Theology of the Body 2012/09/28

"Freedom lies at the heart of the gift-giving meaning of the body. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were free from the constraints of sin. Naked and unashamed, they weren't oppressed by the urge to misuse each other.

"The human body … is not only a source of … procreation. It also has the power to express love, allowing the person to become a gift. This self-giving love is unique to human beings — other living creatures reproduce, but they don't love each other in the image of God's love.

"Beyond marriage, Christ revealed another vocation for men and women — that of remaining unmarried for the sake of the kingdom of heaven (Mat 19:12). This only confirms the nuptial meaning of the body. In freedom we have the power to offer ourselves as a gift — to another person, or even to the kingdom of heaven.

"So many people wonder: … Why am I here on this earth. The answer is found in this self-giving love. We were created by Love, and we're called to love in return. A man can only find his true self by giving himself away. When we live according to the nuptial meaning of our bodies, we fulfill the very meaning of our existence.

"In order to make a gift of himself, a man must be free. Adam and Eve were totally free because they were totally innocent. … For us to achieve freedom, we must learn self-control. The gift-giving, nuptial meaning of the body can only be realized when we're free from sinful passions."

A Night at the Theater & Miscellany

A Night at the Theater.
A week ago I went into Boston to attend the world premiere performance of Paris Commune by The Civilians at Arts Emerson.

Guy on the Subway.  On my way into the city, I noticed a guy on the platform with a shirt that was open down the side from the armpit to the bottom seam. When we got on  the train, he was seated opposite some friends at the far end of the car. After a few minutes, I noticed that the way the shirt was hanging, his small left nipple was exposed, along with an expanse of hairless chest above and below. I tried to avoid staring, but it was definitely an attractive sight.

The Play.  Arts Emerson had e-mailed some information about the Commune and about the play, so I arrived with some basic knowledge of what it was all about. But the show certainly added a lot. It was framed with references to a free concert that took place in the Tuileries Palace in May, 1871, on what happened to be the last night before the government troops began to retake the city. The fighting lasted a week, during which thousands of people were killed (including the Archbishop of Paris and several dozen priests killed by the Communards), and the Palace was one of many buildings that were burned down.

A couple of members of the governing council of the Commune were popular songwriters, and some of their songs were included. One of them wrote the words to "The Internationale," and it was included when the sow returned to the concert at the end — although an actor pointed out that it was not actually sung on that occasion. It was written some weeks later, and the tune was written later still.

All in all, it was an interesting evening — informative and thought-provoking. I wonder if the writers and actors were aware of the ironies at some points in the script as they pointed to the Russian, Chinese, and Cuban revolutions as successors to the Commune and also to the Tiananmen Square uprising as another successor, or when they spoke of East Germany's issuing a commemorative postage stamp on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Commune.


Miscellany.

Europe Does not Believe in Washcloths.  While I was traveling in Germany and France a couple of months ago, all three of the hotels I stayed in provided two bath towels, two hand towels, and a bath mat, but no washcloth. Apparently the Europeans just use their hands to wash themselves in the shower. It's tolerable, but a washcloth makes it easier to reach all areas of ones back, does a better job of scrubbing, and produces better suds. Here's an item where the Europeans are definitely lagging behind us Americans (or at least the hoteliers are).

More Cooking.  Last night I added a small roma tomato to my baked stuffed haddock (using my normal summer squash and mushrooms as well). Of course, I sprinkled dried basil on the tomato. The result was good, but not so much better than usual that I'd always want tomato as part of it.

BTW, one reason I like using bread crumbs is that the fish exudes some liquid as it cooks, and the crumbs absorb at least some of it. I've even begun to sprinkle some on salmon when I steam it, for the same reason — why let the salmon liquid drain into the water?

Change of Seasons.  Although last night was warm enough for me to enjoy some nude time on the back porch at about 2:00 a.m., I'm afraid summer is gone, and warm days and evenings are a bonus, rather than an expectation, until next year. Some trees are showing patches of red, orange, and yellow. Temperatures are generally 10°F cooler than at the beginning of the month. And the sailboat racing season is over, and the theater/concert season has begun (see above; also tonight I'll got to my first symphony concert of this season).

Although autumn has its own beauty, I prefer summer. I find the greens of summer even more beautiful than the colors of fall. I find the warmer weather more pleasant that the cool (and better for being naked). I like the color of light light as modified by the green trees, especially as the sun shines through them and then we have the late twilight and nightfall after the long days. And the cool days and bright colors of fall are the prelude to the bare trees, short days, and freezing temperatures of winter.

Possible Trip.  I've never been to Halifax, Nova Scotia, and I understand it's worth seeing. My calendar is still pretty open from October 23 through 26, and, surprisingly (to me) my cousin is still there. So if I decide I can afford it after my earlier trip and surgery, I might pop up for a look-see. It will probably be chilly, and some seasonal attractions may be closed, but at least I'll get to see the city. OTOH, if I find that all the historic sites are closed, I'll probably hold off until next summer.

Health.  Since I linked my earlier post titled "Health," maybe I should update. The aftermath of the operation has gone very well. My new crown seems to be fine. And my weight seems to have stabilized, so there's apparently nothing to worry about.

Theology of the Body 2012/09/24

"If creation is a gift for man, we have to ask: did Adam live as though creation was a gift? Was he grateful to the Creator.

"When God first created Adam, he lived in a state of original happiness. But the Bible …. focuses on the fact that Adam was alone.

"…[S]omething was lacking. In Genesis 2:18, for the first time, God notices that something is not good: 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.' Adam, too, is keenly aware of this lack. While naming all the animals, he found no suitable helper. No other creature was suitable for him; none could unite with him in a relationship of mutual giving.

"When God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone,' he affirmed that man was created to live in communion. A man realizes his full potential only by living with someone — or, even more completely, by living for someone.

"…. In a communion of persons, human beings live for each other, as gifts to each other. This is the fulfillment of our original aloneness. When God brings Eve before him, Adam expresses gratitude: 'This now is bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh.' Adam and Eve were gifte for each other. This mutual gift was expressed by their complementary bodies, male and female.

"The body reveals the 'living soul' that man became when God breathed life into him. It's a witness to the fact that all of creation is a gift. Because of this, the body is a witness to the Love that brings forth and sustains all life. Our masculinity and our femininity — our sex — is the sign of a gift.

"By uniting so closely as to become 'one flesh,' husband and wife open themselves to the blessing of procreation …. In Genesis, there is a difference between the sex instinct of animals and the procreative power of human beings. Because man alone is created in the image of God, human sexuality is raised to a higher level — the level of persons.

"From the beginning, man's existence as male and female is connected with gift-giving — the nuptial meaning of the body. Human sexuality is fundamentally about mutual self-giving, mirroring the Creator's love."

Baked Stuffed Haddock

I must thank MartininBroda for inspiring me to blog about my doings in the kitchen, as I did with the spaghetti dinner and am doing now.

As Wednesday evening rolled on past midnight, I prepared a version of my "baked stuffed haddock."

Again I untypically assembled the ingredients before I began. I only forgot a couple for the photo.

Front: canteloupe (appetizer), filet of haddock, crimini mushrooms

Middle: powdered ginger (to sprinkle on canteloupe) Old Bay Seasoning, green bell pepper, olive oil

Back: rice pilaf mix, dried chervil, malt vinegar, dried bread crumbs

Missing: butter, dried oregano.

First I started the rice pilaf. I follow the package recipe fairly closely, but I'm generous with the olive oil, maybe using as much as 2 Tbs. instead of one.

I preheated the oven to 350°F and pt a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in my pyrex baking dish. While that was heating, I halved the pepper and sliced the bigger half lengthwise into ten pieces. I coated them with olive oil, sprinkled them with oregano, put them in the baking dish together with a few pats of butter, and put them back into the oven. (Usually my vegetable for this dinner is a small summer squash, peeled, sliced lengthwise into four quarters, sprinkled with oregano and Beau Monde seasoning, and turned in the dish to coat all sides with oil.)

Pepper slices ready for the oven. Butter has largely melted.

I try to get as close as possible to 10 ounces (0.625 lb.) of fish. This piece was a bit on the heavy side, over 11 oz. (0.7 lb.). First I sprinkle each side with a few drops of vinegar and rub it over the surface with my fingers. Then I sprinkle the inner side with Old Bay and chervil. 

Inner side, seasoned.

Next, I place it, seasoned side down in the melted butter, and season the skin side (skin has been removed at the market). Then I turn it over, trying to be sure all surfaces get coated with butter/oil. Then I sprinkle it with bread crumbs and return the baking dish to the oven, setting a timer for about 16 minutes (depending on the thickness of the filet). I believe cooking it uncovered with the bread crumb topping makes it "baked stuffed."

Ready for the oven.

Next I wipe the mushrooms with a moist paper towel , cut off the stems, and slice them crosswise. That can take me six to eight minutes at the rate I work. I stop the timer, take the fish from the oven, turn the pepper slices over, and put the mushrooms in the dish (cut side up first to butter them, then cut side down). 

Ready to return to the oven, with mushrooms.

Halfway through the remaining time, I stop the timer and flip the mushrooms.

Like this.

Done.

I often sprinkle a bit more chervil over the fish when it's done. Then I plate it, along with about 1/3 of the rice pilaf. (The leftover pilaf yields two servings of about 180g each.) I drizzle the oil/butter and other liquids (fish and mushroom) from the baking dish over the fish and pilaf.

Voilà! Good enough to eat, though I say it myself. I've reassembled the mushrooms this time.

Stood Up

In an earlier post, I mentioned a fellow Race Committee member I call Tim. He declined my suggestion of going to concerts or shows in Boston over the winter and spring, but he's been as friendly as ever this summer.

That last of the Thursday evening races was August 30. We both had Race Committee duty on September 8, and as he was getting ready to leave after a couple of post-race beers on the club porch, he mentioned that he had so enjoyed the get-togethers with committee and racers after the Thursday races that he had come to the club on the evening of the 6th. He had been a bit disappointed that none of the other regulars had been there. So as we were leaving, I told him that I'd be there on the 13th unless it slipped my mind.

So I showed up at the club about 6:15 and checked the bar and the porch to see if he was there. He wasn't, so I went into the room where the group would gather for dinner and took a seat at a table where I'd be visible from the bar when he arrived and where I'd be able to see him if I wasn't looking at my plate at that point. I had a nice dinner of onion soup, cioppino, and salad. I finished a few minutes before 8:00 and enjoyed the mild evening on the porch for a few minutes before I headed for home.

It was something of a disappointment that he didn't show up. But there hadn't been an actual commitment on either part, just my expectation. I mustn't even begin to entertain the thought that he would have been there if I hadn't told him I would — that he was avoiding me. Maybe he had to stay late at his work, or maybe any number of other possible things kept him from coming to the club.

I'm not sure if I should even mention it to him. At most, if I see him soon, I might say something like, "I took your suggestion of going to the club on a Thursday evening, and it was nice, although not the same as on racing evenings. But it was such a pleasant evening that I should have spent a while on the porch before I went in to dinner."

Spaghetti Dinner

Here's what I did in the wee small hours of Wednesday morning.

First I assembled my ingredients for the sauce. (This is not typical. Usually I get a few things and go for others as I need them.)

Front row: crimini mushrooms, two cloves garlic, one onion, one green pepper one pound hamburg.

Second row: 24 oz. (680g) jarred spaghetti sauce. mild paprika, ground pepper, Beau Monde Seasoning (celery and onion flavored salt) dried thyme, 6 oz. (170g) tomato paste

Third row: red wine, olive oil, dried oregano, dried basil

Not pictured: small jar of dried chervil.

The expectation is that this will give me my meat and vegetable course for three meals, which is why I use a whole onion, a whole pepper, so many mushrooms, and a pound of meat. I could use leeks instead of onion, and ground pork or lamb instead of beef (which would lead to using different herbs).

Pepper and onion, sprinkled with oregano, paprika, and beau monde, sauteeing lightly in olive oil.

Next I minced the garlic and added it and let it cook briefly, but not brown. I seasoned the hamburg with thyme, paprika, and chervil.

Veggies pushed aside, hamburg beginning to brown.

I added the mushrooms, chopped and sprinkled with chervil, to the hamburg and continued to cook until the hamburg was all cooked. Then I mixed everything together and added more of the herbs and spices.

The mixture.

Next I added a few tablespoons of wine. Then it was ready for the tomato paste.

The mixture after the tomato paste was added and sprinkled with basil.

Then I added the jarred sauce and more basil, and maybe oregano, thyme, and paprika.

The result.

Now all I needed was a vehicle for the sauce. Sometimes I use rotini; sometimes I use regular thin spaghetti. This time I chose whole grain spaghetti. As always, I cooked 76 grams (about 2 3/4 oz.)

The pasta.

The pasta cooked, drained, and plated.

The pasta covered with sauce. Grated cheese for sprinkling (but I always take a few tastes without the cheese, and I leave an bit without cheese to have at the end)

Dinner!

I had plenty of sauce left over, of course, and I divided it into two portions of 488g (17 1/4 oz.) each. So I'll get two more dinners from it. I'll probably spice one up with hot paprika and the other with curry powder.

Now I have to go and fix some baked stuffed haddock.

As always, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. You'll get a bit more detail, but you'll also see that they're a bit blurry. I'm not sure if that's because I took them with my iPod or because the light wasn't good enough, or what.

Health

There are three earlier posts which I have tagged with the label "health" at the end. If you've read them, you may recall that there were some concerns about my blood pressure and that I was planning to have an operation to repair a hernia. Here's an update on those and one or two other things.

Blood pressure.  It seems to me that my blood pressure is, on average, down slightly since I began taking the diuretic pills. Most readings are in the "borderline" range, which is fine by me, and some recently have been "normal." So all in all, I think the pills are a great success.

Hernia.  The operation was on August 22. I had a wonderful time in the hospital. Everybody was really nice. The anesthesiologists had an extended conversation with me which gave me confidence that they would do a fine job. The surgeon also had a good conversation in which he reminded me of what to expect, including a very clear explanation that swelling and discoloration of the penis and scrotum are normal (and I'm glad I knew that). Nurses and doctors all made a point of asking what I was having done — a way of making sure that no mistaken procedures were done — and they were thorough in asking about any possible factors which could affect the way the surgery or recovery might go.

I was in the operating room by about 7:30 a.m. At 8:35 I woke up from the sedation, and the anesthesiologist told me I was in the operating room (which was unnecessary since it looked exactly as it had just before I went to sleep). My surgeon was finishing up on putting me back together, and I enjoyed being able to talk to him a bit. At 8:40 they took me to the recovery room, and presently a nurse offered me a snack. I chose Lorna Doone cookies and cranberry juice. The anesthesiologists and surgeon popped in to make sure I was okay, and by 9:30 I was getting dressed. A friend drove me home in my car. We stopped to fill my prescription for pain pills, and I was home by 10:00.

Perhaps I lay down a bit more that day than I had after my previous hernia operation (see posts labeled "hernia"); perhaps I iced the area of the incision a bit more than I had the other time; and perhaps it helped that on the first night I slept in a reclining chair rather than my bed (stretching the abdomen a bit less that way. Perhaps procedures have improved since 2008; perhaps this surgeon is a bit more skillful; perhaps the location of the incision was slightly less sensitive. Whatever the reason(s), I definitely felt even less discomfort this time than previously — less discomfort sitting, less discomfort standing up, and less discomfort going from the one position to the other. (I think in common medical jargon, what I felt when sitting or standing doesn't even qualify as "discomfort." I think it ranks only as "soreness" or "tenderness.") At any rate, as last time, I never wanted a pain pill.

The following Saturday, I was back on the boat, helping to run sailboat races. And now I only notice the area occasionally.

So if you ever need to have an operation, I recommend making it an inguinal* hernia repair.

Crown.  Last January the crown on my lower right molar came off when I was eating a piece of sliced cheese product. I saved it,but procrastinated on seeing the dentist. Then she took some time off for the summer. I finally saw her about it the day before my operation. She saw that there was some decay which had been covered by the crown, and she tried putting it back in place, only to find that it now hit the upper tooth. Apparently, teethe can shift around, and the crownless molar, getting no opposition from above had shifted upwards a bit. So yesterday she drilled out the decay and installed the temporary crown. The permanent one will be made by a lab in California and she'll install it in a couple of weeks. The whole business will cost me $1800, most of which could have been saved if I had come in promptly and she could have used the old crown.

Weight.  My bathroom scale has occasionally done funny things, like giving me readings 5 or 6 pounds apart within a minute. But it would generally settle in after several readings. Also at time it seems to start spontaneously. Recently,it seems to be behaving better. Over the years I have watched as my weight has gone from under 170 lb. to 185 (and occasional 186 or 187). But over the past week, I've noticed it going down to about 180, and occasionally 179, maybe even a 178. I definitely can afford to lose the weight. I don't need to get to 120 lb., my weight in college. But I imagine that 160 would not be bad.

But — as a hypochondriac, my first though was that rapid, unexplained weight loss can be a symptom of cancer. Then I began to wonder if the occasional soreness in my left hip might be, not the beginnings of arthritis but another symptom of cancer.

Well, I'm going to keep an eye on the weight. The past couple of days it seems to have stabilized. But if it starts dropping again, I'll get an appointment with my primary care physician, which I have to do before much longer to get my diuretic prescription renewed (or changed, if he thinks my blood pressure is still too high).


* One thing I learned from my surgeon is that "inguinal" is a Latin-derived word meaning "of the groin." I'm kind of surprised at myself that I had never learned that before.

Theology of the Body 2012/09/03

"Adam and Eve were naked before they realized they were naked. In the state of original innocence, they looked upon each other in wonder and gratitude. In this way, they shared the vision of their Creator, who saw all that he had made and declared it 'very good' (Gen. 1:31).

"'Nakedness' signifies the original goodness of creation in God's eyes. …[T]hrough [God's vision] we see the high value of man and woman and the purity of sex and the body. …[T]here was no opposition between the physical and the spiritual. There was also no opposition between male and female — the two existed in unity. Adam and Eve looked at each other … with the eyes of their hearts.

"Shame limits our ability to see each other fully. But … Adam and Eve were unashamed. They were not afraid to open up to each other, to become vulnerable. They saw and knew each other intimately … . Because they were complementary — Adam's masculinity and Eve's femininity completed each other — they had a special understanding of the meaning of their bodies. They became gifts for each other.

"At the beginning, Adam and Eve shared a particular understanding of their bodies as gifts. This is the gift-giving or 'nuptial' meaning of the  body.

"As Christ reminds us, God is the Creator, man is the creature. … Why does God create? Why did he call all things from nothingness into being?

"Because he is love (1 John 4:8).

"We do not find [the word 'love'] in the creation story. But the narrative tells us repeatedly, 'God saw what he had made, and it was very good.' …[O]nly love gives birth to goodness and delights in what is good (1 Cor. 13). Creation is a gift.

"… With any gift, there is a relationship established between the giver and the receiver. We see this relationship most clearly in the creation of man — God gave us his image, and this puts us in a unique position with him. Among all creatures, only man is really capable of giving and receiving a gift.  Only man can understand that creation is a gift, and offer himself to God in return.

"Creation is God's gift, bestowed on man. But man is not only the recipient of a gift — he is also a gift himself — with the freedom to give himself to another."

The question has occurred to me: What would have happened if Adam and Eve had not lost their original innocence, if they had not sinned? Could nakedness without shame have continued  when there were children with parents, brothers and sisters, and extended human community? If so, the nuptial meaning of the body would not have meant that each person was a gift to every other person in the same way that Adam and Eve were to each other. But would nakedness have meant some non-sexual, less than total, degree of gift?