Posted on 11/28/2005 5:39:50 PM PST by Aussie Dasher
BOSTON, November 28, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley wrote a pastoral letter last week calling on Catholics to show true love to persons with homosexual tendencies. This is done he said by telling them that homosexual acts are sinful, he said. Otherwise, the bishop continued, we are dangerously "deceiving people."
After clarifying that the Catholic Church does not tolerate unjust discrimination towards persons with homosexual tendencies, the leader of the Catholic Church in Boston reminded Catholics that although Jesus did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, he did however - after saving her life - tell her "Go and sin no more."
Archbishop O'Malley thus tells some Catholics who are misled into false kindness towards those with homosexual tendencies, "If we tell people that sex outside of marriage is not a sin, we are deceiving people." The pastor of souls, who's first priority is the spiritual wellbeing of his flock, warns that that spiritual wellbeing may be threatened by such false kindness. "If they believe this untruth, a life of virtue becomes all but impossible," he warned.
Archbishop O'Malley acknowledged that it is difficult for all Christians, priests and bishops included, to preach the truth in charity on the matter of homosexuality and other aberrant sexual practices such as adultery, and pre-marital sex. "It is never easy to deliver a message that calls people to make sacrifices or to do difficult things. Sometimes people want to punish the messenger. For this reason we priests at times find it difficult to articulate the Church's teaching on sexual morality," he said.
In presenting the message of truth, the Archbishop counsels, "We must never deliver the message in a self-righteous way, but rather with compassion and humility."
Despite the hardships however, Archbishop O'Malley says Catholics must nevertheless present the truth. "It is important to express the moral teachings of the Church with clarity and fidelity. The Church must be Church," he said. "We must teach the truths of the Gospel in season and out of season. These recent times seem to us like it is "out of season", but for that very reason it is even more urgent to teach the hard words of the Gospel today."
Concluding his letter, the Archbishop answered a common objection made by those with homosexual tendencies . "Sometimes we are told: 'If you do not accept my behavior, you do not love me.' In reality we must communicate the exact opposite: 'Because we love you, we cannot accept your behavior," he said.
"...It is not talking about it that leaves children open to being deceived by what they see on TV and in society."
Great point. I loved my Mom and Dad, but the silence of their generation - and now mine - has left it too easy for radical redefinition of normal sexual behavior to take over.
-- Joe
To ignore all what?
Sin is in line with natural law. Every sin has conquences of suffering that can be shown scientifically. Homosexual sex is a sin - it goes against natural law - and it's consequences are easy to depict. Just saying "it's a sin" works for true and strong believers and works for those who read; but it does not work for those who are weak in faith and who do not read.
Appreciation from this Baptist for your entire #39.
Well said.
PRECISELY!
That sure has alot of teeth, right Jeeves????
The greatest commandment is to Love God with all your heart, all our mind and all your soul. Please explain how logic, reason and obesrvation draws one to that conclusion?
That was weak. There are a thousand real health reasons why homosexuality is wrong
That may be a distinction without difference. Ben Franklin said it best: "Sin is not harmful because it is forbidden, but it is forbidden because it is hurtful."
Very happy to read. Thanks for posting.
In the sin you shall bear the punishment - old Spanish proverb. If you think about it, each and every sin carries with it a clear punishment, not in the afterlife, but in this one.
>In the sin you shall bear the punishment - old Spanish proverb. If you think about it, each and every sin carries with it a clear punishment, not in the afterlife, but in this one.<
I would much prefer the consequences of my sin in this life than spending an eternity burning in Hell.There is no comparison and we do no favors by sugar coating it.
Love the sinner, hate the sin.
"Sin is in line with natural law. Every sin has conquences of suffering that can be shown scientifically. Homosexual sex is a sin - it goes against natural law - and it's consequences are easy to depict. Just saying "it's a sin" works for true and strong believers and works for those who read; but it does not work for those who are weak in faith and who do not read."
- Thank You. Exactly my point. I sincerely doubt a homosexual would be a strong believer. Besides the Church isn't there to speak to only the faithful, it there to speak the truth to all. As I said in a previous post, sometimes in order to reach those who do not know or believe you have to approach them from their own level or else scare them away with too much religion. God gave us a brain to reason, observe and postulate, not to blindly follow. I see nothing wrong in using scientific principles or observations, natural law, etc., to support explanations on the what's and why's of sin.
Try having this conversation about contraception, sterilization, premarital sex, divorce and remarriage ... same story. When people feel that their sins are essential to their lives, they're very upset about the plain word "sin," never mind all the physical or psychological health discussion.
If the point had carried with heterosexuals over the last 40 years, I don't think we'd be having the current issues with homosexuality at all. There just aren't that many homosexuals; the resistance to traditional morality has the force of the majority behind it.
This is not sugar coating it. Without repentence, the punishment experienced in this life is but a foretaste for the punishment that will be meted out in the next. Though this may be so, there is no denying the very fact that punishment begins with the very sin itself.
Yeah, but Boston's been blessed to have Archbishop O'Malley. He was at the forefront opposing homosexual marriage in Massachusetts. When I was still in that area for school, he and the church lead a rally I attended (along with a couple thousand others) in Boston Commons against the SJC's decision.
My feelings exactly, so many ideas that wouldn't have survived the scrutiny of a well informed man or women have come to be seen as normal because of the inability of a person to confront their personal demons and lack of knowledge concerning sexual issues and the general bullying of an emboldened class of amoral heathens who have through an ironic twist have cast themselves as victims not of their disease ridden irresponsible behavior but of an intolerant society that forces them to be disease ridden as if it is the puritans among us ticketing them if they dont go down in public restrooms.
The sex that people learn about today is a paradox, sex instead of being evaluated like any other human behavior, having both appropriate and inappropriate features has reached an interesting limbo where it is both harmless yet absolutely essential so much so that if one does not have an exciting diverse sex life fulfilling their every inclination then they are uptight and repressed. This is cumulating in such a way that even criminal sexual behavior is slowly being decriminalized, already we see "progressive" European societies are lowering consent ages so that pedophiles no longer are defined as such and here in the US we let the sexually disturbed meet after school and offer in school programs to promote sexual deviance. There is an also a growing level of sexual aggression among young people especially young males who have been raised with roll models that emphasis sex as a taking activity
not unlike stealing a pair of high priced sneakers.
More than anything else I think people need to be deprogrammed from thinking that kindness is permissiveness and that acceptance of bad behavior is a prerequisite for tolerance. We do not have to accept the changes that a small minority wants to foist on us and our families.
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