Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Wednesday of the Sixth Week of Easter

(Acts 17:15.22-18:1; John 16:12-15)

Many Catholics are clamoring for changes in Church teaching regarding morals.  They believe that its doctrine on homosexuality especially needs to be updated.  It seems that they do now realize if the Church changes its teachings, it would not be Christ’s Church.  The permanency of Church teaching is indicated in today’s gospel reading.

Jesus is telling his disciples that the Holy Spirit will come to “bear all truth.” He takes care in saying that the Spirit will not speak for itself but will declare only what the Father and the Son say.  He may develop what Jesus has already taught but will not add anything new.

In speaking of homosexuality we must be careful not to condemn those who have the condition.  In fact, we should feel compassion for their indisposition to have their own child naturally.  But this is no reason to undermine the truth that sexual intimacy is designed for procreation and support of a family.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Tuesday of the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time

(I Corinthians 6:1-11; Luke 6:12-19)

Paul’s list of wrongdoers in the first reading today is revealing. Most of the sinners transgress the boundaries of passion. Talk of the sexual revolution in the 1960s should not make us think that promiscuity was invented toward the end of the last century. The New Testament underscores the prevalence of sins of the flesh through the ages. In fact, we should note how Jesus as well as Paul emphasizes the power of God to spare humans the dismal consequences of illicit sex.

We might also take note of how Paul writes of “sodomites,” not “homosexuals.” The two are not co-terminus as not every homosexual engages in sexual activity. The necessary distinction reminds us that homosexuality itself is not immoral and that homosexuals deserve the same respect as any other person. In fact, in the present age of sexual license homosexual adults living chastely deserve admiration.

Most noteworthy about the passage, however, is the primacy of communal conflict on Paul’s list of vices. Christians are not to fight publicly with one another since open hostility undermines the reputation of the Church as well as its unity. Disagreements will erupt in any human organization, but they are to be resolved peacefully. Paul’s emphasis on unity indicates the social nature of sin. When Christians sin, they not only offend God but also one another. The Church has a mission to be a light to the world. Sin dims that light so that non-Christians may not know Christ.