3. You have a body!

News Flash! In case you hadn’t yet discovered it: You have a body!

I know, I know, you could be taller and skinner and you’d rather have a different color hair, fewer freckles and less fat in a few key areas. But how about that face, hmm? You are pretty stunning…. ;)

Actually, what I really want to say is this:
“Indeed, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are all the more necessary, and those parts of the body that we consider less honorable we surround with greater honor, and our less presentable parts are treated with greater propriety, whereas our more presentable parts do not need this.”
- 1 Corinthians 12: 22-24

We all know what parts what those “less presentable” parts are. Those are the parts that, when exposed, earn movies a higher rating; the parts that we would instinctively cover if someone were to open our shower curtain in the locker room; the biological parts that are defined, and define us, as male or female.

What I want to do right now is honor those parts.

Biologically, you were born male or female. (For those who will contest, I understand that there is 1% or less of the population whose sex is not easily distinguishable at birth for various reasons. However, this is a medical anomaly, so I address what is the common order). And as we have said in previous blogs, your existence is not merely the result of blind chance – of how the stars aligned or how evolution progressed or which sperm got to the egg fastest. Even if your mother did not “plan” to get pregnant with you, YOU are not an accident. No, YOU were created intentionally by a God who loves you. And God doesn’t make mistakes…..or He wouldn’t be God.

This means that your biological sex is not an accident. The parts that distinguish you as a male or a female were not thrown on as an afterthought, just because they look nice there. THEY HAVE MEANING AND PURPOSE. A musician doesn’t put a recurring motif in a piece nor an artist paint the same symbol into several different pieces without noticing. They do it because it means something to them, and to understand that one element helps to understand clearly the greater message they intended to convey. What does the piece become when such an important feature is misunderstood or disregarded as insignificant?

Our human sexuality has meaning and purpose. What is it? Is it merely for the propagation of our species? True, the male and female bodies are complementary, and this makes physical/conjugal union possible. But we are obviously not meant to be united with everyone of the opposite sex in this way. This physical complementary is also mirrored in our social/emotional complementary. In our differences, we need each other, and both sexes bring something unique to the world. Our souls, our very beings, are expressed through our bodies.  Our human sexuality is not an accident, but is an expression of who we are and who we are meant to be at the very core of our being.  It is an image of God's love for us as His people - as He is constantly pursuing us and giving of Himself to us (masculine) and we, as creatures, must receive all as a gift from Him (feminine). It is also a reminder from God of His desire for us to share in His love and life by giving love and life to others. 

Let's face it, men and women are different….and that’s okay. In fact, it’s beautiful.

The world needs women who nurture others, who are not afraid to take others into the “womb” of their hearts; women who are noble, honest, and faithful to the ones they love; women who take pride in their femininity not by immodesty or seductiveness but by seeking be lady-like in their appearance and action, committed to doing their part in making sure the men in their life become virtuous; women who are not demanding and controlling but are willing to humbly allow themselves to be led and to be served by men; women who respect themselves and do not allow themselves to be used; in short, women whose beauty comes from their love of God and practice of virtue.

 

The world also needs men who protect the women in their lives and honor their dignity; men who are willing to sacrifice their own desires for the ones they love; men who are courageous, committed, and willing to take the lead; tender-hearted men who are able to listen, considerate of others, and willing to forgive; men who are confident but not reckless or overconfident; men who are strong, but most of all with moral virtue.

Yes, some men may have more typically "feminine" qualities than others, and vice versa. We are all different. But men are not made to be women, and women are not made to be men. And that’s the way God intended it. In the words of the 2-year-old I babysit: “He did it on purpose.”

 “God created mankind in His image;
in the image of God He created them
male and female He created them….
He looked at everything He had made, and found it very good.”
-Genesis 1: 27, 31

Go look in the mirror and tell yourself that: YOU are very good.

In fact, you’re absolutely stunning.

 

 

 

(If you're interested in some further reading, I recommend: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/sexuality/se0191.htm
and/or http://www.theologyofthebody.net/)

Question: Are You Really Free?

What image comes to mind when you hear the word "freedom"?

 

Is it this one?

 

 Maybe this one?

       Or even something like this?

 

 

 

The world often defines freedom in the negative: freedom from oppression, freedom from injustice, freedom from pain or discomfort, freedom from annoyance or inconvenience. These freedoms are important. We rightly honor the valor of those men and women who give of themselves (even to the point of giving their lives) to protect us from all kinds of injustice.

Yet, there is another kind of freedom, a positive freedom. It is the freedom for good. Without freedom of will, any choice for good would be meaningless, because I would powerless to choose otherwise. But with the power to choose comes a personal responsibility for the choices I make.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to ‘the slavery of sin’” (paragraph 1744).

If the government establishes a law which outlaws something dangerous or immoral, does that law then make me less free? No, because it does not limit my ability to do what is good. Rather, it seeks to restrict my ability to do what is bad in order to direct me to what is good.

Along the same vein, there are natural laws which govern the world. When I seek to recognize these laws and work with them, I am free to grow and develop as a person. Take, for instance, the law of gravity. I know that on this planet, the force of gravity draws me downward. I could choose to disregard that “restrictive” law as I spread my superhero cape and jump off a building, but this is not freedom; it is stupidity. And I will not end up wiser; I will end up dead. It is better for me to humbly admit that there is a force greater than my cape.

Freedom from does not trump freedom for. If I seek to be liberated from something which will not at the same time increase my capacity to choose what is truly good, or if I seek to be liberated from something which at the same time separates me from what is truly good, then my seeking is in vain. My decision will not make me more free, but will at best give only an illusion of freedom while I slowly become more enslaved by my own desires.

The world often cries out for less restriction. Don’t tell me what movies I should watch, what words I should say, what kinds of articles I can publish, what kinds of people I should love, what I should or shouldn’t do with my body…..I just want to do whatever I want whenever I want with whomever I want. This is the cry of an immature child who does not understand that some restrictions are put in place as protection against harm. Sometimes what is bad for me is and/or should be restricted to direct me to what is good. I have free will, yes, but I can misuse it, just as can an unruly or ignorant child. But the more I learn what is good and true, and seek to freely choose it, the freer I become.

Consider this:
"Love consists of a commitment which limits one's freedom—it is a giving of the self, and to give oneself means just that: to limit one's freedom on behalf of another. Limitation of one's freedom might seem to be something negative and unpleasant, but love makes it a positive, joyful and creative thing . . . The will aspires to the good, and freedom belongs to the will, hence freedom exists for the sake of love, because it is by the way of love that human beings share most fully in the good. This is what gives freedom its real entitlement to one of the highest places in the moral order, in the hierarchy of man's wholesome longings and desires. But man longs for love more than for freedom—freedom is the means and love is the end. He longs however for true love, for only if it is based on truth is a genuine commitment of freedom possible. The will is free, but at the same time it 'is obliged to' seek the good which is congenial to it . . . " - Karol Wojtyla, Love and Responsibility

 

So what is your image of freedom?

Could I suggest this one.....

 

 

 

2. You are Made in the Image of God

God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth. God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them.

-Genesis 1:27-

The previous post related to the existence of the human soul as a unique spiritual reality. We said that man’s soul can only exist because of the direct action of a spiritual Creator.

And, in fact, this SOUL makes us like God. Make no mistake, this doesn’t mean we ARE gods. But, as we have said before, neither are we merely animals. We are human: made in the “image and likeness” of God.

So what does this mean? Here are a few things.....

1. Man Can Reason and acquire knowledge
2. Man Has the Freedom to Choose
3. Man Has Sovereignty/Dominion/Power
4. Man Can Make Moral Choices
5. Man Can Love

We can see some or all of these faculties/abilities present in certain animals, although to a lesser degree. They can be taught to perform functions; they can sense when things are wrong and seek to help; they can “obey” and “disobey”commands; they can teach their young the skills they need to survive; and they form bonds, nurture their children and even express compassion, etc. And while many of their actions may be similar to those of humans, most often they can be explained by animal instincts, chemical reactions, and behavior training/conditioning.

There is a depth to be found in the human faculties that an animal cannot attain. Beyond instinct, biochemistry and conditioning, man has the capacity to consciously make sense of things, establish facts, change opinions and beliefs, change occupations, plan far into the future, weigh the morality of a decision or its possible/actual affect on others, consider the internal feelings of another, set up a government, or even envy another, hold a grudge, forgive, and deeply love. The list goes on.

Man was created to reflect God. We should be able to discern something about the Creator by looking at the creation, just as we can with the author of any of work of art or literature. Even in animals we can see something of the heart of God. But, indeed, if we look historically at those human beings that we consider truly praiseworthy, holy, and/or virtuous (perhaps, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, etc.), we can see more clearly in them the image of the Divine. We see Goodness, Truth, Beauty, Wisdom, even Authority, all beautifully interwoven. This is what makes these people so captivating. They reflect the image of God, Who is All-Good, All-Knowing, and All-Powerful. They share God's wisdom, God's freedom, God's sovereignty, goodness and love.

The unique capacity to reflect God gives man an incredible dignity, a dignity that can never be erased, even by the shame or actual guilt of immorality. Even if wounded, darkened, or enslaved by sin, man’s soul remains in him an incredible gift bestowed by the Creator to reveal Himself, to draw man to Himself and to allow man to share in His own Divine life.

That’s. Pretty. Awesome.

When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers,the moon and stars that you set in place—

What is man that you are mindful of him,

and a son of man that you care for him?

Yet you have made him little less than a god,

crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him rule over the works of your hands,

put all things at his feet:

All sheep and oxen,

even the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,

and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord,

how awesome is your name through all the earth!

-Psalm 8: 4-10-

Question: What About Evolution?

First of all, what do we mean when we speak of evolution?            
I think there are different interpretations and understandings.

1)     Microevolution: A species evolves within itself, generation by generation, through genetic mutations, etc.

2)     Common descent: All species descended from a single primitive organism

3)     Darwinian evolution: All species arise and develop through natural selection (“survival of the fittest”). Therefore, from one species, another distinct species can develop.

4)     Spontaneous generation: The descent of living matter from nonliving matter

Correct me if I’m missing or misinterpreting some of these. It seems there is some overlap.

In the last blog, we explored St. Thomas Aquinas’ proofs for the existence of God. For those who believe in God, theories of evolution only pose a problem insofar as they seek to disprove the need for a Creator. Christianity is not incompatible with these theories of evolution, if science provides adequate justification for their acceptance. Faith and reason are not at all opposed.

After all, Aquinas also said, "The potency of a cause is the greater, the more remote the effects to which it extends" (Summa c. Gent., III, c. lxxvi). Could God make use of evolution to accomplish His Will? Yes. Can evolutionary theories make room for God? That is the question.

Most of us would agree that organisms change over time, within their own species. We can name examples of #1: pests evolve to be resistant to pesticides; animals may gradually change color through generations to adapt to environmental factors, etc. No problem.

Most people don't even make a stink when there is mention of one plant or animal species evolving from another. But when it comes to the genesis of man, there is concern. And rightly so, for evolutionary theories are inadequate in accounting for the origin of the soul of man.

Does man have a soul?

Webster’s dictionary defines soul in the following way: “the immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life.”  By that definition, man, and even animals and plants have a “soul” – some sort of life force.

Does man have a spiritual soul?

This may sound redundant, as “spirit” and “soul” are sometimes used interchangeably. But by “spiritual”, I am referring to the sacred, supernatural, religious or moral. Man is a spiritual being. In every civilization, man has had some sort of religious practice or belief. He builds churches and temples and synagogues, tries to interpret the placement of the stars, hails the glory of nature, consults seers and prophets and mediums and healers. And he is the only being I have ever encountered that holds dialogues and publishes papers and writes music, etc. about things like love, justice, truth, right and wrong. Goodness! Morality? Religion?! Where do these ideas come from? If man were a purely material being, would he not be limiting his discussions to things like food and housing and how to get to across town in the quickest amount of time? To be able to conceive an immaterial idea like right and wrong, one has to have the immaterial faculty capable of doing so. Something purely material cannot generate something purely spiritual. Therefore, man must have a spiritual faculty capable of forming spiritual ideas, and this faculty must come from a spiritual substance, which is his soul.

If man is the descendent of some other organism, can we also say that that organism also has a soul of the same kind as man?

If apes could speak, would they also converse about truth, goodness and beauty? Have you ever witnessed a dog building a shrine?

If man’s soul is distinct, when and how did he come to possess it?
Something wholly spiritual cannot evolve from something wholly material. Evolution may be responsible for the creation of complex organisms, but it cannot be responsible for the generation of spiritual ideas. It cannot be responsible for the creation of a human soul. For that, we need the direct action of a Creator, one who is of Spirit.

"If the human body takes its origin from pre-existent living matter, the spiritual soul is immediately created by God."
– Pope John Paul II, in his 1996 Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences

"Every spiritual soul is created immediately by God." – Catechism of the Catholic Church #366