I received this anonymous comment on my "hyper-secularized" post that has 94 comments or more, on my little old blog no less! I never would have thunk! But I digress. Read this comment and I respond below it.
"Anonymous said...
The pope needs to STAY OUT OF THE BEDROOM. What two people do there is NOBODY'S business. Especially someone who has never had sex, namely the pope. Or, should we never say never. That is a vote for heterosexuals and homosexuals alike."
Several years ago I spoke to a Sunday School group at the First Baptist Church in Augusta (the birth place of the Southern Baptist Convention, by the way) on the Church's teaching on birth control and human sexuality, including marriage. I was asked about the fact that many Catholics disregard these teachings. My answer was that these teachings, based upon Scripture, Tradition and natural law are precisely that, teachings. No one can force anyone to follow the moral law and "I'm not a policeman standing over the bed of any couples, married or not, exerecising their unconverted instincts and ready to arrest them if they don't follow Church teaching as it concerns sex. I stay out of the physical bedrooms of the my parishioners and only offer revealed truth as advice to them." The Southern Baptists liked my answer!
I gave a presentation on Stewardship in three cities of the Diocese of Bismarck this past week. Apart from my presentation, the group also viewed a video tape by Msgr. McGreed of the Diocese of Wichita who is a pioneer in stewardship. He made it clear that stewardship is a Biblical principle that helps us to live our Catholic faith. Our Catholic faith touches every aspect of our lives, from sex to the pocketbook and calls us to be good stewards of all that God has given us. The two areas that many Christians resent God or the Church touching or striving to convert is our sex lives and our pocket book. But yet in both of these areas converting is necessary, but is only accomplished by being open to the grace of God to allow this to happen by God's grace.
Evidently, anonymous above is not open to conversion in the area of sexuality as God as enlightened the Church on this issue. Anonymous is not a good steward of God's gracious gifts evidently. That's sad!
11 comments:
Anonymous is one of the angry, dissenting rabble. He is right and the Church is wrong. We should never have spent as much time arguing with him as we did. His arguments, taken for what they are, are not well constructed and my impression is that he is not very bright. Let him go.
A Rhyme by Gene Williams
The Pope came in our bedroom,
He stood beside our bed,
He shook his finger at us
And this is what he said:
"Be good! Be good!
And do this like you should,
No pill, no foam
In a Catholic home
I want this understood."
Please hold your applause (*bow*), Thank you, thank you.
This subject is always a sensitive one, because it strikes us a personal and intimate level. I do believe the violent reactions by some are based on a lack of understanding, or the desire to not want to understand. For some reason, those in opposition to the Church's teaching on sexuality, have this notion that just because priest and religious are celibate, that they no nothing about human sexuality. This is ridiculous of course, to know God is to enter in to an deep and intimate relationship, God has revealed to us through natural and divine law the understanding of the sexual relationship, it is not something the Church made up, it is a revealed truth, and as hard as it is to follow at times, it is for the betterment of society. Just read Humane Vitae, and Pope Paul IV, looks like a great prophet. Many do not agree with Humane Vitae because it intrudes on what they feel is strictly a private matter, but since God the Father is creator of all, then he is the creator of our sexual abilities, and must have a proper understanding for how we put them to use. These issues go beyond just a disagreement, they are a rejection of authority, so where does it end, do we just keep rejecting truth because we don't think it is right, do we just keep rejecting until we make ourselves the Church and get ride of all authority, do we make ourselves gods and use just our own human reasoning to determine right from wrong. Relativism is a dangerous path.
Well said, mackja!
"God has revealed to us through natural and divine law the understanding of the sexual relationship, it is not something the Church made up, it is a revealed truth, and as hard as it is to follow at times, it is for the betterment of society. "
Mostly folks don't want to understand. Too bad for them...they're thie ones who'll burn in Hell for eternity for their attitude.
Um.......the Church and the Pope are "out of the bedroom"!! Where has the poster been? Since the swinging '60s launched the sexual revolution, it has been open slather in the world of sexual relations. We're fed a steady diet of smut and soft porn on TV and the internet is awash with hard core pornography. Any and all forms of sexual activity are now championed as "diversity", chastity before marriage has all but evaporated and fidelity within it is becoming rarer. Artificial birth control is now the norm and abortion has seen us wipe out 40 million since 1973.
In the face of this, why on earth would anyone be worried about the Pope in the bedroom? He's never been further away.
Could it perhaps, be the voice of one's own conscience which is nagging at one and accusing one of wrongdoing? Irritated and vexed, one turns on the Pope..........
So.......uh........how's it all working out, anyhow, now that we've ditched Church teaching? Is divorce a thing of the past? Is child abuse long gone? Have sexually transmitted diseases been eliminated? Is the family unit stronger now than it was a half century ago?
No?
Oh well..........can't win 'em all, I guess!
Frajm, I may be the ANONYMOUS you speak of here. Your comment that I am not being a good steward of God's gracious gifts really hurts.
I am not homosexual but I do know many. Do I need to be converted if I am not homosexual but do not agree with the Church?
Also, my husband and I are generous in giving to our Church. Granted, we are not at the level the Church says we should be, but, I think we give as much as we can, considering the economy.
I am generous with my time at Church. I will volunteer to help in the kitchen and special events when called upon. I belong to a few organizations.
Fortunately, I have already gone through menopause so the whole topic of birth control is a moot point for me. I understand what you said about it, but I struggle with it.
So I have covered the three Ts, time, talent and treasure.
I really am sorry you believe I am not a good steward. But I won't hold back money from my Church to protest.
To anonymous who won't hold back: I don't know who you are. But we all need to be converted to Christ in all things. Stewardship in terms of time, talent and treasure is a symbol that everything we have and all that we are needs to be converted to Christ. Not of us is finished in this conversion business which is stewardship. You need conversion to the Church's teaching on sexuality and contraception, someone else needs it on tithing, someone else needs it on anger management, another person needs it on swearing another on pride. All of the above are Christians on their way, but not fully arrived in the Kingdom. Whatever is lacking in perfection on this side of the Kingdom will be purified through our personal judgment and purgatory where we will be made perfect and will know the mind of God and be God like, that is "perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect." You've let us know your imperfection in terms of pridefulness concerning the Church's teaching on sexuality, someone else may justify their prejudices against another group of people based upon the same type of pride. Both of you may be great Catholics, just imperfect as we all are. Don't give up on God, He'll make you perfect eventually if you allow it to happen by receiving the gift of faith that God is giving you in its completeness, not partially. Fr. McDonald
Thank you Frajm.
ANONYMOUS who won't hold back.
Frajm, this is anonymous again. You made me cry.
It's amazing the inversion that is happening here. People who claim to be free thinking and progressive are so prudish that they want to evict people from the bedroom, yet force everyone within earshot to suffer a catalogue of their permissible behaviour. The Holy Father is telling us not to do things to another person, or to ourselves, that degrades anyone to the level of beasts with no self control. Without judgement we are only animals.
It is becoming more clear to me that the main support for birth control and abortion is from people with an investment in the oppression of women. Of course the pleasure of sex has a powerful draw, there is no shame in that. Surrendering to it is not surprising and forgivable. Assisting people to have active sex lives divorced from the results is the same as helping bulimics eat all they want. It severs cause and effect of the natural order.
rcg
As for me and my house, we'll stand with Peter.
Wow, how easy and uncomplicated is that? Don't ahve to bend my mind into all sorts of pretzel logic to justify the one aspect of Catholic teaching I don't like.
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