Dear Olivia:

I praise God that you have survived cancer and admire you for the balanced effort to stay fit and healthy. I do not think you are a health nut. A healthy balance is something to which we all should aspire. I would disagree with you, however, that this balance is a balance between physical fitness and spiritual fitness. Physical fitness means nothing in terms of eternity. Spiritual fitness determines your eternity. Thus, spiritual fitness must be the top priority.

In regard to your accusation, you have misinterpreted my essay and seem to have missed the point.

I have no prejudice toward people who are fit and in no way implied such a thing in my essay. I would caution you about the sin of rash judgment as there was nothing in that essay to give a shred of evidence of a prejudice toward physically fit people. In fact, I said nothing about physically fit people. What I spoke to was those who are health nuts, those people who place health and fitness above God, those people to whom health and fitness is their god, to those people whom health and fitness is the highest priority.

The only health and fitness we absolutely must have is the health and fitness of our soul. To have a physically fit body is great, praise God, but a fit body will not get anyone to heaven.

For these sad people who have no faith and do not believe in an afterlife they must be obsessed with health and fitness because that is all they have. They do not believe there is anything more after death. It is pathetic and sorrowful because these people are risking their souls. There may be a lot of healthy and fit people in hell and a lot of fat people in heaven. We will see one day.

While I was speaking directly to unbelievers who replace God with health and fitness, Christians can also become obsessed with health and fitness. We must keep our priorities. God comes before all else. He comes before health and fitness, He comes before spouse and children, He comes before work and recreation. He comes before extended family and friends. He comes before happiness and well-being. He comes before our own life. Nothing can take precedence over God, nothing.

St. Paul gave us what our priorities should be in his teaching to St. Timothy, (1 Timothy 4:8) "For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

Physical fitness is of "some" value St. Paul says. It is in godliness, that is, spiritual health, that holds the promise of eternal life.

Since this is a teaching of the Bible, all Christians are bound to believe and to practice this teaching, and to adopt for themselves this priority. 

This is not about an either/or. It is a "both". But, in terms of setting priorities, as great as physical fitness is, spiritual fitness must always have the highest place in our priorities.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary