Day 38: Freedom for the World
Author: Andrew Comiskey
November 19, 2021
Editor’s Note: TOB is the abbreviation for Pope St. John Paul
II’s book “Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body” Pauline
Press
That guy (call him Tom) intimidated
me: snorting and glowering as he benched 300 pounds, he typified the type of
guy I tend to hate. And envy, with a little lust thrown in to keep me humble.
I would see him at the gym
on occasion and felt conflicted over the Spirit’s prompt to evangelize him.
Jesus reminded me that I need not come under concupiscence: ‘the lust of the
flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life’ (1 Jn. 2:16), as these things
are ‘from the world.’ Rather, ‘Jesus has overcome the world’ (Jn. 16:33), as
must I. Standing in Christ, I can then, in the spirit of TOB, ‘distinguish the
truth from falsity in the language of the body’ and so ‘author true or false
meanings of that language’ (TOB 107:5).
That means that I need not
see Tom as an object of fear, disgust, or lust. Just a son needing his Father.
And me as a pretty good son who can represent Father well to persons outside
Church. When I am inattentive to evangelization, I am not operating on all
cylinders. Jesus and I conquer worldliness to save the world.
Tom began ‘gym-ing’ with Sue,
his girlfriend. I engaged with them and could see right off that he had had
many ‘friends’, and Sue fewer—she was smitten and Tom was restless, unsure
about commitment. TOB sensitized me to this big guy’s capacity, and responsibility,
to treat her with dignity: ‘...the man has a special responsibility, as if it
depended more on him whether the balance is kept or violated or even—if it has
already been violated—re-established’ (33:2).
I asked them about their
relationship and sure enough—she was eager, he tentative. I playfully nudged
them to greater commitment and ‘jested’ how my growth came mainly through loving
ONE woman. Faithfully. That brought up God and brokenness and His sustaining
love when our love lacks. We all agreed that without a power greater than
ourselves ‘love’ is all but doomed. I assured them that Jesus surges for those
who commit to another’s dignity.
Tom said out-of-the-blue:
‘No-one talks to me like this. You treat me like the dad I never had...’ He couldn’t
say ‘and need.’ No need! Tom welcomes my TOB-tinged Gospel tailored to the
deepest longing of his heart. To every heart. God made us to give our gift with
dignity and we can discover Him in the loving. Evangelization sings to the tune
of TOB. Freed from the world, we sing joyfully for its freedom.
‘Jesus,
rouse the gift we are. Help us to attend to the treasure you summon from the
trash. Free us from our constant faultfinding and free us for vestiges of
paradise in our memories and in our lives today. We refuse the liar who tries
to rewrite Eden out of our histories. Unite us to the home of our original
dignity.’
‘Jesus,
have mercy on us as Your Church. We have abused weaker members, including
children, and protected ourselves. We have violated the most vulnerable. In
Your mercy, free us to superabound with justice. Grant us Kingdom discernment
and courage to reform ourselves. May our repentance grant us Kingdom authority
to strengthen the weak, discipline violators, and restore the violated.’
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