F
Fr.Tom_Loya
Guest
Glory to Jesus Christ!
I like to call the theology of the body “Going back to SCHL:”
It is the S=sacramental,C=truly “Catholic” (This includes the Orthodox churches), H=human, L=liturgical, WORLDVIEW.
(I include the “Orthodox” in the definition of Catholic because in this usage “Catholic” means based on a sacramental system.)
True compassion is based on impeccable honesty. If we use the Sacramental worldview the most compassionate thing we can say is that there is no such thing as a “homosexual.” Now, just wait, calm down and stay with me on this:
It is not compassiontate to size someone up, lable them and then dismiss them in an attitude of smug finality: “Oh, yeah, that’s Joe. He’s gay.” The word “homosexual” iself is actually of recent and erroneous vintage.
TOB teaches that our bodies “speak a language.” They “speak” of the complimentary gender. God does not make “homosexual” bodies. Our bodies are intrinsically gendered which means our minds, souls, Spirit, emotions, etc. are designed to be consistent with our bodies otherwise God would be a bad designer because there would be no consistency of design.
So, there are no “homosexuals.” There are only PERSONS, i.e. as God is a PERSON. Persons are worthy of respect and dignity because persons and persons alone image God. Some persons, through no fault of their own, MAY have what they are convinced of at THIS MOMENT IN TIME, a sexual attraction to the same gender. Please note my qualifying words–no finality was put on these persons.
I cannot get into here the entire dynamic of same sex attraction.
(You will have to attend one of my lectures some day for this.)
But, I can say this:
The Church in her TRUE compassion will never affirm someone in something that is not impeccabley honest because dishonesty will always cause a hurt in some way. Two people of the same gender can in fact love each other. But this is “philos” love and not the love of marital union. It is impossible for it to be the same as marriage simply because of what marriage actually means. It means complimentary entities that are specifically designed to “fit together,” to become a union and communion of persons in a full, fruitful, free and faithful gift of self. Our gendered bodies “speak” this language but they speak it in relation to the other gender. The complimentary genders are made to “fit together” phsycially and since the body has a theology it reveals the person. Therefore the persons are made to “fit together” but precisely in the fact that their bodies are gendered. This is what the language of their bodies are “saying.”
Now, if we affirm two people of the same gender in their desire to “marry” each other, we affirm these people in a certain dishonesty or illusion because in fact they cannot “fit together” in the specific way that defines marriage. Remember, words mean things. Just because we call something “marriage” does not in fact make it “marriage.” To affirm people in an untruth is to send them down a path of a simmering frustration of a certain unfulfillment. This is NOT compassion. This is NOT “sensitivity” or “inclusiveness” or respecting “diversity.” I will translate what this is: “I do not really want to bother with you. Whatever makes you happy. I really care more about myself than you because I want to make sure you will still like me, you will not get mad at me or even call be names like insensitive and homophobic.”
So where does that leave people with same sex attraction?
The genius of TOB says that the “spousal meaning of the body represents the fundemental element of human existence.” This means we ALL must live “spousally” to be happy. This includes single people, or those who believe they might have same sex attraction. To live “spousally” means to make a sincere gift of self and in life there are many, many ways to do this. Sacramental marriage is not the only way. Celibates, above all people must live “spousally.” Otherwise their celibacy is simply excess bagage defined entirely in the negative and therefore absurd and “archaic,” unfair, unnecessary, etc.
People who “believe” they “might” have same sex attraction,
(Please note how I stubbornly refuse to speak in finalities) are called by the Church to live the way the Church invites EVERYONE to live; HONESLTY: honest to the language of our bodies, honest to the created order because ONLY through honesty do we arrive at happiness. Honest living will always include the Cross, so we cannot take that out of the equation and that is usually the sticking point: We want what we want what we want what we want and don’t you ask me to say NO to myself. Don’t you show me that Cross or I will call you nasty names and label you as insensitive, homophobic, sexist, patriarchal, etc. etc.
Just as “marriage” means something specific, so does “love.”
If the “love” between two people of the same gender is defined in sexual terms and therefore seeking to include “marriage” then this is actually not “love.” Rather is is “need.” Love by its honest definition seeks what is BEST for the other person for their own sake, not because of what might be obtained by the other party in the process. If two people with same sex attraction love each other in the sense of “philos,” brotherly, sisterly love, then this is good but it should not be confused dishonestly with the love of a man and woman in marriage. To insist that it is the same is to be uncompassionate and insensitive because dishonesty will always hurt.
The Church offers to everyone TRUE compasssion because the Church will never come off the position of absolutey honesty.
And the Church is there to walk with us every step of the way on our journey to embrace the Cross and be honest to the “language of our bodies.” Herein lies the secret to true happiness.
–Fr. Thomas J. Loya, STB,MA.
Tabor Life Institute
I like to call the theology of the body “Going back to SCHL:”
It is the S=sacramental,C=truly “Catholic” (This includes the Orthodox churches), H=human, L=liturgical, WORLDVIEW.
(I include the “Orthodox” in the definition of Catholic because in this usage “Catholic” means based on a sacramental system.)
True compassion is based on impeccable honesty. If we use the Sacramental worldview the most compassionate thing we can say is that there is no such thing as a “homosexual.” Now, just wait, calm down and stay with me on this:
It is not compassiontate to size someone up, lable them and then dismiss them in an attitude of smug finality: “Oh, yeah, that’s Joe. He’s gay.” The word “homosexual” iself is actually of recent and erroneous vintage.
TOB teaches that our bodies “speak a language.” They “speak” of the complimentary gender. God does not make “homosexual” bodies. Our bodies are intrinsically gendered which means our minds, souls, Spirit, emotions, etc. are designed to be consistent with our bodies otherwise God would be a bad designer because there would be no consistency of design.
So, there are no “homosexuals.” There are only PERSONS, i.e. as God is a PERSON. Persons are worthy of respect and dignity because persons and persons alone image God. Some persons, through no fault of their own, MAY have what they are convinced of at THIS MOMENT IN TIME, a sexual attraction to the same gender. Please note my qualifying words–no finality was put on these persons.
I cannot get into here the entire dynamic of same sex attraction.
(You will have to attend one of my lectures some day for this.)
But, I can say this:
The Church in her TRUE compassion will never affirm someone in something that is not impeccabley honest because dishonesty will always cause a hurt in some way. Two people of the same gender can in fact love each other. But this is “philos” love and not the love of marital union. It is impossible for it to be the same as marriage simply because of what marriage actually means. It means complimentary entities that are specifically designed to “fit together,” to become a union and communion of persons in a full, fruitful, free and faithful gift of self. Our gendered bodies “speak” this language but they speak it in relation to the other gender. The complimentary genders are made to “fit together” phsycially and since the body has a theology it reveals the person. Therefore the persons are made to “fit together” but precisely in the fact that their bodies are gendered. This is what the language of their bodies are “saying.”
Now, if we affirm two people of the same gender in their desire to “marry” each other, we affirm these people in a certain dishonesty or illusion because in fact they cannot “fit together” in the specific way that defines marriage. Remember, words mean things. Just because we call something “marriage” does not in fact make it “marriage.” To affirm people in an untruth is to send them down a path of a simmering frustration of a certain unfulfillment. This is NOT compassion. This is NOT “sensitivity” or “inclusiveness” or respecting “diversity.” I will translate what this is: “I do not really want to bother with you. Whatever makes you happy. I really care more about myself than you because I want to make sure you will still like me, you will not get mad at me or even call be names like insensitive and homophobic.”
So where does that leave people with same sex attraction?
The genius of TOB says that the “spousal meaning of the body represents the fundemental element of human existence.” This means we ALL must live “spousally” to be happy. This includes single people, or those who believe they might have same sex attraction. To live “spousally” means to make a sincere gift of self and in life there are many, many ways to do this. Sacramental marriage is not the only way. Celibates, above all people must live “spousally.” Otherwise their celibacy is simply excess bagage defined entirely in the negative and therefore absurd and “archaic,” unfair, unnecessary, etc.
People who “believe” they “might” have same sex attraction,
(Please note how I stubbornly refuse to speak in finalities) are called by the Church to live the way the Church invites EVERYONE to live; HONESLTY: honest to the language of our bodies, honest to the created order because ONLY through honesty do we arrive at happiness. Honest living will always include the Cross, so we cannot take that out of the equation and that is usually the sticking point: We want what we want what we want what we want and don’t you ask me to say NO to myself. Don’t you show me that Cross or I will call you nasty names and label you as insensitive, homophobic, sexist, patriarchal, etc. etc.
Just as “marriage” means something specific, so does “love.”
If the “love” between two people of the same gender is defined in sexual terms and therefore seeking to include “marriage” then this is actually not “love.” Rather is is “need.” Love by its honest definition seeks what is BEST for the other person for their own sake, not because of what might be obtained by the other party in the process. If two people with same sex attraction love each other in the sense of “philos,” brotherly, sisterly love, then this is good but it should not be confused dishonestly with the love of a man and woman in marriage. To insist that it is the same is to be uncompassionate and insensitive because dishonesty will always hurt.
The Church offers to everyone TRUE compasssion because the Church will never come off the position of absolutey honesty.
And the Church is there to walk with us every step of the way on our journey to embrace the Cross and be honest to the “language of our bodies.” Herein lies the secret to true happiness.
–Fr. Thomas J. Loya, STB,MA.
Tabor Life Institute
