This is the time of year when people make health and fitness resolutions. I thought it would be interesting to explore five holy and healthy-related topics through the eyes of faith and with saintly wisdom.
Prayer is the surest way to peace and joy in Jesus and in our relationships. While health gurus talk about meditation and various trendy methods to calm us, as Catholics, we are called instead to a life of consistent, personal prayer, Holy Mass, silence, contemplation, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, praying Catholic devotionals such as the Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet, are powerful ways to stay close to Jesus and experience peace in our bodies and souls. We can invite the Holy Spirit to help us examine the state of our prayer life. We can ask Him to lead us to adjust how, when and where we pray with a desire to bear good fruit for Jesus.
St. Francis de Sales said, “Recall yourself sometimes to the interior solitude of your heart, and there, removed from all creatures, treat of the affairs of your salvation and your perfection with God, as a friend would speak heart to heart with another.”
Sleep is sometimes a forgotten key to good health. Our bodies need rest and time to recover from our daily activities so that we can serve the Lord and the people in our lives with vigor the next day.
While many saints would forgo sleep for prayer, most of the time, we are better for others when we’ve had a good night’s sleep. Creating an environment in our homes that is quiet, dark and comfortable, limiting screen time, physical activity and caffeine close to bedtime can help us have a better chance for restorative sleep. Giving our anxieties over to Jesus in prayer at bedtime, and asking our Guardian Angels to assist, may help quiet our minds and bodies so we can sleep well.
I have a sleeping St. Joseph by my bed and he is my go-to saint when I have trouble sleeping. Here is a beautiful prayer to St. Joseph about sleep from the book, St. Joseph, His Life, His Virtues (published in 1884):
O dear St. Joseph, I resolve every night before I close my eyes in sleep to recite the following aspirations, “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I offer to you my heart and my soul. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my last agony. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.”
Food is often the first thing we think about in the new year after enjoying sweets and feasting during the Christmas season. As we get back into our normal routines, we might feel inspired to start anew preparing meals that are satisfying with a healthy mix of protein, carbs and fats — taking a little break from the sugary treats. It may feel good to get back to fueling our body with temperance after celebrating (and feasting!) during the Christmas season.
St. Augustine challenges us, “Food is necessary for the support of life; but, like medicine, it should be taken only through necessity. Intemperance is very injurious to the body as well as to the soul.”
Movement is another area that receives a lot of attention in the new year. I refer to this as movement rather than exercise because really what we need is to get moving with consistency in whatever way works for us. My goal is moderation and sustainability so it doesn’t really matter what the activity is — whether walking, running, lifting weights, swimming, cycling, hiking or social exercise like pickle ball; it’s important to find something you like and will stick with for more than a few months. Movement keeps our joints lubricated, strengthens our muscles, works the heart and (hopefully!) brings peace to our bodies and minds. Moving outdoors is refreshing and I challenge myself to “make friends with winter” by walking outdoors often. Movement can also be combined with prayer, such as SoulCore Rosary prayer with strength, stretching and movement.
St. Ignatius of Loyola said, “Remember that bodily exercise, when it is well ordered, as I have said, is also prayer by means of which you can please God our Lord.”
Socializing is an important aspect to our overall health and on our journey to grow in holiness. We need people and people need us and the gifts we were given by God. In healthy relationships, we receive and give love in a safe place where we can be who God made us to be. I have gratitude that we are made for communion and community.
St. Gianna Molla said, “Love is the most beautiful sentiment the Lord has put into the souls of men and women.”
St. Pope John Paul II said, “Man becomes an image of God not so much in the moment of solitude as in the moment of communion.”
Let us give thanks for the new year and that Jesus never stops inviting us to care for our temples of the Holy Spirit, body and soul. We pray that in caring for ourselves well, and in walking closely with Jesus to be holy and healthy, our lives will bear good fruit for the Kingdom of God.
