Bodily Practices in the Catholic Religion

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Judaism, Islam, and Eastern faiths certainly have them, and more than a few. Specific practices for bodily cleanliness and hygiene which are related by these religions to spiritual purposes.

In the Catholic religion, are there bodily disciplines for cleanliness and bodily care?

I know of this quote from scriptures.
In the New Testament (1 Cor 6:19-20)
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
 
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We’re generally supposed to follow what that quote says and live a reasonably healthy lifestyle with respect to our bodies. However, specific cleanliness and bodily care practices are left to the societal norms of time and place where we’re living. The Church doesn’t have disciplines for ritual baths or any of that.
 
Christphr said:
In the Catholic religion, are there bodily disciplines for cleanliness and bodily care?
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My grandmother used to use the saying “Cleanliness is next to godliness” .

Apparently John Wesley quoted it in a sermon , and it does go back to ancient writings .

We have no rules written down about cleanliness and hygiene , but love would imply that you don’t go into church ponging .

Fortunately I haven’t seen this notice in church - - - - - -(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
I would imagine that during certain periods of history when Europeans all thought bathing was unhealthy and promoted disease, that church was an extremely smelly place, as well as everywhere else in society.
 
On the subject of cleanliness and bodily care , I am no fan of TV adverts , but this one always amuses me .

 
Christphr said:
In the Catholic religion, are there bodily disciplines for cleanliness and bodily care?
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The celebrating priest ritually washes his hands at Mass at the beginning of the Liturgy of the Eucharist during the preparation of the altar and gifts.
 
We bless ourselves with holy water as we enter and leave the church. This could be seen as a ritual purification of sorts but the emphasis is on the spiritual aspect not the physical washing of water. The priest, however, does ritually wash his hands during the preparation of the gifts at Mass.
 
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