To listen to this homily, click here.
Use different objects as examples of a thing that intended for one thing but can be used for another. However, while it might be able to do that other thing, there tend to be problems, compromises, and unintended consequences.
Examples: Halligan Bar can be used to pull nails, Broken motor mounts on Horizon lets engine crush cans, Tomato paste can used to fix rusted exhaust pipe.
I have many other instances of finding off-label uses for everyday items but this is more from desperation than preference. When I am fixing something or working on a project, it’s always best to have the right tool, the right part, and use them in the intended way.
All of this is to set a context for the remarkable second reading we just heard. In his letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul reminds the people that their bodies were made for a particular thing. While they can be used for many other things, there is a specific purpose they were created for. Let me re-read the highlights, “The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body; Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Glorify God in your body.”
Throughout human history, we’ve always struggled to understand our bodies in a way that is healthy and holy. Our bodies are sacred gifts from God and as wonderful treasures, they must be treated with respect, dignity, and love. For some, this might seem like an obvious statement. But St. Paul was living in a time much like ours, with confusion and immorality surrounding human sexuality. St. Paul knew if Christians didn’t understand the meaning and purpose of their bodies, they would soon fall into lifestyles and relationships that hurt themselves and others.
St. Paul’s words apply to us today! Our society increasingly detaches any spiritual meaning from our bodies and has forgotten their purpose. But Scripture and our Church make it clear that our bodies are sacred. The fact that each of us was created male or female at the moment of conception was not accidental or inconsequential. God knew the particular way each of us would glorify him and find joy in expressing a unique aspect of his loving image. Our bodies play a critical role in that revelation and glory.
Unfortunately, instead of helping us love God and love each other, our bodies have often been at the center of human sinfulness; we frequently use them to harm others and ourselves. Ever since Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden, humanity has used the body against God and his plan, doing so in the name of freedom and the pursuit of happiness. Adam and Eve were told not to eat from that one tree and yet they ate it; using their arms, hands, teeth and taste buds to defy God and his unconditional love.
Throughout human history, the perpetual struggle between the desires of the body and God’s plan continues. Modern man sees the tree, represented in the Scriptures and teachings of the Church, and hates it. We often interpret God’s will and wisdom as a sort of divine tyranny over me and my body. We are tempted to believe that God’s purpose for my body prevents me from reaching my fullest, freest potential and impedes my true happiness.
In the last 100 or so years, a primary goal of western society has been not just to eat as much of the forbidden fruit as possible but then to cut down any remaining forbidden trees entirely. There has been a sustained effort to get rid of all social taboos, normalize every relationship or self-identification, eliminate any moral wrestling with our conduct, and instead do as we please. All for the purpose of freeing ourselves from the shackles of religion and its authority, to truly be who we want to be, with no one telling us what to do or how to do it
For the most part, that movement appears to have succeeded; nowadays, there are virtually no forbidden trees in our midst. The prevailing attitude is “do whatever makes you happy”. But has mankind become healthier? Have we as a human race become MORE free as a result of taking so much “fruit” that there’s no such thing as a forbidden tree? Are we a better people for having pornography available on demand in our pockets? Are we a better human race, now that the terms “man, woman, and marriage” are whatever we want them to mean? Are relationships stronger, because of unfettered sexual expression, with no transcendent meaning or aim?
Absolutely not! Revolutionary behavior has only brought us societal decadence and chaos. Divorce is commonplace, casual relationships leave people feeling exploited for the pleasure of others; fathers absent from homes; young people robbed of innocence and objectified; millions overcome with anxiety, depression, and despair; because we no longer know who we are and what we, and our bodies, are FOR. When things are used for their proper purpose/meaning—there is right order, joy, fulfillment. When the body is misused—order in life is lost—and we are left feeling hurt, broken, and used. Our bodies can be used for all sorts of things but there is only one thing they were made for!
Which brings us back to St. Paul and his timeless reminder. “The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Glorify God in your body.” Let us hold onto these words from St. Paul and take time to consider if there are ways we still need to live them more fully. Let us rejoice that God has created us in his image, in flesh and blood, joining body and soul and that he has made our bodies for such a noble and meaningful purpose. Finally, let us honor that gift by always using our bodies in the way they were created for!
