Human beings were created for the purpose of loving God and being loved by Him. Everything which God created is given to mankind to use as tools in our quest to fulfill this purpose. We please God when we show appreciation for His gifts by appropriately using our tools. We offend God when we are unappreciative of His gifts and misuse those tools.
The greatest of the gifts which God has given us is life. It is the greatest gift because it is required to fulfill our purpose and it is the gift from which all others derive their meaning. Without life, all other gifts cannot be received. Without life, there can be no free will. Without life, there can be no love. Without life, there can be no happiness nor pursuit of happiness. This is why murder is a sin, as it robs men and women of their ability to fulfill their purpose and to receive the gifts which God has intended to give them. This is why abortion and embryonic stem cell research are sins, as it cuts short the ability of the unborn to fulfill their purpose and to experience the fullness of God’s many gifts. This is why God does give permission to kill in defense of our own lives, although certainly care must be taken to do only as much harm as is strictly necessary when defending life.
Conception is the starting point for new life. Biblical accounts of a child being born are usually sequenced as man has relations with woman who conceives and gives birth. This links action (the relations) with result (conception), thereby establishing that children are conceived through marital relations and that conception creates a new person. Psalms 139 talks about God knitting us in our mother’s womb before we were ever born and even before . Indeed, Christ was Christ from the very moment the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary and she conceived, as demonstrated by the fact that even though she was not showing evidence of bearing Christ within her yet, both Elizabeth and her unborn son, John the Baptist, reacted to His presence when she visited them. Moreover, this is not merely a biblical principle but has been proven by science. When sperm and egg are joined, a totally unique individual is created from that union. We no longer have the excuse of ignorance. We know this for a fact.
God created man and woman as fitting partners for one another and He commanded them to be fertile and multiply, subduing and filling the earth. This commandment introduces the gift of sexuality, which permits human beings to participate in the creation of new life and permits the expansion of God’s great love to every part of the world. The sexual act is pleasurable to both the man and the woman, encouraging them to engage in it often. Each time the man and the woman experience the pleasure of this union, chemicals are released in the brain which bond the pair closer together. This gift of sexuality is intended to be used solely within the bounds of matrimony. In matrimony, the couple vow that they will love one another unconditionally throughout their entire life and that they will accept children from God lovingly, bringing them up according to the law of Christ and His Church. The proper use of this gift of sexuality ensures that new life is created and raised in an environment of stability and love. This is why marriage is sacred, carrying with it specific responsibilities and duties, and must be protected from misuse. It is also the reason that rape, prostitution, masturbation, fornication, adultery, oral and anal sex, homosexuality, and bestiality are all sins. They are perversions of the gift of sexuality and do nothing to further the purpose for which the gift was granted: to participate in the creation of new life which will love God and be loved by God. It is also the reason that contraception and sterilization is a sin, since it is a deliberate attempt to prevent the gift of sexuality from fulfilling the very purpose for which it was created.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
The Pope and St. Joseph
Christ is the bridegroom and the Church is His Bride. However, Christ’s work requires that He be physically away from His Bride for a period of time. As a loving bridegroom, He does not wish to leave His bride without a defender during His physical absence. It is for this reason that He established the Pope. The Pope stands in the same place that St. Joseph stood for Mary.
Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit chose her for this role and brought her into the world for that reason. He sent His archangel, Gabriel, as Best Man to bring His proposal to her and to witness her response and their subsequent union. He gave to St. Joseph the task of standing in His place as groom, a surrogate husband to His virgin bride and a surrogate father to the Incarnate Word. Mary was obedient to St. Joseph. She knew that he acted out of love for both her and for her son, a love born of his love for the Lord. She did not argue when St. Joseph led them out of Israel and into Egypt. She did not question when he hid them in Nazareth. She obeyed.
St. Joseph defended Mary’s virtue. He protected her from those who sought to harm her and her child in word and in deed. He defended their faith and held to God’s word even in the midst of the Egyptians. He did not seek to usurp the place of Mary’s true Spouse, he loved her Spouse even more than he loved her and because of his great love for her Spouse, he loved Christ with all of his heart.
St. Joseph taught Christ to know, love, and serve God. In the process of teaching Christ, he helped Christ to reveal His true nature and to live that true nature with responsibility and fidelity. Christ loved Joseph and because of that love for Joseph, trusted that what he was being taught was worth learning and worth emulating. Mary encouraged Christ to love and trust in His surrogate father as much as He loved and trusted His true Father. Joseph was given special gifts by the Holy Spirit to ensure that he would not lead Christ astray with his teachings.
This is the position of the Pope. He is not Christ. He does not seek to take the place of Christ. He is the surrogate bridegroom, defending the Bride throughout the ages from those who would attack Her, from those who would harm Her in word or in deed. He directs the Church to move only when it is necessary to protect Her, and She obeys because She knows of His great love for Her Spouse.
The Pope is the surrogate father of the children born of the union between Christ and His Bride. These Children of God turn to their surrogate father for help in revealing their true nature and for living that true nature with responsibility and fidelity. The Church encourages Her children to love and trust in their surrogate father as much as they love and trust in Christ. The Pope is given special gifts by the Holy Spirit to ensure that he does not lead these Children astray with his teachings.
Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit chose her for this role and brought her into the world for that reason. He sent His archangel, Gabriel, as Best Man to bring His proposal to her and to witness her response and their subsequent union. He gave to St. Joseph the task of standing in His place as groom, a surrogate husband to His virgin bride and a surrogate father to the Incarnate Word. Mary was obedient to St. Joseph. She knew that he acted out of love for both her and for her son, a love born of his love for the Lord. She did not argue when St. Joseph led them out of Israel and into Egypt. She did not question when he hid them in Nazareth. She obeyed.
St. Joseph defended Mary’s virtue. He protected her from those who sought to harm her and her child in word and in deed. He defended their faith and held to God’s word even in the midst of the Egyptians. He did not seek to usurp the place of Mary’s true Spouse, he loved her Spouse even more than he loved her and because of his great love for her Spouse, he loved Christ with all of his heart.
St. Joseph taught Christ to know, love, and serve God. In the process of teaching Christ, he helped Christ to reveal His true nature and to live that true nature with responsibility and fidelity. Christ loved Joseph and because of that love for Joseph, trusted that what he was being taught was worth learning and worth emulating. Mary encouraged Christ to love and trust in His surrogate father as much as He loved and trusted His true Father. Joseph was given special gifts by the Holy Spirit to ensure that he would not lead Christ astray with his teachings.
This is the position of the Pope. He is not Christ. He does not seek to take the place of Christ. He is the surrogate bridegroom, defending the Bride throughout the ages from those who would attack Her, from those who would harm Her in word or in deed. He directs the Church to move only when it is necessary to protect Her, and She obeys because She knows of His great love for Her Spouse.
The Pope is the surrogate father of the children born of the union between Christ and His Bride. These Children of God turn to their surrogate father for help in revealing their true nature and for living that true nature with responsibility and fidelity. The Church encourages Her children to love and trust in their surrogate father as much as they love and trust in Christ. The Pope is given special gifts by the Holy Spirit to ensure that he does not lead these Children astray with his teachings.
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