When the Homily is about Immunology

The Sensible thing to do (or Christian Porn)

I am continuing to read Unseen Warfare and have come to a section in which the author spends a good deal of time discussing the five senses and how they can all be an avenue to the passions. The eyes can behold items or persons which appeal to us (on many levels) and entice us into desire, our ears can hear words or tones which can enflame us, our skin can feel a touch from another or the soft leather interior of a new Lexus and fill us with yearning, our nose can inhale the sweetest of perfumes or the "new" smell in the same Lexus and send us into oblivion, our tongues can savor the sweetness or richness of extravagance and send us spiraling into slothful self-indulgence.

My memory sucks, put as bluntly as I can. But of all the things I am able to occassionally recall, I find no problems in recollecting those sensations which have incited my passions. Think about it; who can forget what a new car smells like? Who fails to remember the warm fuzzies associated with a passionate kiss? Who can disregard the memory of the taste of an OREO cookie? And from my own personal experience I can tell you that all too often my mind will suddenly bring to remembrance a pornographic scene which I may have viewed many,many years before! We humans are EXCEPTIONALLY good at recalling what our senses have experienced and indeed very often (actually nearly always) we allow said sensations to dictate our accompanying behavior. This is precisely what the author of Unseen Warfare warns us about.

Instead, we are encouraged to allow our senses to experience Holiness and to allow such sensations to call us into remembrance of the wonderful things of God. Oh and how Orthodoxy provides such tools for us: the Icons, the Incense, the Eucharist all connect with us on the level of our senses and as time passes we begin to remember them just like we remember the sensations which have fueled the passions...only these Holy things fuel our pursuit of Holiness. I can certainly affirm this, for many times I have been dissuaded from entertaining lust, hatred, and anger (amongst other things) by the sight of one of God's Holy Saints or the sweet heavenly smell of incense lingering in the house. I look forward to the time when my mind begins to spontaneously recall those Holy sensations (as a sort of Christian Porn) which will continually cause me to rethink my life.

Coincidently today a visiting priest delivered to us a homily, which in part reminded us that a more than 2,000 year old path leading to Theosis has been paved for us! We stand on the shoulders of giants and we are given, as a wonderous gift, the collective learning of the Fathers and Mothers.

Wisdom, let us attend....