There is a very small difference between the word “matter” and the word “mater” (mother). The teaching of Mary, the Mother of God, is an affirmation that the flesh (the body and matter) is good. This has always been a teaching of the Church and goes back to Genesis. God uses the word “good” seven times in the creation story and after creating man, says “very good”.[i]
What is wrong with matter? Nothing, matter is good because God created it, this means that the material world is good and the human body is good. However, a good thing can be misused. Saint Augustine defines sin, as a “deprivation of good” where good is lacking. If we misuse our bodies or misuse use material, this is a sin. How can we determine what is a misuse? A misuse is when we use material things including our body, contrary to their purpose. How do we know the purpose? Our purpose and the purpose of the created world is revealed to us by God, the author of all material.
We believe that material is good, but can be misused. We also believe that as humans we are created good and inherently (to the core) good but are fallen. We are in need of redemption. In the garden we were naturally good. After the fall, sin, the deprivation of the good entered into the world. We are inclined (concupiscence) because of the fall to look for good in other places rather than in God and in our ignorance we misuse good. God became man, took on flesh, to redeem flesh. Tertullian says that the flesh is the hinge of salvation. “We believe in God the Creator of the flesh; we believe in the Word made flesh in order to redeem flesh; and we believe in the resurrection of flesh which is the fulfillment of both creation and the redemption of the flesh.”[ii] Jesus Christ, through His passion, death and resurrection offers us Grace. It is this Grace that gives us supernatural life. Adam and Eve had a natural goodness; we through Jesus, the New Adam and Mary, the New Eve are offered a supernatural goodness.
Matter (nature) therefore is good, but there is the tendency to misuse it causing evil. Grace does not destroy nature, but rather perfects and elevates it. If we are in the state of Grace, our natural life and gifts will be perfected and elevated, not destroyed. If we are not in the state of Grace, it is easy to spiral down into the misuse of matter (nature) and even worse, the idolatry of worshiping matter (nature).
We must see matter (nature) for what it is. To help us better understand what we believe matter (nature) to be we can look at what others throughout time have seen matter (nature) to be.
Plato – Before the time of Christ (427-347BC), Plato taught a dualism of form and matter, the material world and spiritual are separate and even opposed. This teaching led to the idea of the body being a type of prison for the soul. Many religions would seek to release the soul from the prison of the body. There is also the idea that we can’t do anything about the prison. In modern culture this philosophy lends to the idea of irresponsibility (my body made me do it) and an anti-world or anti-material outlook. This philosophy can also lead to despair if we believe that we cannot escape this prison of our body.
MUSIC “Creed- My Own Prison (with lyrics)”
What do the lyrics of this song tell us about matter, the body?
Gnosticism (First Century) – The Gnostics of the first century believed we are saved by knowledge. Matter was said to be hostile to the spirit, and the universe was held to be a deprivation of the Deity. Again there is the separation and opposition between the matter and spirit, the body and the soul. Many pagan cultures believed that there was a good god and a bad god, which were equal and battling each other. The bad god controlled matter, the good god controlled spirit. This is still found in religions (Hinduism, Buddhism and Protestantism) to this day.
Arianism (Fourth Century) – A priest named Arius, denied the divinity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus is not God then there is not a Trinity by just one person, the Father. The Son is a creature, made out of nothing, like all other created beings. Jesus is not eternal; there was a time when he did not exist. Jesus is not a son of God by nature, but by only by Grace and adoption. Jesus is not consubstantial with the Father as stated in the Creed.
Why would Arians, believe that Jesus was human, but not divine? If matter and spirit (body and soul) were opposed, divinity would be tainted if joined with humanity. Not only would Arians not believe that God became man, taking on flesh, but God would certainly not take on flesh in the womb of a human. In Islam, God is almighty and He can do anything. If however, we suggest to a Muslim that God, the almighty, become man, this is inconceivable. There is the idea to the Muslim and to the Arian, than humanity would defile divinity, that incarnation would lessen God. If Incarnation would lessen God, then God is not almighty, not all-powerful. This is a lack of faith. The mystery of Faith, as a Catholic, is that God became man. “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”[iii] The Church does not see God becoming less almighty due to His humanity, but instead the Church sees all of humanity becoming strengthened and elevated back to perfection because of His divinity.
What is the consequence of Arianism? The belief that God did not become man, God did not redeem the world and Mary is just the mother of Jesus.
What are modern forms of Arianism? We see Arianism in the modern world anytime Jesus is domesticated or presented as just human or more human than divine. In modern movies like The DaVinci Code, Jesus is presented as human, who married and even sins. In many religions, like Islam and Jehovah Witness, Jesus is seen as a prophet, great teacher or good guy, but not God. In Mormonism, Jesus is divine but He is not of the same substance as the Father, but rather a secondary “god”. Many Christians believe that Jesus is God, but His divinity takes second place as his humanity, creating a “me and my buddy” attitude.
VIDEO – An excerpt from Catholicism
In this excerpt, Father Barron goes to the heart of Jesus’ two natures and stresses the most important thing of Jesus, that He is God. Jesus was not like any other person to have ever lived. He did not say I come as a messenger of God or that I have enlightenment like God, but Jesus says, I Am. Jesus Christ is God in the second person of the Holy Trinity.
[i] Genesis 1:31
[ii] Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; section 202
[iii] John 1:14