J
joshrp
Guest
Hi,
I had a discussion with the campus minister at the Catholic center at my university regarding homosexuality, and I later sent an email to the Courage Apostolate, asking for guidance about it. I want to know if anyone here can give me any help in how to approach this situation? Here is what I wrote to Courage:
"Today I had a discussion with the campus minister for the Catholic Center at my university. I had met to study with a fellow student for a music class I am taking and during the time we were talking she mentioned that she works in the GLBTA office. It wasn’t a topic of our discussion that much, but later I said to my campus minister that it is ironic that the student who probably spends more time in Catholic Church’s than anyone else on campus and someone who works in the GLBTA office are the only ones who are willing to study together for a music class. It was especially ironic because myself and the other student were discussing counterpoint, and melody-countermelody, polyphony, etc. But I mentioned this to the campus minister, and she looked at me like I had three heads and said “It is ironic for someone who believes all of the Church’s teachings.” I basically thought to myself “Huh?” We talked a little about it, but I am just kind of disturbed by it. She said that two people of the same sex can love each other intimately just as much and even more so than many men and women can each other, and what they do physically is between themselves.
I’m not even sure what to write here. I just figured that people in official ministry positions in Catholic campus organizations would hold to the church’s teachings. I’ve heard about your organization on Catholic Answers or www.catholic.com. I just don’t know a whole lot about this subject. I tried to talk to her about chastity and the purpose God gave human sexuality.
I don’t really know what I should do or what I should talk to her about anymore. I talked to one of my friends who is an orthodox Catholic, and he said not to let it affect me, but the way she looked at me and sort of talked down to me, like I am some kind of bigot or fundamentalist because I try to discourage people from doing or accepting behaviors that separate them from Christ. I feel kind of like **** now.
I sent her an email because she had to do something and we couldn’t continue talking at the time.
This is what I wrote:
“Hi,
My whole approach to homosexuality is that I do not want to encourage it in anyone, but will give my reasons for why I discourage engaging in explicit homoerotic sexual behavior. You can love everyone, no matter what sex they are. But sexuality was created for the express purpose by God of uniting a married man and woman for the purpose of creating new life. Detaching these two functions of the conjugal act is unchaste. I love my parents, and I love my brother, but it is lustful to want to marry them or have erotic sexual relations with any of them. The same holds true for people of the same sex. God designed the body of a man for the body of a woman, and vice versa. I discourage erotic sexual behavior between people of the same sex as I do for a man and a woman who are not married. Because sexuality was specifically created to unite one man with one woman and make them one flesh for the purpose of raising a family. Outside of this, erotic behavior is not love but lust. God calls us all to be chaste, whether we are married, single, or whatever.
I discourage homosexual behavior because I know that God has better plans for everyone than mere sexual pleasure. We are called to love everyone, we are not called to erotically stimulate anyone who consents to it. So I discourage any erotic sexual behavior between any two people who have not entered into a heterosexual marriage open to the gift of creating new life, because from all I have seen and researched, anything outside of this setting only causes problems. I don’t want to confuse or mislead anyone more than they already are. This is the bare bones of my reasoning on this subject. My main reason for this position is that I know that unchastity in our sexual behavior keeps us from God and what He has to offer us. Anyone can be close friends and be emotional, spiritually, and affectionately intimate with someone of the same sex, but if they engage in erotic sexual behavior with each other, they are corrupting themselves and their relationship to each other and driving away God from their lives.
I hope this doesn’t cause to much tension between us, but this is a Catholic Church organization, and I don;'t think I am out of line in elaborating more on the Catholic Church’s teaching on a very delicate subject.”
She responded with this:
“Thank you Josh.
I am familiar with Catholic teaching on this topic. I appreciate your sharing your thoughts.”
And that was all she said.
Now I feel uncomfortable about seeing her or talking with her. My first worry was that I was going to be marginalized or excluded from certain ministries. I spend more time in the Catholic Center than probably any other student on campus, and now I feel uncomfortable going there, wondering if other people in authority in the center have the same position as her. My friend whom I talked to after told me to include her in my prayers when I go to adoration, which I usually do at least once every day.
I had a discussion with the campus minister at the Catholic center at my university regarding homosexuality, and I later sent an email to the Courage Apostolate, asking for guidance about it. I want to know if anyone here can give me any help in how to approach this situation? Here is what I wrote to Courage:
"Today I had a discussion with the campus minister for the Catholic Center at my university. I had met to study with a fellow student for a music class I am taking and during the time we were talking she mentioned that she works in the GLBTA office. It wasn’t a topic of our discussion that much, but later I said to my campus minister that it is ironic that the student who probably spends more time in Catholic Church’s than anyone else on campus and someone who works in the GLBTA office are the only ones who are willing to study together for a music class. It was especially ironic because myself and the other student were discussing counterpoint, and melody-countermelody, polyphony, etc. But I mentioned this to the campus minister, and she looked at me like I had three heads and said “It is ironic for someone who believes all of the Church’s teachings.” I basically thought to myself “Huh?” We talked a little about it, but I am just kind of disturbed by it. She said that two people of the same sex can love each other intimately just as much and even more so than many men and women can each other, and what they do physically is between themselves.
I’m not even sure what to write here. I just figured that people in official ministry positions in Catholic campus organizations would hold to the church’s teachings. I’ve heard about your organization on Catholic Answers or www.catholic.com. I just don’t know a whole lot about this subject. I tried to talk to her about chastity and the purpose God gave human sexuality.
I don’t really know what I should do or what I should talk to her about anymore. I talked to one of my friends who is an orthodox Catholic, and he said not to let it affect me, but the way she looked at me and sort of talked down to me, like I am some kind of bigot or fundamentalist because I try to discourage people from doing or accepting behaviors that separate them from Christ. I feel kind of like **** now.
I sent her an email because she had to do something and we couldn’t continue talking at the time.
This is what I wrote:
“Hi,
My whole approach to homosexuality is that I do not want to encourage it in anyone, but will give my reasons for why I discourage engaging in explicit homoerotic sexual behavior. You can love everyone, no matter what sex they are. But sexuality was created for the express purpose by God of uniting a married man and woman for the purpose of creating new life. Detaching these two functions of the conjugal act is unchaste. I love my parents, and I love my brother, but it is lustful to want to marry them or have erotic sexual relations with any of them. The same holds true for people of the same sex. God designed the body of a man for the body of a woman, and vice versa. I discourage erotic sexual behavior between people of the same sex as I do for a man and a woman who are not married. Because sexuality was specifically created to unite one man with one woman and make them one flesh for the purpose of raising a family. Outside of this, erotic behavior is not love but lust. God calls us all to be chaste, whether we are married, single, or whatever.
I discourage homosexual behavior because I know that God has better plans for everyone than mere sexual pleasure. We are called to love everyone, we are not called to erotically stimulate anyone who consents to it. So I discourage any erotic sexual behavior between any two people who have not entered into a heterosexual marriage open to the gift of creating new life, because from all I have seen and researched, anything outside of this setting only causes problems. I don’t want to confuse or mislead anyone more than they already are. This is the bare bones of my reasoning on this subject. My main reason for this position is that I know that unchastity in our sexual behavior keeps us from God and what He has to offer us. Anyone can be close friends and be emotional, spiritually, and affectionately intimate with someone of the same sex, but if they engage in erotic sexual behavior with each other, they are corrupting themselves and their relationship to each other and driving away God from their lives.
I hope this doesn’t cause to much tension between us, but this is a Catholic Church organization, and I don;'t think I am out of line in elaborating more on the Catholic Church’s teaching on a very delicate subject.”
She responded with this:
“Thank you Josh.
I am familiar with Catholic teaching on this topic. I appreciate your sharing your thoughts.”
And that was all she said.
Now I feel uncomfortable about seeing her or talking with her. My first worry was that I was going to be marginalized or excluded from certain ministries. I spend more time in the Catholic Center than probably any other student on campus, and now I feel uncomfortable going there, wondering if other people in authority in the center have the same position as her. My friend whom I talked to after told me to include her in my prayers when I go to adoration, which I usually do at least once every day.
