Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness.
You did not so learn Christ! -- assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.
– Ephesians 4:17-24
This song is a Valentine's day present for all my loyal readers.
 |
| Olivia Hussey as Juliet – 1968. (Notice the cross.) |
I just want to say that romance is a beautiful thing. And I hope that each of you is able to find someone to share your life with in the spirit of true love. Romantic love is a reflection of the love that God has for each of us. It fills us with feelings that give us a small inkling of the profound depth of the Divine Love.
But I want to warn you that we are being fed a distorted image of romantic love by the modern culture. Love has been conflated with sex with the malicious intent of undermining the religious beliefs of Christians. Sex is intended by God to be a beautiful expression of love within a marriage. But the power of this intensely human experience is abused by society like a narcotic drug.
Human love is degraded to serve the purposes of corporations to sell their goods through "sexy" marketing campaigns. Sex is portrayed by the culture as an end in itself for egotistical self-gratification. This is called hedonism.
What began somewhat innocently in the 1960s as an experiment among the young generation, has been co-opted by the anti-religious forces to form one of the cornerstones of their attack on the Church. I want to tell you to not settle for sex as a form of recreation, because in the process your heart will become hardened and you will lose your capacity to love.
Romeo and Juliet is not a story of "free love" as some would like to depict it. In Shakespeare's play the young lovers are faithful to their Catholic religion and sanctify their love through the sacrament of marriage, through which two become one flesh forever.
Juliet and I
by Public Vigil © 2010
(Video is © 1968 from the film "Romeo and Juliet" by Director Franco Zeffirelli )
Juliet you know
I’m no Romeo
But no matter what you say
I’ll always feel this way
Juliet for you
Juliet for you
Anything I’d do
I’d climb the mountain high
Cross the ocean wide
Juliet it’s true
Juliet it’s true
Everything you do
Fills me through and through
And I only think of you
Juliet do you?
(instrumental break)
Juliet when I
Sleep and close my eyes
Your face is in my dreams
And I’m in Heaven it seems
Juliet with you
Juliet let’s fly
Like two birds up high
Together you and I
Soaring in the sky
Juliet be mine
Juliet be mine
And I’ll always be thine
It had to be this way
I heard the angels say
Juliet and I
(instrumental break)
Juliet believe
In everything you’ll see
Your eyes will see the signs
Your ears will hear the cries
Juliet I do
Juliet I do
I do believe in you
Do you believe in me?
Together can we be
Juliet and I?
Juliet and I
Like fire in the sky
A love that never ends
A river that never bends
Juliet be strong
Juliet be strong
And I will hold you long
Through days and endless nights
In darkness and in light
Juliet it’s true
(instrumental break)
Juliet and then
Kiss me once again
And when our dance is done
In the setting sun
Juliet be true
And I will promise you
A thousand moons and junes
A crown with many jewels
Juliet for you
Juliet you know
I’m no Romeo
But no matter what you say
I’ll always feel this way
Juliet for you!
Such a beautiful song!
ReplyDeleteAnd you are right once again, media and society changed the true face of love.
I loved the fact that you choose Romeo and Juliet for Valentin's day.
Thank you!
Hi Ride. I had written this song a few months ago and had recorded it but the quality of the recording was very poor. Partly that was because I was using the microphone on my laptop. I recently bought a device so that I can connect a good studio quality mic to my computer. I think there is a huge improvement in the audio quality now.
ReplyDeleteOne big difference is that this microphone is so sensitive, and I can sing softly and everything is recorded accurately. Before I think I was straining to make my voice sound bigger and the results were not good. Now I can relax and know that the expressive content in my voice will get through even on the softest passages.
I've been wanting to write an article about how the Peace-Love movement of the 60s became the sexual revolution. It's such a big topic that I have a hard time doing it justice. My main conclusion is that this was no accident. There were people waiting in the wings to co-opt this movement. Margaret Sanger of Planned Parenthood for one managed to introduce the contraceptive pill during this time. Others like Aldous Huxley introduced hallucinogenic drugs to the young.
If you think about it, the 60s movement was originally biblically inspired by Christian beliefs. And much of the symbolism of the 60s, like long hair, can be traced back to Christian roots. But the anti-religious forces were able to place the emphasis on sex rather than love. And a search for inner knowledge rather than a communion with God.
One can only hope that as the novelty of sex and an egocentric search for inner knowledge wears off, that a new appreciation for the true teachings of the Church with regards to love and true spiritual awareness through Christ will emerge. Christ's teachings are never egocentric but place the emphasis on love of God and neighbor. This is the external, visible sign of our internal, spiritual relationship with God through prayer.
What we see in our modern culture is the exact opposite. It is an emphasis on the self. The fruits of this teaching are in wide evidence.