A proverb for 2018: Dirtiness is next to godliness
Published: January 12, 2018
Bishop Anthony B. Taylor delivered this homily Jan. 1
The saying “cleanliness is next to godliness” is about as big a lie as you’ll ever hear.
Cleanliness has nothing to do with godliness. You’d be a lot closer to the truth if you said “dirtiness is next to godliness.” Kids know this instinctively. Dirt and germs are everywhere and both are necessary for life and God is life. Seeds have to be planted in the dirt, fertile soil is full of germs — and manure makes it even better! Dirt is the source of a plant’s life and growth. Plant seeds in sterile, microbe-free soil and nothing happens.
Jesus was born into the dirtiest environment imaginable and the first to believe were filthy shepherds. Consider the circumstances of Jesus’ birth. Joseph and Mary — exhausted and probably dirty — end up in a stable full of camels, donkeys and livestock. There was no lighting, no running water and plenty of manure. It was there, under the most unsanitary conditions imaginable, that our Savior was born to Mary, the Mother of God, whose feast we celebrate today.
That night dirtiness had a lot to do with godliness.
The same is true regarding the shepherds. They were dirty people who lived outdoors, never bathed or washed their clothes and were widely suspected of immoral behavior.
Article source: https://www.arkansas-catholic.org/columns/column/5443/A-proverb-for-2018-Dirtiness-is-next-to-godliness