taste and see

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord” (Psalm 34:8).

In my last post, I mentioned how Catholicism is a very sensual religion. It is sensual by the fact that it seeks to engage all of our senses. It is a curious thing to think about. How can we, human persons – bodily persons – encounter God, who is pure Spirit? In and through our bodies: this is how we encounter God – for this is how God created us. And this is how God intended things to be, according to his design – according to his creation. Perhaps this is what the Psalmist knew, who spoke of encountering God's goodness in terms of “tasting” and “seeing” (cf. Psalm 34:8).

“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:1-3).

This is how John encountered God, who is pure Spirit – through his senses; in a word, it was through his body. And this, too, is how God encountered man! For by the Incarnation, man is able to encounter God. His encounter – as John testifies – is with Jesus Christ, the "Word made flesh" (cf. John 1:14).

The sensual nature of Catholicism is such that it engages our senses. And this is because God created us this way – as sensual beings, as persons with bodies. It is unfortunate how this has become a cause of scandal among many people throughout history, even many Christians. In fact, so much of the confusion and scandal has crept into many minds, many schools of thought, that have – I would say – impoverished our understanding of ourselves, including our understanding of our dignity as human persons, created as male and female in the image and likeness of God – a creation that, to God, is very good (cf. Genesis 1:27, 31).

There is a certain ‘theology of the body’ that exists, by virtue of our very good creation as male and female in God’s image. This is a notion that may seem odd to many persons, even many Christians. It is an “odd statement” to Christians who have given into temptations concerning the confusion and scandals that have crept into Christian thinking throughout history, even if it is unknown to them. “But if the idea of a theology of the body seems odd to us, it shouldn’t if we are Christian – because by virtue of the Incarnation, theology has entered the body through the main door” (John Paul II).

Perhaps we would become uncomfortable to think about a God who had a body. A God who worked and toiled, who sweat like us, who got dirt under his nails like us; who wore clothes – and wrapped himself in warmer clothes when he got cold, like us; who went to the bathroom, like us; who bathed himself, like us; who ate and drank, like us. And who suffered, who felt pain, and bled, like us.