On Care of the Body
Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever, and take care of your soul as if you were going to depart tomorrow.
Sources
Christian Saints on Caring for the Body
Bodily Exercise: Value and Limits
• St. Paul the Apostle (1st century): “For bodily exercise profits little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.”  This teaches that physical training has some value, but spiritual growth is far more important. • St. Ignatius of Loyola (16th century): “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.”  Here the saint encourages exercise in moderation, seeing it as a way to glorify God when done with the right intention. • St. Basil the Great (4th century): “Since… exaggerated care of the body is harmful to the body itself, and a hindrance to the soul, it is sheer madness to be a slave to the body, and serve it.”  Basil warns against obsession with physical perfection at the expense of the soul, advising discipline of the flesh rather than indulgence.
The Body’s Role in Spiritual Life • St. Paul the Apostle (1st century): “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? … Therefore, glorify God in your body.”  This foundational teaching highlights the sacredness of the body as God’s dwelling, calling for honor and purity in its use. • Pope St. Paul VI (20th century): “Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity… For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day.”  Here the saintly pope emphasizes that the body, created by God and destined for resurrection, must be respected and used for God’s glory. • Pope St. John Paul II (20th century): “The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus to be a sign of it.”  In his Theology of the Body, John Paul II teaches that our bodies reveal deep spiritual truths – they manifest the image of God and are integral to our spiritual calling.
Fasting and Bodily Discipline • St. John Chrysostom (4th century): “Fasting of the body is food for the soul… As bodily food fattens the body, so fasting strengthens the soul, imparting it an easy flight, [and] makes it able to ascend on high, to contemplate lofty things.”  The golden-tongued preacher extols fasting as a practice that liberates the soul, helping it rise toward God, in contrast to how indulging the body can weigh one down. • St. Augustine of Hippo (5th century): “Fasting cleanses the soul, raises the mind, subjects one’s flesh to the spirit, renders the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of concupiscence, quenches the fire of lust, and kindles the true light of chastity.”  Augustine summarizes the spiritual benefits of fasting, showing how bodily self-denial aids in conquering passions and purifying the heart for God. • St. John Cassian (5th century): “To eat moderately and reasonably is to keep the body in health, not to deprive it of holiness.”  Drawing on the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, Cassian counsels balance: true asceticism does not ruin the body, but rather keeps it fit as an instrument for a holy life. Excessive deprivation can be as detrimental as excess, so discipline should maintain health while subduing desires.
Seeking Medical and Bodily Aid • St. Basil the Great (4th century): Basil taught that medicine and care for the sick are gifts from God. He wrote that for “every illness God created a plant, mineral, or sea animal to heal it,” giving humans intelligence to discover these remedies . Accordingly, “when a physician heals with medicines, we experience a miracle of God’s creation no less wonderful than those of the Bible.”  In other words, using medicine is not a lack of faith but a cooperation with God’s providence. • St. Basil the Great (4th century): At the same time, Basil reminded believers to trust God as the ultimate healer: “God sometimes cures us… without visible means when He judges this mode of treatment beneficial to our souls; and again He wills that we use material remedies for our ills… to provide an example for the proper care of the soul.”  All healing comes from God, whether through miracle or medicine, and caring for our bodies can even teach us about caring for our souls. • St. John Cassian (5th century): “Bodily illness is not an obstacle to purity of heart, provided we give the body what its illness requires, not what gratifies our desire for pleasure.”  Cassian advises that seeking necessary care or nourishment during sickness is right and prudent. We should neither neglect the body’s needs nor indulge in excess; tending to health in times of illness enables us to continue our spiritual work.
Each of these quotes reflects a harmonious view in Christian tradition: the body is good and purposeful, deserving proper care and discipline, yet always in service of the soul’s salvation. The saints urge neither pampering the flesh nor despising it, but rather treating the body as a “temple of the Holy Spirit” and a God-given tool for virtue .