The recent suicide of a Rutger's student who was "outed" by his roommates, pushed me to look more closely at what our Church teaches about homosexuality. The Catechism says in 2357, "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,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. 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." The call to treat all people with respect, compassion, and sensitivity is what struck me the most. It ties back to the issue of bullying which I wrote about in the last blog. Why is our society so obsessed with everyone being the same? What is wrong with being different? The folks that are a little different are usually the most interesting people. They are usually the folks you want to hang around with at a social gathering. Our society as a whole has become so uncivil. I am not sure that it is worse than it was ten or twenty years ago but I am convinced that technology has allowed it to reach new heights. People are able to anonymously sabotage other people's lives using the Internet in venues just like this. It very much resembles the story of the Noah's time in the original testament of the Bible. God has to be so exasperated with us as a people. I pray that He inspires leadership to step forward and address this problem specifically. I am committed to doing my part. What are you going to do?
Born during the turbulent era of the French Revolution, Saint Jeanne Jugan rose above hardship and a lack of formal schooling to become a profound vessel of Christ’s mercy. After losing her father at a young age and working through her youth as a kitchen maid and nurse, her life radically changed one freezing night when she encountered a blind, paralyzed elderly woman with nowhere to go. Jeanne carried the woman back to her own home, placed her in her own bed, and began a lifelong mission of radical hospitality. This act of profound love blossomed into the Little Sisters of the Poor , a thriving community dedicated to sheltering and honoring the destitute elderly. Despite later facing heavy trials—including being unjustly sidelined and stripped of her leadership by a controlling chaplain—Jeanne accepted her obscurity and exile with a joyful spirit, resting her complete trust in God's hidden providence until her death in 1879. In our daily lives, Saint Jeanne Jugan invites us to lo...
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