The sexual revolution of the 60's coupled with the movement of free sexual expression of the 70's, 80's and 90's seems to have contributed ( in my mind ) to the horrific plague of AIDS. Of course it is not as simplistic as that but a fairly good generalization. Some would voice that AIDS was God's punishment. I would argue most forcefully that it is the result of our single mindedness and penchant for things of this world. That is, sin.
Sexual expression is a glorious acknowledgement of one of God's most magnificent and transcendent gifts to us. What we do with that knowledge is what makes all the difference. Yesterday I spoke of avoiding mindless sex and reaching rightly for mindful sex and then perhaps even to mind blowing sex.
As dualistic creatures, humans have both a physical and spiritual nature. As living creatures on earth, we cannot attain the wholly spiritual state and inheritance that comes in this plane of existence. But we can attain glimpses of that holiness. Our sexuality is one of the ways in which we can share and join the two pieces of our nature, physical and spiritual.
So when St. Paul speaks of passion in this passage today, we can enjoy the passion of love in every aspect as long as we do not let those passions rule us. There is a balance and dignity it respecting all the parts of who we are but not letting one dominate over the other.
We can easily see the results of being more attuned to the physical world than our spiritual nature. If you look at any f the problems of the world, dare I say all of them are the result of a single mindedness, and errant balance of who we are. Like the bumper sticker that proclaims "Whoever dies with the most toys wins", it is a heresy of faith in God. If we are graced with wealth the balance is what we do with that wealth to further the kingdom. If we are graced with a person with whom you share the most intimate of secrets, love, trust, fears and life, then sexuality is a gift to be revelled in. Sexuality as continual acts with faceless people without heart or soul is another heresy of faith in God.
I began speaking about the gift that sexuality is but the essence of my thoughts today are of an equilibrium of our natures, not one over the other but a cooperative balance of physical and spiritual. Limiting that to sexuality would be wrong also but it is a fine example of the transcendent nature of our life.
For careful consideration of our daily lives and for the gift of our transcendental nature, we pray.
Romans 6:12-23
Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. No longer present your members to sin as instruments of wickedness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and present your members to God as instruments of righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
What then? Should we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that you, having once been slaves of sin, have become obedient from the heart to the form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and that you, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to greater and greater iniquity, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
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