Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Church Teaching On Sex and Marriage

Jesus says, "But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Mt. 5:28).Given the infiltration of indecent and sexually explicit materials in places all around us - movies, TV, newspapers, magazines, advertisings, commercial billboards, internet, etc., do you find yourself constantly having to "run away" from such temptations? Has life become a constant struggle for you because you feel worn out just doing things that this "run away" mentality requires of you? Maybe there are times when human weaknesses simply overpower your last line of defence and render you a victim of such temptations?

You are cordially invited to join the 2011-12 Catechism Revisited Program as we begin anew in September to study "The Church's Teaching on Sex and Marriage" based on John Paul II's Theology of the Body! From this program you will get to know among other things:

  • The real meaning of sex as you have never known before
  • That sex is not "dirty;" it is holy - it's through physical/bodily realities that we encounter God
  • The sacred meaning of marriage
  • That the whole reality of married life, including the marital embrace, is a sign that manifests the mystery of God's love
  • That you don't have to "run away" from temptations all your life; that a life of chastity, purity, and holiness freely and joyfully lived out in the Holy Spirit is possible if you adopt "the ethos of redemption" made possible by Christ's redemptive grace.

A similar program had been conducted last summer as a small pilot project, and it was very well received. Many of you have the unwarranted fear that this program may be very difficult and dry because it's "theology," and also because it's JPII stuff. Far from it! I can assure you that the topics are very understandable and practical, touching on things that you can relate to everyday. For example:

  • What should I do when I see a beautiful and scantily dressed young girl pass me by in the street?
  • Is it possible for me to commit adultery with MY WIFE?
  • My fiance and I are about to get married in a few months. Our private intimate moments together are getting more and more intense. Should I accept his advances unreservedly? We are getting married anyway.
  • Why aren't Catholic priests allowed to be married?
  • Isn't Natural Family Planning the most unnatural and inhuman birth control method that suppresses your natural desire just when the biological make up of the body system needs it the most?

At the pilot project of last summer, the participants and I were engaged in some of the liveliest discussions I had ever experienced, touching on issues similar to the above. This time we will do the same topics with a larger audience and in a somewhat more structured environment with the support of excellent research materials and references. Most of all, we have recruited a group of very strong and well-qualified facilitators, including doctors, nurses, personal counseling specialist, Billings Method instructor, Creighton Method consultant, FLL production team volunteers with expertise in producing episodes on NFP, converts who abandoned contraception to embrace NFP, etc.

It is no overstatement to say that these days Theology of the Body is the pulse of the Catholic world, the hot topic that keeps the Church buzzing. While some outstanding clergy, scholars, theologians, voluntary organizations of laity, etc. are actively promoting it across North America through universities, special conferences, forums, and the media; unfortunately I haven't seen too many programs similar to this being offered at the parish level, least of all in Chinese parishes. So please make good use of this opportunity and support our meaningful initiative! I look forward to seeing you in our first meeting on September 9!

A concurrent English program will also be conducted for young people aged 15 to 25. Please encourage your children to join (while you are attending the adult program!) so that they will grow up to live in chastity and holiness, which is of utmost concern to us parents these days.

For details and on-line application, please visit the Catechism Revisited Program web site at www.crp.cmccbsp.org


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