The devil revisited

Back on December 5 of last year, after a series of shootings and bombings, I wrote a post about the devil and how he operates.  I feel it appropriate to repost here because I feel the devil is at work again in this electoral process. 
He is doing his 4 "D's" again that I spoke of back then; deception, division, diversion, and discouragement.  The biggest thing he is doing now is diverting our attention to issues that are less serious, to make us forget the more important issues.  He is deceiving us because he is making venial mishaps and character flaws look like serious mishaps and flaws, and serious mishaps and flaws look less or not serious at all.  He is making us discouraged.  We are divided like never before. 

Please ask the Holy Spirit not to allow the devil to deceive you, but rather, may you be filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit (see post of May 15) to help you make correct decisions during this important time.

Below is the post from 12-5 in its entirety. 

There was another shooting this week in California, and it appears there may be another one now going on in Wisconsin. There was also the shooting in Colorado, the bombing in Paris, and the spree of shootings in Chicago. 

There is evil in the world.

There is a movie out now that is forcing us to relive the tragedy of the priest sex abuse scandal in the early 2000's. 

As the movie shows, there is evil in the Church.

Satan is at work, but I fear we are not noticing it.

 

There has been debate about other things besides the devil.  For example, there has been debate about gun control.  This blog does not have a strong feeling one way or the other on that issue. I respect those who want more gun control.  I do not feel that will really solve much. ( Perhaps that is a topic for another post.)   However, I do respect and will listen to any legislative push for more gun control, even if I may not support it.  There has been debate about religion, and this blog has and will continue to express thoughts on that.   There has also been debate about immigration, and as stated in a previous post, this blog does not have strong feelings one way or the other on that issue.

However, there has not been a lot of discussion about the devil.   There should be.

There are four common tactics the devil likes to use, and they can be easy to remember because they all begin with the letter "d".   They are deception, division, diversion, and discouragement. 

Deception. Think of how he worked with abortion and homosexual sex.   He deceives people into thinking they are good things.  Instead of "murder", he teases us by calling abortion a "reproductive right".  Instead of "sodomy", he calls homosexual sex "gay", which, in other meanings, means happy.  Now, perhaps, he is the one who is alluring people to militant Islam,  deceiving many with the promise of the 72 virgins for the male martyrs, and a faithful husband forever in heaven for the female martyrs.

Division.  Instead of fostering patience and fortitude to work through issues, Satan instead says, "The Church is corrupt, look at all the scandals; leave the Church.  Your family is boring; leave your wife and children. Your nation with its materialism and corruption is flawed; leave it, or fight against it from within."  He promises an easy way out.   When people leave a noble group or cause struggling to persevere, it is a sign that the devil is successfully fostering division.  Where are these people leaving going?  Many places, but surely, many of them are going to militant Islam.

Diversion. The devil may be successfully diverting our attention, using these tragedies, to really smaller issues, like gun control and immigration, when in fact, we should be focusing on the big picture, and be turning to Almighty God and strengthening our moral and spiritual lives as individuals, families, and as a nation.  The more we are distracted on smaller issues, the more he can work undetected.  The larger issue is a relaxation of our moral standards, a lack of a spiritual life, and a lack of reverence and awareness of the just, yet merciful God.

Discouragement.  He wants us to give up.  He wants us to give up on each other, give up on family life, and give up on the Church.   All these tragedies may be tempting some of us to give up on humanity.  That is exactly what he wants.  He wants us to be anxious.  He wants us to fear raising children in a world such as this, and not even consider starting families.   He loves the fact that our birthrate is so low (reasons discussed in a previous post), and we are being left defenseless against these acts of terror.

Yes, the devil is at work.  We cannot defeat him by our own power.  We need, rather, to turn to Christ, especially Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament.   The attached picture was taken at the Shrine yesterday.  As I mentioned in a previous post, every First Friday (in addition to every Saturday), they have Eucharistic Adoration.  

Only the light of Christ can cast out the darkness of the devil.

Devotion to Saint Joseph can also help.  Think of some lines from the litany to him:

Light of patriarchs  (his light, joined with that of Christ, can cast out the darkness of the devil)

Diligent protector of Christ  (he can protect us from the devil who wishes to harm us)

Joseph most prudent  (the devil definitely does not want us to act prudently, he rather wants us to act rashly and impulsively; Saint Joseph can help us not give in to his temptations)

Joseph most strong (we need to be strong in faith to fight the devil)

Mirror of patience (when times are tough, we need to be patient, and not just give up on things as the devil tries to tempt us to do)

Pillar of families (family life is a big target of the devil, as is the Church and our nation; Joseph can help us remain rock firm)

Terror of demons  Satan has his army of demons; if we cling to Saint Joseph and Christ, we can scare them away from us

Now is not the time to give up on the Church, to give on family life, to give up on humanity, to give up on our nation.   The devil wants us to.   Let's not ignore him, and let him do so.   Let's, rather, in humility, recognize his presence, but at the same time, recognize the presence of God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the One Church that He founded, whose protector is Saint Joseph (another line in the Litany).  Let's fight the devil with the tools of real religion.
 

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Tough times ahead for faithful Catholics

My last post was on the topic of hell.   I was initially thinking I would do a post on heaven as the follow-up post to that, and I will at some point.  However, events in the political world this week are forcing me to postpone that, and do this post instead.

This post will not be popular with many, but I have to make it for the sake of my own soul, and perhaps, for the souls of others.

I try to steer clear of politics, and directly endorsing any particular candidate.  No person, no Catholic, can be told who to vote for.  However, Catholics do have an obligation to not support candidates who support actions that go directly against Church teaching.   As I said in a previous post, it is the position of this blog that no faithful Catholic can in good conscience vote for the current Democratic candidate for President because of her position on abortion.  I will add here her position on contraception access, and same sex marriage, also preclude any Catholic from being able to vote for her.  These, as I have discussed in my "tough teaching" series, are all acts the Church considers intrinsically immoral, and cannot be supported under any circumstances.
This week, that candidate has begun pulling away in the polls, and the likelihood of a victory by her is growing.  I need to make it clear that any Catholic who votes for her for President puts his or her salvation at risk, and will have to answer for that act on judgment day.  I know this sounds harsh, but it has to be said.

If we believe any or all of the following, we are facing trial and tribulation if she is elected.

Abortion is wrong, and if one is involved in procuring one or more of them, and does not repent, he or she puts his or her salvation in jeopardy.

The use of contraception is wrong, and one who uses it, and does not repent, puts his or her salvation in jeopardy.

Gay sex, or "sodomy", is wrong, and those who practice it, and do not repent, put their salvation in jeopardy.

If this candidate is elected, we will be forced to support all these things, or face consequences.  We can see it happening already.  We see what happens when Catholic hospitals refuse to do an abortion.  We see what happens when Catholic employers do not want to include birth control in their insurance plans.  We see what happens when states want to define marriage as between one man and one woman.  We see what happens when bakers, and other industries involved in wedding planning, do not want to support a same sex marriage.  We see what happens when a Catholic adoption agency refuses to send a child to the home of a same sex couple  We see what happens when a Catholic school fires someone who lives not in accordance with Church teaching.  
These things are fought in the courts.  Sometimes we win, but usually we lose.  If the Democratic candidate is elected, and she gets to nominate judges, we will never win, and we will pay the price.  We will not be free to live our faith.   We will be prosecuted, and thrown in jail.  Religious rights will cease to exist.

Like I said, this persecution has begun now, but if this candidate is elected, it will be, as I heard someone say, "lights out" for the Catholic Church in the United States.  Our schools, hospitals, and other agencies may be forced to shut down, or go underground, because they are forced to support what they deem immoral practices. All the good that comes with them; education, health care, social services, charity, will be gone, or at minimum, hidden from public view.  Our churches, because they speak of good and evil, right and wrong, may lose their tax exempt status, and will become so financially strapped they have to shut down.  

No amount of good anyone does can offset the evil he or she supports.  Why would it matter on judgment day about one's policies on the environment, the economy, or health care, if he or she supports the butchering of children in the womb?  We should think of that before we support such a person being in political office.

So, if voting for this candidate is not an option, what is our recourse?   The other major party candidate, while far from perfect, has indicated support for judges who will support religious liberty.  Whatever we think of him, we know as Catholics we will be freer to live our faith under his administration than the other major party candidate.  Under his administration, we will better be able to continue to do the good we do, to do the good works, and lead people to salvation. 
If, despite this, we are not comfortable voting for him because of character or other issues, we can support other candidates who support at least more of Church teaching than does the current front runner.  If there is no such candidate we can support, we can decide not to vote.  However, this last option contributes to not making any positive contribution to the common good, which is hard to believe can be something defensible on judgment day, unless it can be proven that voting for anyone in a given election would diminish the common good, which I find hard to believe can be the case.

So, there it is.  If the polling is a predictor of how the election will turn out, faithful Catholics will have to get ready for really difficult times ahead.  Standing firm for the faith will cause more trial and tribulation for the believer than it has in a long time, if ever.   With the power of the Holy Spirit, we can stand firm, endure, and even have joy and peace in the midst of the trials, but the point is there will be trials.  Are we ready for them?  If we are, are we convinced our loved ones, and society is?  Will they persevere in the trial?  Will they avoid the trial by compromising their beliefs, and then, put their eternal salvation at risk?   I think the answer is no, most of us are not ready, most of are us are not spiritually equipped, many of us will compromise on our beliefs, and abandon the struggle, and put our souls at risk.  Therefore, we need to pray that the outcome of the election is not what the polls are indicating now, and we absolutely need to ensure we do not participate in procuring that outcome by voting for the current front runner.

Joseph most just, pray for us.

Tough teachings : Hell

In today's Gospel reading, we read about the despair of the rich man who ends up spending eternity apart from God:

The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
Abraham replied,
‘My child, remember that you received
what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go
from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers,
so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.'
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’”  (Luke 16:22-31)

The existence of hell is another teaching of the Catholic Church that many today find difficult to accept.  What is hell?  Why do we believe hell exists? Why would a good God send anyone to hell?

1) What is hell?  The Catechism, in paragraph 1033, defines hell as the "state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed."   Hell is not necessarily a place; it is rather, a state of being.  It is a state of being permanently separated from all that is good.  We are permanently separated from God.  We are permanently separated from our loved ones.  We are permanently separated from our friends.  We are permanently separated from the Church.  We are permanently separated from heaven. We are permanently separated from all faith, hope, and love. We are permanently separated from food to quench our hunger, and water to quench our thirst.  We are permanently separated from all truth and beauty; there will no more great scientific or moral discoveries for the damned, nor any more beautiful scenery or works of art. 
Do not let certain popular hymns, like Billy Joel's "Only the Good Die Young", which infer hell is a place where "sinners cry together", warm you up to the possibility that hell is anything but awful.  There is no communion at all in hell, even with the other people in there.  It is all solitude and even worse regret, knowing we could have done something to prevent our being there, and despair, knowing there is nothing we can to do to change our state, and therefore, we will be there forever.
The torture of hell is so beyond what words can describe.  Imagine never being able to see your children or parents ever again.   Imagine never being able to be happy again.  And the worst part of all about being in this unfathomable state is that you realize your being there is all your fault, and it was totally within your power to avoid.  Now you regret it, but cannot do anything about it ever, and you despair.
  
Saint Alphonsus Ligouri classifies three specific "remorses of the damned."

1) Remorse arising from the thought of the little which he required to do in order to save his soul.
2) Remorse, arising from the remembrance of the trifles for which he lost his soul.
3) Remorse, arising from the knowledge of the great good which he has lost through his own fault.

I urge you to google his sermon on hell and read in more detail each of these.  Bottom line, you can see the pain of knowing how easily we could have obtained salvation will haunt us forever if we wind up in hell.  

Why do we believe hell exists?  Well, for one thing, Our Lord mentioned it often.   Matthew 25:41-46 (where those who did not give food or drink to the poor are told they did not give to Christ and are therefore condemned) is one place.  Others include Matthew 5:22, 29, 13:41-42, 50, 25:41 and of course, the passage from Luke above. 
Another reason we believe is that the possibility of a hell is a necessity if we believe in human freedom.  God wishes us to love him, other people, and all creation freely, not out of coercion.  He created the world freely, and out of love, not out of any external compulsion to do so.  Therefore, if man is indeed created in God's image and likeness, he (man), too, must be free, and cannot be compelled to do anything by anything outside himself.  He is free to choose how he lives his life both now, and for all eternity.  Therefore, the possibility of choosing not to love God, not to love neighbor, and not to love creation has to exist, and therefore, so must a place or state exist where one can go if he or she freely chooses not to love.  This is called hell.

Why would a good God send anyone to hell?  He doesn't.  We freely choose to go there based on our actions (sins of commission), and/or inactions (sins of omission [ the example of the rich man in the Gospel today was an good example of this] ).  The Church teaches that "God predestines no one to go to hell (p.1037)."

Before closing, let me just make a few other points that counter what I deem popular misconceptions today of hell.

1) People in hell are not dead, they are alive.  Everyone lives forever.  It is just a question of whether they live in heaven or hell.  Some people equate going to hell with dying.  No, souls in heaven are more alive than they would like to be.  They experience separation, deep regret (remorse), and despair, all too vividly.
2) The real torment of hell is not physical, it is emotional and spiritual.  There have been documented cases of saints living through fire, and keeping their joy through the process.  No, fire cannot really harm us if we are connected to God.  Any fire that exists in hell is not what really causes the souls there pain.   It is the aforementioned separation, remorse, and despair.
3) Hell is an easy place to avoid, but somehow many wind up there.  Numerous Scripture passages give credence to the idea that there more than a few people in hell.   Look up Matthew 7:13-14, Mark 20:16, Luke 13:23-24, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Peter 4:18.  As Saint Alphonsus Ligouri alluded to, people in hell see, too late, that it didn't require too much to save their soul, but they didn't even do that much, and instead, they went after trifling, passing pleasures like sex, power, and money, which never last long, and never satisfy. 

Heaven is not easy to get into.  We have to work out our salvation to get there.  The good news, is hell is not easy to get into, either.  However, just like heaven, many people still wind up there, despite the fact that many in and outside the Church say otherwise today.
 
We want to do good and avoid evil now to avoid going to hell.   We want to pray.  We want to serve Christ in the physical and spiritual poor around us.  We want to avoid indulgence in the passions and pleasures of this passing world.  If we do these things, we will avoid hell.  Yes, hell is easy to avoid, but somehow many people wind up there.  Let's not be one of them.

Joseph, terror of demons, and patron of the dying, pray for us.

Other sins against chastity and marriage

In our post earlier today, we spoke of the sin of homosexual sex, and the phenomenon of  "same sex marriage".  Both of these are offenses against chastity and true marriage.
In this post, we will speak of other sins that are also serious offenses against chastity, and/or true marriage.
We did mention chastity in a previous post, but let's recall again her definition, so we can see exactly what these sins go against:

Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man's belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman.  The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift. (Catechism of the Catholic Church p.2337)

Therefore, any sin against chastity is a sign that our sexuality is not fully integrated in our person, there is not unity of man in our bodily and spiritual being, and we are not making a gift of ourself to another.   For example, those who practice homosexual sex, are going against how their bodies are designed.  This reflects disunity within oneself and lack of integration.  As we tried to show in the last post, people who engage in homosexual sex are really not making a true gift to each other, even if they sincerely think and/or say they are.

With that as a backdrop, here are the other sins against this virtue of chastity as described in Part Three, Article 6, of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

1) Lust   This is a desire for sexual pleasure for its own sake, not for any unitive or procreative purposes.
2) Masturbation   This is deliberate stimulation of the sexual organs in order to derive sexual pleasure.
3) Fornication  This is a carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman.
4) Pornography  This is displaying deliberately sexual acts to third parties, removing them from the intimacies of partners.
5) Prostitution   This is paying, or accepting pay, for sexual pleasure.
6) Rape  This is the forceful violation of the sexual intimacy of another person.

What is the common feature to all of these?  They take the natural sexual act (as described in the last post), which is ordered to the good of spouses, and to the generation of children, and distort it for purposes it is not created for.  These sinful acts are for sexual pleasure alone, which is not the ultimate goal of sex.  They are for purposes other than lasting intimacy between a man and a woman.  They are all unnatural acts, even though unfortunately, they may seem natural for those who fail to control their urges, and consistently give in to them.  They represent the actions of someone who, as we stated before, has not integrated his or her sexuality with his or her spirituality and morality, and whom is not therefore giving a total gift of him or herself to another, especially when he or she has sex with them.

In addition to these sins against chastity, the Catechism also lists sins that go directly against the good of natural marriage.  However, to a degree, each can be considered a sin against chastity, as well, for reasons that should be evident.

1) Adultery  This is sexual relations between two people, at least one of whom is married to another party.
2) Divorce   This is breaking of the the marital covenant the two spouses entered into, which states they will love one another until death do them part.
3) Polygamy  This is being "married" to more than one person at a time.
4) Incest  This is sexual relations between relatives or in-laws.
5) Sexual abuse  This is forced sexual activity by an adult on a child or adolescent. (The Catechism lists it here as it often connected to incest, but it can also be totally non-familial, as well.)
6) "Free unions"  This is sexual relations between people who have not made a commitment to each other (living together before marriage would fall under this category).

What do all of these have in common?  They go against the natural desire in the human heart of man for love that is exclusive, permanent, and life-giving, the kind of love that can only be found in natural marriage.  They go against the good of the family; the source, fruit, and sustainer of that kind of love.  They ultimately do not satisfy.

The degree to which an individual is culpable in all these offenses in both lists, as well as homosexual sex, can be mitigated by factors such as destitution, blackmail, or social pressure.  However, the acts in and of themselves remain seriously sinful.

Unfortunately, reading through both these lists, one can see that members of the Church have not immune from these by any means.  These sins, as well as that of homosexual acts, have unfortunately been committed by both lay and clergy in the Body of Christ. When a member of the Church commits these sins, they entice others to do the same.  This is grave scandal.  We must pray through the intercession of the chaste hearts of Joseph and Mary that these sins can be purged from the Church, so that she may once again shine in splendor before all the nations, and call others to a fully integrated bodily and spiritual life in Christ Jesus, the best life of all.

I offer final thought.  Some may see these lists and say, "How can you put two consensual adults having sex (be it heterosexual or homosexual) on the same list as things like rape and prostitution and child abuse?"  Well, besides the venerable saying that "a sin is a sin", I will also offer up the following:  If we want to get rid of these severe problems of rape and child abuse, the only solution is to recapture the entire holistic, uplifting view of the human person and sexuality that the Church teaches.  (There is more than what I spoke of in these recent posts, I encourage everyone to read the entire Part Three, Article Six of the Catechism, and/or summaries of Saint John Paul II's Theology of the Body to find out more. )  The sex abuse crisis (which was mostly a crisis of homosexual priests preying on adolescent boys) occurred in the Church because her members were not living the fullness of her teaching.  The predators had disunity in their lives.  They preached and maybe lived social justice, but definitely did not preach nor did they live sexual morality.  Their spirituality was definitely not integrated!  Those who looked the other way (i.e. bishops and religious superiors) were not convinced that their sexual behaviors were sins; rather, they just thought they were diseases that could be cured medically, and didn't necessarily need moral and spiritual healing.  To root out what society deems serious sin, all sin must be called out and purged, regardless if society deems some sins not serious, or perhaps not even sins at all.  We have to learn from our experience what happens when we only call out some sin, and not others.

The virtue of purity is connected to chastity.  Those who are impure lust after others, which can lead to any or all of the sexual sins noted above.   Jesus condemns impurity as much as he condemns any of these sexual acts:

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28)

Therefore praying for purity is important for us to do to help us in our struggle against the temptation to engage in any of these sins. I will close this post with this beautiful prayer for purity to good and chaste Saint Joseph.

Prayer of St. Joseph for Purity

Guardian of virgins and holy father St. Joseph
To whose faithful custody Christ Jesus, innocence itself
And Mary, virgin of virgins was committed:
I pray and beseech you
By these dear pledges, Jesus and Mary,
That being preserved from all impurity
I may with spotless mind,
Pure heart,
And chaste body,
Ever most chastely serve Jesus and Mary
All the days of my life.

Amen.

Tough teachings: Same sex marriage

Today we will discuss the third of three difficult teachings of the Church that many find difficult to accept these days.  In the first post in this series, we discussed contraception.   In the second, we discussed abortion.  Today, we will discuss homosexuality and same sex marriage.

This is by far, I think, the most sensitive of the three.   I think a lot of people today can at least appreciate or understand why the Church condemns abortion, even if they do not agree with her.  With contraception, a lot of people do not understand why the Church condemns it, and may think she is just naïve or something along those lines.  I do not think, however, in general that people get mad, angry, or militant towards her for this teaching. 
However, when it comes to this difficult teaching regarding marriage, many not only disagree with the Church, but turn violent towards her because of it.   In the opinion of this blog, there is truly a war going on these days regarding marriage.  Those who support traditional marriage, and therefore, do not approve of same sex "marriage", are often classified as hateful bigots, or even evil. 
Sister Lucia, one of the three children who saw Our Lady of Fatima (one of the approved apparitions of Our Lady) said this shortly before her death in 2005:

The final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family. Don’t be afraid, because anyone who operates for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be contended and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue.  However, Our Lady has already crushed its head.

Other predictions at Fatima have come true, so there is good reason to believe this has or will come true, as well.

Despite this prediction of ultimate victory, right now, it does not seem the war is going the way of those who support traditional marriage.  More and more states are approving of "same sex marriage".  In general, homosexual behavior is generally looked at being morally equivalent to traditional heterosexual behavior, or, at least, the feeling is those who practice homosexual behavior should be left alone to do as they please. 

So, why does the Church teach that marriage is only between one man and one woman?  Well, to put it simply, she does not accept same sex marriage because she teaches homosexual acts are sinful.  Those who are in a same sex marriage are put in a position where the temptation is strong to perform such acts constantly.  Two men living together or two women living together who are attracted to each other will be tempted strongly to do those acts over and over again, and put their salvation in jeopardy.

So, the real question is not so much why the Church does not support "same sex marriage", but rather, why does she teach that homosexual acts are sinful?  Once we understand that, we can better understand why the Church teaches against same sex marriage. Let's consider a few things.  (Before we go any further, please be warned some of the material below is for mature audiences only.)

1) The homosexual act goes against the natural law. 

By the inner conscience of man, and the visible world of creation, man can come to know certain truths. We hinted at this when we discussed ways of coming to know God in a post earlier this year.  By those same powers of conscience and simple observation, one can see and feel that there is a fundamental ontological difference and meaning between sexual intercourse between a man and a woman and all other forms of sex.  Only one type of sexual activity corresponds with the parts of natural human anatomy and physiology that have been designed for sex.  That activity is sexual intercourse between a man and a woman that involves the penis and the vagina.

Consider the alternative forms of sex that a person must use if he or she is trying to have sexual relations with someone from their own gender.  Anal sex is one frequently used.  However, the rectum is clearly not designed for sexual pleasure as is the vagina.  The tissues in the anus, unlike those in a vagina, do not provide natural lubrication. It is painful without artificial lubrication. It is a high risk sexual practice.  It does not generally produce arousal.

Oral sex is another form frequently practiced. It involves the penis or the vagina, but not both.  Therefore, with oral sex, generally only one partner can get aroused.  In other words, one person is being used for another person's fulfillment. 

Finally, there are various forms of non-penetrative sex, which again, can create pleasure, but in no way brings two people together like it can in natural sexual intercourse.  Because it cannot do so, it lacks the meaning, and potential for fulfillment that natural sexual intercourse has. 

At the end, in all types of homosexual acts, there is nothing that is mutually shared between the two persons, no bonding, no unity.  In these acts, one person is using another person's body to get something for him or herself.  The pleasure is forced, not natural as it is in intercourse. The persons involved may not admit that using another is what is going on, and/or probably do not intend to do so, but it is the reality nonetheless. The only type of sex in which there is mutual giving and mutual receiving is natural sexual intercouse.  All other sex, to be blunt, is selfish, and it is also dangerous because it involves using body parts that are not designed for sexual behavior.

2) The homosexual act is not open to the gift of life. 

Besides the pleasure associated with the sexual act, which serves to foster intimacy and union, the sexual act is a way of cooperating with God the Creator.  Neither anal sex nor oral sex nor any form of non-penetrative sex can produce a new life.  There is no possibility of lasting fruit with any of them.

So, because homosexual acts are ultimately selfish (even if those who practice do not realize it, or intend it to be selfish), dangerous, and not open to life, the Church teaches that these acts are morally wrong, and those who engage in them must repent, lest their salvation be in jeopardy.  "Same sex marriage", by it's nature and meaning, celebrates these sinful acts, and therefore, cannot and will not ever be approved by the Church.

A few points, however, are now in order.

1)  As with the other two sins we discussed in this series (contraception and abortion), despite the seriousness of these sins of homosexual sex, there is mercy and forgiveness available from Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of Reconciliation for those who have practiced them.

2) Furthermore, the Church teaches that we must treat people who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies with compassion and respect.  I will quote paragraph 2358 of the Catechism in its entirety:

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

3) There is hope for those who have these deep seated homosexual tendencies.  There is compelling evidence that no one is "born" this way.  Through the Sacraments, prayer, counseling, and disinterested friendship, people who suffer with these tendencies can experience the healing and freedom that comes with a life in Christ, be able to practice self-mastery, and may even be able to enter into a new life that includes the practice of sexual behavior that is satisfying, fruitful, and serves the common good.

If anyone is interested in reading Scripture passages that testify to God's view of homosexual behavior, and therefore the Church teaching against it, see the following:

Genesis 18: 16- 19:29 (the story of Sodom and Gamorrah)

Romans 1:24-27

Another word for homosexual behavior in Christian tradition is "sodomy" (named after the aforementioned city of Sodom).   One who practiced sodomy in the times of the Bible was called a "sodomite" and references to them can be found in 1 Corinthians 6:10 and 1 Timothy 1:10.

This has probably been the most difficult post in this blog's history to write because it is such a sensitive topic, and there are readers of this blog who practice homosexual behavior, and/or have friends and/or loved ones people who do.   This blog, as does the Church, truly strives to love every man, and every woman.  However, true love includes telling ourselves and those we care about when we are doing things that put our/their salvation in jeopardy, and engaging in homosexual acts is one such thing that can do just that. 

We referenced self-mastery above.  Part of the virtue of chastity is indeed self-mastery, a governing of our sexual passions.  All persons, including those who have homosexual tendencies, are called to chastity.  Any of us, when tempted with any sexual sin, can turn to Saint Joseph.

 

Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who implored your help and sought your intercession were left unassisted.
 Full of confidence in your power I fly unto you and beg your protection.
 Despise not O Guardian of the Redeemer my humble supplication, but in your bounty, hear and answer me. Amen.

Joseph, most chaste, pray for us.

In our next post, we will discuss other sexual sins.

Tough teachings: abortion

This is the second in a three part series on some of the tougher teachings of the Church for many to accept.  Last week, we dealt with contraception, today we will discuss abortion, and in the next post, we will discuss homosexuality and same sex marriage.

For this blog, the bottom line on abortion is this:  if we cannot uphold the right of an unborn, innocent child to life, then we have no foundation on which to defend the right to life of anyone else.  If we cannot protect the most vulnerable among us, how can we possibly expect to think we can say with any moral or philosophical certitude that we should defend and help the poor, the widowed, people with special needs, the elderly, the persecuted, and other vulnerable populations?  Where is the moral imperative to do those other noble good works, if we at the same time, are allowing innocent children to have their lives ended in the womb?  
However, if we have a consistent ethic of life, that affirms the need to protect human life at all its stages, then we absolutely have a solid foundation on which to demand that we do whatever we need to do to feed the poor, clothe the naked, defend the widow, and keep alive all our vulnerable populations; the elderly, special needs children, the persecuted.  Getting the abortion issue right is key to having a peaceful, generous society, as a whole.  Can anyone truly say that we live in a generous society nowadays?
This consistent ethic of life is expressed in the Catechism in paragraphs (2270-2275) on abortion.  It states in paragraph 2270:
Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person - among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.
It then quotes a well-known Scripture verse from Jeremiah 1:5:   Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.

So, abortion is not just an issue between a woman and her doctor, because it has ramifications for the good of society, as well. 

Some, however, will contend that this issue is really just a modern issue, and the Bible doesn't speak on this issue,. Therefore, they say, just because one supports abortion rights, it does not mean he or she goes against the teachings of Jesus.
However, we have spoken at length in the blog about how Our Lord founded a Church, and that the Church is the authentic interpreter of Divine Revelation, which includes Sacred Scripture.  The Bible was never meant to be a stand alone document.  Therefore, the argument is invalid that says that since the Bible doesn't speak the word "abortion", the Church has no right to say abortion is morally wrong.
The Catechism addresses the history of the teaching of the Church against abortion in paragraph 2271: Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.  It then quotes from a document called the Didache, which is from the first century, and believed to be the first attempt on the part of the early Church to put together in writing her teachings.   You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.⁷⁵   So we can see abortion has been taught as wrong by the Church for a long time, contrary to what many say today.

Another objection to the Church's teaching on abortion is that there needs to be exceptions to save the life and health of the mother.  Well, the fact is that direct abortion is never medically necessary to protect the life of anyone.  Sometimes, an unborn child may die as a side effect of a treatment given to save the life of a pregnant woman who perhaps, for example, has cancer or life-threating seizures.  There is never a medical necessity to kill a child in order to save a woman.  Again, something done to a woman's body may result in the child's life unintentionally being ended, but that is not what we are speaking of here.
In his encyclical Evangelium Vitae,(On Human Life), Saint John Paul II clarifies exactly what the Church is against when she speaks against abortion.  "I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. " (no.62)   Note what he says: "direct" abortion, and abortion "willed as an end or as a means", are wrong.    (Astute readers may note in the Catechism paragraph I quoted above, it, too, clarified that it was specifically "procured" abortion that was wrong.)

So, one can say that inadvertent abortion is tragic, but may be morally acceptable in limited circumstances, but direct abortion, used for any reason, up to and including saving the life of the mother, is morally wrong.  Noone can be permitted to will an abortion.  If one happens as a side effect to something else, that can be morally permissible, but a directed, procured abortion is never acceptable. 

The laws today, however, generally allow for abortion anytime, anywhere.  They absolutely allow direct, procured abortion.  This is not acceptable.
In the opinion of this blog, it is not acceptable for a person to support a political candidate who does not support any change to the current abortion laws.  The only case where one could support such a candidate would be if the other candidate was threatening to kill people him or herself.  That is the not the case today.  Neither candidate is doing such a thing.   Therefore, those of us who are using the excuse of supporting a candidate, such as the current Democratic candidate, who support the abortion laws staying as they are, in the name of stopping another candidate (for example, the leading Republican candidate), are not justified in their reasoning.   No candidate is threatening to kill people. 

In light of all this, it is this blog's stance that voting for the current Democratic candidate is not a morally viable option for any faithful Catholic.  I am not saying one therefore has to vote for the current leading Republican candidate.   But since the current Republican candidate is not threatening to kill anyone himself, voting for the other pro-abortion candidate to stop him is not a valid reason for doing so.  Any Catholic bishop, priest, or media person who says otherwise is wrong.

In closing, let me quote a few paragraphs from a post I did a little over a year ago about Saint Joseph and his role as patron of the unborn.   As you read this, you will see that even with this serious sin, there is opportunity for mercy, healing, and forgiveness.

It is moments like this that we can turn to people like Saint Joseph for inspiration.   His whole life he protected and defended life.  After the angel first appeared to him, he "took his wife into his home" (Matthew 8:24).  Mary was pregnant at the time.  Therefore, Joseph took an unborn life into his home.  We are called to do the same, bring life into our homes. We need to welcome the unborn like Joseph did, even if they are not our biological own.   It is fair and just to to be concerned with unborn babies that are not in our own wombs, contrary to what some pro-"choice" advocates may say.

 Later on, Joseph took Mary and the child and fled to Egypt, again at the request of an angel (Matthew 2:13-14) .  Why?  Because Herod was going to destroy him.   Joseph here takes the steps necessary to defend the life of a child who is targeted for execution.   We must do the same for the unborn babies today who are under the same fate due to legalized abortion.

Another interesting aspect of Joseph's mission was that he was the one who was told by the angel to name the child Jesus (Matthew 1:22) .  His example shows us that it is important to give every child a name.  His intercession is used sometimes by groups who assist mothers who have had abortions to give their aborted child a name as part of the grieving and healing process post-abortion.

While the title "patron of the unborn" is not in the official Litany to Saint Joseph, it is a title some pro-life groups have given him today.  It should be clear from these examples why.  A group that has specialized in post-abortion healing came up with the prayer copied below. This prayer can be said for all those babies aborted at Planned Parenthood over the years, ideally by the men and women involved with the abortion as part of their healing process, but if not them, then by us.  I will close this post with this prayer.

O St. Joseph, after your most holy spouse, our Blessed Mother, you were the first to take into your arms and heart the baby Jesus. From the first time you gazed upon him and held him, your heart and soul were forever bonded to him. You caressed the Holy Child with fatherly love and affection, and you committed yourself always to love, protect, and care for this Son.

Look now with similar love and affection upon this child of mine, who has gone from this world. I place my child, as well as my grief and guilt, into the eternal embrace of your arms. Hold and caress my child for me with the love of my arms and sweetly kiss my child with all the tender affection of my heart.

As God the Father entrusted the care of His most precious Son into your most loving and confident hands, so too do I entrust into your fatherly care this child of mine. Please present him to the merciful hands of Our Lord, so that one day, when I too leave this world, my child may greet me into eternal life. Amen

Tough teachings: Contraception

All of the Scripture readings today spoke of the trials persecutions believers may encounter when living and proclaiming the Gospel.  When the power of real truth and love encounter the evils of the world (including evils that are sometimes portrayed as good), conflict often arises.  Sometimes, that conflict can come at great cost to the believer, up to and including his or her own death.  
In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah was thrown into a cistern (Jeremiah 38:6).   In the second reading, believers are encouraged to resist evil to the "point of shedding blood." (Hebrews 12:4)  In the Gospel selection (Luke 12:49-53), Jesus speaks of division, even within families, that can come when some believers accept and proclaim the truth, and some do not.  Our Lord says,

Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

This blog was inspired by today's readings to start a short series on some of the more challenging teachings of Our Lord and His Church that are indeed a cause of great division today, even within the Church.  These three teachings that cause a lot of division are contraception, abortion, and same sex marriage.   We will do a separate blog post for each of these three issues, starting today with contraception.

All three of these ideas (contraception, abortion, same sex marriage)  begin with the premise that we can do whatever we want with our bodies, whenever we want.  This is the mentality of modern man, especially after the sexual liberation of the twentieth century.  We are told that we are the masters of our bodies, we can do with them whatever we please.  We can have sex whenever we want, with whomever we want to.  We can put whatever we want into our bodies.   If something is in our bodies we can do whatever we want with it.
But is the truth?   Reading Scripture, I think we would come to different conclusions.  Right in the beginning of the Bible, we read this "God created man in his image, in the divine image he created him, male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27)   Therefore, we have to conclude that if we are made in the image of God, that are bodies are not designed to do things God wouldn't approve of.   Would God approve of contraception, abortion, and/or same sex marriage?

Let's look at contraception.   

If you break the word down, it means "against conception" (contra- ‘against’ + a shortened form of conception.) .  So, the act is against conception.  Well, there is the first clue God would not approve of it.   It is against something He created, the act of conception.   How do human beings come into the world?   They do through conception.  Therefore, conception is a good thing because human beings come into the world through it.   Without conception, there is no birth, no baby, no beautiful child, and correspondingly, no further children.  Something that goes against all that cannot be a good thing.

We often hear the phrase "actions speak louder than words".   We speak more than with just words.  Saint John Paul II spoke of the "nuptial meaning of the body".   Through all the actions of our body, we speak something.  As I have stated before, God spoke through the person of His Son.  That person was not just a spirit, it was a body.  Bottom line, our bodies speak!  When we use contraception in the midst of the conjugal act, what are we saying?  We are saying we love the other person, but not with our whole selves.  Is this really the love we want to show the other person, especially in such a deep and profound moment?  By using contraception, we indeed make it look like we are giving our whole selves to the other, but we really are not.  Contraception makes us liars.   God, who is truth, does not lie, and we who are created in his image, are made for truth, not for falsehood.  Therefore, in addition to going against the good, it goes against truth, and that is another reason why God would not approve of contraception.

Again, close to the beginning of the Bible, God says "Be fruitful and multiply.  Fill the earth and subdue it." (Genesis 1:28).  God wants to fill the earth with people made in his image!   Contraception specifically, and all forms of population control in general, goes directly against this wish of God's.  It is a serious offense.  (For those of you who believe the world is overpopulated, consider this.  You could fit everyone in the world today in the state of Texas, and each person would have a townhouse! )
There are serious affects when we lower birth rates.  Lowering birth rates, this blog believes, are a major cause of the rise of terrorism, especially in Europe, where the traditional Christian population is using contraception and aborting itself to the brink of extinction, making it vulnerable to Islamic infiltration.   Also, when a society practises birth control, the ratio of men and women becomes more uneven, and it makes it harder for a man to find a woman and vice versa.  When that happens, there is no proper outlet to channel sexual impulses, and bad things like child abuse and rape are more prone to happen.

Finally, let us read the exact words of the Catechism on this matter, which quote the 1968 encyclical Humane Vitae.  "Every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil." (p.2370)   When we introduce something to thwart fecundity, into to an act that is designed by God to promote fecundity, we do grave evil.   The conjugal act is oriented towards a certain good and a certain truth as we have seen.   By interfering with these, contraception doesn't just do that, it fosters dire consequences for humanity as a whole, as we have seen.  For all these reasons, the Church teaches that contraception is a sin, and if we have engaged in an act(s) of contraception , we need to repent, and receive the mercy of God, or else our salvation may be at risk.

For more details on this topic, you can read Humane Vitae  as a whole.  It is not a long encyclical, it can be read in under an hour.  The Catechism speaks of sexuality in Part Three, Article 6, and has many beautiful things to say about it.  This part, too, can be read in under an hour.  John Paul II spoke extensively on his Wednesday audiences in the early 1980's  on the Theology of the Body. (This cannot be read in an hour, lol.)  This is deep material, and may be a little too heady for the average person not versed in theology.  Reading through summaries of them would probably be easier.   

The Catechism refers to chastity as "the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being (p.2337)."  Chastity ensures our sexual behavior lines up with our deeper moral and spiritual behavior.  One who practises chastity well is called "chaste".  In the litany to Saint Joseph, we see that word come up twice.  Joseph is referred to as "Chaste guardian of the virgin, and "most chaste".   If we struggle with the sin of contraception, either because we do it, or we cannot understand why it is a sin, or both, we can pray to Saint Joseph to help us.

Joseph, most chaste, pray for us.