And the real threat is from within the Church itself by cafeteria “catholics”.
I agree with you there are many threats from within the Church. As a progressive, liberal-minded Roman Catholic, I see them all the time in the intolerance, narrow-mindedness, bigotry, and insufferable puffed up piety of those who listen to the Gospel and participate in the Eucharist each week and still fail to internalize the message that
God doesn’t love us because we are good.
Calling people cafeteria catholics is offensive and undermines the mission of those of us who seek to draw all of God’s children into the Body of Christ. Unless this is your intent, it’s best not to use the term.
Homosexuality is the antithesis to our natural design, it is also an anomaly to the natural paradigm of human reproduction. That is why it is bad.
Craving intimacy with other human beings is certainly part of our natural design. It was created by God and is good. We all like to kiss, hug and snuggle up with other people - especially during times of great joy or tremendous grief. It doesn’t matter if the person is male or female, married or single, young or old - physical intimacy is essential to a healthy emotional bond with other people.
I think the problem is that many people have a difficult time separating the natural drive for intimacy with the sex act. This is certainly true in our culture in comparison to Latin and Semitic cultures. You just don’t see many men kissing each other in the United States like you do in other parts of the world. For example, Jesus wasn’t
offended when Judas
kissed him. He was hurt. Judas did a terrible thing not only in betraying Jesus, but by turning a common sign of love into a signal of betrayal.
Sex without intimacy is certainly disordered, but intimacy should be understood as something that exists in its own right rather than simply as a precursor to sex. If we could get this message across, then I think
many people who find themselves attracted to a person of the same sex for a variety of reasons would not necessarily self-identify as homosexual. Right now, our society doesn’t give people this kind of freedom. The only message we hear is that if you are attracted to a person of the same sex - then you are gay or lesbian. That fact that these terms are no longer used in a derogatory fashion doesn’t mean they do not impose artificial constraints on people.
There is no doubt that some people with same sex attractions will still sin and seek sexual pleasure for purely selfish reasons,
but that is true for heterosexuals as well. There is no reason to single out homosexuals as particularly bad. The Church’s teachings on marriage and sex apply to us all. Furthermore, lets not forget that these teachings didn’t develop in response to the damage homosexual sex was doing to society - they were developed in response to the damage heterosexual sex (which does produce children) was doing to society.
Defining people based solely upon their sexual orientation is narrow minded and does not reflect the Church’s position:
"The Church’s position is not based on an animus against people with a homosexual orientation. Each and every member of the Church is called to holiness regardless of their sexual orientation.
The Church has often warned against defining people by their sexual orientation in a way that diminishes their humanity. Each person is a mystery, an irreplaceable treasure, precious in God’s eye. We are God’s creatures and in baptism we are His sons and daughters, brothers and sisters to one another.
The extreme individualism of our age is undermining the common good and fractionalizing the community. The Church wishes to call people to unity based on mutual respect and a commitment to the common good.
We do not want Catholics who have a homosexual orientation to feel unwelcomed in the Catholic Church. We remind them that they are bound to us by their baptism and are called to live a life of holiness. Many homosexual persons in our Church lead holy lives and make an outstanding contribution to the life of the Church by their service, generosity and the sharing of their spiritual gifts."
I recommend you read his entire blog on the topic. It is truly wonderful that Cardinal Seán is getting so much attention in Rome and is now numbered among the
papabili! He would make a wonderful Pope.