Time’s article on Stretching for Jesus explores the reluctance of many Christians to accept yoga as a spiritual discipline. When the author, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen/Mahtomedi, turns to Catholicism she writes:
A couple of comments:
• The operative word in this quote is "can degenerate". Any thing that is good and beneficial can also degenerate. This does not mean that it, it itself is bad. Otherwise, we would be consuming grape juice at Communion.
• Of all the religions in the world, Catholicism ought to be the best at finding disciplines to integrate mind, heart and strength. Our desire to do so should be based on the Great Commandment Dt. 6:4-5 We believe in the Incarnation and the Resurrection of the Body. Rather than resisting disciplines from the East, we ought to be working to integrate them, just as the Church Fathers integrated Greek into Hebrew thought in the early days of the Church.
I’m working on a review of Thomas Ryan’s book on spirituality of the body. Watch this space. For my previous postings on this topic go here and here.
Thanks to Amy Welborn. I don’t usually read Time
