The following is the homily I preached Sunday. For those who heard me preach, you will notice that you did not hear everything that follows. I tailor for the audience but I have shared it in its entirety.
It is impossible to miss the theme of love in our second reading and gospel today. And, to be honest, it is a controversial topic. Clergy sometimes shrink when they see that the “theme” or “topic” is love. There are just so many controversies and questions surrounding the word. Some of the more common questions of course are:
What is love?
It is a feeling?
Is it a choice?
Where does it begin and end?
Can I fall out of love?
I think that it is so hard to nail down the meaning because of our woundedness. The fact is that we have so many difficulties answering these questions because we have what CS Lewis would call “mercenary hearts.” He said it like this in, As the Ruin Falls:
All this is flashy rhetoric about loving you. I never had a selfless thought since I was born. I am mercenary and self-seeking through and through: I want God, you, all friends, merely to serve my turn.
Peace, re-assurance, pleasure, are the goals I seek, I cannot crawl one inch outside my proper skin: I talk of love –a scholar’s parrot may talk Greek– But, self-imprisoned, always end where I begin.
What is the mercenary heart? It is the heart that always must have its way, in its time on its terms. If we take a moment in honest reflection, we would see that all of us are mercenaries concerning our relationships, but especially with God. We so often use the people around us to get what we want and our Lord is no different.
Do you remember when you first encountered God? Maybe it was at work camp, a youth conference, a sunrise that took your breath away – or for the mothers present here today, the moment when you saw and held your first-born. Regardless of the circumstance, we encountered Him and He changed our lives. We then pursued Him because of the feeling He gave us. We were excited about prayer. We were excited to learn about our faith. All these consolations flooded in and it sustained us…for a time. And, as time progressed, the feelings faded, the consolations ended until we arrived at the point where we say, “I’m here Lord…where are you.” St. Therese for 13 years, praying multiple times a day said that very statement.
It is at this point, the saints tell us, that love begins to grow. When there is nothing left. When we feel abandoned. When we are not getting our way.
Many times though we give up and give in. We act like that two year old who throws a tantrum because they are not getting their way. But the truth is – we need all the feelings and warm fuzzes to be taken away.
Love is choosing that relationship when there is no reason to choose, when it is not convenient, when it seems like the worse decision ever. Could you imagine if our mothers, when the baby woke up at 3:00 am, said, “Oh let him/her cry! I need my sleep. I tried to feed them at 5 pm, it is their fault they chose not to eat.” We would all say that her reply is ridiculous and we would be correct.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day, we should realize that our mothers have provided us with a practical example of how we are called to live out our lives of prayer. It is an example that teaches us to think less of ourselves and more about those whom we serve. At this point, we begin to combat our mercenary hearts. In our spiritual life, wherever we may be in the journey, we need to be:
Dedicated to prayer regardless of our feelings. Commit to a time and hold to it.
Ruthlessly honest with ourselves concerning our sins.
Generous in receiving the grace of reconciliation. We must allow the love of the Father to bathe us in His glory.
All these begin a life of virtue. Do you know what Brian’s, Perry’s, the entire youth ministry team and clergy’s greatest fear for you is? That those who have been entrusted to our care will never grow up. My Alma mater, Franciscan University, years ago struggled with the issue that when students graduated, a significant number left the Church. Their reasons were concerning their new or perhaps old parishes. They went like this:
The music is bad.
The homilies were too short.
I didn’t feel loved.
The talks were not entertaining.
The Church didn’t look like a Church.
All these “reasons”, are tell-tale signs of incredible immaturity. If any of us here struggle with these, it means that we are still seeking the gift and not the Giver. It means we like to be entertained and not do the work of a disciple. It means we have not yet learned to love.
What is important is what happens on this altar. That the King of the universe descends and is present among us. The spiritual life is not about entertainment. Youth ministry is not about entertaining you but training you to do the work of a disciple. It is boot camp before you are sent out into battle – whether you are ready or not. All activities we do have the singular goal of equipping you for heaven and evangelization.
Mary’s life was always about bringing Jesus to everyone she met. And that is more real than we probably could imagine. in fact, science tells us that when a mother is pregnant with he child some of the cells – even stem cells – remain in her for the rest of her rlife…And the same is true for all of you mothers present tonight. You will always carry your children within you…Mary truely brought Jesus to everyone because she was a living tabrenacle of His physical presence everywhere she went. We might even say that she was like a ciborium that still contained the fragments of the host that was just in it.
JRR Tolkien sums up the work of the spiritual life when writing to his son about how to make a good Holy Communion and grow in maturity. He wrote,
“make your communion in circumstances that affront your taste. Choose a snuffling or gabbling priest or a proud and vulgar friar; and a church full of the usual bourgeois crowd, ill-behaved children – from those who yell to those products of Catholic schools who the moment the tabernacle is opened sit back and yawn – open necked and dirty youths… Go to communion with them (and pray for them). It will be just the same (or better than that) as a mass said beautifully by a visibly holy man, and shared by a few devout and decorous people. It could not be worse than the mess of the feeding of the Five Thousand – after which our Lord propounded the feeding that was to come.”
Jesus in the Gospel said, “Remain in my love” not cuddle with me. Love is a choice of sacrifice not fireworks and hugs. Our Lord’s example of love? The cross. Are you willing to persevere in love till it kills you?
The disciples gather in the Cenacle having completed all the preparations that Master requested (Lk 22:12-13). He had desired to share this Passover more than anything (Lk 22:15). And then, His disciples notice that this commemoration is different. They are reclining instead of standing (Ex 12:11). He has changed the words and uses the words that institute a new covenant (Mt 26:28). Then, He mandates them to “Do this in memory of me.” (Lk 22:19). They are silent. They lean upon His every word. They wonder, maybe even ponder, the significance of His actions. They have completed the third cup and then…wait, He is leaving.
We cannot help but think that some of these thoughts were running through the disciples of Jesus. What was going on? What is He doing? From the outset, our Lord intended to offer Himself as the perpetual sacrifice through the mystery of the Most Blessed Sacrament. (1 Cor 10:16).
It would not have escaped the notice of our Lord’s disciples that He left before the Passover was complete. Scripture says that they finished their hymn (Mt 26:30) and traveled to the Garden of Gethsemane as was their custom (Lk 22:39). As He walked out of Jerusalem, He would have walked through the Kidron Valley up to the Mount of Olives where the garden – so often a place of respite and peace – would quickly become a battlefield. Maybe as He passed through the valley he recalled Ps 23:4, “Though I walk through the dark valley, I shall fear no evil…”
Tonight He chooses to enter into a mortal battle. No, not a figurative one a battle for all of creation? How do we know that? Exodus 12:22 commands that on the night of the Passover all were to stay indoors lest they succumb to the angel of death. But our Lord purposefully goes out into the night to confront that ancient serpent in order to secure what Adam lost.
The first battle in the original garden was an epic tragedy – the Garden of Eden. In Eden, we find Adam failing to obey the command of the Father to shamar (protect) and adovah (work/pray) the garden and all its inhabitants. (Gn 2:15) In this garden, Adam should have contended with the nahash (dragon – usually translated as serpent) but instead said and did nothing. The result was staggering. He saved his physical life and lost eternal life; He allowed evil to enter into the garden and so allowed it to dominate his bride; and He should have been working/praying but instead, stood doing nothing next to Eve.
Tonight, our Lord, the New Adam goes out singing into the darkness and we find Him in another garden. Only the victorious sing! Think of the Song of Roland, The Ballad of the White Horse, or the Lord of the Rings – only victors know how to sing. Our Lord knew He had already won the battle but no soldier or commander underestimates his enemy. It is for this reason why Sacred Song is so important to our liturgies. The music reminds us of the victory our Lord will win and already won for us through this Blessed Triduum.
And the story continues…in the Garden
He enters into the garden; cares for His future Bride, the Church (embodied by His Apostles); and obeys His Father’s perfect will. (Lk 22:42) He desires them to tarry with Him so they will not be put to the test (Lk 22:40) but gives them their rest anyway. He kneels to adovah (means both work and pray). And the battle begins…
Over the next three days, we enter into the Paschal Mystery of our Lord. He will fulfill the curses of all the covenants but tonight provokes another battle to win back Eden. The curses of Eden for Adam are three-fold:
“Cursed be the ground because of you! In toil shall you eat its yield all the days of your life.” (Gn 3:17;
“Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, as you eat of the plants of the field.” (Gn 3:18); and
“By the sweat of your face shall you get bread to eat, Until you return to the ground, from which you were taken; For you are dirt, and to dirt you shall return.” (Gn 2:19).
Jesus answers these curses by:
Toiling (remember prayer and work are the same word) on the ground and yielding the fruit of the vine that becomes the fruit of our salvation;
His work is so successful that He will be crowned with the work of His hands – thorns and thistles; and
His work/prayer is so intense that He sweats blood thus providing Himself as the Bread from Heaven and conquers death.
As we continue to reflect upon this mystery let us join the solemn Tradition of the Universal Church and keep watch in our Churches until the Captain of our Salvation is stolen away from us at midnight. Every good soldier stays with their commander and every Bride with her Bridegroom. Where will the world find you tonight? Will it find you consoling your heart’s desire before His unjust arrest or out and about as if His life doesn’t hang in the balance – because it does!
The story continues but that will have to wait until we find out why Friday is so Good…
Most of us know that the price of Jesus’ betrayal was thirty pieces of silver. But did you ever consider what precipitated this unspeakable tragedy? Perfume, albeit expensive perfume. You remember don’t you:
Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12: 3-5)
At first glance, Judas seems to have a heart for the poor. But Sacred Scripture makes it very clear in verse 6 stating,
This he said, not that he cared for the poor but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box he used to take what was put into it.
This certainly is a warning for us to beware of the world’s trappings but I would like to suggest another thought for our consideration and meditation.
It is often suggested that our Lord’s preferential option for the more means that He deserves the least because there is someone who could better use the resources. And, this is true – at least materially. Except, whatever happened with building churches that assisted in revealing the majesty and splendor of His Kingship and love? It seems to me that Our Lord told us that we will always have the poor (John 12:8). It has been my experience that we not only do this with our possessions but also with our spiritual efforts.
For myself, just a cursory reflection painfully makes clear that I do the same. For example, I leave my prayer for the end of the day when I have expended the days energy. I offer the leftover not the tithe of my first fruits of the day. Everyone else gets my best and my Lord gets the dregs.
Monday’s and today’s gospels are a painful reminder that I am just as willing to sell out my Savior for a day’s wage or even worse, the hope that people are impressed with my work product. Thirty pieces of silver is the price of a slave and for some reason I always want to put my shackles back on.
Tomorrow He gives me the strength for the Triduum journey – enough to sustain me to receive His forgiveness on Friday. Tomorrow I join my Bishop, his priests and my brother deacons at the cathedral. We will renew our commitment to the Church and liturgically enter into battle with our Lord for His bride. The Chrism Mass will stir into flame the graces of our ordination, feed us the bread of sorrow and the drink of compunction and then send us to our respective parishes in order to lead the people of God to the resurrection through Calvary.
Will you join me to redouble our efforts to make the best of this Triddum?
Jesus said, “Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” (John 12:7-8)
I thought this was a good reminder for me. This reflection is taken from p.72 in Temptation & Discernment by Segundo Galilea (translated by: Stephen-Joseph Ross, O.C.D.). Enjoy!
CONFUSING PRAYER WITH NATURAL CONTEMPlATION
This demon leads those who pray to replace Christian prayer, properly so-called, with spiritual pleasures that usually help them think about God. We are referring, for example, to listening to music that creates a spiritual atmosphere, to reading an inspiring book, to contemplating a landscape, to philosophical reflection. All those ‘things are good, and should have a place in the life of every human being. Indeed, they often prepare a soul for prayer. They can be a good way to enter into prayer. However, they are not in themselves Christian prayer, since that always requires a personal relationship with God through faith, hope, and love. Prayer is the experience and contemplation of God, not a pleasure of the spiritual faculties and human contemplation. The temptation consists of remaining in this pleasure and human contemplation without taking the explicit step of entering into contact with God. Prayer in the strict sense fades away. People spend time listening to religious music, reading a book on a Christian theme, preparing a celebration or a sermon. We should do these things, but in their proper time, and not during prayer. The temptation of doing the two things at the same time-contemplating beauty and praying, studying and praying-in the long run leads to cutting off authentic and profound prayer.
The St. Mary of Sorrows Youth group is studying the Theology of the Body this semester. Tonight, my lovely wife is speaking on the “Language of the Body.” Here is her written text:
Introduction
To begin, where are in our TOB semester? We have learned that we are loved by God and created for love. So much so, that the Father has stamped it into our bodies as complementary expressions of His love. Men and women are different not just physically but even how we interact with the world and each other. To be free is to know the truth and see reality with the Father’s eyes. And, tonight, we continue to look at the language of the body through His eyes and ears.
Talk
The body is capable of speaking its own language. We are designed to only speak truth…not just with our words, but our bodies as well.
We are going to examine this “language of the body” and consider how to speak it well…it is a language of love that does not rejoice in what is wrong but only in the TRUTH. JP II taught that the language of the body is not only a language of love, but a language of DIVINE LOVE. The highest expression of this Divine Love is love expressed sexually.
Remembering that we are created in the image and likeness of God, this language of divine love is known as the body’s Native language.
Did you know our bodies are capable of speaking “prophetically”? Our bodies proclaim the truth about God. JPII describes the body and sexual union as “Prophetic”. The union between a husband and wife is meant to proclaim God’s love and truth. It means that we must never speak the language of our body in a way that contradicts the sacramental meaning of our body. This would make us false prophets.
BODY LANGUAGE is extremely important. Did you know that 90% of all information communicated is done through body language? Our bodies are designed for communication through our actions and words. This language can be positive (like a hug or a wave) or negative (a frown or a not so nice hand gesture knowing that no one in this room would EVER do that!!!). For example, my husband has what our family calls “eye puffies” or exhaustion bags to everyone else! When we are carrying on at dinner, we always know when Marques thinks something is funny because his eye puffies show up minutes before he laughs. He communicates through his eye puffies that he is happy.
Our bodies are not only capable of speaking, but of lying as well. We can be all smiles and niceness to someone outwardly, but thinking not so charitable thoughts inwardly. You know…that person at school? The one who drives everyone nuts? (Smile at someone and speaking niceties to them, but inwardly thinking how annoying they are and you can’t wait to be out of their presence).
Even scripture contains instances where the body can lie despite the intent behind the actions. I want to show a movie clip that I believe needs really no introduction at all.
Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss…an intimate, loving gesture that will lead to Jesus’ arrest. Judas’ heart was saying something entirely different than his actions.
Now, when it comes to the marital act, and I use this term because that is what God meant it to be…an intimate act between spouses within the covenant of marriage, many people are speaking lies without even realizing it. The marital act is a language all its own. Through this act, one spouse says to another, “I am completely yours! I belong entirely to you and you alone without reservation!”
This union of man and woman is an ICON…it is meant to point us to something greater than itself. This union is an ICON of Christ’s love for HIS Church…it is meant to point us to God. Believe it or not, this intimate act…this beautiful act… is meant to point us to God!
Let’s think…”What is a religious ICON?” A painting of Christ as we can see here. We can look at that paint and wood to reflect on the mystery of Christ…to open a WINDOW to
Christ…
BUT…
If we start to worship the paint and wood itself, that ICON has become an IDOL.
We can apply this same notion to the union of man and woman. The union of man and woman in the biblical VISION is an ICON. It is meant to point us to something far greater than ourselves. Just as the religious ICON should point us to something greater.
The purpose of this union on earth between man and wife is meant to reflect the marriage in Heaven between Christ and His Bride the Church. His marriage to us! That ultimate union we will have with Him.
Consider two people NOT married who are having relations, or fornicating. They are PHYSICALLY doing the same thing as a married couple, but they are actually lying to each other. Even if the couples’ intentions are good, their act is still a lie expressed in the language of their bodies. Why?
There has been no commitment made to one another…not a true commitment. They want one of the great joys of marriage…the marital act…but without the responsibilities and without the commitment that entails.
A co-habitating couple can say that they are committed to each other, but those are just words. They have not made a commitment through the means that God has established! Where are the actions to back that up? With marriage, there is a true commitment, an OATH made to each other within a Church, in front of witnesses, families and a priest. You enter into a covenant with that person. There are ACTIONS to support those words.
Because we are not mere animals and we have a rational soul, our physical union should far surpass the mere sense level of animals and should involve the SPIRIT as well as the BODY. It should be a spiritual experience, not just physical. It should be a committed LOVE that unites them, not just two people acting on physical urges.
This love between a man and woman is meant to mirror God’s love: It should be FREE, TOTAL, FAITHFUL and FRUITFUL. I don’t want to go too much further into this as Brian will be going into that more in depth next week. So keep those words in the back of your minds.
Now, when two people become one flesh in a sexual relationship, a bonding occurs. This isn’t just a fluffy statement!! I had a friend in high school who told me she had started sleeping with her boyfriend and she felt so much closer to him…well…duh! There is a reason why! There is actual scientific information to support this. This bonding includes powerful EMOTIONAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, PHYSICAL, AND SPIRITUAL LINKS. On ALL of these levels, you become ONE with your partner. In today’s society, people are too quick to dismiss all of these factors.
Research indicates the psychological basis for deep bonding is a hormone called OXYTOCIN. It’s actually nicknamed “THE HORMONE OF LOVE”. This hormone is involved in SOCIAL RECOGNITION, BONDING AND THE FORMATION OF TRUST BETWEEN PEOPLE. No wonder my friend from high school felt all those warm fuzzies and felt closer to her boyfriend…
For a WOMAN, this hormone is released during the marital act and causes an incredibly STRONG attraction to form with the man she is with.
For a MAN, OXYTOCIN and another hormone called VASPORESSIN are released during relations. Along with that strong bonding that occurs, the VASOPRESSIN for the male is called the “MANOGAMY MOLECULE”. Men, this means you are genetically hardwired for monogamy and responsibility.
You can see why these hormones are important to a married couple to heighten their BONDING with each other…to help them to stay together “for better or for worse”. MARITAL RELATIONS FLOURISH WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF MARRIAGE. THOSE RELATIONS BECOME AN INSTRUMENT OF GRACE FOR THEIR MARRIAGE.
SO WHAT HAPPENS IN LIGHT OF ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, ON THE FLIP SIDE? WHAT HAPPENS TO THE COUPLE THAT CHOOSES TO HAVE RELATIONS OUTSIDE OF THE COMMITMENT OF MARRIAGE?
It puts the other person at risk on many different levels…and we aren’t just talking physically with disease, although that is a huge risk in and of itself, but also emotionally as well. Those same hormones that work to enrich and strengthen the marital relationship become destructive.
If a partner severs a relationship that involves sexual activity, that separation has a wrenching effect leaving them feeling emotionally and mentally burned. We are left with a society of the walking wounded. We are left with a “hooking up” culture…people seeking the next pleasure high looking to fill the void that has occurred. The myth of “friends with benefits” doesn’t exist. THE CHEMISTRY OF BONDING HAPPENS WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT! The bonds that are a chemical reaction within our bodies CANNOT be stopped.
Sexual activity (including heavy petting, oral sex and the like) outside of marriage is a LIE. We end up treating the other person as a means of pleasure for ourselves. It puts relationships at risk by creating uneven and inconsistent levels of communication…to be quite frank, our genitals are saying one thing, but the emotions, intellect and will say something entirely different.
The SONG OF SONGS…the greatest love poem of all time…says this:
“DO NOT AROUSE, DO NOT STIR UP LOVE BEFORE ITS TIME.”
It says this 3 separate times within that book of scripture alone. Again, sexual activity/relations thrive within the marital covenant. Even the actions LEADING TO AROUSAL are designed to prepare MAN AND WIFE to give themselves to each other FREELY, FULLY, FAITHFULLY, AND FRUITFULLY.
Now, what happens when CONTRACEPTION is introduced into the equation? John Paul the Second stated that we live in a “culture of death”. This can be split into 2 categories: a death to life and a death to marriage. Sadly, these 2 are linked together.
First, in the death to life we are not just talking about death to pre-born babies, but to the very IDEA of babies…children…YOU!!!
Our fertility, ladies and gentlemen, this beautiful GIFT from God that allows us to be co-creators with HIM, (how amazing and cool is that? Co-creators with God??) Our fertility is considered and treated like a DISEASE that needs to be fixed. We are considered backwards and irresponsible if we aren’t accepting of or using contraception.
What lengths people will go to today to mutilate their bodies to forsake the gift of children??? To forsake what the marital embrace is meant for…children!!!
How does contraception affect the marriage? When you come together in the marital embrace, you are supposed to be giving TOTALLY to each other with no barriers, no holding back, not even your fertility. The Church teaches that there are 2 goods of marriage that should NEVER be separated…the unitive and the procreative.
Unitive…obviously all of the things we touched on already. The procreative…this is the openness to life…which is actually the greater good. So, I would ask the question…what about the couple who is getting married but decides that they aren’t ready for children yet? They want to save money? Buy a house? Pay off loans? Are they ready to take on that procreative side of marriage? If you are not ready for children then you are not ready for marriage.
When a contraceptive barrier is introduced, you become a tool. You are actually saying “I love you…except for this. My fertility is mine and I don’t trust you with it.” ” So I am going to use you for my pleasure and use contraception so I won’t have any unwanted consequences from this.” You become merely an object to pleasure your partner. Where is the life-giving love in that?
Sadly, we have become a contraceptive culture. It has sadly become the norm even among Catholics.
We all know that…
50% of all marriages end in divorce today. Fewer people are getting married at all. Marriage rates have steadily been declining. Declining birth rates and divorce mushroomed together right along with the use of contraception.
90% of all Americans will engage in contraceptive relations in one form or another over the course of their lives…the Pill, condoms, sterilizations, injections, IUD’s…and sadly, Catholics are no exception to this.
Why? No one taught them the proper language of the body – all they heard was no. There are couples that believe the Church doesn’t belong in their bedrooms and has no right to tell them what to do in this area of their lives. There are couples who are afraid to have a child. I didn’t receive any instruction on any of this until college. My parents certainly didn’t know and didn’t pass it on to any of us.
Polls and studies show that contraception is just as popular with Catholics as it is with the rest of the US. We aren’t just talking about those Catholics that rarely go to Mass either! We are talking about the Catholics that fill the pews every week and say their faith is important to them!
We need to recover and reclaim what God has originally ordained for our bodies. We need to rescue it back from today’s culture!
While speaking on the whole topic of body language, we need to touch on Pornography. Pornography has become something running rampant in our society. There are some who believe that looking at naked bodies is no big deal, but it can be a very big deal.
Now we aren’t speaking about tasteful art that you can find in a museum. Walking through the National Art Museum with my kids was a beautiful experience. They were able to gaze at the famous Venus statue that was there for a short period of time. They looked at it in awe of how the sculptor could shape the body so perfectly, so beautifully portray this gift from God…the statue was stunning and we were all able to “see” it for what it was…a beautiful piece of art.
There is something we call the “Ethos of the Image”. This is simply the responsibility the artist has to represent persons with dignity, especially through the depiction of the human body in art form…like the Venus statue. On the flip side of this, we have what is called the “Ethos of Seeing”. That is OUR responsibility. It is the responsibility WE the viewers have to see humans as persons with dignity, not objects to be lusted after.
This is where pornography twists the beauty that is the human form. Pornography is the explicit depiction of persons in WORDS or images created in order to cause the arousal of lust on the part of the observer. We aren’t just speaking about the pictures or movies…LADIES we are also referring to the romance novels that can have that same effect. The body becomes separated from the person. They simply become an object for one’s own pleasure…they become just a collection of body parts.
We need to be careful not to objectify others. This goes for guys and girls. I think it is easy for all the blame to be put on the guys, but girls are just as bad. On the Confirmation retreat, I was going through a confession list with the girls and I brought up a simple question. “Have you ever walked through the halls at school and did a double take on a young man thinking how hot he is?” They didn’t realize that very action was treating him as an object.
On the other side of the coin, guys, you need to be careful of the same thing. You know, the cute girl walking down the street whose clothes aren’t appropriate. Do you stare or look away? Do you try to preserve her dignity as a person? And, ladies I don’t mean to pick on you but, let’s watch how we dress and act so as not to tempt these gentlemen into just seeing a collection of parts and not the whole person.
We don’t want to be treated like objects, let’s not dress or act in a way that would lead men into treating us that way!! Let’s not wear the skin tight clothes, the booty shorts, the short skirts. What are we doing? Reducing ourselves to body parts…not allowing the other to see you as a whole.
In conclusion, we bear a great responsibility with our bodies.
Our bodies are gifts to us from a loving Creator. Consider the true language of Christ’s body…BEATEN. BLOODIED. BROKEN FOR YOU AND ME. As He stretched out His arms to all of you from the Cross, He allowed Himself to be crucified so we could have victory over sin and the freedom to live with Him forever.
His non-verbal promise of love made to us through the language of His body has become the standard visual aid in the Catholic Church. The crucifix is the symbol of love. The language of Christ’s body on the Cross was so powerful that we now also use it at the start and end of all of our prayers.
What will your sign be? What will you say with your body today, tomorrow and for the rest of your life?
The disciples gather in the Cenacle having completed all the preparations that Master requested (Lk 22:12-13). He had desired to share this Passover more than anything (Lk 22:15). And then, His disciples notice that this commemoration is different. They are reclining instead of standing (Ex 12:11). He has changed the words and uses the words that institute a new covenant (Mt 26:28). Then, He mandates them to “Do this in memory of me.” (Lk 22:19). They are silent. They lean upon His every word. They wonder, maybe even ponder, the significance of His actions. They have completed the third cup and then…wait, He is leaving.
Tonight He chooses to enter into a mortal battle. No, not a figurative one a battle for all of creation? How do we know that? Exodus 12:22 commands that on the night of the Passover all were to stay indoors lest they succumb to the angel of death. But our Lord purposefully goes out into the night to confront that ancient serpent in order to secure what Adam lost.
Most of us know that the price of Jesus’ betrayal was thirty pieces of silver. But did you ever consider what precipitated this unspeakable tragedy? Perfume, albeit expensive perfume. You remember don’t you:
