Theology of the Body — 2011/10/23

The next few posts in this series present John Paul II's thoughts on nudity in art. I briefly summarized them in an earlier post giving some of my own thoughts on nudity, which I hope are consistent with his. I owe my acceptance of the legitimacy of non-lustful nudity to my learning of his opinions.


"As we have seen, many moral problems arise from reducing the body to an object, instead of reverencing it as a sign of the person. But what happens when the body becomes a subject of art?

"… Artists give expression to their experiences of the body[,] and others, in turn, encounnter the body through their art. Looking at a painting of a nude, for example, the viewer is aware of observing a body — not just paint on a canvas. For that reason, Christ's words about gazing lustfully have continued relevance within the sphere of culture.

"If purity of heart should guide how we relate to living bodies, it should also guide how we relate to depictions of the body … . We must pursue purity not only in our interactions with other people, but also in our interactions with works of art.

"In performance arts, such as theatre and ballet, the body becomes a work of art in itself. In the plastic arts, including sculpture and painting, the body is a model for representation. Film and photography lie somewhere in-between.

"Something different takes place in each medium, even though the subject (the body) is the same. In painting and sculpture, the body is a model, which is then transformed by the artist's vision. Film and photography, on the other hand, reproduce the actual form of a living person. This is an important distinction to make when considering ethical questions in art. …

"If the theology of the body is a true education in being human, how can we foster a cultural climate in which it will flourish? What is the role of art in encouraging purity of heart? Our [next] reflections will consider these questions."

Sorrow — Update

My friend (I'll call him "Zack") arrived from upstate New York late Friday afternoon and after a brief tour of my hometown we headed in to Boston and had dinner at the restaurant Scollay Square where Seth the waiter had worked. We had a nice dinner, and he enjoyed the restaurant. We then went to a nearby theater to catch a showing of the movie "50/50" which he had seen and wanted to share with me. Unfortunately, it was sold out. So we went back home and watched the ball game on TV for a while. I dozed off. He went to bed, and I did so as well.

When I got up in the morning, I followed my usual routine and didn't bother putting anything on until it was time to leave the house to go to Mass. I figured Zack wouldn't mind, since he had spoken approvingly of being naked. I didn't directly ask how he felt about it, and he didn't volunteer that he had any problem with it. I hope he was okay with it. Before leaving for Mass, I made a pot of coffee for him.

At Mass, there is a short part called the Prayer of the Faithful, and at the church I went to, they invite the congregation to mention things to pray for, so I said, "For the repose of the soul of [the young man] let us pray to the Lord," and all responded, as usual, "Lord hear our prayer."

The funeral home was about a 45 minute drive from my home, and since Zack was not going to come back with me, we decided that I would lead him there. Visiting hours were from 11:00 to 1:00 with a memorial service at 1:00. Zack thought that 11:30 would be a good time to leave, and we actually headed out at about 11:25; but with delays we didn't arrive until about 12:30.

Zack knew many of the people there, and they greeted him warmly. The young man who died had muscular dystrophy; but, as many of those who spoke pointed out, he had always maintained a positive attitude, without complaining. Instead he did what he wanted to do, finding ways to get around his disability. Zack spoke of his five years as the personal care attendant for the young man and of the love in action which his mother had always shown. The mother and son were atheists, but I think of the words in the Bible: God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God and God in them.

The lesson that we were left with is to pay attention to what you can do, rather than what you can't, and to enjoy what you can do and to do what you want. To me this doesn't mean to give in to every whim, but to realize what is important, what is worthwhile, and what is good, and to take advantage of opportunities to do those things, rather than to pursue things which ultimately aren't worth doing. He realized that his time was limited, and he seems to have decided to make the most of it. But for those of us who do not have a debilitating disease like his, it is still a fact that our time is limited, no matter how long it may be, so we too should be spending it wisely, living in the love of our families and friends and pursuing our abilities and talents.

It is a time of sorrow for many at the loss of one they loved from their lives. They will always carry his memory in their hearts. As a Christian, I hold the hope that they will meet him again with joy when their lives on this earth are completed.

Sorrow

Since my retreat last spring, I've been trying to do "spiritual reading" more regularly. Recently, I started a book by Henri J. M. Nouwen titled Can You Drink the Cup? Currently I'm in the part he calls "The Cup of Sorrow," and yesterday I read the following passage.

"… I have become deeply aware of my own sorrow-filled heart. There was a time when I said: 'Next year I will finally have it together,' or 'When I grow more mature these moments of inner darkness will go,' or 'Age will diminish my emotional needs.' But now I know that my sorrows are mine and will not leave me. In fact I know they are very old and very deep sorrows, and that no amount of positive thinking or optimism will make them less. The adolescent struggle to find someone to love me is still there; unfulfilled needs for affirmation as a young adult remain alive in me. The deaths of my mother and many family members and friends during my later years cause me continual grief. Beyond all that, I experience deep sorrow that I have not become who I wanted to be, and that the God to whom I have prayed so much has not given me what I have most desired."

He was born in 1932 and wrote this book in 1996, which was also the year of his death. Had struggled with depression and with same sex attraction, although he apparently managed to remain celibate, which, as a priest, he had vowed to do.


A more immediate sorrow is the death of an acquaintance of mine. The friend I've blogged about before (and see further links) worked — before he moved away — as personal care attendant for a handicapped young man, and they were also good friends. Several weeks after my friend left, the other man's handicap-equipped van rolled into a group at his company picnic, and one man died. This young man died last weekend at the age of 32. I had met him once, very briefly, and found him very pleasant. The news story in today's paper has quotes from a couple of his high school teachers saying how well liked he was as a student. It is sad when someone dies so young, and in this case the sadness is compounded by the fact that his last two months were overshadowed by the tragic accident at the picnic.

My friend will be returning to the area for the memorial service on Saturday. He'll stay overnight at my house Friday night, and we'll go to the funeral home together. Then he'll head home. It will be nice to see him again, but the death of his good friend is a real sorrow for him, so it won't be quite the same as if the visit were simply a holiday.

October 12, 2011

519 years ago today, Christopher Columbus set foot on land in the Western Hemisphere for the first time. They chanted a "Te Deum" in thanksgiving. Way to go, Chris! In celebration, I'll have spaghetti for supper, and follow it with a bit of Grand Marnier. (If you wonder what Grand Marnier has to do with Christopher Columbus, it's my little joke: I've heard more than one person call it Grand Mariner, which is, of course what Columbus was.)

13 years ago today, Matthew Shepard died. I blogged a year ago about attending a performance of "The Laramie Project" and "The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later." It is disheartening that there is still anti-gay violence in our country. But perhaps that is because bigotry can never be entirely eliminated and that the worst bigots feel that violence is justified. But that said, I think there has been progress. Matt's death made me and many others aware that such violence was still going on, and that therefore it needed to be stopped. There has been legislation and many people's attitudes have changed for the better. I hope there will be continued improvement. Hopefully we can get to a point where no LGBT people are in danger of violence or murder because of their sexuality.

Theology of the Body — 2011/10/09

"The words of Jesus … reveal … what it means to be human. This 'theology of the body' provides a standard for all persons at all times. …

"The Creator gives us all a task: to declare, through the body, the dignity of the person. The body … bears the sign of the gift. Our task is to fulfill that sign by truly becoming a gift.

"The theology of the body is the most suitable education in being human. In modern times, science has taught us a great deal about the workings of the body. But it cannot tell us anything about the body as a manifestation of the human spirit, a sign of the person. By ignoring the spirit, or denying its existence, science treats the body as an object to be manipulated. This aggravates the rupture brought on by the Fall, alienating body from spirit.

"What is needed is an integrated view of man as a spiritual, embodied being. For that, we must turn to Scripture. The theology of the body is a 'spirituality of the body,' leading us, through spiritual maturity, to a richer experience of the body. As a man or woman matures spiritually, his or her body becomes more clearly what it was meant to be — a sign of the person, an expression of the spirit.

"Lust doesn't reveal the body — it obscures it. Similarly, science, when it reduces the body to an object, only clouds our understanding. … Only when it is accompanied by spiritual maturity can biological knowledge of the body point towards its true meaning.

"This is why we should prudently consider the teachings of the Church about the human body [in statements such as 'The Dignity of Marriage and the Family' in Gaudium et Spes (The Church in the Modern World), Part II, chapter 1, and the encyclical Humanæ Vitæ]. To be properly understood, these documents cannot be considered apart from Scripture or the Gospel. They must be read in the light of a 'total vision of man,' which is what the theology of the body provides.

"Today, the Church continues to speak out against divorce, polygamy, lust, and the mistreatment of women. In doing so, the Church echoes Christ's teachings on the sanctity of marriage and purity ofheart, calling all to faithfulness."

Monarchy, the Habsburgs, etc.

I thought I might have blogged a bit about this before, but apparently I just commented on other perople's blogs. Anyway, I've been thinking again about monarchy since my watching of the videos about the Habsburgs last week.

The fact is, I'm something of a monarchist, even though I realize that there is no way the USA could ever have a king. But I think that for countries in which monarchy has been traditional, it can be a good thing. I don't advocate absolute monarchy, but I think in a parliamentary democracy a king or queen can be a good thing to have. When we consider royal houses in the 20th Century, whether we look at Otto von Habsburg the British House of Windsor, or any of the other royal houses of Europe, one important characteristic is a very genuine sense of duty. They are truly dedicated to a cause beyond their own status — the well-being of their people. Freed from the necessity of appealing to the masses for their next election, they can consider what will really serve the good of those masses. So it seems to me that a system which gives them a limited but real degree of power (e.g. in vetoing acts of Parliament and in giving advice to Prime Ministers) — more than the current British monarchy but less than the American President — would be a good thing. A king can represent the unity of the nation above partisan divisions and serve as a check on potential mistaken or unjust acts by the majority of a particular moment.

IMO in countries which are not monarchies but which still have the former royal house available, the people would be wise to elect the person who would be king or emperor as President of the Republic. (Germany would have the problem of deciding between the Hohenzollerns and the Wittelsbachs — maybe they could take turns.)

"Candide"

On Sunday or Monday I saw a favorable reference to a production of the musical "Candide" being performed in Boston, and decided that I wanted to see it. So I got a ticket for the October 5 performance.

As a piece of musical theater, it was quite enjoyable, with good music, good acting, and lots of funny bits. The director had decided to revise the words to bring it closer to Voltaire's original ideas. (It would be interesting to know what was different in the original version of the musical.) The introductory note mentioned that Voltaire was writing in opposition to Leibniz's idea that this is the best of all possible worlds. Of course, it is easy enough to satirize that, as Voltaire did, by pointing out all the disasters that occur in the world, but that does not absolutely prove that a world in which such things were impossible could exist and function. IMO the play also gives short shrift to the idea that the world is part of a fallen creation but never really refutes it.

A Good Yom Kippur

to all my Jewish readers.

An Evening with the Habsburgs (on Video)

At dinner with my brother last evening, we were trying to remember what the band played for the recessional at our high school graduations. I suggested Mendelssohn's "War March of the Priests" from Athalia. He didn't think that was it, so after dinner I found a version on YouTube and played it. He still didn't think it was played when he graduated.

One link led to another. Eventually, however, I arrived at the recent funeral of Archduke Otto von Habsburg, who was born in 1912 and was crown prince when his father, Blessed Emperor Karl, abdicated in 1918 and the empire was abolished. Fascinated, I watched videos from Archduke Otto's funeral — the funeral Mass, the funeral procession, and the arrival at the burial crypt's locked doors. To get there, I had watched videos about Otto's mother, Empress Zita (who lived from 1892 to 1989), about her wedding to Karl, about Otto's son George at a Hungarian festival in Toronto (with footage of him speaking in English and also in Hungarian), and of Otto himself speaking in English about religion, politics, and language study (among other things, he found that Bismarck referred fairly frequently to God in his speeches, whereas current Christian Democratic politicians almost never do). If you go to any of the videos I'll link, you can eventually find all of these and much more.

If you have any understanding of German, I recommend taking a look at the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slcJRqox1gI&feature=related
the first reading of the Mass, read by Otto's oldest son, Archduke Karl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGymFYWJ1BE&feature=BFa&list=ULaPnmYOUHh8w&lf=mfu_in_order
the second reading, read by Karl's 14-year-old son, Archduke Ferdinand Zvonomir,
both of which give some of the context for

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTE2dQ-vibQ&feature=BFa&list=ULaPnmYOUHh8w&lf=mfu_in_order
the homily by Cardinal Christoph von Schönborn, which I earnestly invite all German speakers to listen to, even if you skip all the rest, since I think, as far as I understand it, it presents an excellent summary of Otto's significance; then followed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGymFYWJ1BE&feature=BFa&list=ULZtBDVdZgs20&lf=mfu_in_order
intercessions by Otto's children.

After the Mass there was the funeral procession to the Capuchin Crypt. I leave it to you to follow links to videos of the procession if you're interested, but here's the scene at the door.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slcJRqox1gI&feature=related
When Otto is announced by his inherited titles, entry is refused; when he is announced by a listing of his life's works, entry is refused; when he is announced as a sinner, entry is granted.


If you don't know any German, these musical selections will give some idea of the scene in the cathedral.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0A21D7zp1Vk&feature=related
the beginning procession, with the appropriate music from Michael Haydn's Requiem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXVt5ScQSqA&feature=related
a fairly common hymn of praise to God

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5V98E3e9eA&feature=related
the imperial hymn, (and I consider it a sign of maturity on the part of the Austrian Republic that this does not seem to have been especially controversial) and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm_d5F7QLxM&feature=related
a hymn invoking the intercession of Mary, traditionally sung at the end of the final prayers of the day, as well as at funerals — it asks, among other things that when our life is over she would show us her son Jesus.

There are many other links for Bl. Emperor Karl, Empress Zita, Archduke Otto and their ancestors and descendants.

I found it a fascinating couple of hours, and I've enjoyed reverently revisiting it as I prepared this post. Happy exploring.