Happy New Year to you all! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends. It can be a bit hectic some times, but there’s lots of joy in the Christmas season. All of the lights and decorations get even our secular/non-believing friends in the mood. They know something is different and special about Christmas. I pray for them everyday that they will just embrace the awesomeness that is God and the Catholic Church.
So, the “S” word got used in class this week. Yes, we started talking about sex! And of course everyone was super comfortable with it and nobody snickered or got red faced…haha yea right, who am I kidding! It’s generally kind of an uncomfortable topic to discuss, especially amongst a group of adolescents that are trying to figure out this whole attraction to the opposite sex thing. Realistically, it’s a little uncomfortable for many of us adults to discuss as well.
We started off more focused on our sex/gender. If we go all the way back to the beginning of the Bible, in the book of Genesis, God tells us right here what we were meant to be. Adam and Eve, Male and Female, He created them. People reading this might think, “Oh, but Adam, that sounds good and all, but life isn’t that simple!” In a certain sense, you’re right. Not because God intended it to be complicated, it’s because we’ve complicated God’s plan so much. Right from the start actually, with Original Sin. The devil/sin has been trying to disrupt God’s plan for us from the very beginning.
Which is why it can be very difficult when someone we love is struggling with same sex attraction or gender dysphoria. We love them very much and can’t understand why the church would say that this desire they have is somehow disordered or wrong. “Doesn’t God love all His children?!” The answer is a resounding Yes, but there’s many layers to dive into before we can reach a better understanding. Which we will try to peel back some of those layers with our students over the coming weeks.
I’m speaking from personal experience with this as well, having had family and friends struggle in these areas. So, if your son or daughter is experiencing something similar, just know that I’m very familiar with the toll this takes on our hearts. We will do our best to answer the difficult questions that come up in class with tenderness. The topic of same sex attraction has already come up actually. I’m anticipating many more questions along those lines.
In the modern world, our sexuality is under severe attack by the devil. This is why it’s uncomfortable to talk about. The devil has been hitting us here, where we are most sensitive and most vulnerable, since the beginning. Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed in the garden before they sinned. Sin came in and they immediately began hiding themselves from each other and God. The devil knows he can cause division and turmoil here.
Please pray for us moderators and for the students over the next few months as we head further down this path. That we may do well in sharing the church’s beautiful teaching on sex and marriage. Also, pray that the students will have open ears to hear what God wants for them and the courage to challenge everything and hold fast to what is good, true, and beautiful.
I’ll be on a prayer retreat this week and out of class. But I look forward to getting back and diving deeper!
Have a blessed week!
-Adam D.
