run to fly

St Leo the Great talks to us about training our bodies to obey our spirits, in our reading from A Year with the Church Fathers.

He tells us that when we teach our bodies not to overindulge, it allows our spirits to rest in silence... and experience the "higher things." That brings to mind the picture above. One thing you might notice in that picture is that both of the runner's feet are in the air at the same time.

When we realize that, we start to see running as a form of flying. When we walk, we always have one foot on the ground. But when we run... we fly for brief instants. For short timespans, we are entirely free of our contact with this earth. When we train our bodies to "run the race set before us" and cast off the sin that "so easily entangles us", it allows us to "soar with wings as eagles".

One little flight at a time, let's join the angels in singing His praises, for setting us free from the sins that weigh us down.

God, thanks for teaching us to fly... if only for a little bit.