THE BODY AND THE SPIRITUAL BATTLE
“If we want to know what’s most sacred in this world, all we need do is look for what is most violently profaned.”
page 13
Wow! What a line! We know that Catholics are the last group of people that it is still acceptable to ridicule. This should tell you something about the Catholic Faith. If satan can’t discredit the Catholic Church, then he 
will resort to mocking her. Homosexuality, atheism, Islam, the color of your skin…all of these things are taboo. Say something negative about them, and expect to see your face on the front page, labeled a bigot or a racist. Catholicism, however, is fair game.
Why? Because it’s the Truth, and the Truth must not be let out. It must be squelched, by any means. It is sacred, and as such, it is a danger to satan and his minions.
The same thing is true of the Eucharist. There has been a rash of videos of late, where a young man has been defiling the Eucharist on youtube. The professor of a university threw Our Lord in a garbage can and poured coffee grounds all over Him.
Why? Because the Eucharist is Truth, and the Truth must not be let out. The Eucharist is sacred, and therefore, it is a danger to satan, and must be attacked.
Now if the body, and most especially, the union of the bodies of a man and wife, are meant to “image” God and His love for us, in the Trinity and for His church, then this too must be stopped. This too, must be profaned.
Thus, we have abortion, pornography, Illicit sex, contraception and the objectification of the 
body itself.
Abortion kills the fruits of this union.
Pornography kills the sacredness of this union.
Illicit sex negates this union.
Contraception gives the illusion of the union, but it is a lie.
“Men and women must be kept from recognizing the mystery of God in their bodies.”
This is from “What is the Theology of the Body and Why is it Changing so Many Lives?”, also by Christopher West.
A New Context for Understanding Sexual Morality
The Church’s sexual ethic begins to make sense when viewed through this lens. It’s not a prudish list of prohibitions. It’s a call to embrace our own “greatness,” our own God-like dignity. It’s a call to live the love we’re created for.
Since a prophet is one who proclaims God’s love, John Paul II describes the body and sexual union as “prophetic.” But, he adds, we must be careful to distinguish between true and false prophets. If we can speak the truth with our bodies, we can also speak lies. Ultimately all questions of sexual morality come down to one simple question: Does this truly image God’s free, total, faithful, fruitful love or does it not?
In practical terms, how healthy would a marriage be if spouses were regularly unfaithful to their wedding vows? On the other hand, how healthy would a marriage be if spouses regularly renewed their vows, expressing an ever-increasing commitment to them? This is what’s at stake in the Church’s teaching on sexual morality.
Masturbation, fornication, adultery, intentionally sterilized sex, homosexual acts, etc. none of these image God’s free, total, faithful, and fruitful love. None of these behaviors express and renew wedding vows. They aren’t marital. Does this mean people who behave in such ways are “inherently evil?” No. They’re just confused about how to satisfy their genuine desires for love.
If I offered you a million dollar bill and a counterfeit million dollar bill, which would you prefer? Dumb question, I know. But what if you were raised in a culture that incessantly bombarded you with propaganda convincing you that counterfeit was the real thing and the real thing was a counterfeit? Might you be a little confused?
Attack the body, and you attack the very core of what it means to be human. What it means to be made in the image of God. When you attack the body, you attack marriage, the family, and ultimately, life itself.
Free, Total, Faithful and Fruitful. Giving. Not Taking. “This is my Body, GIVEN UP for you.”
In the apparitions of Fatima, Mary told the children:
“More souls go to Hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.”
“Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very much.”
“The Mother of God wants more virgin souls bound by the vow of chastity.”
“Woe to women wanting in modesty.”
“Many marriages are not of God and do not please Our Lord.”
Make no mistake. The attack against the body is a spiritual one. Defending the body, is defending humanity itself. To defend and protect the body is to defend and protect our relationship, not only with one another, but with God Himself.
How do you see satan attacking the body?
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6 users responded in this post
It seems every holiday has become a candy holiday. Just take a trip to the grocery store. It used to be that there were a few special treats for Halloween and Easter. Now, we walk the supermarket aisles in November and see that the Halloween candy has been replaced by the Christmas candy. Someone tell me please, why do we need to buy snickers bars wrapped in silver, green and red?
It’s about money, through clever marketing. It’s no wonder that obesity in our country is at an all time high. We eat too much. We have lost our self-control. We are compromising our health. We don’t realize any more that self-mastery is a good thing, that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Overeating can be sinful.
Let’s pray that the food manufacturers and grocery chains will stop manufacturing and marketing junk food. Let’s pray that consumers make better choices for themselves and their families.
Really good observation Janet. I walk thru the grocery store and can’t believe the cereal choices, the soda choices, the cookie aisle alone! And I’m bad. I’m so baaaaaaad…
Ask anyone that has spent a few days with me. Coffee, something sweet and a can of pepsi for breakfast. Preferably a chocolate donut!
No lunch, dinnner, and then my bedtime sweets!
When I go on vacation, I’m so much better. We usually vacation Southeast, and the fruit is amazing. Here it’s like eating wax and it’s just so much easier to eat a ding-dong. Shame on me. Shame on us.
And I smoke. Man, you’ve really made me feel guilty! Poor old body…
You are right about self mastery tho. I guess I’m better at the spiritual control than the physical.
But we have, at least in this country, become so accustomed to having what we want, when we want it. Immediate gratification.
Tho I did fast on Wednesday, which was total self control as I had to make the pies and the kitchen smelled heavenly!
mk,
Don’t feel too guilty, the only reason I notice all the sweets is because they are such a temptation for me! Exercising seems to get harder and harder to make time for although once I do it I feel so much better, both physically and mentally! I’m hyped now. I vow not to overeat over the Christmas holidays! I’ll offer it up for aborted babies and make that a New Year’s resolution as well.
Good for you on the fasting! I made a pumpkin pie and am ashamed to admit it was wonderful for breakfast on Friday morning! LOL!
Sorry I missed you guys yesterday, I was being “mommy” to my daughter who had her wisdom teeth extracted…;=(
Janet, great insight.
Satan has had great (but ultimately, temporary) success in convincing us that our bodies are nothing more than empty vessels, to be used by ourselves and others for self gratification and personal pleasure. Pornography, prostitution, homosexuality,contraception, abortion, infidelity are not in and of themselves the problems. They are the symptoms of what Jesus called “the hardness of our hearts”, the dis-integration of our bodies from our souls which in turn disitegrates the relationship between man and God.
Salvation from God comes to us through the womb of a human woman, who in the created order, should be subordinate to the angels. Because of her God like love, she has been elevated as Queen of Angels, something Satan cannot abide. His most vicious attacks are therefoe directed at the womb, the font of life, through a myriad of sexual sins, which contribute to further dis-integration of the person. However, our longing for God is deep, and must be satisfied. Confusion about him and outright rejection of him does not change that, but has manifested itself in our willingness to “prostitute” ourselves for some sense of satisfaction, no matter how temporary. And to justify this, we must become our own gods, “knowing” (deciding) what is good and evil in our own minds rather than receiving that knowlege (Truth) from God, futher rupturing our relationships not only with him and each other, but also within ourselves.
The implications are not good for the immediate future, but fortunately we know that though the battle is fierce, it will ultimately be won, one softened heart at a time.
I hope everyone had a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. I am thankful for all of you and for the opportunity to share this beautiful teaching.
DeeL
Yes, I like that. Trying to please the body, satisfy the body, in ways that fool us into thinking we are “pleasing” them. But it’s all empty. Just like Janets “empty” calories. More, more, more…but it’s never enough, because it isn’t the “right” stuff.
Excellent you two!
mk,
Thank you.
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