December 16th DAY NINE : EAT

VISUALIZATION: From your sacred space, take 5 looong, deeeep breaths. Set a timer if you need. Try to spend at least 5 minutes here. Bring your focus to just one part of your body that you know needs healing, strength, or improvement. Imagine Jesus, as the divine physician, present with you, holding this part of you and you are looking back at him as he heals it. See it healed, feel how you would feel if it was better and imagine what you would do if this part was no longer an issue. Show Jesus your gratitude.

Staying in your sacred space, REFLECT on the following and if you would like, write any thoughts in your journal using the questions as prompts.

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Have you ever wondered what the Catechism says about health? It is a small section but worth reflecting on. How does the text strike you? Does reading it do anything to change your perspective on how you take care of your own health? How do you do the dance of taking care of the needs of others and taking care of your own health? What are your beliefs around this dynamic?

2288- 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.

2289- 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.

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EAT. REAL FOOD. ALL DAY. TODAY.

Go into today with a plan for eating real, whole food. Ditch anything preserved in a package with lots of ingredients. It may require a plan, a list, a trip to the store, and some cooking, but see it as an opportunity to create mindfulness and prayerfulness around eating, as it just might require more of your time and attention. Let your food nourish and energize your mind and body!

A prayer for your day: Lord, thank you for entrusting me with the gift of my physical health. May my strength and energy both magnify you AND allow me to be of service to others. Amen