Dating Naked

Dreaming about the Day of Heaven

02/09/2017

Genesis 2:18-25 The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him." So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. 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 'her 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 flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.

          Not many television shows are worth the time and attention to watch, and so-called “reality television shows” are the least worth-while, in my opinion. But one caught my attention recently called “Dating Naked.” I hope you have NOT watched it, and I do NOT recommend that you do. It is set in scenic spots like the Bahamas and actually shows people without any clothes going on dates together. Of course it’s the latest gimmick to grab the attention of a culture so over-stimulated that we are bored with anything less exotic and erotic than people running around naked.

          But the show’s concept of “dating naked” did have one redeeming quality: it reminded me of a book I read many years ago by Peter Kreeft called Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven. Kreeft asks the question, “Will we wear clothes in heaven?” that is, will we be naked and will we be dating? He gives a careful (even if also confusing) answer, but it’s worth considering. He suggests that clothes in heaven will “reveal rather than conceal” the beauty of the body. Clothes will enhance the glorified body’s beauty rather than hide its appearance as clothes do on earth for the sake of modesty. The only value of that reality T.V. show “Dating Naked” is that quite by accident it is an approximation and aping of heavenly glory, just like small children pretend to play doctor like their dad by using his stethoscope to hear the heart beat. All things in this life are approximations of the afterlife; we are all aping the Almighty.

          The first reading from Genesis teaches that “dating naked” is not only a glimpse of where we’re going, but also an echo of where we came from, namely, the Garden of Eden, our original paradise. Describing how God made the first two people on earth, Adam and Eve, Genesis makes this astounding assertion: “The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.” Thousands of years before the reality television show called “Dating Naked” hit the screen, there actually was a couple that was “dating naked.” Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 states: “What has been, that will be; what has been done, that will be done.” It continues, “Even the thing of which we say, ‘See, this is new!’ has already existed in the ages that preceded us.” The critical difference between paradise and the present, however, is the sadness of shame. We didn’t need clothes in Eden but we do need clothes on Earth because of original sin and our tendency to sin, in short, because of shame.

          These days, my mind tends to turn easily to thoughts of heaven as I wonder about the future and fate of my nephew, Noah. Those of you who’ve lost loved ones have also no doubt dreamed about the Day of Heaven: what will it be like? will we wear clothes? etc. Of course, our Catholic faith teaches that we should pray for our beloved dead who are probably in Purgatory. That’s why we have Masses offered for them; and I thank you for the Masses offered for Noah. In a spiritual sense, they are being purified of that earthly shame caused by sin so they can enjoy heavenly glory, where clothes will “reveal rather than conceal.” So, they, too, like Adam and Eve before the Fall, can be “naked and yet feel no shame.” That’s something our faith invites us to look forward to.

          But that does not mean we should walk around in our “birthday suits” here on earth! We can only approximate, like a distant and dim echo, the reality of heaven, but we cannot live that completely here on earth. That would be like a small child who not only plays with his father’s stethoscope to hear the heartbeat, but also tries to do open heart surgery. We should not be “dating naked” here on earth even if we might be one day in heaven. Rather, while we walk in this “valley of tears,” we should clothe our bodies beautifully, and we should clothe our souls with the virtues.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!