The Catholic Ark of Sexuality and why Protestants should get on board.

What ever way you look at the protestant reformation, whether you regard Luther as a hero or, if you’re like me, and view it as a most regrettable wound that still bleeds to this day, it has given birth to a movement that has become a target of the secular culture. However historically evangelical and protestant churches are known their use of the culture in evangelization. If you wish to observe societal trends, attend one of the many "mega churches" that have emerged in the past century. This method has brought many people to come to know Jesus and is something we all, Protestant or not, can be thankful for. Unfortunately, we have also witnessed the adoption of pop ideologies into their theology. 

An example of this is the influence of extreme-capitalism that formed the notion of the ‘prosperity gospel’. A very old idea, invigorated in our time by the industrial revolution, that states that who ever is fiscally successful is favored by God, leaving those who have experience any sort of misfortune out of God’s favor. An idea famously refuted by Christ himself: “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor” (Matt 19: 21)

We now are witnessing the culture's sway in some evangelical churches again. Rob Bell, former pastor of Mars Hill Church, has recently expressed his stance on same-sex  Marriage: “I am for marriage. I am for fidelity. I am for love, whether it’s a man and a woman,

a woman and a woman, a man and a man,” .

It should be noted that Mr. Bell does not speak for all denominations of Christianity. As an act of Christian solidarity on November 20, 2009 an ecumenical manifesto entitled “The Manhattan Declaration” was signed by individuals such as Archbishop Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York, Leith Anderson of the National Association of Evangelicals, Bishop Maymon of the Orthodox Church in American, and Dr. James Dobson. This document upholds the belief of the sanctity of life, traditional marriage, and religious liberty. What makes this document all the more dramatic is it’s call to civil disobedience. It states:

 “We are Christians who have joined together across historic lines of ecclesial differences to affirm our right—and, more importantly, to embrace our obligation—to speak and act in defense of these truths. We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence.”

Although we have examples of single mindedness among christian denominations, there is still the growing trend of divergence from an authentic, biblical, and life bringing interpretation of marriage among protestant churches. I understand that this may be a faux pas for a Catholic to call upon Protestants in such a way, however the landscape of Christianity is changing and, like global warming, the flood waters are rising taking with them more and more neutral ground when it comes to the sexual ethics of the 21st century. If our protestant brothers and sisters wish to stay afloat I believe there must be a renewal to the commitment to sacred scripture and uncover what being human, having bodies, and being engendered is all about. Evidently we Catholics can help, well one Catholic specifically: Bl. John Paul II

Early in his pontificate, from September 1979 to November 1984, Pope John Paul II devoted his wednesday audiences as a time of catechesis (education in the faith) in God’s plan for the human body. In Matthew 19 He is confronted by a group of Pharisees who wished to challenge Him on the topic of divorce, but Jesus, instead of falling into the snare they were trying to set, brings their attention back to the beginning. “Why then did Moses command to GIVE HER A CERTIFICATE IF DIVORCE AND SEND her AWAY?” (Matt 19:7) they ask, to which Christ responds “Because of your hardness of heart...but from the beginning, it was not to be this way.” Matt 19: 7-8.

John Paul II, in his 129 talks, first plunges deep into Genesis‘ account of creation and man’s experience. Being alone, adam gives meaning and “names” to all that is around him, however the flora and fauna give him nothing in return in terms of his own identity. He comes to realize he is alone and is nothing like his surroundings. It is only through the introduction of Eve that he is completed when Adam exclaims “This is now bone from my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman...” Gen 2:23. What emerges is the most dense and concrete education in God’s purpose for mankind; it’s called the Theology of the Body.

On March 17th, 2013 at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, after affirming his acceptance of Same-sex marriage he says “I think that ship has sailed.  This is the world we are living in and we need to affirm people wherever they are.” Taking his statements to their logical ends, he promotes that truth, and in this case the truth of the gospel, is relative when subjected to popular cultural mores. If this premise is true, if trends dictate the ethics of sexuality, then your sexuality has no inherit, God-given value. I’ll pose a question: How did you come to read this article? If you follow all the contingent factors that brought you to this moment, you’ll eventually reach the fact that your mother and father had sex, and their parents did, and their parents, and their parents...it’s how we bring life into our world. If sexuality has no inherit value, if it has no plan, then your existence came about with the same lack of purpose.

John Paul II’s Theology of the Body doesn’t just say there are ‘Do’s and don’ts”, it doesn’t just say that sex is great, but it says that sexual love, in it’s proper ontological context, is an analogy for the very nature of who God is...a self-giving exchange of persons.

In writing this I do not mean to judge anyone. If someone was sitting across from me and they were pale, sneezing, and drowsy I would tell them that they needed rest because they had a cold. I’m not placing condemnation on protestants, homosexuals, or Rob Bell. This is nothing but an appraisal of symptoms that I believe lead to a greater sickness. It is also not at all an adequate illustration of the Theology of the Body. There is much more that John Paul II communicated through his in-depth analysis of Genesis and God’s plan for Man. This is simply an invitation to discover and deepen your understanding of human sexuality. What Rob Bell describes as a sailed ship, is in reality the shore to the mainland.

Below is a link to a free talk by Christopher West, a famous speaker on JP2’s Theology of the Body, given to a Protestant audience. It’s called “Theology of the Body: A bold, biblical response to the sexual revolution.”

http://thetheologyofthebody.com/download/category/19

Vatican II: Aging pontiff, youthful church (Part 1)

          Pope Benedict left the Chair of St. Peter and he came to it, with great humility. The abdication of his office, outside of the media's best efforts to augment the reasons for his departure, was an act of abandonment to the will of God. In his announcement he stated that "…my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. " Pope Benedict has been criticized for, amongst other things, for leaving under there conditions when his predecessor, Bl. John Paul II, underwent great suffering while remaining the as the Roman Pontiff. Instead of ignoring this contrast we can view it with an alternate perspective, one that shows no contradiction between the two. Both John Paul II and Benedict XVI ended their Papacies in  way that can be summed up in a single phrase "This life is not about me". 

John Paul, while battling Parkinsons, could have opted for a less rigorous life style; something that would have reflected, and be more suited to, an elderly man with his condition. The now Pope Emeritus could have also adapted his role to better suit himself. They didn't. Both of them remained faithful to The Office of St. Peter and what they believe it required of someone. If we can assume that Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is a man of great integrity and humility, then I would like to highlight something hie did in this past month, the last month of his papacy, something that perhaps was missed in the excitement.

On February 14th Benedict gathers together the priests of Rome. Being the Bishop of the Diocese, having one last opportunity to speak his priests, what wisdom and insight does he decide to impart to them. Pope Benedict offers an impromptu personal reflection on the Second Vatican council. Pope Benedict, then Joseph Ratzinger, was only a young theologian at the time.  Cardinal Frings, Archbishop of Cologne, was so impressed with Ratzinger that he invited him to take part in the council. "So off we went to the Council not just with joy but with enthusiasm." Pope Benedict reflects. He describes the state of the church  as being "robust", but at the same time, "not moving forward." 

The overall mood was that the Church "seemed more a thing of the past and not the herald of the future". Many, when thinking of Vatican II, will first know it for it's liturgical reforms, but Pope Benedict connects two dots in that one statement. All that is passé, antiquated, and seemingly irrelevant is corrected with evangelization. "By the power of the Gospel He permits the church to keep the freshness of youth. Constantly He renews her and leads her to perfect union with her Spouse" Vatican II, Lunem Gentium, 1:5

It is through this interpretive lens that we can properly understand the Second Vatican Council, and as the older generation moves on, it is the responsibility of the next generation to aptly comprehend and uphold it as it was intended. This will be the first installment of a series of blog posts on the Second Vatican council as a “herald of the future”.

Theology of the (Undead)Body

Over the past couple years a cult horror genre has emerged from beneath the grave, revived by pop culture, and chaotically devoured our imaginations in a hoard of shuffling corpses. I am speaking of the latest fascination with the impending Zombiepocalypse. For the past 40 years there has been omens warning us of this uprising, starting with George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead  in 1968 to popular graphic novel and AMC series The Walking Dead. Flowing from understandable sensitivities to the gruesome elements that come with the Zombie genre, there are those who would be quick to write the whole thing off as useless. However I believe that in these movies, books, and shows there is something being said about Humanity and the Christian life that we can intently focus on without losing one’s conscience or lunch.

To begin, the notion of the dead rising to life mingles throughout the gospels. In Luke 8 Jesus raises the daughter of Jarius; in John chapter 11 Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. When the daughter of Jarius is returned to life, Christ orders the parents to tell no one, but when Lazarus is revived in the gospel of John, it is an instance that inspires a plot to kill Jesus of Nazareth. Both of these instances prefigure the resurrection of Christ from the dead.  Jesus’ authority over our world is on display, and if we contrast these narratives with today’s current fascination with the dead rising, we can see their common terrifying characteristic: they both articulately communicate that you are not in control.

Where this genre clashes Christian spirituality ultimately comes back to the Resurrection. In Zombie culture dying means to be mindlessly torn apart by bloodthirsty corpses; in Christianity dying means being brought to a new life. Jesus says “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” Luke 9:24. Human death is eclipsed by the death to our own ego. St. Paul says “In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Roman 6:11. The earthly death is reduced to a footnote to a much greater story, one that is not your own. The finite reality of our own mortality, death itself, is transformed into an aperture of grace in the afterglow of the Resurrection.  “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2: 14- 15

However one film seeks to truly raise the undead to new life. When I first saw the trailer for the film Warm Bodies I thought “Wow, this could be either really good or really bad”. The story is set ten years after a zombiepocalyps followed by the age old plot of post-apocalyptic girl meets post-apocalyptic boy, post-apocalyptic boy’s brain are eaten by introspective cute zombie teenager, zombie teenager inherits post-apocalyptic boys memories of post-apocalyptic girlfriend, zombie  teenager becomes enamoured with the beauty of post-apocalyptic girl and seeks to protect her from his undead friends. As an increasingly avid fan of the genre, I had to see it regardless of if it was good or not.

*Spoilers ahead*

Jonathan Levine, director of 2011’s 50/50, essentially retells the story of Romeo and Juliet, or in this case, “R” (Nicholas Hoult) and Julia (Theresa Palmer). As the aforementioned plot unfolds, R is faced against his fellow undead friends. Brain hungry, a mob of R’s Zombie pals are after a chunk of Julia’s juicy frontal lobe but not if R has something to groan about it. Though outnumbered, R stands in front of his reanimated friends and simply holds Julia’s hand, which eventually inspires his friends to stand down. At first it is a thing that shocks them to their core, but later they realize it has truly reawakened in them something that lay hidden deep within them. The very same hoard that wanted to take a bite out of Julia stands staring at an old travel advertisement. With a light flickering behind it, the image of a man and woman holding hands is seen in the ad. It’s at this moment “M” best friend to “R” looks to another undead fellow and asks “Can you feel it”? From one Zombie to another each of them experience a single heartbeat.

 A Christian interpretation can clearly see something profound. Like our greater society, there is a mad craving for human flesh. Though the appetite may be originating from different organs, both the zombie hoards and our society seek to fulfil that hunger to the detriment of the other. To the undead, a human body could be their next supper; to secular society, a human body is merely a source of pleasure.

“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” 1 John 4:8. Our first vocation as human beings is to love. By encountering that call, R, M, Julia, and the rest of their undead pals are brought to a new way of living. At one point during the film, R dares to infiltrate the human camp. By doing so he risks his “life” and Julia asks him why he did it. He responds with “So I can tell them we can change.” R, by coming face to face with the deepest yearning s of his heart, the desire for intimacy, cannot simply keep it to himself. Ultimate spoiler alert: The more selfless R is to this intimacy, the more alive he becomes. It’s only in the act of sacrificing himself, does he become fully alive again.

In watching these programs most people would more clearly identify with those who are running from a heard of zombies. To most of us, they resemble life’s harshest elements, the ones that seem to come out of nowhere, one after another. There are days when one issue comes after the next and it seems like there’s no way out. But rarely would someone see themselves as one of the zombies, who’s not just desiring a brain, but a heart.