Homosexuality: Pope Puts Stress on Gender Roles

Pope Benedict has called for "an ecology of the human being." Pope Benedict XVI has said that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour is just as important as saving the rainforest from destruction. He explained that defending God's creation was not limited to saving the environment, but also protecting man from self-destruction.

The pope was delivering his end-of-year address to senior Vatican staff. His words, later released to the media, emphasised his total rejection of gender theory. Pope Benedict XVI warned that gender theory blurs the distinction between male and female and could thus lead to the "self-destruction" of the human race.

Gender Theory
Gender theory explores sexual orientation, the roles assigned by society to individuals according to their gender, and how people perceive their biological identity. Gay and transsexual groups, particularly in the United States, promote it as a key to understanding and tolerance, but the pope disagreed. When the Roman Catholic Church defends God's Creation, "it does not only defend the earth, water and the air... but (it) also protects man from his own destruction," the pope said.

"If tropical forests deserve our protection, humankind... deserves it no less," the 81-year-old pontiff said, calling for "an ecology of the human being." It is not "outmoded metaphysics" to urge respect for the "nature of the human being as man and woman," he told scores of prelates gathered in the Vatican's sumptuous Clementine Hall. The Catholic Church opposes gay marriage. It teaches that while homosexuality is not sinful, homosexual acts are.

(Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7796663.stm)

Understanding Homosexuality Part 2

Are "they" born that way?

The teaching of Scripture is that God intended men and women to experience relational completion - an easing of aloneness - through union with a partner who is sexually distinct from them, and who can thus be a true helpmate and companion in life.

"So God created man in His own image...male and female He created them...The Lord God said, "It is not good from the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." (Gen 1:27, 2:18)

Homosexuality is a relational brokenness that scripture reveals as contrary to God's creative intent for humanity's sexuality. In light of this, one can be sure that whether homosexuality is the result of developmental causes or inborn characteristics, it is not the result of an act of creation by God.

But is it inborn? Much research has been done to explore potential genetic or hormonal contribution to the origins of homosexuality. No conclusive evidence has yet to be found. The exploration continues, with most experts citing a variety of influences that include culture, family-of-origin, biological factors, and one's own reaction to these influences. At Desert Stream, we believe that biological factors influence the formation of personality. Our personalities in turn will partially determine how and why we act and react to the influences around us. Some personality types, when paired with other factors, may be more prone than other types to developing homosexual tendencies.

Is there hope for healing?

Homosexuality is clearl a two-fold condition. A fallen world imposes wounds, fears, identity confusion, and alienation; people react with sinful choices in an attempt to restore what has been broken and gain consolation in the midst of pain and need. Yet the goal remains unreached; the promise of real, lasting fulfillment proves to be all too elusive.

Jesus Christ is the alternative. He addresses the problem - humanity limited to self - and provides the way through which we can find fulfillment in God and His people. By releasing us from the dictates of the past, Jesus frees us to live as new creatures. The Holy Spirit carries on that process of change in our lives.

His grace is sufficient, for His strength is made perfect in weakness. He provides the mooring point for a new identity - the center out of which a true sense of well-being can be enjoyed. As we draw close to Him, we are enabled to reflect His image in our humanity more and more fully.

The goal of our growth is the freedom to love aright: to relate intimately but non-erotically to the same sex, and to be able to address the opposite sex as a needed counterpart without fear or disinterest. As we at Desert Stream believe such love is Christ's intent for us, we affirm His capacity to carry it out in our lives, and in the lives of those who seek to be free from homosexuality.

Understanding Homosexuality

I just came from a two-day retreat in Tagaytay City conducted by Living Waters Philippines on relational and sexual brokenness, homosexuality, and sex addiction. It was a very memorable retreat for me because I had so many realizations about myself and my struggle. I wish I could share them all here with you but I am still processing all these things inside of me.

Okay, I guess I can share some insights. In one of the workshop I attended, I threw this question to our speaker who himself lived the gay lifestyle, but has since come a long way in his healing journey and is now married. "What advice would you give to someone struggling with same sex attraction but has this desire to get married in the future?" He replied, "If you have this desire in your heart nurture it and lay it down at the foot of the Cross." His answer hit me big time and I struggled to control my emotions there. He even said a short prayer for me because he sensed that the question is somehow referring to me. He further added that those who are desirous of eventually settling down in marriage must develop a healthy relational bond with the opposite sex and that getting married does not necessarily mean being "healed" altogether. It's not a diploma that labels you as a totally healed person as the process is a continous growth and journey. I am so grateful to our speaker for giving me this insight.

During this retreat I recognized that we all have needs, specifically emotional and spiritual needs, that need to be filled up by the "right stuff" and if we don't get this we resort to alternatives like addiction to all sort of things (sex addiction in my particular case). On the spiritual plane we need to acknowledge all these things and surrender it to the Lord, but on the other hand we need to find ways, legitimate ways, to fill that need to make us whole and complete as a person.

We also need to let go of our expectation of what healing should look like. Many people, including me, at least have this mental imagery of what healing should look like and when we compare it to our present situation we often get frustrated. We were told to surrender this idea of healing and to let God hold you by the hand and guide you where He wants you to go.

I hope I can share more stuff but at this moment I'm still contemplating about all these things and how I should go about them. Meanwhile, I want to share with you a short article on the topic of Understanding Homosexuality that was given to us during our retreat. I hope this will further deepen your understanding of homosexuality.

Understanding Homosexuality
by Andrew Comiskey

Homosexual behavior is an attempt to fulfill normal needs for love, acceptance, and identity through sexual intimacy with someone of the same sex. Although the factors that contribute to the development of sexual orientation are complex and subtle, our experience suggests that one of the deepest roots of homosexuality is a break in early relational bonds. This relational breakdown can stunt the development of the individual's ability to healthily connect with others throughout life.

The security of a child depends on the three-way bond of mother to child, father to child, and the bond between the parents. Any break in these bonds can produce insecurity in the child and thus a lack of that sense of belonging and affirmation which is so vital in the development of gender identity.

If the child has an absent or an emotionally distant mother or father, he or she will feel a certain amount of vulnerability - a vague longing for closeness and protection that the parent has not been able to fulfill. In addition to this, if the young person has been sexually molested, the impact upon his or her ability to bond with others will be all the more broken. The child may detach from the parent and other significant adults in order to avoid any further hurt and disappointment. This tendency to withdraw produces fear of intimacy, isolation from others, and envy on account of what is missing; it also adds to the weight of the unworthiness and rejection that the young person is already carrying.

This leaves him or her with tremendous needs for affirmation and affection. In most instances, the attraction for the same sex begins around the age of 10; it is emotional, non-sexual, and involuntary. With sexual maturity, these needs become eroticized; sexual intimacy becomes a primary means for feeling loved and affirmed.

Hence, sexual activity offers some sense of being truly accepted. What seems to be love is received, the person extending this love is idolized, and as the pain becomes covered over with pleasure, a momentary sense of self-esteem emerges - a temporary relief from the confusion of identity.

Finding Completion

Thus, the homosexual condition is a result of the many hurts, real or perceived, that the child has suffered in the wake of broken relationships. The homosexual behavior is the activity that emerges as that "hurt child" seeks to fulfill these unmet needs for love. He or she may not know that sexual union can not impart the sense of completion and connectedness that is perhaps the most essential longing of the human soul.

The result of these efforts to meet one's needs is loneliness; the individual is left more fragmented and ill at ease than ever. In addition to this emotional confusion, the person often blames God for the hurts and for creating him or her homosexual. This hinders his or her ability to trust the Creator, and taste of the deep intimacy with Him that would provide comfort and strength in the face of as yet unmet inner longings.

(Part 2 to be continued...)

The "Gay" Problem

This is an article written by Fr. Odon de Castro, a Benedictine priest, that tackles about the reality of homosexuality among seminarians and clergy. You may or may not agree with his opinions but one thing is for sure - we need to educate and inform the clergy on the nature of SSA and to treat people afflicted with it with utmost care and respect.

In this short treatise, let me attempt to describe how, lately in our times, many priests have deteriorated into becoming "gays" or "pedophiles;" and how they can eventually be restored to be competent priests at the service of Holy Mother the Church.

First, let us recall one general principle of the Spiritual life, the violation of which leads to perversion, while obedience to it will cure all perversions and lead one to holiness of life.

This general principle often mentioned by St. Thomas of Aquinas is this: "He who does not progress in the spiritual life will regress." The need to progress every second and every minute in the spiritual life is often referred to by great spiritual writers as "the sacrament of the present moment," and was the "Little Way" of St. Therese of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church.

Now let us look at the different levels of human existence. There is the SUPERNATURAL level, which is when a person is in the state of sanctifying grace. Then there is the NATURAL level, which is the state of Adam and Eve after the fall and the state of souls without sanctifying grace. And lastly, there is the unnatural level which includes all perversions mentioned in Scriptures like the sins of Sodom and Gomorrha. (Let us skip the finer nuances of each level for the sake of brevity and deal with them in future.)

Applying the above principle of the spiritual life, he who progresses in the spiritual life within the SUPERNATURAL level will never regress down to the NATURAL AND UNNATURAL level. But he who does not progress towards the SUPERNATURAL level will regress down to the NATURAL level and even faster yet down to the UNNATURAL level.

Original sin is the inherited state in which, deprived of sanctifying grace, all men are born with the tendency to go down to the unnatural level.

Take a typical seminarian. Having been being baptized at infancy, he received sanctifying grace which raised him to the SUPERNATURAL level. This grace was what made him desire to serve God in the priesthood. But then because of a worldly way of life, he unawarely regresses down to the NATURAL level. But because he is still attracted to the priesthood, he still manages to enter the seminary in this NATURAL state. If, while in the seminary, any desire he has to love God is increased through sound teachings and deep spiritual life, he will progress from the natural level, and climb up the SUPERNATURAL LEVEL. And if this progress continues because the seminary continues to teach sound doctrine on the spiritual life, he will have no problem in becoming holy and an asset to the Church.

Another hypothetical case. If this baptized seminarian has lost sanctifying grace because of his worldly life, he enters the seminary in the NATURAL level. If there is a good theological curriculum in the seminary, but have a poor, or worse, no program in spirituality, he will NOT progress to the Supernatural level. So he remains as a seminarian in the NATURAL level. Though he could still desire to be a priest, he will have a strong tendency to regress. And the first sign of this regression is his desire to marry, though he may or may not retain a desire to remain a priest. This desire to marry shows that he is in the natural level.

If the seminary cannot raise him to the SUPERNATURAL level, they should encourage him to leave and marry because the Sacrament of Matrimony is precisely for that purpose: to keep him in the NATURAL level and prevent him from deteriorating down to the UNNATURAL level, with the hope that in the future he can progress again up to the SUPERNATURAL level, even as a married man.

But if the seminary does not have a good program of spirituality, thus preventing his spiritual progress that will cause his eventual spiritual regression, and they do not encourage him to marry, even when he has shown signs that he desires marriage, he will soon regress and descend to the UNNATURAL level.

Then the environment in the seminary will dictate the kind of perversion he will fall into. If his environment is with the presence of young children, he could turn out to be a pedophile. If his environment is just a seminary of men who would be priests, but does not offer the right curriculum as stated above; and because he is surrounded by men only (often not observing modesty) then he could regress to becoming gay. The culprit? A non-existent program of spirituality, thereby creating an environment conducive to homosexuality, i.e. the very ambience of present seminaries. Because the seminarian was not progressing in spirituality he regressed towards perversion.

The "reverse" of this sad plight of most seminaries, which is to progress every second and every minute in the love of God, is both the cure and the way to holiness. St. Therese showed this to us in her "Little Way," wherein she could make every tiny, insignificant acts into acts of love for God because her monastery had the right environment that could encourage progress in the spiritual life : a life of prayer, fasting, and good works.


Source: Gloria Olivae

On Legalization of Gay Marriage

"Let us consider our responsibility."

I had just arrived with my son Sam in Argentina. We were inspired, having just finished talking with our friends in Buenos Aires; they had successfully worked with some government officials to block the formation of a civic gay pride day. While serving those with same-sex attraction who seek healing, they are doing all that they can to halt the advance of gay rights in their land.
Then Annette phoned unexpectedly. Usually not a good sign; she brought the news I had been dreading. The CA Supreme Court just voted 4 to 3 to overturn a voter-based initiative that declared marriage as solely heterosexual. Gay marriage is now legal in arguably the most powerful state in the USA.

What does that mean? It means a radical and dangerous redefinition of the most basic and stabilizing relationship on earth. In the USA, marriage used to mean one man and one woman pledged to permanence and fidelity and committed to caring for the children that resulted from their union.

Marriage used to convey the essence of 'the imago dei': God's design for commitment and complementarity in human sexual relationships.

Now marriage has been reconfigured by human hands. The creature has asserted his independence from the Creator in the most brazen way possible. We have asserted how we will image ourselves. The Court has made a way for generations to come to validate rebellion; in our neighborhoods, in our schools, in our churches. 'Family' will now be defined as much by same-sex lovers as by man and woman.

Children will grow up under that state-mandated idolatry: what God defines as evil has now become just and true.

The Court has undermined God's best for the whole of a culture. The decision will resound throughout the nation and the world. Unlike Massachusetts where a gay couple must establish residence in order to marry, CA welcomes all from throughout the nation to marry there. That means that gays will marry in CA, then return to their states and insist that any laws there that define marriage as heterosexual be overturned by the courts. Just as CA did!

What can we do? Wake up. This decision impacts you as nearly as it does the gay couple in San Francisco. You are a citizen in the land. You have a voice. In light of a people coming out of great darkness in the area of sexual brokenness, Paul implored: 'Wake up, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Be careful how you live, making the most of every opportunity.' (Eph. 5:14, 15)

He implores us to rise and shine and make known His way for marriage. Gather to pray with others on the basis of Joel 3: 13-17: "Declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly" (v.15). Ask God for mercy on behalf of our land. Get rid of any residual idolatry you still cling to.

If you are considering doing a healing group for the sexually broken, now is the time to go forward. Declare to the community: here is the refuge for those most caught in the crossfire between idolatry and God's will. As we gather together as male and female, we declare: this is God's image for humanity!

Speak up in your churches. Assert at once God's compassion for the broken ones who choose His way and holy fear for those who refuse it for the law of an idolatrous land.

Do everything in your power to overturn the court's decision in CA. CA citizens are now mobilizing to put on the ballot in November a heterosexual only marriage initiative. (For the second time!) Such a bill could overturn the court decision.

Pray that the people will overturn the court's decision. Here in Argentina I am aware that all eyes are on the USA and its decisions concerning gay rights and the definition of marriage. Will we set a precedent of idolatry for our children, in our nation and in every nation on earth? Or will it be one of righteousness and compassion?

Let us consider our responsibility soberly in light of what is happening right now in the land. Let us pray and act now while we have opportunity. Let us not say in 10 years when gay marriage has become the norm: "How did that happen? We are witnessing it happening now, the biggest door opening yet for the reconfiguring of the image of God in the USA.

God have mercy. God give us the greater power to seek to overcome the evil of idolatry with good: man for woman, woman for man.

(Source: Andy Comiskey Desert Stream Ministries Andy Comiskeyemail: info@desertstream. org phone: 866-359-0500)

Gay Live Show Exposed!

Just recently, Imbestigador, a news and public affairs program of GMA-7, has conducted a surveillance/undercover work on gay live shows being performed in a private compound. If you think getting caught "green" handed inside a dilapidated cinema is the worst thing that could happen to you, well think again. I hope that those who feel this is some kind of discrimination against gay people may realize that there were grave violations of the law committed and somebody has to pay for it. I feel sorry for those who were caught doing this and the shame this thing has brought to them and their family. To those who are thinking of going to these places, you better think twice now. Being "outed" on national TV is not the most fashionable way to go. Thanks to investigative programs like Imbestigador, these scandals don't remain hidden very long from the public's eye and true to Mike Enriquez' words - "Hindi namin kayo tatantanan!!!"

Warning: Viewer discretion is advised.

Seminar on Homosexuality

Hey guys, Pro Life Philippines is inviting everyone to attend a seminar entitled "Homosexuality: Journey Towards Holiness" on June 21, 2008 8am-12nn at Bahay Ugnayan, Good Shepherd Convent, Katipunan, Quezon City.

The speaker is from Courage Philippines, a support group for persons with same-sex attractions who want to follow the teachings of the Church on chastity.

www.couragerc.net


Please call 9112911 for reservation and more information or reply to me in this blog.

Thank you very much!

The Right P.A.T.H.

P.A.T.H. is a non-profit coalition of organizations that help people with unwanted same-sex attractions (SSA) realize their personal goals for change -- whether by developing their innate heterosexual potential or by embracing a lifestyle as a single, non-sexually active man or woman.

CORE PRINCIPLES:

CHOICE: Many people who experience same-sex attractions (SSA) choose not to act on those feelings and not to embrace a homosexual identity. In many cases, they also choose to affirm and develop their heterosexual desires and pursue their dream of raising a family. We respect and affirm their choice.

AWARENESS: We do not seek to impose our viewpoint on anyone, but we work to spread awareness of positive and life-affirming alternatives to same-sex attraction, homosexual identity and homosexual lifestyles.

SELF-DETERMINATION: Clients of counselors, therapists, psychologists and psychiatrists have the right to determine the course and direction of treatment or counseling they receive relative to SSA and should be made aware of heterosexual-affirmative alternatives. Professional organizations should enhance rather than inhibit the client’s right of self-determination.

TOLERANCE: Individuals who are pursuing heterosexual-affirmative counseling, and those who have transitioned out of the homosexual identity and lifestyle, deserve tolerance and acceptance. Their choices should not subject them to discrimination, ridicule, or marginalization.

POLICY NEUTRALITY: All branches of government should avoid actions or decisions that would inhibit free speech about, or the practice of, heterosexual-affirmative alternatives. Of particular concern are laws regarding hate crimes and sexual orientation that may be construed to make it illegal to promote or even speak about alternatives to homosexuality.

ACCESS TO PUBLIC FORUMS: We claim equal access to public forums to state our viewpoint and to spread awareness of alternatives to same-sex attraction and the homosexual identity and lifestyle. This is particularly vital in cases where public schools address the issue of sexual orientation.

Source: www.pathinfo.org.

Church and SSA

Our topic for this week is about same-sex attraction and the Church. I hope you can find time to listen to Commander Craig's podcast over Catholic Radio 2.0. He is interviewing Fr. Paul Check, the new head of the Courage movement. Fr. Check explains the subject of same-sex attraction and answers questions from the Church's standpoint. He also explains the role of Courage in helping people with SSA to live chaste lives. Commander Craig hosts BlogTalk Radio and apparently also has some struggles with SSA. Interesting. Plus, hear the testimonies of two men who have come to know Courage and how it changed their lives for the better.

P.S.: If you intend to listen to the podcast, please turn off the MP3 player on my blog first coz it plays automatically. Thanks.

It's A Gay, Gay, Gay California

In The News:

California's top court legalizes gay marriage .

TV host Ellen DeGeneres and former Ally McBeal star Portia de Rossi are getting married.



Can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?

Flores de Bayot

There is another controversy involving the Church and the gay community that is brewing on the horizon. Barely a month or so from the much-talked about statement of Fr. Dakay of Cebu, the Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales has issued a statement forbidding gays from joining Santacruzan festivities. “It is very disgusting that we see gays as the center of attraction in the Santacruzan, which is supposed to be religious in nature as this is for our love of the Virgin Mary,” He said there would be no problem if gays participated in public activities such as parades, but processions were something intended to be solemn and dignified—not an occasion for showing how truly feminine a man appeared in a female dress. “Sorry but you have to fall in line. The sacred must remain sacred. The procession is religious. (But) what the (parishes) do is organize a parade. That is an insult to the Blessed Mother,” the Cardinal said.

Meanwhile, a bishop defended the good cardinal against accusations that he is anti-homosexual for barring gays from joining the yearly Santacruzan. According to Antipolo Bishop Gabriel Reyes, the Cardinal is just expressing his mind and the church's teaching with regards to this, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Already, there is an uproar and protestations going on in the gay community. Jonas Bagas, secretary general of Ladlad, said that “The Church should be liberal about this,” warning that the cardinal’s remarks might further alienate the gay community from the Church. Ladlad chair Danton Remoto does not think that they (gay participants) intend to make a mockery of the procession, but they are there because they are "true devotees" of the Virgin Mary.” He further commented that some low-income gay participants spend a fortune for gowns they will wear "out of the goodness and love in their hearts for the Virgin Mary.”

I think Cardinal Rosales was right on this matter. He has jurisdiction and the moral authority to determine what is right and proper especially concerning religious matters like Santacruzan. Admittedly, the yearly May festivity has lost its true meaning and purpose as the years went by. There is less solemnity and more frivolity going on. Have we lost the sense of the sacred? Looking at how things go during a sagala in this case, I think we lost it. It seems our friends in the gay community too don't care any less. For them, the sagala has become an avenue for ostentatiously displaying their Rajo Laurel's or Inno Sotto's inspired gowns. It's a perfect time for them to show their tationil whitened skin and silicone-implanted fake breasts complete with handsome escort on the side under the bamboo arches adorned with beautiful flowers amidst a cheering and jeering spectators. Sometimes I wonder if we have run out of beautiful maidens in this country. The gay sagala participants admittedly seem more beautiful and alluring than the "real ladies". They can indeed give the ladies a run for their boyfriends.

Finally, I would like to comment on Remoto's statement that the gay participants do this out of their "goodness and love for the Blessed Mother." I don't really think so. Based on my observation, they do that out of their desire to be seen and admired. They want to be applauded and praised for the beautiful gowns, the fake boobs, and tons of make-up that give them at least a semblance of what it's like being a woman. I don't believe these things they do out of their true reverence for the Blessed Mother. Who knows how to be truly devoted to Our Lady? True devotion to Mary consists first and foremost in avoiding sin and imitating her virtues especially the virtue of purity. I suggest that Danton Remoto grab a copy of St. Louis de Montfort's book "True Devotion to Mary" so that he can be more discerning and careful in issuing foolish statements like that.

Can I make a suggestion here? Maybe the gay participants can take up the role of the consort for a change. That would save them a lot of money from buying their glittery gowns and maybe they would look good at it too, who knows?

The Healing Touch

A week or so ago I posted this topic in a popular online forum. I want to know what other people think about it especially PLUs. In that forum, I asked them if they would entertain the possibility of going to a healing priest like Fr. Suarez to be "healed". The flurry of reactions that I got ranged from the objective and probing, the skeptical and questioning, and a few hostile and nasty ones. I selected a few of them. Read on.


Comment #1: It's stuff like this that really pisses me off. This is sheer stupidity, nincompoops! I think it's enough that the church condemns homosexuality and preaching that it is a sin. But to go an extra mile of moralizing people by insinuating that it is kind of a disease which can be cured or some sort of a possessed being being exorcised. It's just these damn moralists which **** up the world. live and let live.

Comment #2: Given the chance that I'd be "touched" (sorry for the lack of appropriate word) by Fr. Suarez, what I'd ask is for him to strengthen my resolve to do good things to others and strengthen my spirituality. I don't have any conflict with my sexuality, in fact, such acceptance allowed me to be in places where I'm needed. If I'd listen closely to my heart here's what it says.

It doesn't matter whether your gay or straight. So long as you're doing good things like what the creator intends you to do, you are assured of a spot in heaven.

Comment #3: Healing denotes sickness, malady, disease ...um.. dude.. last time I checked.. I don't think I'm sick.

Comment #4: I honestly think that its a great insult when people think that homosexuality is a sickness that needs to be cured.

Comment #5: I heavily doubt one can "cure" sexual attraction, scientifically speaking. It's a force of nature. It just goes its way. Many times, unnoticed.

Comment #6: This Fr Joey Faller, as well as this Fr Suarez, should be looked into by the scientific community. If they claim they can "cure" people of their current sexualities, they should offer concrete proof of the effectiveness of their methods and have them validated as 'safe to use'.

Comment #7: Coming frrom a purely non-orthodox Christian/Jewish/Islamic POV, why would we want to diminish/eliminate same-sex attraction in the first place? It's perfectly natural. It plays an important role in our species as much as opposite-sex attraction.And mind you, scientifically speaking, that same-sex attraction is not 'funneled' into a select group of humans but into almost everyone. It is not exactly experienced/perceived/received the same way across cultures, but it is there all the same.

So the question still remains. Will you give it a try? If given the chance, yeah why not?! If nothing happens, then it's okay. I've got nothing to lose. At least I won't go through life asking this question: What if...? It's now or never.

The Deeper Issue

I have been following the case of a gay man who underwent a rectal surgery in Cebu and who is the subject of much controversy with regard to a video that was taken during his surgery and uploaded on YouTube. In that controversial video, the medical personnel who operated on the patient seemed to be having a field day in the operating room after they removed a perfume canister from the gay man's rectum. How it ended up there is precisely the reason they were laughing and poking fun on each other. To add insult to the injury, somebody uploaded that video on YouTube for all the world to see. This undoubtedly brought so much shame to the patient and he wants justice. Who is to blame?


Medical Malpractice

I truly believe that the medical personnel violated this person's right as a patient. What they did to the patient was truly very unethical and shameful. I think they should be reminded of their Hippocratic oath. They committed a serious breach of patient-doctor confidentiality which is part of the code of ethics of all medical practitioners.


The Church's Side

On the other hand, Msgr. Achilles Dakay, spokesperson of the Archdiocese of Cebu believed that the doctors and nurses who had made fun of the patient and uploaded the video of the surgery on YouTube should not be blamed solely for the scandal.

On a radio interview, Msgr. Dakay said, "We are asking everyone not to forget or to bypass the main issue: The wrong act of a guy with another man. People are not talking about what happened before the operation—the homosexual act that was done very badly." The priest further said that homosexual acts were prevalent in the city.

“They are blaming the doctors for what they [did], but I think they should blame the guy for what [he and his partner] did.”

Dakay also said there should be a delineation between homosexuality as an orientation and homosexuality as an act.

“We should sympathize with them because they were born that way and made that way, but if they did what is prohibited, then that is another thing,” he stressed.


The Other Side

In his column, Danton Remoto, a Ladlad gay rights activist pointed out that the main issue was not the homosexual act but the unprofessionalism of the doctors and nurses involved.

"The Catholic Church has the right to affirm its stand on homosexuality, but we will not necessarily listen to it or follow it,” he said over a phone interview. He further labeled those doctors as the ones who are sick, pointing out that the patient suffered sexual and social discrimination.


Comment

I have to side with the monsignor's point of view here. The poor guy would not have found himself in this serious predicament had he not picked up a male prostitute. The homosexual person must really learn to differentiate his orientation, which is a condition and not sinful in itself, from his homosexual act, which is a manifestation of grave depravity. I symphatize with the poor guy's fate in as much as he is also a victim here. I believe that the guy has to take personal responsibility for what happened to him, especially if he has willingly put himself into this. The deeper issue goes beyond sexual or social discrimination, Mr. Danton Remoto. The "deeper" issue really is should we tolerate the rampant acts of sexual immorality plaguing our society? Does being "gay" really give a person the "license" to engage in sexual acts contrary to moral law? Just some thoughts to ponder.


If you're wondering why I have no picture above, well, it's censored. My blog is rated PG. =)

Chasing Chastity

The past week has been a great week for me in terms of sobriety. For the whole week, I never indulged in masturbation or watched porn on the internet. I pray it remains this way. The feeling of having total control over my addictions even for just a whole week was "glorious". Now, there is something I can look forward over the coming weeks hopefully. My battle with pornography and masturbation does not end in controlling my urges, neither do I consider this to be the ultimate measure of my own progress towards chastity. There is something more to chastity than being in total control of your passions and for a person with SSA the struggle becomes compounded with an innate attraction towards persons of the same sex. It gets a little complicated here as one tries to integrate a chaste lifestyle and at the same time deals with SSA issues.

The Vocation to Chastity

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines chastity as a successful integration of sexuality within the person and thus the inner unity of man in his bodily and spiritual being. The virtue of chastity comes under the cardinal virtue of temperance, which seeks to permeate the passions and appetites of the senses with reason. It is a moral virtue, a gift from God, a grace, and a fruit of spiritual effort.

On a more personal level, I have been struggling with chastity issues ever since I was in grade school. Until now it is still one of my biggest struggle. I have addictions to porn and masturbation, although I have made significant progress with how I deal with other people. I haven't had real sex with anybody as far as I can remember for years now, and yet there is still so much work to be done on my part toward reaching chastity. I am yet to learn some lessons in self-mastery and I still need to internalize why I want to be chaste in the first place. I don't want it to be like a useless sacrifice or practice of self-denial that serves no higher purpose. In doing so, I desire to grow in the process and be transformed.


Chastity and Sexual Reorientation

I am going to reveal a very personal view on this issue as I see it. For many people I know who struggle with SSA, majority of them (including me) have some chastity issues and they admit it themselves openly. Many of them also desire to tread the path of sexual reorientation through reparative therapy. I will touch on the subject of reparative therapy in my subsequent posts here. I have nothing against it. It is good and a goal worth seeking. But there is a problem. Those who have gotten themselves into this noble path of sexual orientation are not addressing first the more basic issue, which is consequently a matter of greater importance than sexual reorientation itself, and that basic issue is - CHASTITY. A few things here.

1. Chastity is the greater good.

Sexual reorientation is a complicated process and so does chastity. Both take time and never happen overnight. If one is confronted between a choice of two goods, he must choose the greater good. This is in contrast with choosing between two evils, where one must choose the lesser evil. In this case, chastity is the greater good because it is a moral virtue. Because it is very difficult to undertake two gargantuan tasks at the same time without compromising one or the other, one must choose the task that is of greater and higher importance. Don't you sometimes wonder why Christ included purity of heart as one of the condition to achieve supreme blessedness? Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God. We've heard this passage many times haven't we? Note that Christ attached the reward of the Beatific Vision (seeing God) with being pure at heart. If that is so, then that alone justifies the great value of this virtue among other things.

2. You must be chaste first with yourself before you can be chaste with other people.

A chaste person who enters into a relationship has a great safeguard against falling into temptations of impurity. An unchaste person often brings his unchastity into the relationship thus destroying it in the process. I counseled a guy friend of mine who is having an issue with a fellow guy with SSA that it would be more satisfying for him to know the "soul" of that person than it would be to have sex with him. I believe that if both parties are chaste, the relationship will be more fruitful and meaningful because there is mutual respect, and each does not seek what he can get out of the relationship but what he can give into it. This is the perfect relationship for me - a chaste, emotionally mature relationship. I thank my former counselor for this insight.

3. Learn to call a spade a spade.

Frankly, some people use the term "reparative therapy" as a license to justify their sexual behavior. Stop right there. Homosexual acts are acts of grave depravity and are always intrinsically disordered. A homosexual act, like fornication and adultery, is a grave sin, a mortal sin, just in case one does not know. No amount of reasoning can alter this truth and so it is at this point why cultivating the virtue of chastity all the more becomes apparent. Here is where we cross the line, thus making us not any different from those who practice the gay lifestyle outside of a support group.

4. A chaste homosexual is far better off than an unchaste heterosexual.

Between the two I would choose the former - really, for the condition of homosexuality by itself represents only a cross, a heavy one at that, while being unchaste represents a "grave defect" of character. Chastity must become the solid foundation into which a person's desire towards sexual reorientation should be built, and whether one becomes reoriented in the end or not, the virtue of chastity will make a person grow in his personhood - mature and emotionally stable.

Chastity does not mean abstention from sexual wrong; it means something flaming, like Joan of Arc - G.K. Chesterton

Who Is Afraid of the Homo?

A few days ago, I received an email in my yahoogroups regarding a gay agenda ad being propagated on the internet. The gay agenda was about raising consciousness on the topic of homophobia with a catchy slogan above saying that "sexual orientation is not a choice". I was alarmed and disgusted by the fact that this group is espousing their belief that being gay is predetermined at birth. I beg to disagree.

I have just finished reading the booklet entitled Same Sex Attraction: Catholic Teaching and Pastoral Practice by Fr. John F. Harvey, O.S.F.S. I would like to quote some relevant texts there pertaining to the above topic particularly on the factors contributing to the formation of the person with SSA (same sex attraction).

Factor#1: An inability of the child to identify with the gender of the same sex parent. It says here that a little boy needs to communicate and identify with his father and a little girl likewise with her mother. Personally, I believe this is one contributing factor to my having an SSA. I failed to establish a solid connection with my father because of so many compounding issues. For one, my father is very athletic in his youth and I am not. It could have been a great bonding moment between me and my father had I been like him in that aspect.

Factor#2: An overweaning relationship with the opposite-sex parent. Being somewhat distant from my father, I gravitated towards my mom especially during my schooldays because she was a gradeschool teacher.

Factor#3: An inability to identify with peers of the same sex during childhood and adolescence. I suggest you read my article "No Girlfriend Since Birth" why I failed to establish connection with my peers.

Factor#4: Emotional abuse (including neglect) or sexual trauma. There might have been some level of emotional abuse that I suffered as I was growing up but I am thankful I was shielded from experiencing any sort of sexual trauma or abuse from anybody. If so, that would have made things worse for me I believe.

Gay Since Birth?

Based on the above explanations, it can be deduced that the SSA condition is not something that begins at birth. Many factors can contribute to its development. The question of genetic factor has always been used by many unscrupulous gay activists in their desire to advance their homosexual agenda. But to date, the studies have been inconclusive and have not been replicated scientifically. Better luck next time.

I believe that much of the homophobia going around are largely brought about by the kind of lifestyle these people are living out rather than their sexual orientation per se. Fear arises because society at large does not understand the gay person. What we can do on this matter is to educate the public about the reality of homosexuality and that is what pro-chastity groups and ex-gay ministries have been doing for quite some time now. There is really nothing to fear as long as you do not give other people a reason to be scared of.