How we live our life in each passing day is a testimony of
how we follow the will of God in our lives. There is a need to constantly and
regularly connect to God everything that we do. If we make a conscious effort
to do this everyday then we'll surely find it easier to obey the things that
God wants us to do and be more sensitive in knowing the will of God in our
lives. If we will just honestly and sincerely seek God then we will surely find
Him. As we do this we will eventually discover a lot of things that we need to
know in order to live our faith in accordance to God's will and be able to
overcome all trials and difficulties that come our way. It is really important that we know and
follow the instructions of God. In our Catholicism Study in St. Martha the
speaker, Atty. Jess Moya talked about Sexual Morality. He presented and clearly
defined a lot of controversies with regards to it and the stand of the Catholic
Church when it comes to these matters.
There are several controversial issues nowadays like premarital sex,
contraception and artificial insemination and the 2 extreme attitudes related
to it that were given light in this talk. These attitudes are both situated in
opposite sides of the pole namely, the hedonist which is only after pleasure
and the prude which regards sex as something dirty and evil. Through the help
of the teachings of the Church which gives balance on these things, sex will
take on a different meaning for us who strive to have an attitude that will
develop in us, although may take time, the belief that sex is sacred. Virtue of
Chastity requires an integration of sexuality within his/her person and self
mastery and control of his/her passions (CCC 2337)
CCC 2339
Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is
a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his
passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes
unhappy. Sir. 1:22 "Among wisdom's treasures is the paragon of
prudence..."
"Man's dignity
therefore requires him to act out of conscious and free choice, as moved and
drawn in a personal way from within, and not by blind impulses in himself or by
mere external constraint. Man gains such dignity when, ridding himself of all
slavery to the passions, he presses forward to his goal by freely choosing what
is good and, by his diligence and skill, effectively secures for himself the
means suited to this end."
SEXUAL GUIDELINES:
Sex outside marriage is a grave sin.
CCC 2390
In a so-called free union, a man and a woman refuse to give
juridical and public form to a liaison involving sexual intimacy.
The expression "free union" is fallacious: what
can "union" mean when the partners make no commitment to one another,
each exhibiting a lack of trust in the other, in himself, or in the future?
The expression covers a number of different situations:
concubinage, rejection of marriage as such, or inability to make long-term
commitments. All these situations offend against the dignity of marriage; they
destroy the very idea of the family; they weaken the sense of fidelity. They
are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must take place exclusively
within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin and
excludes one from sacramental communion.
-Within marriage: the spouses do nothing evil in seeking the
pleasure and enjoyment of sex but they should keep themselves within the limits
of just moderation.
CCC 2362
"The acts in marriage by which the intimate and chaste
union of the spouses takes place are noble and honorable; the truly human
performance of these acts fosters the self-giving they signify and enriches the
spouses in joy and gratitude." Sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure:
The Creator himself . . . established that in the
[generative] function, spouses should experience pleasure and enjoyment of body
and spirit. Therefore, the spouses do nothing evil in seeking this pleasure and
enjoyment. They accept what the Creator has intended for them. At the same
time, spouses should know how to keep themselves within the limits of just
moderation.
-Because sex is the handiwork of God, sex is by its nature
something good, something sacred and holy. It is only when sex is torn from its
holy framework of marriage and potential parenthood do evil enter in.
SIN AGAINST CHASTITY
1. Fornification: carnal union between an unmarried man and
an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of
human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the
generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when
there is corruption of the young.
ex. Premarital sex
(CCC 2353)
2. Adultery is an
injustice. He who commits adultery fails in his commitment. He does injury to
the sign of the covenant which the marriage bond is, transgresses the rights of
the other spouse, and undermines the institution of marriage by breaking the
contract on which it is based. He compromises the good of human generation and
the welfare of children who need their parents' stable union. (CCC 2381)
3. Masturbation: By
masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital
organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the
Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the
faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is
an intrinsically and gravely disordered action." "The deliberate use
of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially
contrary to its purpose." For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of
"the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which
the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of
true love is achieved."
To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral
responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the
affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety, or other
psychological or social factors that can lessen, if not even reduce to a
minimum, moral culpability.
4. Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual
acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately
to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal
act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the
dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one
becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses
all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense.
Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of
pornographic materials. (CCC 2354)
5. Prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who
engages in it, reducing the person to an instrument of sexual pleasure. The one
who pays sins gravely against himself: he violates the chastity to which his
Baptism pledged him and defiles his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit.140
Prostitution is a social scourge. It usually involves women, but also men,
children, and adolescents (The latter two cases involve the added sin of scandal.).
While it is always gravely sinful to engage in prostitution, the imputability
of the offense can be attenuated by destitution, blackmail, or social pressure.
(CCC 2355)
6. Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of
another person. It does injury to justice and charity. Rape deeply wounds the
respect, freedom, and physical and moral integrity to which every person has a
right. It causes grave damage that can mark the victim for life. It is always
an intrinsically evil act. Graver still is the rape of children committed by
parents (incest) or those responsible for the education of the children
entrusted to them. (CCC 2356)
7. Homosexual acts
Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between
women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward
persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the
centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely
unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts
as acts of grave depravity, (Gen 19:1-29; 1 Cor 6:9-10; Rom 1: 26-27; 1 Tim
1:9-10) tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are
intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They
close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine
affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be
approved. (CCC 2357)
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. (CCC
2358)
Why marriage should only be between a man and a woman: (Gen.
1:27-28; 2:22-24)
Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of
self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of
disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should
gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. (CCC 2359)
In fact, according to our speaker there already is an
existing group of homosexuals called "Courage" whose mission is live
in chastity by controlling their perverted passions and desires.
NINTH COMMANDMENT: You must not commit adultery(Mt. 5:27)
The heart is the seat of moral personality: "Out of the
heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication. . . ." Mt. 15:19
" The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and
practicing temperance:
Remain simple and innocent, and you will be like little
children who do not know the evil that destroys man's life.
-Lust seeks the pleasure apart from the purpose
Lust is disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of
sexual pleasure. Sexual pleasure is morally disordered when sought for itself,
isolated from its procreative and unitive purposes.(CCC 2351)
CCC 2515: Etymologically, "concupiscence" can
refer to any intense form of human desire. Christian theology has given it a
particular meaning: the movement of the sensitive appetite contrary to the
operation of the human reason. The apostle St. Paul identifies it with the rebellion of
the "flesh" against the "spirit." Gal. 5:16, 17, 24; Epf
2:3 Concupiscence stems from the disobedience of the first sin. It unsettles
man's moral faculties and, without being in itself an offense, inclines man to
commit sins. Gen 3:11
PRACTICAL HELP:
1. Humility - Don't be too confident. 1 Cor 10:12 "The
man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall."
2. Going to confession - There is a flow of sanctifying
grace everytime we go to confession and must avail of it whenever possible.
3. Be proactive. Avoid occasions of sins
4. Resolve to give God everything
5. Have a stronger good desire
6. Let images of motherhood overcome images of impurity.
Women are life givers.
7. Remember the victims of your thoughts and actions
8. Remember who you are, a child of God
9. Remember that good is infinitely stronger than evil
10. Observe modesty. Don't fall into the trap of green or
dirty jokes.
Eph 5:3-4 Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even
be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or
suggestive talk, which is out of place, but instead, thanksgiving.
Colossians 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, fury,
malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything
worthy of praise, think about these things.
Avoid sexually provocative actions that could aggravate the
existing reality of this slowly collapsing morality of this pervert generation.
Abstain from actions that could arouse sexual appetite but instead promote
purity and decency.
CCC-2521
Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance.
Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil
what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it
bears witness. It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in
conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity.
2522
Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It
encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that
the conditions for the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one
another be fulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing.
It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity.
It is discreet.
2523
There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body.
It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human
body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media
that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of
life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the
pressures of prevailing ideologies.
2524
The forms taken by modesty vary from one culture to another.
Everywhere, however, modesty exists as an intuition of the spiritual dignity
proper to man. It is born with the awakening consciousness of being a subject.
Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in them respect
for the human person
SIN AGAINST PROCREATION
1. Artificial contraception: it is evil because it prevents
an act of God.
CCC 2366
Fecundity is a gift, an end of marriage, for conjugal love
naturally tends to be fruitful. A child does not come from outside as something
added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of
that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment. So the Church, which is
"on the side of life," teaches that "it is necessary that each
and every marriage act remain ordered per se to the procreation of human
life." "This particular doctrine, expounded on numerous occasions by
the Magisterium, is based on the inseparable connection, established by God,
which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance
and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage
act."
CCC 2368
A particular aspect of this responsibility concerns the
regulation of procreation. For just reasons, spouses may wish to space the
births of their children. It is their duty to make certain that their desire is
not motivated by selfishness but is in conformity with the generosity
appropriate to responsible parenthood. Moreover, they should conform their
behavior to the objective criteria of morality:
When it is a question of harmonizing married love with the
responsible transmission of life, the morality of the behavior does not depend
on sincere intention and evaluation of motives alone; but it must be determined
by objective criteria, criteria drawn from the nature of the person and his
acts, criteria that respect the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human
procreation in the context of true love; this is possible only if the virtue of
married chastity is practiced with sincerity of heart.
CCC 2370
Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth
regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in
conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the
bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the
education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "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:
Thus the innate LANGUAGE that expresses the total reciprocal
self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an
objectively contradictory LANGUAGE, namely, that of not giving oneself totally
to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but
also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called
upon to give itself in personal totality. . . . The difference, both
anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of
the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of
the human person and of human sexuality.
2. ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION & FERTILIZATION ("TEST
TUBE BABIES")
-Heterologous artificial insemination (Donation of sperm or
ovum, surrogate uterus
CCC 2376
Techniques that entail the dissociation of husband and wife,
by the intrusion of a person other than the couple (donation of sperm or ovum,
surrogate uterus), are gravely immoral. These techniques (heterologous
artificial insemination and fertilization) infringe the child's right to be
born of a father and mother known to him and bound to each other by marriage.
They betray the spouses' "right to become a father and a mother only
through each other."
-Homologous artificial insemination
CCC 2377
Techniques involving only the married couple (homologous
artificial insemination and fertilization) are perhaps less reprehensible, yet
remain morally unacceptable. They dissociate the sexual act from the
procreative act. The act which brings the child into existence is no longer an
act by which two persons give themselves to one another, but one that
"entrusts the life and identity of the embryo into the power of doctors
and biologists and establishes the domination of technology over the origin and
destiny of the human person. Such a relationship of domination is in itself
contrary to the dignity and equality that must be common to parents and
children." "Under the moral aspect procreation is deprived of its
proper perfection when it is not willed as the fruit of the conjugal act, that
is to say, of the specific act of the spouses' union. . . . Only respect for
the link between the meanings of the conjugal act and respect for the unity of
the human being make possible procreation in conformity with the dignity of the
person."
"Donum Vitae" having a child is a gift, not a
right
3. GENETIC MANIPULATION
-it is a total perversion of procreation to produce
"designer genes or to resort to human cloning
-fixing genetic flaws for therapeutic purposes is ok.
-CCC 2275
"One must hold as licit procedures carried out on the
human embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not
involve disproportionate risks for it, but are directed toward its healing, the
improvement of its condition of health, or its individual survival."
"It is immoral to produce human embryos intended for
exploitation as disposable biological material."
"Certain attempts to influence chromosomic or genetic
inheritance are not therapeutic but are aimed at producing human beings
selected according to sex or other predetermined qualities. Such manipulations
are contrary to the personal dignity of the human being and his integrity and
identity" which are unique and unrepeatable.
END OF DISCUSSION
What gave me the inspiration to share about this talk is
embodied in today's 1st reading when God rained down bread from heaven and
tested whether the Israelites will follow or not. In the same way when we, like
the Israelites believe after witnessing in our lives God's Almighty Power to
provide for our need but sometimes still fail to follow instructions given to
us by God through the Church and insist on our own perverted thoughts and
beliefs. It is our duty to know more about our faith and follow what it teaches
us through the Catholic Church. Amen. Hallelujah!
Exodus 16:1-5. 9-15
... “I will now rain down bread from heaven for you. Each
day the people are to go out and gather their daily portion; thus will I test
them, to see whether they follow my instructions or not...“This is the bread
which the LORD has given you to eat.”
The Lord has already given us everything we need but we
still crave for something else. We sometimes doubt and question God's ability
to get us through it all. We tend to resort to means that is of our own and not
of God. Our rationalizing mind gets the
better in us when we exclude in the equation the awesome truth of who really
God is and what He is capable of doing in our life. Today’s psalm tells us not
to forget the works of the Lord. What better way to do that than to keep our
eyes focused on the price that God paid for us on the cross and the eternal
benefits it has brought upon us. In order to attain this we need to constantly
listen to the teachings of the Church. We have to familiarize ourselves to the
words of God in scriptures and the mysteries they hold. We have seen and
witnessed so much already to even doubt God's goodness. We hope and pray that
we will always remember and never forget. Our minds are limited and can not
comprehend beyond what can be explained by reason. God gave up His only
begotten Son, Jesus and allowed Him to be sacrificed on the cross. This could
never be explained by our logical and rational minds especially if we are parents
ourselves and have only one child. Who would give up an only child to die a
cruel and humiliating death for the sake of another and sinners at that? But
God did that and the only reason is His immeasurable and unfathomable love for
all of us. Today's psalm teaches a very important lesson and guideline that we
should always live by. If we want to maintain our strength and not be
susceptible to captivity in the hands of the enemy then we should always
remember and not forget the wonderful things that God has done to us. This
makes sense because God's works are holy and perfect we can surely rely on it
for everything. When the Israelites decided to follow Moses when they were led
out of Egypt
to the Promised Land and traveled a long time through the desert they
discovered that it was not an easy but a wearying and tedious journey. In the
same way when we travel through life we encounter challenges that sometimes
drive us to despair. However, we can draw inspiration from the readings today.
Just like the Israelites we should always have the hope of a new and better
life and be assured of the fact that with God on our side we will never be
defeated in battle, nor will we be allowed to starve and be fed with bread from
heaven. We easily forget things and become preoccupied with so many other
things. This happens to most of us and we tend to neglect what is truly
essential. Let us not focus on the lesser things but on what should dominate
our consciousness and awareness. We should always be alert and not easily distracted
and dissuaded by what is going on around us. Nowadays, we tend to just rely on
our own strength and understanding because we are living in a very
materialistic and advanced world and forget what's most important is to focus
on how God can be fully at work in our lives. We have seen and witnessed so
much already to even doubt God's goodness. We hope and pray that we will always
remember and never forget the works of the Lord. Amen. Hallelujah!
P S A L M
Psalm 78:18-19. 23-24. 25-26. 27-28
R: The Lord gave them bread from heaven.
18 They tempted God in their hearts by demanding the food
they craved. Yes, they spoke against God, saying, “Can God spread a table in
the desert?” R. Yet he commanded the skies above and the doors of heaven he
opened; He rained manna upon them for food
and gave them heavenly bread. R. Man ate the bread of
angels, food he sent them in abundance. He stirred up the east wind in the
heavens, and by his power brought on the south wind. R. And he rained meat upon
them like dust, and, like the sand of the sea, winged fowl, Which fell in the
midst of their camp round about their tents. R.
There is a season and a reason. The farmers wait for the
proper and optimum time to plant their seeds, cultivate and harvest. Things can
not be done in a hurry. As in the following bible passages: Acts 17:
26-27...and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions,
so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though
indeed he is not far from any one of us. Psalm 31:14-15..."You are my
God." My times are in your hands;... Hebrews 4:16...So let us confidently
approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely
help... We can learn a lot from these words of God and ponder on them before we
make any rush decisions. We have to decide and act on things based on the Word
of God and be guided by them at all times. The seed being spoken of in today’s
gospel is the word of God. There is also a need to till the soil before we can
plant the seed. When I was just a kid I used to pity the farmers who work under
the heat of the sun while plowing the fields. It is clearly etched in my mind
how they guide the plow being pulled by the carabao while their feet sink into
the mud. The same way these farmers prepare the soil for a good harvest we, too
must prepare ourselves in order to become the rich soil that bears fruit. Let
us not waste the seed God has sown in our hearts. If we need to stay under the
scorching heat of the sun and sink our feet into the mushy field of our lives
why not, it will always be worth it knowing that the seed that God has planted
will surely reap a bountiful harvest, Amen. Hallelujah!
Matthew 13: 1-9
...8 But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a
hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. 9
Whoever has ears ought to hear.”
