Exposed

Take a step into my brain with me. Don't freak out, we're not going that far in. I want to see how the dictionary defines the word naked. -- Sounds weird, but trust me. -- Some definitions, according to the Oxford Dictionary, are: undisguised, vulnerable, and exposed. I mean, thinking about it from a strictly physical point of view, all of these things are true, but let's bring our humanity and the Corporal Work of Mercy: Clothe the Naked, into focus.

... Starting with Genesis and good ole St. JPII! :)

Genesis 2:18-25:

“The LORD God said: It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him” … The LORD God then built the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman. When he brought her to the man, the man said:

“This one, at last, is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

This one shall be called ‘woman,’

for out of man this one has been taken.”

That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.”

The two were naked without shame. They were vulnerable and exposed to one another. They were undisguised, hiding nothing from the other. Sound familiar? This description is not merely physical; they saw each other with full dignity and complete love, body and soul.

Eve was not simply an object of pleasure to be used by Adam, or Adam for Eve. They saw the beauty and capability of their bodies, I'm not trying to exclude that, but they didn't stop there! They experienced what JPII called the “peace of the interior gaze” because they could look at each other’s naked bodies and see not only their exterior beauty, but also the beauty that lies within. Both were exposed, but not afraid, because they had complete confidence in the other. They were able to enjoy the full beauty of one another: body, mind, and soul.

When Adam and Eve lost trust in God and fell in sin (CCC 397), they lost the peace they once shared. They covered their bodies. They did not want to view the other as an object, and they themselves did not want to be viewed in this way, so they covered themselves...

I feel like this hasn’t changed. We still cover ourselves. We hide how we feel with other people, afraid of humiliation or judgment. We pretend that we’re happy because we don’t want to be a “downer”. We show the world on social media that our lives are a permanent vacation. We aren’t vulnerable. But at what cost? True connection. True love. True intimacy.

Jason Evert talks a lot about intimacy meaning “into-me-see.” Now, I'm sure he's not saying that we need to be a fishbowl all the time. But I know that I could be better about letting my close friends and family "see" me. For me, it comes down to trust, trust is mandatory for deep friendship. (Notice, I’m not just talking about dating here.)

A lot of friendships today are so shallow, but a lot could change with some vulnerability. What if we exposed a piece of our inner self and listened when someone shares themselves with us? What if we truly walked toward a common goal together, yearned for the good of the other, held each other accountable, worked towards excellence together? We could make some amazing friendships. And great saints have great friends. (Cosmas & Damian, Ignatius of Loyola & Francis Xavier, Louis & Zellie Martin, Teresa of Avila & John of the Cross, Felicity & Perpetua, Francis & Clare, Patrick & Brigid… ) I mean COME ON.

"The person still desires to see and be seen by another." (Christopher West) I can think of a small group of people I feel comfortable being vulnerable, undisguised, and exposed with. It is truly a blessing and a gift from God that I have them, but how often I forget that God wants this same thing from each and every one of us!

That deep, innate desire to see and be seen comes from Him. He wants to have real intimacy with us! Not just friendship, intimacy. He wants us to see our beauty through His eyes. He wants us to feel the "peace of the interior gaze" with Him, who sees and knows everything about us, AND still loves us more than anyone ever could. With a love that is complete, not lacking in anything. What more could we need??

Now let's go Clothe the Naked, by being naked--> undisguised and vulnerable with Christ and with our friends. Let's bring our heart and soul to the physical needs of others. Let's live out the love of Christ through the beauty of our humanity.

Corporal Work of Mercy: Clothe the Naked

-Go through your closet and give away what you don’t need.

- Help others to see their dignity. When you go to the grocery store, a restaurant, outlet mall, (anywhere where someone is serving you), ask the person their name. Ask how their day has been, what they hope to do when they are off work. Be personable. Let them know that you see them, realize that their value FAR exceeds any service they provide for you in that moment, and that you are grateful for their help.

- Donate diapers or baby blankets for your local pregnancy help center.

- Donate scarves, hats, or gloves you don’t use for your local homeless shelter.

- Pray for the virtue of modesty in your dress, that others (and yourself) will begin to see your complete beauty: body, mind, and soul. [Dressing modestly does NOT have to be boring or unfashionable, and that was why I struggled with it. If this is an area where you struggle, email me. I'd LOVE to help :) ]

- Open up with a close friend about how you want to grow in your faith. And ask how they want to grow. See if you can keep each other accountable to start something and grow in excellence together.

- Take the phrase "Jesus, I trust in You." to prayer. Or pray a Litany of Trust

-Commit to prayer this week. 15-20 minutes of quality time with you and your new friend, God. See how you can be vulnerable with Him and allow Him to reveal how He sees you. (This will change your life. I know, making commitments is super hard, but seriously this will be the best one you ever made. Don't know how to pray? This might help.)

- Wanna pick up a book? Read some of JPII's Theology of the Body, which can be found here. Or buy Jason Evert’s Theology of the Body in an Hour for a shorter, more intellectually ‘down to earth’ version. (I just got done with Jason Evert's and it's AWESOME.)

Spiritual Work of Mercy: Admonish Sinners

(Essentially this means to warn the sinner. That takes a very personal relationship of mutual trust between persons, an examination of our intentions and our own conscience, and a lot of prayer. So, I decided to focus on how we can look inward and warn ourselves against things that prevent our true freedom.)

- Pray today about how your actions can lead others to Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Meditate on that throughout your day and ask God to help you lead through your example. “Don't judge, but guide others towards the path of salvation (see Mt 7:1-2)” (usccb.org)

- Pray through an examination of conscience , asking Our Lord to grant you the grace to overcome your own shortcomings and see the ways in which He is calling you to freedom.

- If you examine your conscience regularly, ask yourself why you are doing the things that separate you from Christ. (i.e. Wasting time on social media due to loneliness, seeking validation, or boredom.) Try to find ways to strengthen virtue that combats those things. (i.e. seeking validation in prayer, calling a friend, writing letters to those who mean a lot to you, pursue a hobby by joining a group (community & fun!), turn off your phone & read a book,... etc. Look at the cardinal virtues and see how you can live them out. )

- Think about the friends in your life, what it means to be a true friend, and if you have been a good friend to those people. Choose one of them to reach out to this week. See if you can find concrete ways to be a better friend to them. Quality time and vulnerability helps. ;)

- Pray through the prayer of St. Francis today, focusing especially on the second half.