IF SOMETHING YOU READ SEEMS OFF - INVESTIGATE!

Don’t take everything that you read at face value even if it appears in the newspaper and is authored by someone who we are told, “is a professor of history emeritus at Northwestern University” and “is the author of ‘Why I Am a Catholic.”  Intelligence, wisdom and understanding are all separate gifts and simply because someone has a “high education” does not mean that they have a grasp on all three of these gifts or that all of their arguments are altruistic.

Such is the case with the editorial in Monday’s Beacon Journal by Garry Wills.  Even if someone might agree with his conclusion, his path to it was a strained one at best.  There are so many problems with this article that one post would not be enough to point them all out.  At least for today two will be pointed out.

The first is an unneeded exaggeration to help make his point.  It is dishonest.  Remember when God said to Adam, “From that tree you shall not eat; for from the moment you eat from it, you are surely doomed to die.”  Gen 2:17.  Later, when speaking with Satan, Eve reports, “it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘you shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die!’"  This is an exaggeration of what God said and makes God appear less reasonable and maybe even a little vengeful.  So when Mr. Wills says that the Church says, “You can be gay so long as you don’t do anything about it,” one must ask the question if this is really what the Church (and as Catholics we would ask is that really what Christ) says?  What it does say is that one may not have a sexual relationship with someone who is not your opposite gender spouse.  Is there far more compassion and room for living in that than the rather sterile and cold, “you can’t do anything about it”?  If a person really believes in the truth of their argument, then they should not need to rely on exaggeration or slights in order to make it.  It should stand on its own.  This is the first sign that Mr. Wills is not exactly confident of his theological position.

The second big area of difficulty is his understanding and use of natural law (which he labels as a “quaint theory.”)  Again, if you need to make light of something in order to make your point, you’ve already begun to weaken your position.  

But here is where I am stuck.  I am not sure if Mr. Wills understands Natural Law so poorly that if he had a similar application in a term paper he might flunk the course, or if he understands it so brilliantly that he is attempting to misapply it so ingeniously in order to lead people astray.  He makes the misleading statement that, “the first biological use of an activity is the only permissible use of that activity.”  (Again, see the Eve problem above.)  This would mean then, that a married couple is not permitted to enjoy sexual relations, that they must only engage in it for procreative purposes.  This is “absurd” he says.  As proof, he says that if we truly follow Natural Law then eating should only be for fuel and we would no longer be able to eat wedding cake or drink champagne.  I would agree with him if this actually had anything to do with Natural Law or actual Church teaching.  Yet he uses this example to say, in essence, if you see that as absurd, then one could logically see the ban on sexual relations outside of traditional marriage as absurd.  But here, once again, he hurts his case.

A married couple can enjoy sex.  There is a broad spectrum of activities in which they may engage.  They may, so to speak, eat cake and drink champagne.  What they may not do is eat things that are not good for them.  We are not permitted by Natural Law to eat road tar for the same reason a person should not put sugar in the gas tank of their car.  Neither should a person eat far more than they need for sustenance (that is called gluttony.)  Except in cases of emergency, we should not try ingesting food through orifices that are not designed for the intake of nutrition.  This is Natural Law, not the banning of champagne toasts.  

Mr. Wills did have some good points not the least of which is the unhealthy keeping of secrets that should not be kept.  But his arguments are so poorly concocted as to do more harm to his point than good - at least for those who are will not to just accept whatever it is that they are reading but to think well for themselves.

GET RID OF "THEM"

A few years ago it was obvious that the Catholic Church should get rid of celibacy because it led to sexual abuse.  With the latest round of sexual abuse in news, sports, entertainment, and politics (and there are some other major areas that have yet to be tapped,) to what should we attribute it now?  Should we get rid of politics and entertainment?  Should we get rid of men?  Most of these people are married, should we rid ourselves of the obvious scourge of marriage?  Maybe we should level the playing field so that nobody has power.  (But of course, then who would have the power to enforce that?)  On to what bandwagon should we all jump this time?

May I suggest one?  How about the bandwagon that says all humans have inherent dignity, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.  It is when we start chipping away at the eternal worth of any human soul that all people’s worth is damaged.  If I am willing to put the child in the womb, the criminal, the sick and elderly to death, then I too have decreased in value as the bar for the worthy has been raised against me - I come closer to being the person to be used by others for their own end.

We need heroes and role models; saints and stars.  But we cannot place them on so high a pedestal (and the rest of us so low to the ground) that they can use that glory to dazzle the eyes of those who gaze up that them, blinding them of their own dignity and allowing themselves to be mistreated.

There is no lifestyle (married, single, divorced, celibate, etc) that causes someone to be an abuser.  There are people with power who are abusers regardless of their lifestyle.  These abuse scandals are an alarm that we all need help in becoming a healthier culture, not a bunch of irate and blind finger pointers.  It is the sin we will not tolerate from anyone.

GOOD THING GOD INVENTED FIGS

As a student, for a summer, I lived with an alcoholic.  At first I was living on my own, house sitting through the graciousness of a friend and then was told, “This guys needs a place to stay.  He’s just coming off drinking and is trying to get his life together so I though he could stay in the house with you.”

I was cool with that and realized that I would need to get rid of the wine in the refrigerator that I enjoyed with dinner at night.  Now, I could have whined (ha) and complained and said, “I have every right as an American citizen to eat and drink as I wish and choose.  Everybody else should be responsible and control themselves.  This guys should be responsible for his drinking and I should not have to live differently just because he isn’t.”

The problem is that there is a modicum of truth to that but it would be cruel and idiotic.

Yet that is exactly what we do as a nation with something far more powerful and potentially damaging.  We push sexuality to the fore, we exploit it for advertising, use it gratuitously in art, demand that in the name of equality men and women be put in potentially compromising positions with each other (aka the near occasion of sin,) and push to promote the rights of those who wish to act out provocatively in public as far as possible with just the barest and thinest veil of modesty still in place.  Then, when people act out inappropriately (as we all agree they should NOT do) we are surprised, shocked, angry, and vengeful.

This is a broken model that is not working well.  It is a problem when we both celebrate liberty as license and do not recognize the fallen nature of man.  It is problem when we overly celebrate the individual and not the communal (catholic) nature of humanity.  It is dangerous when we don’t balance the dignity of the individual with the life of the Body of Christ.  It is not dealing with the fact that, while under our clothes we are all naked, there is a reason for fig leaves.

LOST IDENTITY

A female college student acquaintance was taking a class in which the students were asked to come up with 10 words or phrases with which they identified themselves. The student’s first word was “female.” She was upbraided for saying this and the professor was in wonder that anybody would choose their sex as an aspect of who they are that filters the way they relate to the world. (I wonder if the same dressing down would have occurred if the student had referred to a different lifestyle choice?) 

In point of fact in the Christian world – and in particular the Catholic Christian world this would have definitely been in the top ten if not the top two (child of God vying for first place) proper descriptions. We are not souls occupying a body – we are very much our bodies (and we say every week that we believe in the resurrection of our bodies.) Our sex is far more than other aspects of who we are. “Bald” or “stoop-shouldered” or “athletic” do not carry the same weight in having an effect in how we see the world as does being male or female. This foundational mark of who we are is also the lens through which we see the world and relate to others and God. It is not something to be ignored but something to be cherished, understood, appropriately used, and celebrated. To say that it is inconsequential is damaging to the dignity we have as human beings and to the ability to feel at home in our bodies.

There are those who would solve much of the world’s problems by doing what is possible to rid ourselves of the differences between men and women. This seems logical. In history there has been an inequality between the sexes and erasing that which makes us different does seem like a logical fix. But it is not. Erasing our identity is not a move toward health but a different sickness. Rather, a full respect of who we are as embodied beings, accepting it, honoring it, and realizing (as it says in the rite of blessing at marriage) that we are partners equal in the inheritance of heaven, and correcting any inequalities there may be between the sexes is the path to a better world. We can only do this by recognizing the true worth of our bodies and their unique gifts rather than ignoring the fact that differences exists.

FEELING GROOVY

I like to eat. I like to eat a lot. My four favorite food groups are 1) meaty 2) cheesy 3) greasy, and 4) extra cheese. In the midst of a meal that I am eating and enjoying I am already day dreaming about the next opportunity there will be to eat. Such is the pleasure I find in eating.

But we don’t eat because we first enjoy it; we eat because we have to. As one commentator, Janet Smith in her now famous “Contraception; Why Not?” talk (you can read it here) put it, “God attaches pleasure to the things He really wants us to do – that are necessary for our survival. So it’s a pleasure to eat, drink, sleep, and have intercourse – though that’s not the purpose.”

On the one hand it is awfully swell of God to make what is necessary for our survival pleasurable. If eating were like swallowing glass we would probably have starved ourselves out long ago. (Think of how pleasurable it is to breath and how annoying it is when you have cold!) On the other hand, that gift can also be turned into a liability. When we eat only for pleasure we can end up eating the wrong things, or eating way too much, and either of these can lead to a whole host of ailments mind, soul, and especially body. As it may be true that one third of the world is starving to death, it is also true that one third of the world is eating itself to death in one way or the other.

There is a similar danger in thinking that bodily relations between humans is only for pleasure, a lifestyle that contraception (somewhat) made possible. The problem is that pleasure is a side bonus and not the purpose of these relations. And as with such things in the world, when we abuse something and use it for a purpose other than that for which it was intended, problems arise. In this case disease, conceptions, abortion, estrangement, break down of the family structure, and using people as objects of self gratification rather than devoting oneself to another. God made this human experience pleasurable, but more importantly it is supposed to be with the right person in the right situation, at the right time, in the right manner, and in the right way. To not bear this in mind, the benefits of this great and powerful gift of God becomes liabilities, and the pleasure it does give is shallow and can often turn into pain.

PASS THIS INFORMATION ALONG

The sacrament of confession is far from dead and its salvation oddly enough is high tech. No, you cannot Email your confession to your local parish and receive absolution by a return receipt. It is because our computers allow so many to sin “secretly” and in such ways that Christians are embarrassed to talk about it or seek help. So for the average Christian who has a conscience for such things but who is none-the-less addicted there is little help outside of prayer. At least for the Catholic, there is the sacrament of confession that is anonymous, the content of which can never be repeated, and help can be sought. And there is more! The following was put together by Bishop Robert Flynn:

A PRAYER IN A TIME OF TEMPTATION ~ Based on Hebrews 4:14-16
Lord Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, you were tempted in every way we are and yet never sinned. Take me to the throne of Your grace to receive mercy, favor and help. Make me aware of Your presence. Strengthen me in my weakness.

Lead me through the temptations of this life to the love you share with the Father and Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

PRAYER OVER A NEW COMPUTER
Loving God and Father, source of all good and knowledge, we praise you for your loving kindness shown to us through your Son Jesus Christ who became flesh and dwelt among us and through your Holy Spirit poured forth into our hearts. Grant that this new computer may be used in service to you and all truth. May it be an instrument that serves to lift up and not to tear down. May pornography, hatred or any other such evil never appear on this screen. May I and all who use this computer do so with purity of heart and free from all evil. May my work on this computer serve to glorify your name and build up your kingdom. Lead us through this life to share in the perfect love and joy you share with Jesus Christ your Son our Lord and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

ANIMA CHRISTI (Soul of Christ)
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water flowing from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O Good Jesus hear me, in your wounds hide me
and never permit me to be separated from you.
From the evil enemy, defend me
In the hour of my death call me, and grant me to come to you
that with your saints I may praise you for ever and ever. Amen.


MEMORARE
Remember O Most Gracious Virgin Mary,
That never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection,
implored thy help or sought thy intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence I fly unto thee O Virgin of virgins, my mother.
To thee I come; before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions
But in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

From the LITANY OF ST. JOSEPH
Joseph, chaste and just …
Joseph, prudent and brave …
Joseph, obedient and loyal …
Terror of evil spirits …
Protector of the Church, … Pray for us!
Almighty God, in your infinite wisdom and love
you chose Joseph to be the husband of Mary, the mother of Your Son.
As we enjoy his protection on earth, may we have the help of his prayers in heaven.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL
St. Michael the Archangel , defend us in battle. Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by divine power thrust into hell Satan and all the other evil spirits that prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

PRAYER TO MY GUARDIAN ANGEL
Angel of God, my guardian dear; to whom God’s love commends me here: Ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen

A FEW RESOURCES

On-Line Resources

www.dads.org/strugglewithporn.asp is Steve Wood’s catholic website of St. Joseph Covenant keepers.

http://www.pornnomore.com/ is a Catholic site that includes information, prayers, witness talks and many other helpful resources.

http://www.porn-free.org/ is a similar Christian site with many resources.

http://www.nationalcoalition.org/ is the site for the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families. In addition to fighting pornography this organization does much to promote decency and family life.

http://www.freedomeveryday.org/ is sponsored by L.I.F.E. Ministries (Living in Freedom Everyday).

http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/ is a Christian based ministry addressing a number of addictions. Its resources are available in several languages.

http://www.cyberwidows.tripod.com/ is a resource for women whose husbands have problems with pornography. The information here would also be helpful for a husband whose wife is struggling with pornography.

http://www.obscenitycrimes.org/index.php not only has resources about pornography but includes information about fighting indecency.

http://www.sa.org/ is the web site for Sexaholics Anonymous. It shares information and Twelve Step Spirituality for those struggling with sexual addiction.

http://www.blogger.com/www.isafe.org is a site for internet safety and education.

http://www.filterreview.com/ provides a description and customer rating of different internet filters. It is a good single source to learn about many different products.

http://www.covenanteyes.com/ is not a filter but an accountability service. Users will designate two other individuals who will periodically receive reports of all the sites the user has visited. This can work well in conjunction with a filter.

www.archstl.org/prayer is a prayer resource sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Louis. You may type in a request and eight communities of cloistered nuns will pray for your intentions.

Support and Counseling Services

The National Coalition has a toll-free service line at 1-800-583-2964. It is a resource both for those who struggle with pornography as well as for pastors and counselors. Phones are answered Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time.

Reading

The Truth and meaning of Human Sexuality. Pontifical Council for the Family, 1995.
Married Love and the Gift of Life. Pro-Life Secretariat , United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Nov. 14, 2006 .

Many of the above listed web sites will list books that can be helpful. One short but helpful booklet is Breaking Free: 12 Steps to Sexual Purity for Men. It is by Stephen Wood and published by Family Life Center Publications. http://www.familylifecenter.net/

For other reading material regarding a Catholic understanding of human sexuality see Love and Responsibility by Karol Wojtyla and Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul II. The former is a more philosophical work while the latter is much more theological. Some popular secondary sources for these are: Theology of the Body for Beginners and Theology of the Body Explained both by Christopher West and Men and Women are From Eden by Mary Healy.

In 2002 the Pontifical Council for Social Communications issued two documents entitled “The Church and Internet” and “Ethics in Internet.” In 1989 the same council issued a document entitled, “Pornography and Violence in the Communications Media: A Pastoral Response.” These documents may be accessed at http://www.vatican.va/

In 1998 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a document entitled, “Renewing the Mind of the Media” and in 2000 another document entitled, “Your Family and Cyberspace.” Copies may be ordered by calling 1-800-235-8722.

Thanks to Fr. Martin Conner L.C. for sending in this information and to Bishop Robert Finn for pulling this information together.

SOLID MAHOGANY vs VENEER

To be a man or woman of faith means that belief in God has something to do with the kind of person that you are, not simply what you do. It is not an external activity like skiing or baking, it is part of your essence like being male or female. This in turn effects how you see the world and how you react to it.

For example, if a person understands faith as something he does rather than who he is, he might be more inclined to pick and choose from the things that Christians do rather than buy they whole enchilada and “go native” as it were. “Church” then becomes like joining the last gym at which I was a member. There was a basic membership. From there you could get extras such as entrance to the executive dressing rooms where there was a sauna and whirlpool. You could get towel service. You cold have appointments with a masseuse. But even if you did not do all of those things you were still a member of the club. You were in. You picked what you wanted and what you wanted to sacrifice for.

Such a person then might say, “I am Christian, but I do not believe that it should interfere with politics or the bedroom. I am an adult. I can decide what is good for me. I love this woman and having relations with her is my way of expressing my affection for her. Who is the Church to tell me to do otherwise?”

Now, if a person sees faith as something as intimately tied to who he is like being male, he is far less likely to be a cafeteria Catholic. Even if he have other predilections, opting out of being a man is not in the cards save through complicated and expensive illusion. The same should be said of the man or woman of faith. He would say, “I am Christian and that is the lens through which I see life and therefore effects even my politics and what I do behind closed doors. It is like being a gentleman. If I am pleasant in public but rude in private, I am not a gentleman but a rude person who has moments of acting like a gentleman. So if I love this woman, it is more important for me to say no to carnal relations even if I really want to have them because it will be more important for me to see the one I supposedly love get into heaven than it would be for me to demand this action of her for my benefit. We love each other more in saying, “No,” (even though it may not feel like it) than in giving in to what I want.

God and His commandments to love are the very air we breath and must influence every aspect of our lives or our faith is inane. As the devil said in the C. S. Lewis’ Screwtape Letters, “A moderate religion is as good as no religion at all – and much more amusing.”

Here is a poem that gets the same point across using being a gentleman as its theme:

THE GENTLEMAN:

To look at him
a person would see
a man with gentlemanly grace:
the finest of clothes
and goodness knows
a very distinguished face.

He’d sport with the men
and bow to the ladies
with an aristocratic air.
He’d mount a horse
and jump a course
yet never muss his hair.

Of worldly things
he’d quite a grasp
and could converse on every topic;
of Church, state, and sport
and news of all sort,
but would never, ever gossip.

But late at night
once out of sight
his own true nature arose:
He’d burp a lot
and scratch his butt
and pick buggers out of nose.

Too lazy to clean
he’d watch T.V. all day
and he often peed in his sink.
And week old Spam
in an open can
began to horribly stink.

Why does he lead
this two fold life
which to us appears so queer?
The role he would play
was for public display;
his gentlemanly way: A veneer!

SEX

That anyone would have a negative reaction to the title of this post is not the work of God or the Church but of the devil. It is a gift from God and a powerful one at that. It is beautiful, unifying. It changes the face of the earth.

Think how powerful it is. It creates life! It creates entire peoples. Contracept one sexual union between your father and mother and you would not have been born. Go back one more generation and your parents nor your brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews would have been born. Go back one more generation and contracept just one more sexual union and your great grandmother or grandfather would not have been born, none of your Aunts and Uncles, nor your cousins (and their kids) would have been born. Beyond that the number of people can become staggering. What a powerful thing!

When the Church teaches that sex should be saved for marriage, it is not because it is dangerous or dirty or a tool of the devil, but because it is beautiful and powerful and God provides us a way whereby we can engage in sex in the environment in which it is best lived out.

It is interesting to look at the statistics and for premarital sex and cohabitation. Just look at the first page of a search on Google. There reports of divorce rates are three times higher than for couples who wait for marriage. Two other good articles are here and here. The one that suggests anything remotely different is one that says that as long as the only sexual union is with the future husband things may be Okay. It does go on to say however that more than one partner raises the results back through the roof. So if you date someone and have sex (and the average length of relationship is 21 days once sex enters in) the chances are great that the relationship will end and that automatically puts you into the multiple partner relationship category if you ever have sex again.

So why risk it? If you knew that eating Chinese food was bad for your and your partner’s soul and that you raised your chances of divorce in the scores of percentiles you would avoid Chinese restaurants like the plague. There we touch on the why the Church teaches as she does. She wants you to be successful. She wants your relationship to last. She cherishes your marriage. She wants your love to be life long. Do want it too? Statistically and faithfully she teaches the way to do it.

“But our love is different.” So everyone thinks. I hope it is. But why risk it? Rather risk success. Risk being statistically life long partners. Risk chastity. Risk holiness. Give God the benefit of the doubt. Risk offering your spouse holiness. Risk loving to that extent. Risk it all and risk less.

MARRIAGE STATISTICS


(What we are doing as a society is not working!)


1. Of the 2.3 million marriages in 2006, about half (53%) take place in a religious setting.
2. The average cost of a wedding is $27,500.
3. Married households are barely above 50%. Of the U.S. 111 million households, 52% are now made up of married couples with and without children.
4. 25th Wedding Anniversary becoming more rare. There is less than a 50% chance that couples currently married will reach their 25th anniversary.
5. Divorce Rate continues about 50%. While the average divorce rate is 50%, it is 40% for first marriage, 60% for second marriages and 73% for third marriages.
6. The seven year itch continues. Couples separate on the average seven years after marriage and divorce after eight.
7. Over 90% of people get married once. But those marrying are waiting until they are older and they are less likely to remarry following a divorce. Rate of Cohabitation Escalates. Over 6 million couples now cohabit, a dramatic increase from only 500,000 cohabiting couples in 1970.

MEA CULPA, MY BAD

This post is in reference to Monday’s post, “Will the Pope’s Pen Be Mightier than the Bullet?”

To begin, let me say that I am sorry about Monday’s blog. Perhaps that was a little irresponsible. To be honest I did not think anyone would buy the “Amour of Love Campaign” or the designer bulletproof vests with fashion accessories. I should have stuck with the initial urge to also include compassionate bullets. They are sanitary and would help cut down on infections from gun shot wounds. That, perhaps, would have done it. So, sorry and I have already gone to confession per Habemus Papem’s urging.

This false report was loosely based on an NPR segment about the Pope’s visit in Brazil. The news coverage was both skewed and consistent with most of the coverage that they Church in general receives. Be clear; I am not complaining about someone not agreeing with the Church but that there is no fair and impartial coverage of the real issues.

Take for example the issue of the free distribution of condoms. The only part of the Church’s message that got through (or ever gets through) is, “DON’T” while proponents receive sound bites and explanations of their positions. And, of course, the pro-condom group is made up of some really good people who see the problem of sexuality abused and how condoms can solve many of the symptoms of the abuse. They want to prevent pregnancy and illness. This can be difficult for Catholics to stand in opposition to. Who wants to be pro-death and pro-unwanted pregnancies? We can sound pretty stupid.

This was part of the frustration that spawned Monday’s article which had much the same effect. Notice that the fake article took gun fighting for granted. So the obvious solution was to give students bulletproof vests to keep them safe. Carol was the first to point out that it seemed ludicrous that parents were sending their kids to school in which they would regularly participate in gunfights! Wouldn’t you want the government (or concerned parents) to bring gun fighting to an end in the schools? Would not supplying more equipment for gun fighting not only give tacit approval of the fights but also encourage even more of them?

Adoro is the one who made the connection to sex. The Brazilian government is providing free condoms. Let us be very clear, condoms are not fail-safe guards against pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, between improper use and product malfunction their success rate can be alarmingly low (considering that in order to have so called safe sex you would want them to be 100% effective.)

So then the government provides free condoms because, as you know “they are going to ‘do it’ anyway.” But with that condom there is the message that sex is expected and tacitly approved. With that comes a higher sexual activity rate and more and more people playing Sexual Russian Roulette and possibly having to deal with “unwanted children,” or aborting, or adopting out, or perhaps dealing with a debilitating or even deadly disease all under the banner of so called “Safe Sex.” (Some make the case that at least it is safer sex. I find this as absurd as handing out those bulletproof jackets.)

In both articles there are certain assumptions that are understood to be true. There are gunfights. People die in gunfights. Bulletproof vests save lives. If you are against bulletproof vests you are responsible for more people dying. That all seems perfectly logical.

Kids will have sex. Having sex leads to unwanted pregnancies and diseases. Condoms prevent this. If you are against condoms you are only going to create more unwanted children and spread AIDS. That, too, seems logical.

But notice that popular media are always silent when it comes to the Church’s WHY to its teaching. Why is “the Pope” against condoms? Are they evil? No. Not in and of themselves. Perhaps the reason is that condoms give a false sense of “safety” and therefore encourage risky behavior that only adds to the growing population of “unwanted children”; that creates a larger pool of “children raising children” (or grandparents raising children – or worse yet, abortion of children) or that it leads to more sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS.

Perhaps it has to do with trying to get a society to value the human person as a being deserving of dignity and love rather than an object to fulfill personal desires. Wow, with a society that uses each other thusly you might expect to see the divorce rate rise. Imagine that.

Perhaps it has to do with the fact that when people feel that they can have sex and not have to deal with any of the consequences of the act that they might be more inclined to cheat on their spouse causing children to grow up in split homes. A situation JPII referred to as being “orphans with living parents.”

Perhaps it has to do with stemming the tide of man turning in on himself and seeing sex as something to get from another. If we can remove all consequences from sex so that it means little more than two people using the other’s body for personal gratification, then that opens the way to redefining all aspects of the makeup of our culture.

Perhaps too it has to do with building up the human person, giving him control over his life and body, pointing him toward something greater, higher, and nobler.

Yes, people will always have illicit sex and people will always shoot each other. But like handing out bulletproof vests to an entire country in order to cut down on shooting deaths is no way to solve that problem, handing out condoms only adds to the problem, it does not solve it.

We’ve got the best message: Sex is so awesome and wonderful and powerful and it deserves your respect. Be safer, be healthier, prevent more unwanted pregnancies, have more true freedom, understand not only your own dignity but that of those around you, have and give more respect, have integrity, be holy, and live up to the consequences of your decisions.

The condom message: You body is a toy. Indulge in it. Have sex, avoid consequences, take the risk, have at least a better chance of avoiding birth, sickness, and possibly death than without it. Get away with one-night stands. Increase your chances of walking away without any undo attachments. Play the field. You can’t help it anyway.

Yet all we get printed is, “DON’T”

SUNDAY VIDEO ON TAP VIII

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY. I hope you get as much enjoyment out of this as I did.




IN OTHER NEWS:

This is an excellent link to a talk for high schooler's about sex and knowing their worth and why they should consider waiting.

The Diocese of Cleveland E-Newsletter sent out this link for the Catholic Educator's Resource Center.

DOES THIS CHURCH NEED SAVING?

Peter gets what I always thought was a raw deal. Christ calls him Satan simply because Peter seemed to care about His well being in trying to save Him from his future crucifixion (Mark 8:27-33). But it is all clarified in Christ's statement, "You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." In other words, you are missing out on the big picture Peter. Instead of preserving Christ's mission you looked to preserve Christ and, oddly enough, to preserve Christ the way in which you want Him would be to lose Him.

So it is with the Church. An excellent discussion on The Curt Jester (Why Do We Need These Solutions Now) looks at those who say that the Church must be preserved at all costs. All that needs to be done, say some, is to get in line with the prevailing culture (read: married and women clergy, abandoning teaching on pre-marital sex, divorce and marriage, abortion, contraception and the usual host of other issues.) Yet our goal should not be to preserve the Church. The faith is not here to preserve the Church, the Church is here to preserve the faith. If we corrupt the faith to preserve the Church, we lose the need and meaning of the Catholic Church. Yet, if we preserve the faith, the Church will survive. It may not be in the way that we want it, but keeping it the way we want it is thinking like human beings do. We need to think like God does and that means preserving the faith which He gave us above all things.