A Holistic View: Catholic Sexuality (Part 4)

Perversions of the human sexuality more problematic than birth control, such as homosexuality, transsexualism, and pedophilia are growing more and more common, and more acceptable to large segments of society.

Remove one boundary from Christian teachings on sexuality, and the rest must fall in turn, because all Catholic teaching on sexuality (and everything else) is intertwined. Remove the restriction against birth control, and the prohibition on abortion will fall. Accept abortion, and "gay marriage" must also be allowed. And so the process continues, until every perversion of sexuality is legitimized.

Perversions of sexuality such as homosexuality and pedophilia are the ugliest outgrowths of the permissiveness of the modern age. They show a complete and utter lack of disregard for the beauty of human sexuality, and substitute pleasure-seeking for love. 

For the pedophile, the action of intercourse is not self-gift, but about power and lust. The pedophile is someone who cares only about pleasure for himself or herself. The well-being of the child being molested is no concern at all to the pedophile. This focus on self-love (also present in a different form in masturabation) is completely antithetical to  a Christian conception of sexuality, which seeks the good of the other. 

Homosexuality is even more explicit in its rejection of a Christian worldview concerning intercourse. Homosexual acts do not result in mutual self-gift or self-reception. During homosexual intercourse, two people engage in an act which is sterile and medically damaging to both parties. The role of women is discarded by a male homosexual relationship, while the role of men is ignored by a female homosexual relationship. 

Transsexuals (more properly, those who suffer from Gender Identity Disorder) further blur the lines of gender. They suffer from the illness of believing that they were "born in the wrong body." And those who do not seek help for this disorder often mutilate their bodies, out of hatred for the gift of their body God has given them. To transsexuals, sexuality is a curse which they must alter in order to be perfect - with disastrous results.

There may well be very real urges towards these perverse sexual behaviors. Human nature and human sexuality have been corrupted by sin, and as such, they are rife with all kinds of perversions. Homosexual attraction, attraction towards children, and Gender Identity Disorder are indeed possible in a fallen world. And those who suffer from inclinations towards these perversions must be treated with respect and dignity.

But that fact does not mean that they should be considered acceptable. Society does not call some madman who believes that he is the King of England sane. (at least, not yet) A square is not a circle because some claim that it so. Truth remains truth, despite the yammering of the millions who reject truth.

It is not love to let those who remain in darkness continue in their sin. It is not love to tell those who wish to continue on self-destructive paths that their evil deeds are not sins. Admonishing the sinner is not an evil; rather, it is a spiritual work of mercy.

The Church will not allow people to remain in the depths of their own perverse darkness unchallenged. She cannot accept the lies of homosexuality, transexualism, pedophilia, and incest as normal and desirable. And she will preach those truths to any who have ears to hear, and defend those truths with Her very existence.   

A Holistic View: Catholic Sexuality (Part 3)

Widespread acceptance of birth control is the root cause of a host of social ills in our country: promiscuity, divorce, abortion, gay marriage, and a loss of gender identity. And anyone who accepts birth control finds it logically difficult, if not impossible, to oppose any of these other social evils. 

In my last post, I outlined the philosophical reasons why birth control was sinful. It is now time to give a fuller explanation of the dark fruits of birth control.

The link between birth control and promiscuity is easy to explain. If the threat of an unwanted pregnancy is removed from the sexual act, it becomes much easier for a man and a woman to engage in casual intercourse without fear of consequences. It allows men to sleep with women without the responsibility that a child might be conceived, and gives women the illusion of being able to tempt and to seduce men without consequences.

Given the illusion of risk-free intercourse, many more men and women will choose to undertake the sexual act. And since birth control makes pleasure the first goal of sexual intercourse, men and women will seek this pleasure more often, and be more likely to seek to engage in intercourse with multiple partners.

The major disincentive to promiscuity, unlawful pregnancy, is rendered ineffective by contraception. Promiscuity is an obvious consequence of birth control.

The link between birth control and divorce is also easy to explain. I discussed the divisive nature of birth control and how it changes the act of intercourse in my last post. Birth control creates a fundamental divide between a married man and woman; couples who use contraception use each other for sexual gratification rather than desire each other for their own sake. This disconnect is revealed in the skyrocketing divorce rates that came about after the widespread rise of contraception during the sexual revolution.

Also, relationships with children – families – are more likely to survive marital troubles than relationships without children. Children tend to cement a bond between a couple; a married man and a woman are more likely to stay together in times of trouble, in order to keep a stable family. A couple with no children is more likely to split, because the partners have less incentive to hold a relationship together.

But the links between birth control and the others may initially be difficult to see. At first glance, birth control and abortion may seem different from one another. Contraception prevents pregnancy, while abortion terminates pregnancy.  

But in reality, birth control and abortion are two sides of the same coin. They each have the same ends in mind – the prevention of human life from being born and the removal of the “curse” of fertility from the sexual act. 

Abortion is merely “cleaning up” where birth control fails. The failure to prevent pregnancy in birth control is “taken care of” by abortion. And since birth control is often ineffective, abortion is a handy backup to have in case pregnancy ensues.

(Planned Parenthood, which is the chief proponent of birth control in this country, also happens to be the largest provider of abortions in the United States.) 

Acceptance of birth control also removes the major defense against homosexuality and "gay marriage." If intercourse is solely for the purpose of pleasure, as modern society advocates, then very few viable arguments left against homosexuality remain. The defenders of traditional marriage have practically lost the battle against homosexuality if they accept the pleasure premise of intercourse.

Birth control is the foundation of the premise that fertility doesn’t matter in a sexual relationship. It is at the root of the “pleasure principle” in sexual intercourse today. The acceptance of this principle effectively destroys the Christian worldview regarding the nature of sexual intercourse. If only pleasure remains as an end of intercourse, then there is no harm in two consenting adults – of whatever gender – engaging in intercourse of any type. Birth control thus destroys the basis for a logical argument against homosexual acts.

The loss of gender identity in society and calls for women priests are based in birth control, as well. Through contraception, a woman theoretically has the same easy access to sex without consequences that a man has. In effect, the woman who uses contraception to prevent contraception seeking to become more “man-like” in her sexual behavior – she can engage in the sexual act without the fear of pregnancy.

The Holy Grail of feminism, the idea that women have all the pleasures of manhood without any of the consequences, can only achieved only if the role of motherhood is rejected. “Equality” with men, in a feminist’s mind, is in reality sameness. Birth control, with its removal of motherhood and its "evening of the sexes" regarding sexuality, is at the root of this feminist notion. Men and women are rendered "equal" sexually by birth control - and that "equality" logically extends everywhere else, if birth control is accepted.

"Women priests” are a logical extension of this idea of “gender equality.” Divorced from the idea that men and women were created by God equal in dignity but possessing different roles, women priests are merely another measure of the demand for equality among feminists. After all, if women are “equal” to men (translation: the same), shouldn’t they have the same rights as men?

As these examples prove, human sexuality divorced from the plan of God is destructive – and the fruits of birth control are many and awful indeed. 

A Holistic View: Catholic Sexuality (Part 2)

Perversions of sexual intercourse strip the act of its very meaning and joy, and create bitterness and sorrow among those who pervert intercourse. An act which was created by God to solidify the bond between a man and a woman and to cooperate with God in creating new life is altered by sexual perversions; intercourse twisted from its natural ends separates those who engage in such behavior and is an act of rebellion against God Himself.

The most common perversion of intercourse is birth control (also known as contraception). Millions of people – even millions of Catholics – practice various forms of contraception, and harm themselves and disobey God's law by doing so.  

Very few people understand the deleterious effects of contraception. Even those that do follow the teachings of the Catholic Faith regarding contraception often do not understand the reasons why they do so.

But the philosophical reason why birth control is wrong is simple. Birth control changes the very nature of the act of intercourse for the worse.

For as discussed in the previous post, intercourse is an act of full, free, and complete self-gift between a man and a woman. Both partners give of themselves to each other completely in the sexual act.

Contraception inhibits that free and full gift of self. The gift of fertility is deliberately withheld if contraception of any kind is practiced. Both partners cannot give freely of themselves if they choose to engage in contraception. And each partner in a contraceptive relationship desires each other less, and seeks to use each other for sexual gratification more.   

It is telling that all forms of birth control inhibit desire in some way. Whether through birth control pills, which chemically reduce female (and male) desire, or condoms, which are quite literally barriers preventing direct touch between a man’s genitals and a woman’s genitals, or other forms of contraception - intercourse becomes less enjoyable through the use of birth control in any form.

The joy wrought by intercourse becomes limited to mere pleasure-seeking. Instead of total self-gift between a man and a woman, contraception causes a man and a woman to seize what pleasure they can while engaging in the act of intercourse, and slams the door on the possibility of the completion of a deeper mystery. The very biological purpose of intercourse becomes shameful and a curse to practitioners of birth control; users of contraception attempt to alter biological reality.

(Natural family planning is not the same thing as contraception. Intercourse during periods of natural infertility is not morally problematic. Intercourse during periods of artificially created infertility, as created by contraception, is morally wrong. God created periods of natural infertility in a woman - working with Him, rather than against Him, is not problematic.)

The Bible praises fertility on numerous occasions. Numerous Biblical passages (i.e. Genesis 1:28, Genesis 38:9-10, Psalm 127) praise fertility and condemn contraception.

Another Biblical passage that does not directly talk about contraception per se is nevertheless instructive in revealing the sinister nature of contraception. The story of Ananias and Sapphira, told in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 5:1-11), shows the harsh penalty for those who seek to deceive God and other human beings - as users of contraception attempt to do. 

Ananias and Sapphira were early Christian converts who sold a piece of land and laid the proceeds from that sale at the apostles’ feet for distribution. A praiseworthy act, right?

But the couple withheld part of the sale price, and attempted to deceive the apostles into believing that they gave them all the money from the sale.

But the Apostles were not so easily deceived. For their offense, they were chastised by St. Peter – and both were stricken dead before the apostles for their deception.

Thepunishment of Ananias and Sapphira for withholding part of their gift of money to the apostles, and presenting it as a full gift is a terrible warning to couples who withhold the full gift of their own bodies from each other. Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying to the representatives of the apostles regarding a mere financial transaction. How much worse is it for a man and a woman to conspire against God and each other, in claiming to give themselves completely to each other through the act of intercourse, while at the same time withholding from each other God’s gift of fertility?

A man and a woman who use contraception lie to themselves and to God through their actions. They lie to themselves by holding back part of the gift (fertility) that is the sexual act. They lie to God by deliberately thwarting God's gift of fertility. And these lies have dire consequences for those who accept them and for society.

A Holistic View: Catholic Sexuality (Part 1)

A Holistic View: Catholic Sexuality (Part 1)

Catholic teaching on human sexuality provides deep insight into the mystery of the human person, but is horribly misunderstood by most people – even by many Catholics.

Far from denigrating sexuality, as many ill-informed people claim, the Church actually celebrates sexuality. The Church, displaying Her timeless and God-given wisdom, recognizes that sexuality was created for specific purposes by God – and that in order to be fruitful, it must be set within proper limits.

The very idea that God might place limits on sexuality is anathema to a culture that celebrates license and scorns self-restraint. But the limits God placed on sexuality are for our ultimate freedom and joy – and people who embrace those limits are better and happier men and women for their obedience to God’s law.

The act of intercourse serves two purposes. The first purpose of intercourse is unitive – two partners are bonded through the sexual act. The second purpose of intercourse is procreative – creating new life. Neither purpose can be hindered if the act of intercourse is to be acceptable to God – or, for that matter, ultimately fruitful and joyful to the partners engaging in the act.

The first purpose of intercourse, the unitive purpose, is one that most people still accept – albeit in a highly perverted form.

Man and woman are complimentary beings, designed to complete the other. Man and woman are literally united in the marital embrace. In the words of Scripture, through intercourse, “the two shall become one flesh.” (Mark 10:8) That dictum is quite literally proven true in intercourse.

And this union is incredibly joyful. Man and woman were designed by God to be in communion – and when a man and a woman come together, that act of union is incredibly joyful. God designed the act to be that way.

God made clear that men and women were meant to be united from the very beginning of the human race: “It is not good for man to be alone.” (Gen 2:18) The act of intercourse unifies man and woman, both physically and spiritually.

When utilized within its proper perspective, the unity between man and women is the highest of natural actions – a bond that is a reflection of the full communion between one man and one woman.

But there is an even greater mystery inherent in intercourse. 

The natural attraction between a man and a woman becomes quite literally a participation and sharing in the creative activity of God. New life is created by the joyful act of loving union between two partners.

Through intercourse, a man and a woman assist God in His creative activity. The act of union is the way in which the human race survives. The act is designed to bring new life into the world.

Not with every act, of course – not every act of intercourse results in conception. But the gift of life is made possible only through intercourse - and true intercourse can only take place if there are no hindrances to the act. 

The act of intercourse is not to be taken lightly or casually. One should not go willy-nilly about sleeping with whoever he or she pleases. There are grave consequences if intercourse not between one man and one woman.

The twofold purpose of intercourse can only be successfully utilized in an exclusive relationship between one man and one woman. As C.S. Lewis notes: “Whenever a man lies with a woman, a transcendental relation is set up between them which must be eternally enjoyed or eternally endured.” Intercourse creates a bond between a man and a woman that changes the very nature of their relationship. Through the act of intercourse, a man and a woman vow fidelity to each other with their bodies.

Infidelity – whether before or during marriage – breaks this exclusive relationship between two partners. The exclusive bond of love that exists between two lovers is cheapened by extramarital sexual acts. And unity between two partners cannot be exclusive when someone enters into a relationship meant to be exclusive with more than one person.

The exclusive bond of love in marriage can only be forged when two partners vow fidelity to each other in front of witnesses – within the bounds of marriage. Only before God, in the presence of His people and before His representative, can a man and a woman vow their love to each other, fully and completely. Only after they vow total fidelity to each other can they confirm their unity physically.  

The Church encourages, celebrates, and sanctifies the unity between a man and a woman within the context of marriage. The bond of marriage, as signified by the wedding bands both partners give each other during the marriage ceremony (in the West, at any rate), is a bond of exclusive and absolute fidelity that one man and one woman pledge to each other. The bond reflects the communion created when two partners vow lifelong fidelity to one another. A marriage is completed when the marriage is consummated - the physical act of intercourse reflects the spiritual unity between one man and one woman vowed during the marriage ceremony.

And this is why the Church speaks so adamantly against offenses against sexuality. The Church takes sexual offenses so seriously not because She demeans the act of intercourse, but precisely because She acknowledges and celebrates the holiness of the marital act.

Poetry Session!

The dawn begins to break, the nightmare ends,

The gushing blood is stopped, the wound now mends.

The lightning bolts which rent a crackling sky,

The inner voices whispering the lie,

The wolf of madness howling at the door,

Their time is done; the nightmare now is o'er!

Now shall my restless spirit be at peace,

And all my doubt and terror swiftly cease,

The hateful haze which struck me nearly blind,

Has left me, leaving but a clearer mind.

Awake, my soul! The demons turn and flee,

Arise, your Master calls you! I AM FREE!

“Those Whom You Have Given Me”

St. Therese of Lisieux titled the last chapter of her masterwork, Story of a Soul, with the beautiful heading: “Those you have given me.”

This is, in my mind, one of the most beautiful lines in her work. For it reflects an incredible understanding of how human beings should treat each other. Every person that St. Therese met, even those who annoyed her, she treated as a gift from God. Rather than reject those who rejected her, she worked all the harder to be nice to them, and thanked God in joyful gratitude for allowing them to influence her life. We would be wise to follow her virtuous example.

For everyone – those who help us, those who torment us, and those who ignore us – they are all woven into God’s master plan for our salvation. Everyone that we meet affects us in some way – for good or for ill. But if we accept the ill that others do to us as sufferings we must bear, and embrace our crosses, we will find that they too are helping us on our road to salvation, if we allow them to do so.

Every human being we meet is a gift to us. Every human we interact with brings us consolation or suffering. Even those who ignore us (and whom we ignore) are faces we meet on the way to eternity, destined like us to either heaven or hell. Everyone we meet is a potential brother or sister in Christ, and should be treated as such.   

The reverse is true, too. Everyone we meet is changed by our presence, often in ways that we cannot perceive. We, too, are gifts to other people, and should see and treat ourselves accordingly.

We have the power to influence people to follow Christ by our good example. Even a smile to a sorrowful stranger has an impact, which we may not be able to see – but it affect those around us. And the better people we are, the better the chance that we will be able to point them to Christ.

Very few of us understand this power we have, to radically change souls for good or for ill.

As Christians, we are told to “see the face of Christ in all people.” But it is difficult for our limited human minds to do this, with all the obvious imperfections of other humans. Often, I fall into the trap of growing angry towards others who inconvenience me or annoy me. And it is not my place to judge hearts, but I often find myself judging others, despite Christ’s command. And I suspect I am not alone.

Christ warned us to avoid this view of thinking. Instead, he enjoined us to treat others with dignity, as the Scriptures tell us: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matt 5:44)

So it must be for us; we should love our enemies and those who inconvenience us. They are our crosses – and we must embrace our crosses. We must treat those who annoy us as fellow humans, not as enemies.

But we are often blinded by our own self-centeredness into ignoring our influence on people. We tend to see ourselves as “free agents,” without influence on others, and act accordingly - to our own detriment and that of others.  

Therese’s view of people as gifts is far more Christ-centered. Her “little way” is a wonderful way of understanding the role of other people in our salvation. Far from being strangers to each other, we become what we are called to be – servants in Christ, if we chose to do so.

The Road to Sanctity

St. Thomas Aquinas was famously asked to write a book on the subject of how to be a saint. When asked about the progress of the book, he handed back his book to his questioners.

They found written inside two simple words: “Will it!”

St. Thomas’ simple message shows us that sanctity is possible and attainable – but that it is rarely achieved by self-professed Christians, precisely because most Christians don’t have the desire to achieve it.

For sanctity is not a gift given to a few. It is a constant, lifelong choice to follow God unreservedly, whatever the cost.

This is not to say that sanctity is easy to attain. The road to sanctity leads through years of toil and self-sacrifice. Our stubborn wills, weak and tainted with concupiscence as they are, often resist God’s call to holiness. We have to resist temptation in order to stay on that road.

But at the same time, the road to sanctity can be traveled – by those who wish to attain it.

The shining examples of the saints, who lived and died professing their faith in joy, is a perfect reminder that sanctity is indeed possible for humans to achieve – if they wish to do so.

For the saints were not “special” men and women in their own right, as many seem to believe. They merely made the choices that they and we are supposed to make. They simply chose to follow God’s path for them. If we wish to be saints, we merely have to follow Him.

And God always gives His creatures enough grace to resist any temptation that comes their way. While we are indeed tempted to fall into sin, we are not forced off the road to holiness by external forces. We only stray from that road if we choose to do so.

This fact makes refusal to follow in Christ’s footsteps all the more galling. He set rules for His creatures so that we might be truly happy – and we knowingly resist His will, to our own detriment. Our refusal to follow the path of sanctity is thus a direct affront to God - and a source of misery to us.

When Christ commands us to “be ye therefore perfect,” (Matt 5:48) He is not making a suggestion. His demand that we follow Him completely, as He made us to do, is a command. And He does not command the impossible. It can - and should - be done.

It is our task to become living beacons of God’s holiness; shining examples of sanctity in a world sorely lacking in it. God gave us the tools to do so, he challenges us to do so – and He expects nothing less from us.