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Blessed Is the Body: Disability Justice and the Community of Christ
Encounter God’s love at the borders of our bodies
During Lent, we often reflect on our limits—from dust we are, and to dust we will return. We remember that we will never be able to do everything we want to do, even and especially when what we want to do is love our neighbor well. In this daily devotional, Disability rights activist Tatum Tricarico helps us turn the tables on Lent. Rather than a time of feeling condemned or guilty beyond help, Lent is when we can take a breath and finally say what we have been trying to hide all I am human. I can’t do it all. And still, I am beloved by God.
Disabled people have always known that our bodies and actions don’t fit into boxes marked “perfect” or “endless.” Every day, they encounter ableist, discriminatory practices that spell out the limits of bodies, minds, and human connection. In far more than forty days, Disabled people have learned to be honest about their bodies, to love them and name them as good, not despite finitude, but because of it.
Blessed Is the Body invites readers to expand their understanding of God, themselves, and community with reflections and practices for considering Disability justice, history, and culture alongside stories from the Bible about Disabled individuals like Moses and the woman with a flow of blood. Reflecting on Lent through the lens of Disability lets us experience the power, connection, and joy that comes with being honest about our finite bodies and making space for all of who we are—the beauty and the dust.
During Lent, we often reflect on our limits—from dust we are, and to dust we will return. We remember that we will never be able to do everything we want to do, even and especially when what we want to do is love our neighbor well. In this daily devotional, Disability rights activist Tatum Tricarico helps us turn the tables on Lent. Rather than a time of feeling condemned or guilty beyond help, Lent is when we can take a breath and finally say what we have been trying to hide all I am human. I can’t do it all. And still, I am beloved by God.
Disabled people have always known that our bodies and actions don’t fit into boxes marked “perfect” or “endless.” Every day, they encounter ableist, discriminatory practices that spell out the limits of bodies, minds, and human connection. In far more than forty days, Disabled people have learned to be honest about their bodies, to love them and name them as good, not despite finitude, but because of it.
Blessed Is the Body invites readers to expand their understanding of God, themselves, and community with reflections and practices for considering Disability justice, history, and culture alongside stories from the Bible about Disabled individuals like Moses and the woman with a flow of blood. Reflecting on Lent through the lens of Disability lets us experience the power, connection, and joy that comes with being honest about our finite bodies and making space for all of who we are—the beauty and the dust.
191 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 2, 2025
14 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 19, 2025
I've been both a person with a disability and a person of faith for my entire life. I preached for the first time when I was eight-years-old, though I suppose it's a little weird to count my cultish childhood days as a Jehovah's Witness.
I'm a seminary graduate and someone who has been in multiple formal ministry roles along with having served in other ministry capacities. Yet, I must confess that as I began diving into Tatum Tricarico's "Blessed Is the Body: Disability Justice and the Community of Christ" I found the experience almost jarring. Despite now being in my 50s with spina bifida and other disabilities, that internalized ableism still creeps in and as I began surrendering myself to this Lenten devotional approached through the lens of disability justice I found myself both a little uncertain and filled with immense gratitude.
Lent is a time when we do often reflect upon our limits. In this daily devotional, disability rights activist Tricarico invites us into a different experience where we can finally lean into who we are, take a breath, and lift the veil from that which we spend so much time trying to hide - "I am human. I am vulnerable. I can't do it all. I am still beloved by God."
To live with a disability is to live in a world where fitting in frequently isn't a given. Our bodies our often seen as less than, imperfect, and certainly not holy. To live well with a disability, one must learn to set side societal expectations and judgments in favor of self-love, finding one's body as worthy, and redefining what society often sets in stone.
"Blessed Is the Body" is a book that demands immersion, discipline, and surrender. Tricarico invites us into a deeper, more expanded understanding of God and of self. Tricarico balances Scripture with reflection and points of contemplation. Disability justice, history, and culture is viewed through a contemporary lens and also through a lens of biblical history. While we don't often talk about those figures in the Bible whom likely had what we now call a disability, Tricarico goes straight for it and scoffs at any such taboo for contemplation. Disability is not a taboo way to live. Instead, disability invites us into a different kind of relationship with God and with each other.
Indeed, blessed is the body. Blessed is the disabled body. Blessed is the community of Christ that that doesn't just tolerate its disabled members but full-on embraces them.
I found myself not just appreciating and embracing Tricarico's words and reflections, but I was inspired and motivated to dig deeper, learn more, and challenge myself lean more fully into who I am and to remove the masks that I so easily wear.
While "Blessed is the Body" is in many ways a breezy read, it's best experienced as a true devotional meant for prayer, reflection, spiritual discipline, and a gentle, meaningful pace to experience it all. It's not often that I find myself finishing up a Kindle read and thinking to myself "I want this in print," but that's absolutely my experience here. "Blessed is the Body" is no doubt a devotional that will end up on my bookshelf to be read and reflected upon over and over and over again.
I'm a seminary graduate and someone who has been in multiple formal ministry roles along with having served in other ministry capacities. Yet, I must confess that as I began diving into Tatum Tricarico's "Blessed Is the Body: Disability Justice and the Community of Christ" I found the experience almost jarring. Despite now being in my 50s with spina bifida and other disabilities, that internalized ableism still creeps in and as I began surrendering myself to this Lenten devotional approached through the lens of disability justice I found myself both a little uncertain and filled with immense gratitude.
Lent is a time when we do often reflect upon our limits. In this daily devotional, disability rights activist Tricarico invites us into a different experience where we can finally lean into who we are, take a breath, and lift the veil from that which we spend so much time trying to hide - "I am human. I am vulnerable. I can't do it all. I am still beloved by God."
To live with a disability is to live in a world where fitting in frequently isn't a given. Our bodies our often seen as less than, imperfect, and certainly not holy. To live well with a disability, one must learn to set side societal expectations and judgments in favor of self-love, finding one's body as worthy, and redefining what society often sets in stone.
"Blessed Is the Body" is a book that demands immersion, discipline, and surrender. Tricarico invites us into a deeper, more expanded understanding of God and of self. Tricarico balances Scripture with reflection and points of contemplation. Disability justice, history, and culture is viewed through a contemporary lens and also through a lens of biblical history. While we don't often talk about those figures in the Bible whom likely had what we now call a disability, Tricarico goes straight for it and scoffs at any such taboo for contemplation. Disability is not a taboo way to live. Instead, disability invites us into a different kind of relationship with God and with each other.
Indeed, blessed is the body. Blessed is the disabled body. Blessed is the community of Christ that that doesn't just tolerate its disabled members but full-on embraces them.
I found myself not just appreciating and embracing Tricarico's words and reflections, but I was inspired and motivated to dig deeper, learn more, and challenge myself lean more fully into who I am and to remove the masks that I so easily wear.
While "Blessed is the Body" is in many ways a breezy read, it's best experienced as a true devotional meant for prayer, reflection, spiritual discipline, and a gentle, meaningful pace to experience it all. It's not often that I find myself finishing up a Kindle read and thinking to myself "I want this in print," but that's absolutely my experience here. "Blessed is the Body" is no doubt a devotional that will end up on my bookshelf to be read and reflected upon over and over and over again.
December 1, 2025
Blessed Is the Body is an excellent choice for a personal Lenten practice or a group study. Tatum Tricarico, a queer and disabled author, brings a perspective that is often missing from current devotional materials, offering readers a much-needed lens on Scripture and daily faith.
The devotional begins on Ash Wednesday and offers daily reflections that follow a simple and meaningful rhythm: a passage of Scripture to ponder, the author’s thoughtful interpretation, and a set of questions that invite readers to consider how the day’s message connects with their lived experience. The structure makes the devotional accessible while remaining profound.
As a pastor seeking to expand my understanding of disability and theology, I found this voice essential. So many biblical passages involve disability directly, and many of our religious practices unintentionally reinforce assumptions that can be harmful to disabled persons. Tricarico names these dynamics with clarity and compassion, inviting readers to rethink familiar texts in ways that honor the full dignity of every body.
You will grow in your understanding of disability, but you will also gain fresh insight into the Scriptures themselves. Blessed Is the Body belongs on the bookshelves of both clergy and laity, offering a thoughtful companion for the Lenten journey and a deeper awareness of the body of Christ in all its diversity.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.
The devotional begins on Ash Wednesday and offers daily reflections that follow a simple and meaningful rhythm: a passage of Scripture to ponder, the author’s thoughtful interpretation, and a set of questions that invite readers to consider how the day’s message connects with their lived experience. The structure makes the devotional accessible while remaining profound.
As a pastor seeking to expand my understanding of disability and theology, I found this voice essential. So many biblical passages involve disability directly, and many of our religious practices unintentionally reinforce assumptions that can be harmful to disabled persons. Tricarico names these dynamics with clarity and compassion, inviting readers to rethink familiar texts in ways that honor the full dignity of every body.
You will grow in your understanding of disability, but you will also gain fresh insight into the Scriptures themselves. Blessed Is the Body belongs on the bookshelves of both clergy and laity, offering a thoughtful companion for the Lenten journey and a deeper awareness of the body of Christ in all its diversity.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews