Matt and I are finally starting to get the ball rolling on this whole blogging thing. :) What grace we have received through engagement! Since Matt and I became engaged, we have been discussing various aspects of married life for which we will need to prepare. We have discussed things like parenting, money, generational sin, sex, conflict resolution, grace, etc.
The other day, Matt was reflecting on
his confirmation and receiving the Eucharist. When he went to Mass and received Holy
Communion the second time, it was very different. He felt a power so
incredible that he thought to himself, ‘This is what it's like to finally be in
communion with Jesus!’
The other day, it got him thinking,
"Sex within the sacrament of marriage must be like that…” This began a reflection on his own
past. Matt realized that sex outside of marriage left him feeling
unfulfilled. It felt great
in the moment but leaves one feeling crummy, like eating an entire box of chocolates
by oneself. Anyone would feel 'sick' afterward.
He presented another analogy to me
(he's good at them). Having sex before marriage is like taking a cake out
of the oven too early. It looks done on the outside and smells
fantastic. But try to cut into and start eating it, and you will discover
the still liquid center is very unsatisfying. Or a turkey... If you pull
it out of the oven when you think it's done (without reading or following any
directions) you may be disappointed to discover the outside cooked and inside
raw. It will make you sick.
God has given us a guide for how to
'use' sex. When placed in the context of marriage (natural law), sex
makes sense. The turkey is cooked; the cake baked, and is very
fulfilling. Our society has thrown out the guide book (Bible) all in the
name of personal pleasure and instant gratification. (Please note that
our explanation of sex is simplified here for the purpose of introducing this
topic.)
How does sex (the marital embrace)
relate to receiving the Eucharist then? Well, since the bread and wine
turn into the Body and Blood of Jesus, we become physically united with
Jesus. It is a deeper level of spiritual union with God. So within
marriage, couples are called to reflect that union with Christ through their
bodies with each other. “This
is a great mystery.” (Eph. 5:32)
Thus, when people have sex outside of
marriage, they are robbing themselves of the Truth, beauty, and love that lies
within the union God created. They miss the point. So many people
have sex for pleasure, love, and closeness with another human being. An end in and of itself. The
point is that, through our physical union with another, we experience the
spiritual union with God and are given a foretaste
of heaven. It is not meant to be an end in and of itself; rather it
is meant to lead us to our eternal union with Christ Jesus in the Life yet to
come.
