Entrance of the Fig Leaves-Part I

The Entrance of the Fig Leaves : 

The Entrance of the Fig Leaves The Effects of Sin and the Redemption of Sexuality Part I

“Historical” Men & Women : 

“History,” in this sense, begins with the entrance of the fig leaves—that is, with the dawn of sin. As historical men & women We’re affected by sin We’re redeemed in Christ “Historical” Men & Women

The Fall : 

The bad news We have fallen from the purity of our origins The good news Jesus came to restore creation to the purity of its origins We can’t return to the state of innocence But by the power of the paschal mystery, we can progress more significantly on the journey of restoration than most people imagine! The Fall

The Sermon on the Mount : 

Mt 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” The Sermon on the Mount

Lust : 

Christ speaks directly of male lust But the principle applies equally to women Male lust seems geared more toward physical gratification at the expense of women Female lust seems geared more toward emotional gratification at the expense of men A general “rule of thumb” certainly allowing exceptions! Lust

Homosexuality : 

We can also observe that some people experience lust for the same sex Despite today’s very strong push to “normalize” homosexuality, it’s another manifestation of “flat tire syndrome” No matter what our particular experience of lust, we’re all in need of “re-inflation” Homosexuality

The Good News! : 

If we take up our crosses and follow Christ, Christ can empower all of us to live in accord with God’s wise design for creating us male and female No one—no matter what his or her distortions—is beyond the scope of Christ’s redeeming love! The Good News!

What Does Christ Mean by “Lust”? : 

Not a mere glance or momentary thought In our fallen state, this will always be part of our experience Christ speaks of the “indulgence” of the thought or feeling—an act of the will A deliberate act or “choice” to treat another person as merely an object for our own gratification This seriously violates that person’s dignity and our own. What Does Christ Mean by “Lust”?

Love vs. Lust : 

We were meant…in God’s plan…to be loved “for our own sakes” Never used as an object for someone else’s sake In reality, the opposite of love is not hatred Rather, the opposite of love is to use someone as a means to our own selfish ends Love vs. Lust

Imaging Divine Love : 

Note that Christ refers to looking lustfully at “a woman” in the generic sense He doesn’t stress that it is someone other than a spouse Marriage does not justify lust It doesn’t make using your spouse “okay” The sexual embrace is meant to image and express divine love. Anything less is a counterfeit that not only fails to satisfy, but wounds us terribly. Imaging Divine Love

Words of Salvation, Not Condemnation : 

Christ’s words about lust are severe. However, are we to fear the severity of these words? Or rather have confidence in their power to save us? These words have power to save because the one speaking them is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”! Words of Salvation, Not Condemnation

“Our Full Image” : 

Christ calls us to “enter our full image” Because of original sin, lust obscures in each of us God’s original, beautiful plan for sexual love The heritage of our hearts is deeper than lust Christ’s words reactivate that deeper heritage, giving it real power in our lives. “Our Full Image”

Transforming Our Hearts : 

Christ didn’t die on a cross to give us more coping mechanisms for sin. Christ died on a cross and rose from the dead so that we, too, could live a new life! “New life’s” fulfillment will be realized only at the end of time; but, in a certain way, we have already risen with Christ! We can begin to experience the redemption of our sexual desires. We can begin to experience the gradual transformation of our hearts. Transforming Our Hearts

Questioning God’s Gift : 

Original sin seen as “the questioning of God’s gift.” The deepest yearning of the human heart is to be “like God” by sharing in his life and love. God initiated the gift of himself as “bridegroom.” Man (male and female) opened to receive the gift as “bride.” Man and woman were able to re-image this same “exchange of love” through their own marital self-giving and unity. Questioning God’s Gift

Satan’s No Dummy! : 

He knows that God created the union of the sexes as a sharing in divine life. Satan’s goal is to keep us from this. So he aims his attack at “the very heart of that unity, which, from the ‘beginning,’ was formed by man and woman, created and called to become ‘one flesh.’” Satan’s No Dummy!

The Questioning : 

Satan attacks the woman The one who represents us all as “bride” in our receptivity to God’s gift In the moment they reject their receptivity before God and grasp at their own “happiness,” they turn their backs on God’s love, on God’s gift This is the problem with us all. We don’t trust enough in our Father’s love, so we grasp at happiness. The Questioning

The Second Discovery of Sex : 

In the act of creation, God had “in-spired” Adam & Eve’s bodies with his own life and love. In the Fall, their bodies “ex-spired” (“breathed-out”) God’s Spirit. Void of God’s love, their desire for one another was altogether different. They no longer experienced sexual desire as the power to be a gift to one another. The desired to grasp and possess one another for their own gratification. The Second Discovery of Sex

A Relationship of Appropriation : 

To “appropriate” in this sense means “to take hold of” with the desire to use. This is “the second discovery of sex.” In the “first” discovery of sex Adam & Eve experienced total peace and tranquility. Now they immediately felt “threatened.” Nakedness originally revealed their God-like dignity. Now they instinctively hide their nakedness from the other’s look. A Relationship of Appropriation

Shame’s “Double Meaning” : 

“Shame” indicates that Adam & Eve have lost sight of the nuptial meaning of their bodies (God’s plan of love stamped in their sexuality). It also indicates an inherent need to protect the nuptial meaning of the body from the degradation of lust. Lust shatters Adam & Eve’s communion. Shame’s “Double Meaning”

The “Flat Tires” : 

Lust is often thought of as some benefit to the sexual relationship. Lust is sometimes conceived of as an increase or intensification of sexual desire. But in reality, lust is a reduction of the original fullness God intended for sexual desire. The air has gone out of our tires! The “Flat Tires”

Eating Out of the Dumpster : 

If God is inviting us to the feast of eternal life, why in the world would we rather eat out of a dumpster? Because we don’t really believe in the great gift of God’s banquet. We question the gift…not unlike Adam & Eve. Eating Out of the Dumpster

The Seat of Lust : 

We usually blame our bodies for lust. But this is quite literally a “cover-up” (the fig leaves!!!). It is an excuse not to face the deeper disorder. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stresses that lust is first and foremost a problem of the heart, not the body. Until we address the disordered desires of our hearts, we will never be able to live as the men and women God created us to be. The Seat of Lust

Christian Ethos: Morality “from the Heart” : 

We can all conform to external norms/rules. But that doesn’t necessarily lead to holiness (i.e., a heart “in-spired” by God’s love). In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ calls us to something very different than rigid/lifeless conformity to rules (known as “legalism” or “moralism”). Christian Ethos: Morality “from the Heart”

Jesus’ “New” Morality : 

“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:20) The scribes and the Pharisees worked very hard at conforming to “rules,” but it was all external. They conformed to the ethic, but their “ethos” remained skewed. Jesus’ “New” Morality

Ethic vs. Ethos : 

An ethic is an external norm or rule—”do this,” “don’t do that.” Ethos refers to a person’s inner-world of values What attracts him deep in the heart What repulses him deep in the heart Ethic vs. Ethos

Sermon on the Mount : 

Christ confirms God’s ethical code (the Ten Commandments) But He calls us deeper Jesus proclaims the true ethos of God’s commandments—what they call us to internally. In effect Christ says, “You’ve heard the ethic not to commit adultery, but the problem is you desire to commit adultery. Your ethos is flawed because you’re filled with lust.” Sermon on the Mount

Is It Hopeless? : 

Seems almost cruel, doesn’t it? Knowing we’re filled with lust, Jesus says, “Don’t lust.” Great! So what are we supposed to do? Christ holds out a standard he knows we can’t meet. It seems hopeless-- Is It Hopeless?

…Unless… : 

Unless it were possible to experience some kind of redemption or transformation of our desires! This is precisely where the Gospel becomes good news. The “new ethos” is not only given to us as a task. It’s also given as a gift! We aren’t left to our own flaws, weaknesses, and sinfulness. …Unless…

Hope! Joy! : 

Christian ethos is characterized by a transformation of the conscience and attitudes of both man and woman, such as to express and realize the value of the body and sex according to the Creator’s original plan. What good news! What hope! What joy! We aren’t bound by lust! Hope! Joy!

Freedom! : 

As we’re gradually loosed from the chains of lust, we’re freed to love according to God’s original plan. This is “a living morality” in which we realize the very meaning of our humanity. Freedom!

Freedom from Law : 

Most people consider morality…especially Xtian morality---as an oppressive list of rules to follow (“ethic). But the Gospel doesn’t give more rules. The Gospel calls us to change our hearts so that we no longer need the rules! To the degree we experience this change of heart, we experience “freedom from the law”—not freedom to break the law; freedom to fulfill it. Freedom from Law

“You have heard the commandment…but I tell you…” : 

Before sin, the human heart conformed totally to God’s will. Only with “flat-tire syndrome” do we experience a rupture between our desires and God’s will for us. Here is the law’s essential purpose…to convict us of sin (see Rom 7:7). But Xt indicates we need something more than mere precepts can offer. “You have heard the commandment…but I tell you…”

The Old Law : 

Old Testament law is good and just. But it has no power to re-inflate our “flat-tires.” The Law of the Gospel, however, “proceeds to reform the heart, the root of human acts, where man chooses between the pure and the impure” (CCC, n. 1968). To the degree we allow Xt to “re-inflate our tires,” we no longer need the law because we no longer desire to break it! The Old Law

The Freedom of the “New Ethos” : 

The “new ethos” of the Gospel does not liberate us from external “constraint”… But from the internal constraint that hinders our choice of the good. When we desire what is true, good, and beautiful, then we are free indeed—free to love, free to bless, which is the freedom from the compulsion to grasp and possess. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1). The Freedom of the “New Ethos”