Wednesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
(I Peter 1:18-25; Mark 10:32-45)
With so much emphasis on sex today we might think of it
as a wholly contemporary concern. In
truth, however, extramarital sex has always been on people’s minds. What may be new is its widespread social
acceptance. Few today stand up to
condemn it. Of course, the catechisms call
it sinful, but often preachers steer clear of the subject. Liberal-minded people seem largely concerned
that sex does not divert youth from career tracks. Conservatives often appear lost in pursuing a
realistic course of action. The New Testament letters testify that licentiousness
troubled the first century. They see
Christ as leading the people out of the morass.
Today’s reading from the First Letter of Peter typically
exhorts the people to “love…from a pure heart.”
It reminds them that “’all flesh is like grass’” that withers. Therefore, they are to place their hope in
God and not surrender themselves to debauchery.
Youth may respond to the argument of coherency. After all, they have a sense of justice even
if not fully developed. Coherency requires
congruence between what one says and does.
The argument goes like this. The sexual
act is the most intimate way to demonstrate one’s love. Therefore, it should be accompanied by a profession
of one’s love in marriage. Absent this public
profession, it is a lie as sure as Brutus’ profession of love for Caesar.
