Purity as "Life According to the Spirit" (Part 2)

This episode we continue our conversation about purity of heart. We discuss Audiences 52.4-57. We talk about true freedom that comes when we completely offer ourselves to the Lord out of love and as a response to his love for us. We will look at what gives us both power and motivation to live our lives in accordance with God's plan.  Quotes:  “...if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Romans 8:12-13)  “For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from unchastity; that each one of you knows how to keep his own body with holiness and reverence, not as the object of lustful passions, like the Gentiles who do not know God…For God did not call us to impurity but to sanctification. Therefore whoever rejects these norms rejects not a human being but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.”  (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7)  …“ceases to be capable of this freedom for which ‘Christ has set us free’; he also ceases to be suitable for the true gift of self, which is the fruit and expression of such freedom. He further ceases to be capable of the gift organically linked with the spousal meaning of the human body” (TOB 53:3)  “The task of purity is not only a turning away from unchastity…but is also a turning toward the holiness of the body, a holiness that calls for our reverence, admiration, and respect.” (Christopher West, Theology of the Body Explained, p.267)  “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he willed…the members of the body that seem weaker are more necessary, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater reverence, and our unpresentable members are treated with greater modesty; whereas our more presentable members do not need this. But God so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the member that lacked it, so that there may be no disunion within the body, but the members may have care for one another.” (1 Corinthians 12:18; 22-25)  “...from shame is born “reverence” for one’s own body, a reverence that Paul asks us to keep. Precisely this keeping of the body “with holiness and reverence” is to be considered essential for the virtue of purity.” (TOB 55:5)  “When a mother and father are concerned about the way their teenage daughter dresses, rather than focusing only on the clothes, they would do better to instill in her a sense of awe and wonder for the divine dignity of her body and the gift of her sexuality.” (Christopher West, Theology of the Body Explained, p.271)  “Flee from prostitution! Any sin that a man commits is outside of his body;but the one who gives himself to fornication sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you do not belong to yourselves?” (1 Corinthians 6:18-19) “...has the effect of a new supernatural elevation in every human being, which every Christian must take into account in his behavior toward “his own” body and obviously toward another’s body: man toward woman and woman toward man.” (TOB 56:4)  “In this Gift, which makes every human being holy, the Christian receives himself anew as a gift from God.” (TOB 56:4)  The Holy Spirit dwelling within us works and develops the gift of “piety” which, JPII writes, makes “the human subject sensitive to the dignity that belongs to the human body in the mystery of creation and redemption.” (TOB 57:2)  “This anthropology grows from roots that plunge down into the reality of the redemption of the body achieved by Christ, a redemption whose final expression is the resurrection.” (TOB 57:5)  Reflection Questions:  What spoke to your heart most in this episode?  Do you find yourself vacillating between either self-reliance and self-indulgence? Pray and ask the Lord to help you learn to trust Him and to open up to the work of the Holy Spirit in your life.  What is your understanding of “sanctifying grace”? Have you heard of infused supernatural virtues? What is your response to this? Pray for openness to all the grace that God wants to pour out on you. (see the link below for Fr. Ripperger’s talk)  What does true freedom look like for you? Is it doing whatever you want or being able to do what is truly good?  How do you see the relationship between your “effort” and God’s work in your heart?  How can you apply this as you teach your children about modesty?  How do you view your body? Ask the Lord to show you the wounds you carry in regard to your body. Ask the Lord to open your eyes to your goodness and holiness.  How has the view of your body impacted your behavior? When have you kept your body in holiness and reverence? When have you not kept your body in holiness and reverence? Take all of this to prayer and ask the Lord for mercy and healing.  What are your thoughts about Katie’s reflections on photosynthesis as an analogy for life in the spirit? How does God speak to you through creation?  Resources:  The Spiritual Life with Fr. Ripperger Music from #Uppbeat License code: 0NJDTKJELXNYSQBE