Theology of the Body: The Yes behind the No's: 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

(Listen to this homily here).

            I wish you could have all seen what I got to see Friday evening and Saturday morning.  I traveled to Big Sandy Camp in McGregor to join in the Theology of the Body retreat for teens.  On Friday evening seven of us priests heard confessions for two hours.  We had 170 kids go to Confession on a Friday evening.  These same young people went to Mass on Saturday and worshiped the Lord in Adoration Saturday evening.  While many of these kids didn’t want to be there at first, after a couple of hours they were open and willing to pray and learn.

            And do you know what they were learning about?  Sexual morality!  On a weekend!

            Now if I asked you to explain, or write on paper, what our Catholic teaching is regarding sexual morality—certainly if I asked the average person on the street what our teaching is—I bet it would feature a list: “No, no, NO, NO, NEVER!”  I find this curious because we would never describe anything else like this.

            For example, when my Ghanaian friends have asked about ice hockey, I don’t start with, “No hitting people with sticks!  No carrying the puck!  No taking off your skates!”  Their response to such an explanation—“Ben, what are you talking about?  I don’t even know what a puck is!”  Rather, I would explain hockey by saying, “Put this small and flat black thing—called a puck—in the net!  This is the main goal of hockey!” (No pun intended).

            For too long we have only understood the no’s of sexual morality.  The Theology of the Body by St. John Paul II articulates the yes.  St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians states that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  This is a major yes in God’s plan!  This series of talks by JPII examined Scripture passages like this to discern what it means for us to have bodies, gender and the capacity to love.  It has revolutionized how we approach one of the greatest gifts God has given us.

            JPII pointed to the beginning of our existence when God, out of love, created us in his image and likeness.  Unlike the angels, He gave us a body.  Unlike the animals, He gave us a soul.  He also created male and female to be different.  And can we all agree that God knew what He was doing?  After all, He is God!  He gave us gender, but this is not true of every species—angels and amoeba are two examples.  What does it mean for God to give us bodies that come in a male or female form?

            The heart of the Theology of the Body is love.  We have been created by love, from love and for love.  Love is the one word that summarizes our existence.

            While I hope to avail our parishes to deeper reflection on the Theology of the Body in the future, I would like to apply some of its basic principles to my own life.

            As a priest, I am a celibate man.  For starters, do you know how many people feel bad for me, think I am crazy or think of me as weird?  Please—don’t ever feel sorry for me!  Bishop Sirba never put a gun to my head and yelled, “You WILL be a celibate for the rest of your life!”  I chose celibacy freely, and while there are some no’s involved—a wife and children—there is a far deeper yes.

            I have said yes first to God.  Like the prophet Samuel, I heard God calling me to consider the priesthood.  After many years of prayer and discernment, I followed His plan for me to be a priest.  And as a priest I have experienced so much joy, peace and contentment.  I mean, do you think I walk around telling myself, “NO, Ben, you cannot have children!  NO, Ben, you cannot get married!”  Indeed, it is not always easy to be celibate, but I always try to focus on God’s incredible plan for my life.

            I love what my rector in seminary once shared.  He said, “Fellas, you need to know something right now.  There is no vocation to girls.  Some of you seminarians think it’s all about girls, girls, girls!  Get this in your head, gentlemen, there is either zero or one!” 

            If you are married, do you consistently live your life saying, “NO, I can’t be with her, or her, or her, or her”?  Or do you continue to live your life with and for your spouse and kids?

I also said yes to serving you.  For many years now I have prayed for all that I would minister to, and that my life may be spent in service to God’s people.  This is a humbling honor, and one which the celibate lifestyle inspires.

Finally, JPII looks to the cross as the ultimate example of what it means to have a body, to offer our bodies in love and to sacrifice for the beloved.  Jesus Christ, in becoming a man, offers the primary witness to laying down his life—his body—for his people.  And it is at the cross from which all the yeses of our moral teachings find their origin.