Somewhere
in a fashionable enclave of the world, Milan to be precise, today is the
memorial of a newly-minted saint: Paul VI canonised as recently as on 14th Oct
2018. A quote of his is pretty useful for our reflexion. He said, “Technological society has
succeeded in multiplying the opportunities for pleasure, but it has great
difficulty in generating joy“.
In
a way, the Ascension is almost like a run-up to the Solemnity of Corpus Christi because we are celebrating the
glory of the human body. However, we do not celebrate it the manner that the
world does. Judging by an increased use of augmented reality, society appears
to be always on the lookout for ways and means to intensify our bodily
pleasures. For example, have you heard how gourmets rave about their favourite
dish as fireworks in the mouth, descriptions that titillate our taste buds,
tease our tongues and tantalise our thirsts.
But,
understanding Saint Paul VI’s quote, we realise that pleasure and joy are not
synonymous. Our mortal peril is to mistake pleasure for joy. Perhaps it is
indicative of our era that we have reduced human existence to sensory
perception. Not only that. Even sensory reality is in danger of being ousted in
favour of what might be called mind games. VR or Virtual Reality has the
capabilities to simulate immersive environments to a point that one cannot tell
if what one feels is real or just an extension of one’s imagination. You could
be sitting with the VR goggles and be transported into the sensational thrill
of a roller coaster ride.
We
have become such sensual slaves that we forget that pleasure is our servant
rather than our master. Instinctively, we know that pleasure is a servant for
we hear people speak of “guilty pleasures” meaning they know that the pleasure they
enjoy is not what it is supposed to be. Instead, pleasure is a servant because
it is a means to an end. It assists in such a way that it opens us up to the
reality that is beyond. The Catholic term for a pleasure that serves is called
a carnival, like the Mardi
Gras festival.
A feast to enjoy as we ease into Lent because the Church recognises that we are
both body and spirit. Unfortunately, the form Mardi Gras has taken is nothing but grotesque
licentiousness which fails to realise that we are bodies and more. If we are no
more than bodies, then we might as well be animals—beings without souls.
Sadly,
our culture is so steeped in pleasure that we do not even recognise this
blinding and choking reality. To illustrate, try imagining drudgery. Close your
eyes and observe the hordes who cross the Causeway twice daily who hardly have
“free time” for leisurely indulgences and we shudder to think our lives could
be such. We might even pity them for not having a “life” because their lot is
bereft of enjoyment. Pleasure is our barometer of a meaningful life.
Our
narrow outlook might just prevent us from appreciating the true nature of joy. It
might seem impossible but one can be joyful even in the midst of suffering
which brings us to this question. So what is the proper way to celebrate the
body, if pleasure is not its end?
Firstly,
a hard life without pleasure is not a recipe for joy. Even Jesus knows how to
enjoy—they accused Him of wining and dining with sinners and sluts. But, note
that bodily pleasure must lead us into joy. The body is made to rejoice in the
Lord and therefore, pleasure, if anything, is never an end in itself. Instead, it
is to heighten our yearning for God. The so-called sinners who had the pleasure
of Christ’s company actually discovered their hunger for the Messiah deepened.
Hence, we must realise that the proper care of the body is not achieved by
intensifying its pleasures but rather by deepening its joy. Bigger presents,
more expensive gifts, upsizing your burger, chips or soft drinks will not
result in greater joy. The contrary may be true that joy often finds its
greatest expression in the absence of pleasure.
Secondly,
how do we deepen our joy? We must recognise that the body has been created for
eternal bliss. The Resurrection is the gateway to the everlasting joy of the
body. The human Body of Jesus is now with God the Father. As the preface describes,
“For
the Lord Jesus, the King of glory, conqueror of sin and death, ascended today
to the highest heavens, as the Angels gazed in wonder. Mediator between God and
man, Judge of the world and Lord of hosts, He ascended, not to distance Himself
from our lowly state but that we, His members, might be confident of following
where He, our Head and Founder, has gone before”.
We
will all rise with Him but this resurrection is premised on one criterion. That
is, if we follow Jesus Christ into His death, we shall also rise with Him in
our resurrection. The meaning is pretty clear. There is a price to be paid
which we often forget because we are distracted by pleasure. The cost is
literally pain. Suffering is constitutive of the bodily resurrection we desire.
We suffer when we resist temptation. We suffer when we control our passions.
Nobody ever says “I am having a great time” when resisting temptations or
controlling passions. Furthermore, we sacrifice when we practise charity. When
we truly love, we die to ourselves. It is not love if there is no sacrifice on
our part. This is the premium we pay for our bodily resurrection and our
subsequent assumption into heaven. As Sam Witwicki would say, “No sacrifice, no
victory”.
Today,
the Ascension gives us a solid perspective for joy: Where He has gone, we hope to
follow.
Our deepest joy is to anticipate the Heaven that will be ours. This is what we
aim for. However, our future resurrection must begin here and now. It is a
promise but it is also a sobering call to count the cost of Heaven. As someone
said, “Heaven
is not a place to find. It is a decision to make”.
