Be Not Afraid...Be Not Afraid...

I spent a long time writing this - I can't believe I didn't finish studying for an AP test for a religion class reflection paper - oh wait, I can. Anywho, I had a faith-affirming experience tonight at Mass (I'll save it for another post) and I think writing this made me reaffirm so much of what it means to be pro-life and what it means to be human that I felt compelled to post it. Yeah, it's on sexuality and is pretty serious but I think Theology of the Body reckons with the root of human fulfillment. It makes you think about what it means to be male and what it means to be female. I'm no theologian so I highly recommend checking out Theology of the Body if you want to learn more, which I also highly recommend. :)

Also, I used the word "perfect" several times here purposefully.

Change of Heart

I firmly believe as a Catholic that Christ dedicated His life so totally to His Church that He expressed His love in a universal context separate from marriage or sexuality. Yet I also believe as a Catholic that during His life on earth, Christ established a perfect foundation for the sacrament of marriage and the prophetic language of sexuality.
Mutual submission of a man and woman in a sexual relationship is properly explained in the New Testament’s Ephesians 5: 21-27:
Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the church, he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Verse 21 clearly and firmly founds the Truth of sexuality in Christ alone. Not only does this verse point to God as the source of sexuality, but it also points to reverent love as the means of sexuality. For Christ, “out of a reverence for Christ,” a love without bound fully, freely, and forever given to Him is the image of sexual love between man and woman. For me especially, I find such a simple verse with a profound meaning to echo so much of what I choose as a Christian. Everything I do, everything I think, everything I want, everything I feel is created by God and given back to Him. Maintained in every saying of the Pray of Self-Oblation, “Whatsoever I have or hold, Thou hast given me; I give it all back to Thee and commit it wholly to be governed by Thy will.” God’s will is important to me, especially in regards to His plan for humankind so explicitly stated in the body.
I find it stunning that sexuality plays such a heightened role in determining the destiny of humankind. Ultimately, upon reflection of the Theology of the Body, sexuality is the genuine “instruction book” of God’s love and will for us. Through the sexual embrace, we create life and sustain God’s Church on earth. Through sexual love, we image Christ’s own love for us. Through the sexual union, we experience the completeness of the One Flesh of man and woman. For these reasons among others, sexuality is the foundation of society because it is the foundation of family. Yet, it is also through sexuality that the balance between the sexes can be shifted, the tide of human destiny be redirected, and the dignity of humanity be suppressed by the Enemy of Christ – the original plan was, in reality, thwarted by Original Sin. But the language of sexuality speaks Truth with more confidence than it does lies.
Since the sin of Adam and Eve, the balance between the sexes has been virtually unknown – for one thing, it would seem that Eve’s acceptance of the Devil’s temptation marks womankind as the spiritually weaker sex and that therefore Adam of the stronger sex has the right to domination of her. This is the result of sin. Also a tragic consequence of Original Sin is the disruption of God’s plan for humanity, for both man and woman that He created chose freely to find power over Him. God’s will was suddenly impugned through the act of sin, allowing Satan the opportunity to silence and destroy the Truth of God and His plan to manifest that Truth.
For these reasons, with particular emphasis on the inequality of the sexes, Original Sin creates a hatred of God’s will spoken perfectly through Ephesians. “Wives should be subordinate to their husbands” is rarely comprehended with its brother verse, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church.” I believe Christopher West relayed this message skillfully by pointing out the foolishness of how it is misinterpreted: If women are to be “submissive” to their husbands, they must be “under the mission” of them, which, as Scripture says “explicitly” (and Christopher West says sarcastically) is to “love your wives and treat them like doormats.” It struck as stupid how people can misinterpret this passage. Where in the Bible is a man extolled for treating his wife like a doormat? But the Truth of St Paul’s letter to Ephesians is spellbinding and profound: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Women are to be loved, not treated as doormats. Women are to be subject to the love Christ showed His Church. As a woman, I have no fear of this and take no offense by this passage compelling me to submit to another human being. Rather, I find this passage to be so ineffably beautiful.
As firmly established in my favorite chapter in the entire Bible, John 15 calls us as Christ’s friends, not slaves, and proclaims that the greatest love man can show is to lay down his life for those whom he loves. This is the perfect image of Christ’s love. Woman is called to be subordinate to this friendship, not to some system of slavery. Men must love like Christ, Who laid down His life for His Bride, the Church. As Christopher West quoted Christ’s words in Scripture, “They do not take My Life from Me; I lay it down freely.” Freely. All men, through design by God, are called to lay down their lives for woman, whether she be a wife or she be the Church. Masculinity, as God created it, is a total self-sacrifice to give up life for woman and her offspring, a total dedication to preserving her sanctity and "splendor," protecting her from "blemish" and harm. Hearing just these words was stilling. I find myself in profound awe even now that my mind limited as it is cannot shape words around the experience of coming so close to God in so intimate a way.
I remember being frozen in wonder learning this because I am still so moved internally. I do not know man, just as Christ as a human did not know woman, but I can’t help feeling filled with knowledge. My wonder and awe over masculinity was met with the gasp-hand-over-mouth astonishment of learning about femininity. As a woman, I am created with the purpose of creating life, the most sanctified capacity of humankind. Man genuflects before woman out of reverence to her like his reverence to Christ, for she is a Tabernacle. When I think that within me is the home of God, I can’t really show my amazement or humility that I was chosen to be that kind of refuge. What fascinates me further is that God is my refuge much more than I can be a refuge for Him, yet He created me to be a shelter for Heaven. I am…exactly what He needs of me. And He is so much more to both woman and man.
Before delving into Theology of the Body, I embraced every teaching of the Church without dispute or even slight questioning. I firmly believe that each teaching is inspired by the Holy Spirit as a piece of the Truth, so to be a follower, I never really needed much explaining or reasoning. However, I am so much more in love with the Church after learning parts of Theology of the Body because I better understand those teachings. I am just so amazed by the holiness woven into the fabric of man and woman that I could never want to rebel against something God is telling me is correct. There is just so much sanctity welled up inside me – through no act of my own – that I must use my body to speak the Truth of Christ, not the lies of His Enemy.
I better understand now why I am pro-life, and though I was passionate about these beliefs long before Theology of the Body taught me a thing, I discern a heightened sense of passion about life now. Beforehand, I was entirely cowardly about my beliefs. I have always feared judgment; I never wanted myself or the Church that I love and I believe speaks the Truth to be passed off as “backwards” or “unpractical” or “inflexible.” But Christopher West said something during his presentation that moved me to write it down in my notes and hopefully for eternity on my heart: “Be not afraid, be not afraid of this issue.” Sexuality is doubly bless-ed: it is given to us by the Father so that we may give to others. Life and love are gifts of total self-donation. Therefore, I proclaim with more courage than beforehand that ethical relativism in regards to sexuality and the fruits of sexuality is an attack on the sanctity woven into us by our Creator. Abortion and contraception are sometimes difficult to fathom as morally incorrect – it is heartbreaking to me that they are so widely viewed as conveniences - but they are a violent refusal of God, a closure. I want to stay eternally in communion with God, and I want for all people to find that joy as well, so I think the best I can do right now for myself and for others is simple profound prayer: “When the Heart rebels against the Law, don’t throw out the Law. Get down on your knees and ask God to change your heart.” I haven’t eradicated all my fear about being judged for this belief, but I choose God’s path and that means I have to “be not afraid.”
If I am not afraid of speaking the Truth, I shall have no fear for the direction of human destiny, no matter what or where we have already been.