Dear Brothers and Sisters,
We begin a new series on sexuality called A Way Forward. As you know this topic is often polemical and yet there are many core issues that go unknown by many Catholics today, and children are often damaged by this lack of clear ideas. God has a beautiful plan for marriage and families and today there is a severe crisis in families. Also I am concerned about strengthening this next generation who will face unimagined challenges and struggles in this area.
I am not an expert, nor can I speak about all of the issues that face us in the next few weeks; however, I will speak about relationships, dating, love and sex. Many find themselves in the midst of much confusion and are not sure what to do or believe; much less what God calls them to live. So we are going to bring light, hopefully, to this topic. The culture today is saturated with sexuality and we can see this in television programs, movies, music, and the internet, which has materials more graphic than what was considered pornography in previous generations.
On the other hand there is a romantic culture that seems to give credence to unencumbered, consequence-free pleasure. At the same time there is a hope that spouses in Christian marriage can live faithfully unto death.
We hear in the gospel that Jesus spoke with authority. His words and his deeds were one and the same. Since he is God he knows better than us what we are made for and he has a plan for us, which is simple, but not easy. God’s simple plan for us can get complicated because of sin, selfishness and ignorance. Next week we will speak of our healing in this area and then in the third week how God wants to lead us forward.
Jesus speaks with authority because he loves us and wants the best for us. What did he teach about sex? The Bible tells us that he created sex for two reasons: to be fruitful and that the two will be one. To be fruitful means to have children, to procreate, to co-create with God and bring new life into the world. What an amazing gift!
He also created sex to strengthen relationships, to make the two one in body and spirit. To bind a couple together powerfully and effectively, sex is ordained and reserved for marriage, Christian marriage. The Fathers of the Church taught that a couple has to be one in spirit before they can be one in the flesh. They need to be united in marriage, and with God, in order to be one and no longer two individuals. Outside of this context of love and marriage sex can lose its ability to unite man and woman as one and young people can get hurt, often deeply. The culture teaches safe sex but what might be safe for the body (which is more and more doubtful) can be dangerous for the soul.
What God and his Church has always taught is that purity paves the way for Christian love, and this leads to greater intimacy with God. The pure of heart shall see God. So we invite you to follow well this series and to believe that there is A Way Forward for each of us that is designed by God.