May 19, 2025

Self-care is important, not just for the health of the body – this body that is a gift from God given to us with love – but also for maintaining mental equilibrium and peace. We know that exercise, sleep, and fresh food help the body stay healthy or regain health.  They also help the mind stay clear and more disposed to good will.

It is not selfish to take time for self-care. When the body is healthier, there is less demand on family members for care, less of a drain on the healthcare system. Think how people who are in a more peaceful place benefit society too, because they are less reactive. They are less likely to crash the car or fly into a rage. They are less likely to yell at their kids, to make mistakes at work, post hateful comments on social media, or fall into depression.  Of course it is not that simple at all, yet we can consider the positive ripple effects of self-care in this way.

The Holy Spirit, angels and saints find that people of the modern age need more hand-holding when it comes to self-care.  It is like remedial learning. We have to be led by the hand to learn how to be kind to ourselves. We have internalized the demands of the industrial revolution to be productive cogs in the gears of capitalism, and yet the human being is so much more than just a worker designed to please the boss.  We, like all of creation, are sacred; and human beings are especially sacred in God’s eyes. All should be treated with respect and dignity, evermore. Amen.