a temple????

God the Holy Spirit, you make our bodies the temple of your presence;
We praise you and thank you, O Lord.

Dealing with the elderly everyday is tough. Knowing what to say. Working out communication problems. Dealing with their weakness and vulnerability. Dealing with my own weakness and vulnerability. But what's hardest for me, what makes me scared of getting old is the general deterioration of their bodies. In the Litany for Healing we thank God the Holy Spirit for making out bodies her temple, and when I look at how I treat my body I wonder if I'm paying homage to that temple. But looking at how the aging process, how time (chronos), affects these temples it is hard for me to see God at work. It is hard to see God in the man who is incontinent. It is hard to see the light of Christ in a woman whose eyes are clouded by cataracts. It is hard to find a place for the Holy Spirit in the tiny hunched over woman suffering from osteoporosis. But yet, God is still there in the midst of them and at work through them. That is what is exciting about CPE at Goodwin House; in spite of what appears to be insurmountable physical ailments, God is present in His temple, in the body, mind, and spirit of these fantastic people.