The Spirit of Stewardship – Week 6
Our bodies as Temples of the Lord
By Fr. Dan McKean

"Cybersex feels naughty, but it isn’t cheating," at least that was the headline on page 13A of last Sunday’s paper. So how did they come up with this? Have they counseled the numbers of couples that I have, whose marriages are at risk because of Internet sex? The poll they took even went against their conclusion. They asked, "Are Internet romances considered adultery?" The response: Yes 52% No 48% Even the therapists that they talked to told them just how many marriages are ruined by spouses who seduce strangers through the Internet. Most all of the spouses they talked to agreed that Internet sex does "betray a vow or agreement of sexual exclusivity."

So, in the face of all this contradictory evidence how did this columnist come to this conclusion? Forgive me for using such a colloquial example, but this columnist simply used the famous "Clintonian" defense. Adultery, she concludes is a legal term, which Cybersex encounters do not fit. Another words, technically "I did not have sexual relations with that person." Yuck! Sociologists have labeled Cybersex simply as "word" sex. Double yuck!

As we have talked these past weeks about how we have lost sight of the meaning of God and our purpose on earth, we have actually been talking about rediscovering the meaning of sin and holiness. There is no doubt about it – we have lost our sense of what sin is, even when it comes to how it affects our most primary relationships. We blur the lines of what is okay and what is not. Relationships are destroyed as we find ways to justify what we know is wront. The further we move from God’s world and into that world where we are our own gods, we experience the consequences of our sinfulness.

Whether it is the misuse of our time, treasures, talents, testimony for God, or our bodies as a temple of the Holy Spirit, we are talking about how we use what God has given to us. As we have talked about all the gifts of stewardship, we have to come to the natural conclusion that we possess them in our bodies. Among the gifts that God has given to us is our very body. This earthen vessel is only body we have to serve God. How we use it, or abuse it, is another choice we make before God.

St. Paul put it very clearly before the people of the city of Corinth. Writing in about the year 51, St. Paul’s words are just as applicable to us today

"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take Christ’s members and make them the members of a prostitute? Of course not! Do you not know that anyone who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For "the two," it says, "will become one flesh." But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body." (Chapter 6:15-20)

We give thanks to God for creating us as both flesh and spirit. Care for your bodies and the holiness of the relationships that you are in. Be good stewards to yourself. Honor your body for the spirit of God dwells within. Nurture your body with the food of holiness. Use your body for the works of justice.

Our journey of understanding stewardship has been truly blessed. Next week I will talk about the last formal gift of stewardship, which is our testimony.