--leaving us with renewed respect for our bodies and with the recognition that in everything having to do with the body, one enters into the realm of mystery. Our bodies are not only to be disciplined by mind and will, but can instruct us in often humbling ways.

Peter Baker, a Torontonian, volunteers as a proofreader for CNT.

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