I was a boy, once, lying in the back yard, gazing up at the stars and contemplating the enormity of the universe, not unlike the shepherds of past millenia. When I grew older and learned the actual distances of the stars my awe only grew.
I was 18 and just out of high school when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Armstrong and Aldrin got the fame, but the guy in the orbiter overhead, Michael Collins, got in the last word on the way home, quoting from Psalm 8:
When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained;Which leads me, naturally, to sex.
What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?
Any two dogs in the street can copulate and reproduce, not likely even connecting the two. We share much in common with the other animals, including DNA. And yet, Man alone, of all the creatures, has the ability to inspire others, through art and poetry, through courage and character, through self-sacrificing love.
Animals reproduce. Man procreates. We believers profess that at the beginning of each new life is the creation of an immortal soul, created not by us, but by God.
Just think about that for a minute. If we believe that there is eternal life, a life for us beyond this one, then we must accept that that life begins with a unique soul to go along with our unique DNA.
Therefore, at the moment of conception there exists not just a sperm and an egg, but the all-loving touch of the Creator of the heavens, the moon and the stars. The loving act of procreation joins with the ultimate Love, the Maker of us all, who bothers to become involved directly at each of our beginnings.
What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?
*****************
And now from the Masterwork of God to ordinary everyday men. Much has been written and discussed about the psychological and emotional effects of non-marital sex on women, but hardly anything about its effects on men. There are some good reasons for that.
There are some things men just don’t want to discuss, like how their partners look in that new outfit, or the shrinkage factor, or post-coital guilt.
There, I said it. The fact that it has a name shows that there is some universality to the concept.
Split seconds after release, ladies, most men undergo an immediate transformation. Moments earlier we are completely lost in the act. All of a sudden the brain kicks in, screaming “What have you done?!?!” Which we are usually pretty good at covering up, but it’s there.
I’m not saying sex isn’t good. It’s great. Feels wonderful.
But why, then, is it possible to experience the most terrible sense of loneliness when locked together with another at the end of mechanical sex? When both partners enter the act for gratification, where is the unity, where is the sacrifice, where is the love, where is the inspiration?
The dignity with which we treat our life partners in marriage, the joining of ourselves in a larger context, the sacrifices we make for ourselves and our children, the making of something that is more us than me is what love is truly about. And the joining of that love with Love Himself! It just doesn’t get any better than that.
Why isn’t that obvious?
