I'm not sure what other Christians believe, but Catholics understand that we are not souls trapped in a body, but rather we are a mystical union of body and soul. Our physical bodies are a vital part of our being, of who we are. God chose to reveal Himself fully through the human body when He became man. He physically walked around, physically suffered, physically died, and physically rose again.
Many on these boards talk about a "personal relationship" with Jesus. This brings me to the Sacraments. I get the feeling that groups that reject the Sacraments think that Sacraments are not part of a "personal relationship." This couldn't be farther from the truth. If anything, they make our relationship with Christ that much more personal because we can experience Him with our entire being, body and soul--not just in a spiritual sense.
Take Holy Communion for example: We don't just make a mental assent when we receive Jesus into our hearts, we literally and physically go to Him and receive His entire being, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, into our entire being--body and soul.
We physically go and physically confess our sins and hear Christ's forgiveness bestowed on us, we are physically born again through the water of Baptism, we are physically annointed when our faith is confirmed, we physically lay hands to confer authority when we ordain.
There is a reason why Scripture describes Christ's relationship with the Church as married love. Anyone who is married can tell you, a husband and wife love with their whole beings--spiritually and physically. The relationship is much more personal when the physical is involved along with the spiritual. Likewise, our relationship with Jesus is not just spiritual, but involves our entire being--body and soul.
Many on these boards talk about a "personal relationship" with Jesus. This brings me to the Sacraments. I get the feeling that groups that reject the Sacraments think that Sacraments are not part of a "personal relationship." This couldn't be farther from the truth. If anything, they make our relationship with Christ that much more personal because we can experience Him with our entire being, body and soul--not just in a spiritual sense.
Take Holy Communion for example: We don't just make a mental assent when we receive Jesus into our hearts, we literally and physically go to Him and receive His entire being, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, into our entire being--body and soul.
We physically go and physically confess our sins and hear Christ's forgiveness bestowed on us, we are physically born again through the water of Baptism, we are physically annointed when our faith is confirmed, we physically lay hands to confer authority when we ordain.
There is a reason why Scripture describes Christ's relationship with the Church as married love. Anyone who is married can tell you, a husband and wife love with their whole beings--spiritually and physically. The relationship is much more personal when the physical is involved along with the spiritual. Likewise, our relationship with Jesus is not just spiritual, but involves our entire being--body and soul.
