By Jack Chui
May not be so much personal thoughts here as I don't have so much to add to the points I took out of this talk - which is just half way through the 8 week course. I'm taking so much in and remembering most of it that I think I might be rehashing some stuff that I've written before. But anyway ---
God's plan for us continues despite our sin. The sin was like a detour, but it did not change the ultimate destination. So what is God's plan or our destiny? The Heavenly marriage or the "Marriage of the Lamb" (Rev 19:7). God ultimately wants to marry us and be in union with Him forever in a way that is greater than sex as we know it.
So there are two marriages - one on earth which we know of, and the other more mysterious one in Heaven. Which one should we be aiming for? Well, if we know about the Heavenly marriage then that one for sure! Knowing this will definitely take off pressure to get married and have sex here on earth because there is an even greater one that will last for eternity. Earthly marriage is only a foretaste or preparation of for Heavenly marriage. It is like a weak icon of what Heaven is like and so like all icons in the church, it should not be worshiped lest we lift marriage/sex higher than God.
Sex is the closest thing to Heaven on earth, but it can also be the closest thing to hell... when it is not lived as God intended. The abuse and misuse - the self destruction can wound us because sex can take us to the heights of glory.
"In the beatific vision, God will give himself totally to man, and we will respond with the total gift of ourselves to him." - taken straight from the notes. In the Heavenly, marriage, one way to picture it is that all of us that ever lived will come together and be in union with God forever - so we will be with our brothers and sisters which are many parts forming one big big body =)
A celibate person freely forgoes sexual relations in order to devote all their energy and desires to the union that alone can satisfy. They "skip" the earthly marriage in anticipation of the Heavenly marriage - and so boldly proclaim that "the kingdom of God is here". Its unfortunate that our society sees celibacy as repressive , that people who don't have sex because they can't get any as losers... They should be held with the highest regard because they are a great witness to the greater communion that is to come. Celibacy boldly proclaims our ultimate meaning of sexuality - it points us to a greater sexuality. Celibacy is not a rejection of sexuality, but a living out of the deepest meaning of sexuality - union with Christ and his Church (Eph 5:31-32).
Celibacy can only be lived when we are redeemed (or saved) by Christ and so experience "liberation from lust". The Christian vocations of celibacy and marriage only make sense through this liberation. Its difficult to understand this 'liberation' but one way I can put it is to remember the ultimate marriage is the one in Heaven, rather than the one on earth.
Jesus upped the ante when he said that even if men look at women with lust, that we commit adultery in our hearts. So marriage is not a legitimate outlet for lust - it is not a free for all in marriage even. There is particular responsibility on men because we are the initiators - it is written into us to initiate the gift and for women to receive. We need to see each other continually as a gift.
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