Theology of the Body:Purity and Piety

St. Pelagia: Harlet turned Saint

O.K. everyone, in my last post I kinda committed myself to reading and discussing the Theology of the Body. Man, what was I thinking? Blessed Pope John Paul II (JP II) was a theological and philosophical giant and there is so much good stuff in his whole TOB series. The first 60 plus talks just set up the foundation for the meatier talks much later in the series. So what I want to do is condense down TOB into chunks that really address areas that men struggle and must understand to enrich their lives. 

I offer you two sources this week for reading, listening and reflection. The first is JP II himself in his Wednesday audience entitled  "The Pauline Doctrine of Purity as Life According to the Spirit," and the second is a clip of a lecture by Christopher West entitled Theology of the Body: Into the Heart: Purity is NOT Puritanism.  The video brings up a situation that a lot of men experience in their lives and provides us with a good jumping off point. In it, West recalls the story of St. Pelagia and St. Nonnus, Bishop of Edessa and how Pelagia was converted by the bishop because when he looked at her, it was not with lust, but with purity and respect for her humanity. 

Our Lord tells us in the Sermon of the Mount that if we even look at a woman in lust we have committed adultery in our hearts. So many men struggle with this aspect of our lives. We are told that it is natural to look at women as sex objects because it is just evolution and it is built into our genes and the natural instinct to procreate. Even if we don't look at every person with lust, do we often even look past the physical? Do we see their human dignity? JP II once said that the problem with pornography is not that it shows too much, but too little. 

JP II helps us to flesh out the concept of Purity a little more in TOB. He helps us to understand that  the Apostle Paul tells us our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. And since piety is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, it has a distinct relationship with the virtue of Purity. 

According to the Apostle's words, the Holy Spirit enters the human body as his own "temple," dwells there and operates together with his spiritual gifts. Among these gifts, known in the history of spirituality as the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (cf. Is 11:2, according to the Septuagint and the Vulgate), the one most congenial to the virtue of purity seems to be the gift of piety (eusebeia, donum pietatis).(1) If purity prepares man to "control his own body in holiness and honor" (1 Th 4:3-5), piety, which is a gift of the Holy Spirit, seems to serve purity in a particular way. It makes the human subject sensitive to that dignity which is characteristic of the human body by virtue of the mystery of creation and redemption. "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you.... You are not your own" (1 Cor 6:19). Thanks to the gift of piety, Paul's words acquire the eloquence of an experience of the nuptial meaning of the body and of the freedom of the gift connected with it, in which the profound aspect of purity and its organic link with love is revealed. (http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2tb56.htm)

The holy father then helps us to understand (as West also lectures about) that purity is not simply not having sex, or rejecting the physical. Purity is the authentic and proper understanding of our bodies as God originally intended. 

Although control of one's body in holiness and honor is acquired through abstention from immorality—and this way is indispensable—yet it always bears fruit in deeper experience of that love, which was inscribed from the beginning, according to the image and likeness of God himself, in the whole human being and so also in his body. Therefore, St. Paul ends his argumentation in chapter six of the First Letter to the Corinthians with a significant exhortation: "So glorify God in your body" (v. 20). Purity as the virtue is the capacity of controlling one's body in holiness and honor. Together with the gift of piety, as the fruit of the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in the temple of the body, purity brings about in the body such a fullness of dignity in interpersonal relations that God himself is thereby glorified. Purity is the glory of the human body before God. It is God's glory in the human body, through which masculinity and femininity are manifested. From purity springs that extraordinary beauty which permeates every sphere of men's common life and makes it possible to express in it simplicity and depth, cordiality and the unrepeatable authenticity of personal trust. (There will perhaps be an opportunity later to deal with this subject more fully. The connection of purity with love and also the connection of purity in love with that gift of the Holy Spirit, piety, is a part of the theology of the body which is little known, but which deserves particular study. That will be possible in the course of the analysis concerning the sacramentality of marriage.)http://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/jp2tb56.htm (Emphasis added)

I would like to encourage everyone to first watch the video and then read the TOB link I posted above and below. I found I had to re-read it a few times to really let it sink in. I think we can find some answers to how we should look at others and how we can find purity through piety. Please check out the sources in this post and respond with you comments, questions or how you are dealing with this in your own life. Have fun!

TOB: The Pauline Doctrine of Purity as Life According to the Spirit

Theology of the Body: Dudes, We Gotta Step it Up.

When I started this blog I stated that the basic reason was for me to work out some of the things going on in my life through the lens of my Catholic identity. We guys have a lot of battles in this life as husbands, fathers, Christians and Americans. One of the biggest battles I think we dudes face is living out our lives in a world where we are constantly exposed to vice and the things that encourage vice. One of the most prolific vices for men is without a doubt what the Catechism of the Catholic Church calls "offenses against chastity."    

Most guys seem to have been raised in a society where, especially if you grew up in public school with sex ed, you were taught that sex is natural and beautiful (which it is, of course, but in the proper context-more on that later). You were also taught that because sex is natural, all thoughts and actions related to it are not only normal and natural, but healthy. You grow up and hear guys reminisce about when they lost their virginity (hint: not to their wife), or the pure excitement and nostalgia of finding their fathers' porn stash when they were kids. They look back with fondness on those moments and yet make no connection to their addiction to porn now. They don't notice that they can't look at a woman and see her as anything more than a pleasure object. 

We guys who didn't have a right understanding of our sexuality and our faith growing up are numb to dignity of other human beings. I think this also translates to how we are numb to violence. We are trained to see other people in terms of what they can do for us or how they can make us feel and not as brothers and sisters in Christ with inherent dignity and worth. I certainly feel this has been my experience to a certain extent. Not only has the secular world affected the way I look at women, but also how I look at other people in my life as a Peace Officer. In my job I am constantly around murders, rapists, child molesters and other criminals who, upon seeing their crimes most would question whether they even count as human. It's a constant struggle for me as a Catholic to see Christ in these people and to treat them with Christian love and compassion. 

Enter Blessed Pope John Paul II, the namesake of my youngest son, and his Theology of the Body. For those who aren't familiar, Theology of the Body (TOB) was the title of a series of talks the Holy Father gave during his Wednesday audiences. The talks are about the Church's biblical teachings on human sexuality. My plan is to study these teachings and try to incorporate them more into my life and my faith. As I'm learning more I'll post about important or interesting teachings and hopefully get some dudes out there to study with me (or at least read my posts) and share some of their thoughts on TOB or some or their struggles with this topic.

Pretty much all my reading will be done online. I will be using the following links. Guys (or gals) can read along and post discussion and comments on the blog or on my  Facebook page .

Theology of the Body found on EWTN

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Chistopher West's Blog

I really look forward to reading TOB and hope you all will join me and add your own thoughts or share your experiences with me. 

Why Non - Catholics Can't Receive Absolution (or most sacraments).

Ok, as a Catholic, I often get questions from non- Catholics about all kinds of topics. Usually it comes in the form of them telling me what I believe like, "you guys worship Mary and the Pope and that's wrong!" Those questions still bug me a little because these Christians operate with such certainty yet are so grossly ignorant of Catholic teaching. Then there are questions concerning the topic of this blog post. I wish I could get 100 of these for every 5 of the other (instead it's the other way around).

So, why is it that a person who is not Catholic cannot go to a Catholic priest, confess their sins and receive absolution? This question is very similar to, "why can't non-Catholics receive communion at mass?" The answer is equally similar and it has to do with what it means to receive these sacraments. As a catholic receiving communion, I am saying I believe not only what the Church teaches about the Real Presence of Jesus in that sacrament, but also that I believe everything the Church teaches and am in full communion with the Church. Similarly, when I go to confession, I acknowledge the priests'  authority given to him by God to forgive my sins and absolve me. But Holy Mother Church in her wisdom has placed conditions for the priest and penitent before absolution can be granted. Consider the following text:

In virtue of Christ's dispensation, the bishops and priests are made judges in the Sacrament of Penance. The power to bind as well as the power to loose has been given by Christ. The minister therefore must have in mind not only his own powers, viz., order and jurisdiction, but he must also keep in mind the dispositions of the penitent. If
(a) the penitent is well-disposed, he must absolve;
(b) if the penitent lack the requisite dispositions, he must endeavour to create the proper frame of mind, for he cannot and may not absolve one indisposed;
(c) when dispositions remain doubtful, he employs the privilege given above in conditional absolution.
When the minister sees fit to grant absolution, then he pronounces the words of the form (supra) over the penitent. It is commonly taught that the penitent must be physically present; consequently, absolution by telegraph has been declared invalid, and when questioned in regard to absolution by the telephone the SacredCongregation (1 July, 1884) answered Nihil respondendum.  http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01061a.htm

So we see here that the Church requires things of the penitent before absolution is granted. This is for CATHOLICS. So even members of the Church can be denied absolution. Ultimately we must submit ourselves to the authority of the Church as given by Christ. In both the gospel of John (chapter 20) and Matthew 18 the Apostles (and only the apostles) are given the power to bind and to loose, to forgive and retain sins. Furthermore those decisions would be ratified in Heaven. It is this acquiescence to authority that divides protestant Christians from the church. It is also only in formal membership in the Church that She knows the penitent knows and understands Her teachings and submits to them.

 So, what does all this mean for the non-Catholics seeking the sacraments of the church? I guess it means that the Church has decided to withhold absolution in confession and reception of Holy Eucharist from them because to allow it would be a lie to God. It would be a lie because that person receiving the sacrament is openly not in full communion with all the church believes. Just imagine a person entering the United States and saying, "I refuse to formally become a citizen and pledge allegiance to this country, but I insist you allow me to vote and will take offense if you refuse!" This is all well and good for the Church, but what about those outside the Church seeking grace through absolution? Well, if God has placed this desire in your heart (and if you are seeking sacramental confession I would say this is the case) perhaps He is calling you home to his Church: the only ordinary way this side of eternity He he gives us Grace. Perhaps the non-Catholic with this desire for absolution would consider the possibility he needs to prayerfully discern a call to becoming catholic. Something tells me if God is drawing someone to the sacraments, He might also place good people in that persons life to help and support him on the journey.

OK...Gay (So-Called) Marriage: This Should Be Fun!

So I've been putting this post off for about two weeks now. In fact, I've been putting off a lot of posts the last two weeks. Not enough time and if I'm not really into the topics at the moment I don't feel motivated to write. 

Anyway, I've been not-so-patiently listening to all of the people bumping their gums about the gay marriage issues being brought up recently. I have to admit that,  although as a Catholic-American man I am a firm supporter of traditional marriage, I could not really hold my own in a debate (or screaming match) with liberal/libertarian friends. I know in my heart that marriage is one man and one woman in a monogamous, life-long union, but how do I answer people who ask me how allowing gays to marry affects my life or my marriage? I have a vague explanation floating around in my fat head about the sociological implications and marriage being primarily for the procreation of children and, therefore, the propagation of the species. I also know that two men cannot conceive a baby together any more than two women can, therefore kind of supporting my sociological argument. That's about as far as I go. I get stuck here and have been tempted to concede that gay marriage will probably be legalized and I should just get used to the idea.

That's where other smart people come in. Call me a cheater. Get over your shock that I am not a super-genius (I just look like one). Yes, I did some research online and found some tasty nuggets of knowledge about what the gay marriage debate is really over. And guess what? It has nothing to do with religion! It also is not really about equality. The goal of the proponents of gay marriage seems to be to redefine marriage from "one man, one woman" to simply "one person to another person," totally eliminating any gender qualifiers. "So what," you say? "Why can't you just let people love who they want? How does who they love affect your marriage?" 

Enter the good folks at Catholic Answers. You are probably thinking, " Hold on, I thought you said this was not a religious issue? Here we go! Now the truth finally comes out! You just think God hates gays 'cause the Bible says so and that's why you are against gay marriage!" Calm down. Yes, I found my answers from a Catholic organization, but check out the links below and you will see the Catholic connection is merely a coincidence. Here's the logic: tradition marriage makes good sense on a natural law level. Most societies around the world regardless of religion reflect this. And since the natural law is something that seems to be written of the hearts of all mankind, it stands to reason that there is a Supreme Legislator creating this natural law. This Supreme Legislator resembles the concept of God and since Catholics believe in a God Who has revealed Himself to man, we kind of grasp onto the concept of traditional marriage. Since we believe in God and believe He put the natural law in place we believe in traditional marriage. There...see? Makes sense right?

Catholic Answers Live 2

Catholic Answers Live 1

These first two links take you to archives of Catholic Answers radio show "Catholic Answers Live." It's a live call in show where listeners get questions answered. The callers are all pro-gay marriage and ask questions very representative of their demographics. Notice the callers keep trying to bring up religion while the host and guest keep telling them it is not a religious issue and not once do they bring up religion to argue their point.

How to Make the Case for Marriage

 This is a link to an article published by Catholic Answers about the gay marriage issue. It addresses all the same points brought up in the live show, but allows the reader to get straight to the arguments. 

I would ask anyone who truly cares about this issue to check out the links, consider the points made in them with intellectual honesty and then discuss either here or on my Facebook page Erik the Catholic Guy. This is not simply me being a bigot and not wanting to allow gays the pursuit of happiness. You will see why after listening to the discussions and reading the article. Enjoy and I look forward to some good charitable discussion.

Pope Francis humbly presenting himself to the people. 

To those reading this who know me, I promise this to be one of the few mild posts I offer up. I will soon start up with the rants and all that, but right now I have to say today was a great day! Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of Argentina was elected the 266th pope of the Holy Catholic Church and has taken the name Francis. This election was so awesome and historical for so many reasons and I was glad to be watching it live with good friends and my family. If you are interested in learning more about Pope Francis I have shared an article about him on my Facebook page Erik the Catholic Guy(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Erik-the-Catholic-Guy/502134733166259?ref=hl) It's a blog by Tim Staples from Catholic Answers which is also a great place to get info on the popes and Catholic teaching on the subject. I realize some who may read this blog don't know or fully understand or agree with the Church or Her teachings from Scripture on the Papacy so Catholic.com (Catholic Answers) is a great resource. God Bless.

Habemus Papem!

Just a quick post before going to work.  We have a new POPE! Viva Pope Francis I! He looks so humble and I am so excited! More to come on our new Holy Father.

Gabriel my oldest in sniper mode. Made a camouflage suit for him and his bb gun /sniper rifle