When the Homily is about Immunology

Working out our Salvation

Part Two
"Christianity ain't no opiate...it's physical therapy without painkillers"

Our curruption (mine and yours) began in the Fall. God may have been the author of Adam and Eve's genetic basepairs, but we are all their progeny, and let's face it: things have gone downhill since then. So, we cannot argue that because we were born a certain way that we must assume that God wants us to be that way.

I could see that both of the people present had never heard a Christian approach the issue this way. In fact, my granting that people can be genetically gay yielded highly notable facial expressions of surprise.

Now, what about people being hurt? Is physical suffering of some sort the sole arbiter of what is right and wrong? Well from their perspective this is generally assumed. Ok, fine. Much ado has been made lately about the many problems associated with the "epidemic" of obesity, not the least of which has been the enormous cost of healthcare in treating ailments associated (both directly and indirectly) with obesity. (no one seems to care much about people possibly being genetically obese, do they?) Yes, obesity is a safe whipping boy these days...but let me go out on a limb and whip something more dangerous: promiscuity, sex before marriage, homosexual behavior, and adultery are just a few things that ALSO put a huge financial burden on the world. Homosexual behavior is inherently a risk, as also is promiscuity, sex before marriage, and adultery.

Consider what I do for a living (primarily STD research), consider the HIV epidemic, consider that about 1/5 of the people in the US have Herpes 2 and among African Americans in the US it is 1/4! And while people laud the benefits of "safe sex", I am still getting plenty of research dollars and study volunteers. (I'll not even go into the whole safe sex thing, except to say that there are only two kinds of safe sex: abstinence - which isn't really sex at all - and sex which takes place within the confines of two married people who have never had sex with anyone but each other and never will.) Isn't it funny that if people adhered to the Christian ideal of sexual relations that I would be making your lunches at Subway?

So, if in health class at the public school we can teach kids to avoid obesity why can't we try and teach them to avoid sex before marriage? Why can't we teach them that the homosexual act has with it certain risks that are not found in heterosexual act?

Man, I really didn't wish to go into this at such length, but the fact is there are much higher risks in sexual behavior outside of the context of the Christian ideal.

But holiness is more than avoiding physcial risk...there are spiritual risks as well. Once while standing above my grandparents' grave, my "beloved Atheist" said to me that they wished they could share my faith such that they too could be comforted in the face of death. It gave me pause to consider that while we do gain comfort in the Resurrection of Christ, the pop notion that religion is a crutch or an opiate could not be further from the truth. Sadly it is a truth that we too often forget in many Christian circles - and in my own day to day personal life.

Christianity is also a burden, a responsibility, a painfull therapy that forces us to strive, to work, and to overcome...to overcome ourselves, frankly. Gee that sounds a little depressing, but it is important that we understand that there is a convenience in NOT adhereing to a religion, right? Everytime someone came face to face with Jesus, they found themselves challenged on some level...often they would not accept the challenege (e.g. the rich man who walked away).

And so I think we need to do a gut check and see whether or not Jesus, through our Chruch experience, is challenging us. You see physical therapy sucks...I hate it and I often avoid it. Too often this is true in my Christian life as well. But if I am comfortable, if I am exhorted to do nothing but feel good about myself, and if I am "being accepted for who I am" then something is terribly wrong.

Christianity, or rather Christ Himself, is not intended to being a miracle cure for happiness (I think), rather HE is therapy for holiness and HE will cut to your deepest being and challenge you to change. HE will often challenge you to cut away that which is dearest to you (and for each of us that may be something different), and HE will almost certainly call on you to lay down all that you believe defines you as a person (even perhaps your sexuality - ask a monastic) and then begin the process of redefining yourself in HIM.

All of us have a multitude of issues that we must wrestle with...and we all are called to do the best we can. But we are never called to give up, we are never called to say "close enough" and we are never called to capitulate for the sake of convenience.

Christ wasn't just talking to the rich man when He said "Sell all that you have, give it to the poor, then come and follow me" , He was/is also talking to us. It needn't be about money, it can be a host of things that we must struggle to let go of...even perhaps our "sexual identity." I think in today's culture all of us have facets of our perceived "sexual identity" that we need to let go of...I know I do.

Some are worse than others...some have a bigger burdens to bear than others...its not fair! I suppose so...but I cannot say for sure. Who can quantitate such things? Who can measure such things? God,of course, and He is the judge...not me and not you. But if we want to be healed we are going to have to go through the therapy and while I am in therapy I really don't have time to be worrying so much about other people's need for therapy...but if you ask if I think a particular person needs therapy I will say "Yes, we all do...join us?"

I'm not sure my answers were satisfactory...how could they be when the foundation hasn't been poured yet?