Today is Feb 14, the memorial of Sts. Cyril and Methodius.
We read today at Mass, “But the serpent said to the woman: ‘You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil'” (Gen 3:4-5).
Today’s feast, the memorial of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, is all but drowned out by secular celebrations of Valentine’s Day. Of course, St. Valentine is an ancient martyr, and these celebrations owe their origin to the Catholic celebrations of his feast.
Today’s reading, however, offers us an opportunity to think critically about our culture. The serpent, as he tempts Eve, promises her that she will be “like a god” if she eats the forbidden fruit. It’s especially noteworthy today that the realization of nakedness and shame follows taking the forbidden fruit.
In our culture, many have made sex and sexual expression idols. It has become a god in their lives. Sexual identity is frequently treated as a primary or even defining aspect of who a person is. But when sexual identity becomes the core of self-understanding, it distorts other, more fundamental characteristics of personhood.
A deeper happiness
People act as if the satisfaction of sexual desire, no matter how deviant or indulgent, is essential for happiness and fulfillment. They act as if libertine sexual expression were a right and that the highest satisfaction in life is dependent upon it.
As we meditate on Genesis and the human condition today, however, I suggest that we be thinking about the virtue of restraint and the deeper happiness that comes from seeking higher loves. Often, pleasure-seeking in our lives is simply a mask, looking to distract us from the richer, more meaningful things. We were made for more than simple and passing pleasure. Every heart that’s ever loved and lost, every heart that’s ever suffered, knows this.
Let us pray,
O God, who enlightened the Slavic peoples through the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius, grant that our hearts may grasp the words of your teaching, and perfect us as a people of one accord in true faith and right confession. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
