The Vatican has rightly stated that “exhaustive treatment” of the issue of homosexuality is “complex.” Because it is so complex, there appears to be a lot of confusion out there about the appropriate way to present Catholic teaching on homosexuality, even among faithful Catholics. One of these areas of confusion relates to what we are saying to the public about same-sex attraction being objectively disordered. I have a question for Catholic moms out there who are speaking publicly on this issue, especially the bloggers. What are you teaching your kids about same-sex attraction, and is that consistent with what you say in public about the issue in the context of our culture and public policy?
Mark Latkovic, Professor of Moral Theology at Sacred Heart Seminary, writes at Truth and Charity Forum a very good article offering an overview of Catholic teaching on homosexuality. Unfortunately, as so many articles on this topic are these days, it is a “text book” presentation. As such, it is not likely to convince people who disagree with Catholics on this subject. It can be helpful to Catholic parents, though, who need clarity on this subject so that they can properly catechize their children. Catholic moms, how might you present the following, from Latkovic’s article, to your children? How, too, might you present it on your blog?
Official Catholic moral teaching holds that while the same-sex attraction or inclination is not in itself sinful, the inclination considered anthropologically is an “objective disorder.” By this expression, the Church does not mean that the person who calls himself or herself gay or lesbian is disordered, but that the homosexual orientation (whatever its origin) is so because it inclines one to engage in acts that can only be intrinsically immoral (and therefore harmful on many levels) for the one who performs them.
As a Catholic mom of three teenagers and a pre-teen, here is my very brief rendition of how a Catholic mom might present this to her teenager.
“The Church teaches us that it is always a sin to commit a homosexual act, and that would include any kind of physical contact that is sexual in nature, like touching with hands, or kissing. The Church also teaches us that it isn’t a sin to have desires like that, but that it is still not okay because those are temptations that can lead us into sin. Some people have those kinds of desires, especially when they are going through puberty and are just beginning to think about sex. The vast majority of people are naturally drawn to people of the opposite sex, but sometimes young people are confused about that. If your friends at school are telling you that it is okay to be attracted to someone of the same sex, they are wrong. It is not okay.”
In my experience with my own teenagers, I have noticed that it is difficult for them to understand the difference between something being a “sin” and something being “not okay.” Certainly, the distinction can be confusing for anyone, let alone a teenager. It occurs to me that confusion is spread when Catholics are out there presenting arguments in public that it is “okay” to have same-sex attraction but “not okay” to commit a homosexual act. Do you tell your kids at home that it is “okay” if they are attracted to someone of the same sex? If so, you’re leading them into temptation, not away from it. Read the “Our Father” and see, that’s not good parenting. Are you a Catholic mom of teenagers telling your kids one thing at home and telling the world something different on your blog? That, too, is bad.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Our duty is to speak with clarity on this issue. Unfortunately, when we are discussing matters that are complex even for the Catholic faithful who may be well-studied on Catholic teaching regarding human sexuality, it is difficult to speak out in a way that can be understood by all people, no matter where they are on the spectrum of understanding. Often, you may believe you are being “pastoral” to one person, or a small group of persons, who have a certain understanding of things by denying certain realities that we know are true from our Catholic Faith, but by denying those realities you are not being pastoral to others as you lead them down the path to hell with your failure to speak the truth. For this latter reality, make no mistake, we answer to God. He will judge our intent, to be sure, but don’t forget that even if our intent is good, there are still consequences that influence how long we may be spending in Purgatory.
Everything that I have written above is a reflection of self-examination. It is not easy to sit here and blog about this issue, being a Catholic mom whose kids sometimes read her blog while, at the same time, being something of a missionary in the Catholic blogosphere. Every time I write on this topic, I pray that the Lord will keep me solidly within His will. I fear offending the Lord. I cannot fear offending you. At the same time, my fear of offending the Lord includes an awareness that I will be held accountable on The Day for whether I led people to Him or away from Him in the things that I write. I pray that all of us who write on these issues are looking at it from that perspective.
Widening the public opposition to same-sex marriage, Muslim intellectuals and scholars in France have called on the sizable minority to join major protests against a government bill legalizing the relationship.
“We will protest on January 13 by joining a pluralist campaign to preserve the traditional framework of marriage,” the Muslim activists wrote in the letter cited by Reuters.
“We invite all French Muslims to turn out in large numbers.”
If only Muslims in America would speak out, the Democratic Party here might actually back off on this issue. Catholics and Evangelicals are out in front in opposition to “gay marriage,” but Catholics are taking most of the heat. That is because, when you boil it all down, this is really an attack on the whole idea of patriarchy (fatherhood), and because we Catholics see our bishops and priests as spiritual fathers, the worst vitriol is flung at us and at our spiritual leaders. I can understand that Muslims in America may believe there are more pressing issues to address, but “gay marriage” will impact them just as directly as it impacts Christians. The normalization of homosexual relationships in society is a corrupting influence on all children, whether those children are Muslim, Christian, Jewish or atheist.
Black Christian ministersare coming on board now, in Illinois, in the movement to stop “gay marriage.” Thanks be to God.
In a post about Barack Obama’s proposed third term (yes, you read that right), Father Z offers a concise and (I think) accurate explanation of how liberals corrupt the country.
They introduce something. It’s gets shouted down. But they have bumped the needle a half point in their direction. They introduce it again. It’s gets shouted down again. But they have again bumped the needle a half point in their direction. They introduce it again. It’s gets shouted down again. But they have again bumped the needle a half point in their direction. They introduce it again. It’s gets shouted down again. But they have again bumped the needle a half point in their direction…. until… one day it passes.
They’ve been doing this for decades. Unfortunately, they have a lot of help from Hollywood, whom many Americans pay (through movie tickets, movie rentals, and monthly cable bills) to make horrific things seem less, and less, and less horrific, over time, through desensitization.
There is no Jonah to come preach to America to convince her to turn to God, nor will there be one. We are in the “last days,” in a certain sense, and have been since Jesus came into the world. As it says in the Book of Hebrews:
In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Catholics believe that Our Blessed Mother (who, as a member of creation, was created through Christ) has come to us at times to warn us to turn back to God, but there is no human prophet on earth, nor one to come, to warn us of any impending fire. We either accept Jesus Christ, or we do not, and if we accept Him, we thereby place our necks under the boot heel of the world, and become called to be set on fire spiritually in His Passion.
St. Paul gave this instruction to the Church at Corinth, which seems to apply to us today.
To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill-clad and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things.
These things are difficult, and I fail daily, but it is what we are called to do. Work diligently. Bless those who revile you. Endure when persecuted. Concilate when slandered. In this way, we will be what we are called to be. Otherwise, we become a part of the problem.
(Rome, Dignitatis Humanae Institute) – The liberties of French Christians have long been in a perilous state, however now the recently elected Socialist Government is set to impose a new form of secularist surveillance upon the Church and lay organisations, seeking to discover and ‘dissolve’ any potential cases of what it deems ‘religious pathology.’
The month of Advent saw a disturbing spate of attacks and desecrations of Christian icons and buildings across France; from the burning of a Nativity scene in Savoy, statues decapitated in Frejus and Churches attacked in Mayenne and Soissons. Yet rather than defend the religious liberty of her persecuted people, the French government is pushing ahead with a further curtailment of religious expression.
Announced by President Hollande, the new ‘the National Observatory of Secularism’ will come into being this year, tasked with closely monitoring religious organisations for any potential ‘excesses.’ French Interior Minister Manuel Valls highlighted various Catholic organisations, stating that “All excesses are being minutely registered in case we have to consider dissolving it.”
This aggressive form of imposed laïcité is coupled with the proselytization of what the Socialist education minister Vincent Peillon called a ‘secularist morality’ within the state education system. This compulsory form of re-education will seek to remove any ethics other than the core, secularist, tenets of the Republic. The Federation of State School Parents has already protested against what could be viewed as child indoctrination.
In response to these worrying trends, Benjamin Harnwell, Founder of the Dignitatis Humanae Institute, warned of the dangerous precedents being created:
“The French government has already defied its own constitutional courts on its tax policy and now seeks to redefine its notions of justice and due process. A government that can predetermine your guilt before any actual crime has even been committed, based solely on a supposition of religious belief, has abandoned any claim to being a pluralist democracy and has become something far more sinister. This disturbing move marks yet another descent in a country which already heavily curtails the universal right to public displays of religious expression.”
Is it okay for seminaries to accept men with same-sex attraction?No. It is not okay. Men with “deep-seated homosexual tendencies” are not to be accepted, and “deep-seated” refers to those tendencies which do not disappear as one matures into a role of spiritual fatherhood. There is even a time span given. Any homosexual tendency must be overcome within three years before ordination to the diaconate.
Deep-seated homosexual tendencies, which are found in a number of men and women, are also objectively disordered and, for those same people, often constitute a trial. Such persons must be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. They are called to fulfil God’s will in their lives and to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter[8].
In the light of such teaching, this Dicastery, in accord with the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, believes it necessary to state clearly that the Church, while profoundly respecting the persons in question[9], cannot admit to the seminary or to holy orders those who practise homosexuality, present deep-seated homosexual tendencies or support the so-called “gay culture”[10].
Such persons, in fact, find themselves in a situation that gravely hinders them from relating correctly to men and women. One must in no way overlook the negative consequences that can derive from the ordination of persons with deep-seated homosexual tendencies.
Different, however, would be the case in which one were dealing with homosexual tendencies that were only the expression of a transitory problem – for example, that of an adolescence not yet superseded. Nevertheless, such tendencies must be clearly overcome at least three years before ordination to the diaconate.
Some ask, “Isn’t the desire to become a priest enough?” The answer is no.
The desire alone to become a priest is not sufficient, and there does not exist a right to receive sacred ordination.It belongs to the Church – in her responsibility to define the necessary requirements for receiving the sacraments instituted by Christ – to discern the suitability of him who desires to enter the seminary[12], to accompany him during his years of formation, and to call him to holy orders if he is judged to possess the necessary qualities[13].
Here is some of the reasoning given:
According to the constant Tradition of the Church, only a baptized person of the male sex[4] validly receives sacred Ordination. By means of the Sacrament of Orders, the Holy Spirit configures the candidate to Jesus Christ in a new and specific way: the priest, in fact, sacramentally represents Christ, the head, shepherd and spouse of the Church[5]. Because of this configuration to Christ, the entire life of the sacred minister must be animated by the gift of his whole person to the Church and by an authentic pastoral charity[6].
The candidate to the ordained ministry, therefore, must reach affective maturity. Such maturity will allow him to relate correctly to both men and women, developing in him a true sense of spiritual fatherhood towards the Church community that will be entrusted to him[7].
Spiritual maturity is something ALL Catholics are called to. Maturing spiritually is important for everyone, so it is not “over the top” to expect our candidates for seminary to have attained a certain level of spiritual maturity. Also, spiritual maturity is not limited to our sexual attractions. It covers everything that has a spiritual component, including all of our passions, inclinations, virtues, etc.
Those well-versed in Catholic spirituality understand that the call to holiness is a journey that has many levels and that is sometimes likened to a ladder. Do a Google search of “catholic stages of holiness” (let me Google that for you) and the first two results are from Little Catholic Bubble by Leila Miller. Take a look at this one, for example, which is an answer to a doctrinal quiz.
Question:
Traditional Catholic spirituality speaks of three stages of holiness through which a Christian must pass on his way to perfection. Name the three stages of holiness, and give a brief explanation or characteristic of each one.
Click here to read the answer, which is an excellent, concise explanation of the stages of holiness that should be considered basic spiritual instruction for all of us.
Unfortunately, as Leila can tell you, some people make the mistake of trying to analyze where they are in these stages as if the stages can show you where you are on the proverbial “ladder” to sainthood. In truth, people on the path to sainthood can enter in and out of these three stages at various times, while continuing up the proverbial ladder. Another thing that many people do not realize is what is the most important thing in climbing the ladder. That is, keeping our eyes ever heavenward, and not allowing anything that is of the world, of temptation, or even of disorder, to distract us from the goal of union with Our Lord Jesus Christ. When we are distracted by these concerns, though we may not be in sin, we are held back from this union with Christ. This is just as true for same-sex attraction as it is for any other thing that takes our focus off the Lord.
Call to mind the Passion of SS. Perpetua and Felicity who were martyred at the hands of the Roman government for refusing to offer “Sacrifice” for the Emperor. Saint Perpetua’s First Vision was of the ladder to union with Jesus. The ladder is the Passion we all have a share in, and at the top of the ladder is union with Jesus in Heaven. The milk curd in St. Perpetua’s vision represents the Eucharist, in Heaven, and complete union with Christ. Along the way up the ladder, we meet with various things of the world which will tear at us as we try to ascend the ladder to closer and closer union with Jesus. The only way to ascend the ladder is to remain focused on Jesus and what He is calling us to — complete unity with Him. Walk with me, now, through this vision below, which was penned by St. Perpetua herself, and so it is written from her perspective.
The first part is concerning her state of spiritual openness to being able to receive a vision from Christ. St. Perpetua’s brother said to her that her state of “dignity” was such that she might ask for one.
“Then my brother said to me, ‘My dear sister, you are already in a position of great dignity, and are such that you may ask for a vision, and that it may be made known to you whether this is to result in a passion or an escape.’ And I, who knew that I was privileged to converse with the Lord, whose kindnesses I had found to be so great, boldly promised him, and said, ‘To-morrow I will tell you.’ And I asked, and this was what was shown me.
Here, now, St. Perpetua relates the vision that she asked for and was given.
I saw a golden ladder of marvellous height, reaching up even to heaven, and very narrow, so that persons could only ascend it one by one; and on the sides of the ladder was fixed every kind of iron weapon. There were there swords, lances, hooks, daggers; so that if any one went up carelessly, or not looking upwards, he would be torn to pieces and his flesh would cleave to the iron weapons. And under the ladder itself was crouching a dragon of wonderful size, who lay in wait for those who ascended, and frightened them from the ascent.
This applies to every Christian’s journey toward greater union with Jesus Christ. Many things there are that may tug at our flesh and impede us from ascending the ladder. Same-sex attraction is one of those things. In my case, the thing that tugs at me, personally, is my own impatience. Along with that failure, I have Bipolar Disorder, and as I read what the Church is saying on people with mental illness, I see that there is a place for me in heaven despite my issues with this disorder, provided that with every ounce of free will that I have, I remain focused on Jesus and on God’s will for me. I consider that it is similar for people with other issues that they are born with and that are disordered, including same-sex attraction.
Because the Church is aware that things like Bipolar Disorder and same-sex attraction constitute a continual trial for those who deal with them, both Bipolar Disorder and same-sex attraction, as well as other such issues in one’s life, are impediments to a religious vocation.
Deep-seated homosexual tendencies, which are found in a number of men and women, are also objectively disordered and, for those same people, often constitute a trial. Such persons must be accepted with respect and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. They are called to fulfil God’s will in their lives and to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter[8].
People with Bipolar Disorder and with same-sex attraction, bearing a continual “trial” are bearing the Passion within themselves. In this, they are virtually guaranteed to become saints, provided that they bear these trials with their eyes ever heavenward, as St. Perpetua described with the ladder. But because it is such a great trial — because it is such a heavy burden — it is not good for the sheep to suffer because their shepherd is so heavily burdened by such a cross. Also, the religious life itself is a cross of sacrifice to bear, and it is not good for the person who is dealing with such a heavy cross already, in the form of disorder, to have the added burdens of religious life to deal with on the path to sainthood.
We need priests who are not being tugged from the ladder by disorders such as Bipolar Disorder and same-sex attraction. We also need priests who can truly be fathers to us. Uncles and brothers and cousins are all wonderful, and there will be many uncles, brothers and cousins in Heaven, but what the Church requires for the priesthood is spiritual fathers. Only those capable of manifesting spiritual fatherhood should be admitted to seminary.
Union with Jesus is worth every cross one may be called to bear. He is all, He is my beloved, and at the same time, He is the Beloved for everyone, no matter their station in life. Come to Him. You will never regret it. You will only regret not coming to Him sooner.
