1 2 3 4 5 How to Print 6 Reference Books 7 SEXUAL MORALITY 8 Controversial Issues • • • • • Sex outside of marriage Artificial contraception Homosexuality Artificial insemination Genetic manipulation 9 Mistaken Attitudes about Sex • Hedonist • Prude 10 #1 Hedonist … the aim is all about bodily pleasure, self-gratification and physical thrills 11 #2 Prude … sex is considered nasty and degrading, an evil that saddles us. Private parts are considered bad and shameful 12 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. 13 VIRTUE OF CHASTITY … requires an integration of sexuality within his/her person and self-mastery and control of his/her passions 14 CCC 2337 2337 Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. Sexuality, in which man's belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman. The virtue of chastity therefore involves the integrity of the person and the integrality of the gift. 15 CCC 2339 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 … 16 SEX EDUCATION The Holy Father John Paul II states in Familiaris Consortio: “The right and duty of parents to give education is essential since it is connected with the transmission of human life; it is original and primary with regard to the educational roles of others, on account of the uniqueness of the loving relationship between parents and children; and it is irreplaceable and inalienable, and therefore incapable of being entirely delegated to others or usurped by others.” 17 “The Church is firmly opposed to an often widespread form of imparting sex information dissociated from moral principles... Sex education, which is a basic right and duty of parents, must always be carried out under their attentive guidance whether at home or in educational centers chosen and controlled by them.” (Familiaris Consortio, 6, 37) 18 SEXUAL GUIDELINES • Outside marriage • Within marriage 19 Outside marriage … sex outside of marriage is a grave sin 20 CCC 2390 2390 … The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin and excludes one from sacramental communion. 21 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 22 CCC 2362 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. 23 SINS AGAINST CHASTITY • • • • • • • Fornication Adultery Masturbation Pornography Prostitution Rape Homosexual acts 24 Fornication … carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman 25 CCC 2353 2353 Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman… 26 Adultery … it violates the right of the other spouse, injures marriage bond and compromises the welfare of the children 27 CCC 2381 2381 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. 28 Masturbation … deriving sexual pleasure outside the marital act 29 CCC 2352 2352 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 selfgiving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved." 30 CCC 2354 (Pornography) 2354 Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties… 31 CCC 2355 (Prostitution) 2355 Prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person to an instrument of sexual pleasure… 32 CCC 2356 (Rape) 2356 Rape is the forcible violation of the sexual intimacy of another person… 33 CCC 2357 (Homosexual Acts) 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. 34 Church’s stand on homosexuality – must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity. – There is nothing wrong in having homosexual desire or orientation. 35 CCC 2358 2358 The number of men and women who have deepseated 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. 36 Church’s stand on homosexual acts What is sinful is acting out one’s homosexual desire i.e. engaging in homosexual act. It is intrinsically disordered. 37 Genesis 19:4–5 & 12-13 • 4 Before they went to bed, all the townsmen of Sodom, both young and old—all the people to the last man—closed in on the house. • 5They called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to your house tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have intimacies with them.” • … • 12 †Then the angels said to Lot: “Who else belongs to you here? Your sons (sons-in-law) and your daughters and all who belong to you in the city—take them away from it! • 13We are about to destroy this place, for the outcry reaching the LORD against those in the city is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.” • Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, & United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board. (1996, c1986). The New American Bible : Translated from the original languages with critical use of all the ancient sources and the revised New Testament (Ge 19:11). Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. 38 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 • 9 … Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals • 10 … inherit the kingdom of God. 39 Romans 1:26-27 • 2 6… God handed them over to degrading passions. Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, • 27and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity. • Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, & United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board. (1996, c1986). The New American Bible : Translated from the original languages with critical use of all the ancient sources and the revised New Testament (Ro 1:26). Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. 40 1 Timothy 1:9-10 • 9 with the understanding that law is meant not for a righteous person but for the lawless and unruly, the godless and sinful, the unholy and profane, those who kill their fathers or mothers, murderers, • 10the unchaste, practicing homosexuals, † kidnapers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is opposed to sound teaching, • Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, & United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board. (1996, c1986). The New American Bible : Translated from the original languages with critical use of all the ancient sources and the revised New Testament (1 Ti 1:9). Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. 41 Two (2) National Organizations of Homosexuals • Courage – an organization to support each other to live in chastity • Dignity – an organization to promote justification and recognition of a homosexual lifestyle. 42 Why marriage should only be between a man and a woman … 43 Genesis 1:27-28 • 2 7God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them. • 28God blessed them, saying: “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that move on the earth.” • Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, & United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board. (1996, c1986). The New American Bible : Translated from the original languages with critical use of all the ancient sources and the revised New Testament (Ge 1:27). Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. 44 Genesis 2:22-24 45 NINTH COMMANDMENT 46 Matthew 5:27 27 †“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ • Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. Board of Trustees, Catholic Church. National Conference of Catholic Bishops, & United States Catholic Conference. Administrative Board. (1996, c1986). The New American Bible : Translated from the original languages with critical use of all the ancient sources and the revised New Testament (Mt 5:27). Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. 47 The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and practicing temperance 48 CCC 2517 2517 The heart is the seat of moral personality: "Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication. . . ." The struggle against carnal covetousness entails purifying the heart and practicing temperance … 49 Lust seeks the pleasure apart from the purpose 50 CCC 2351 2351 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. 51 Coveting distinguished from Concupiscence 52 CCC 2515 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.“ 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. 53 The 9th commandment forbids carnal concupiscence (CCC 2514) 54 Purity requires modesty 55 Modesty … is a virtue which moves a person to abstain from any actions, words, or looks which are likely to arouse the sexual appetite in oneself or in others. 56 CCC 2521 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. 57 CCC 2522 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. 58 SINS AGAINST PROCREATION • • • Artificial Contraception Artificial Insemination & Fertilization Genetic manipulation 59 Artificial Contraception (Sex Without Babies) … it is evil because it prevents an act of God 60 Artificial contraception is the deliberate attempt to suppress the procreative part of the sexual act. It includes the use of: – – – – – condoms diaphragms Spermicides birth-control pills, IUDs products like depo-provera (injected drug that works like birth-control pills), – norplant (similar to depo-provera but is implanted under the skin in the form of pellets) – RU-486 which actually abort the fetus but is being promoted as birth-control pills. It may also be in the form of sterilization i.e. tubal ligation and vasectomy. 61 CCC 2366 2366 … 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." 62 Regulation of procreation 63 CCC 2368 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. 64 CCC 2370 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 … 65 Legitimate birth control through “Natural Family Planning may take advantage of God’s naturally designed infertile periods 66 Artificial Insemination & Fertilization (Babies Without Sex) • • Heterologous Homologous 67 Heterologous … artificial insemination (donation of sperm or ovum, surrogate uterus) 68 CCC 2376 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." 69 CCC 2377 Homologous Artificial Insemination 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." 70 Donum Vitae … having a child is a gift, not a right 71 CCC 2275 (Genetic Manipulation ) 2375 Research aimed at reducing human sterility is to be encouraged, on condition that it is placed "at the service of the human person, of his inalienable rights, and his true and integral good according to the design and will of God." 72 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 73 End 74 75 76 77 78 79 How to Print 80 Reference Books 81