Presentation Transcript
SEXUAL REVOLUTION :SEXUAL REVOLUTION AND COUNTER REVOLUTION
Bukit Tiram House,
16th November 2008
Slide 2:Purity and chastity:
habits that clean our hearts
“Blessed are the pure in spirit for they shall see God”
Dignity of human person :Dignity of human person CCC 357 Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone.
CREATED IN THE IMAGE & LIKENESS OF GOD.
1. self‑knowledge (intelligence)
2. freely giving himself (will) and entering into communion with other persons.
Human person is FREE :Human person is FREE Author and master of own acts (not slaves)
Not just following instincts
Need to make good use of freedom
Self-control and self-giving to others
Develop self commitment
Fashion self through actions :Fashion self through actions Inner fight for Good / Evil
Virtue ofHOLY PURITY :Virtue ofHOLY PURITY Virtue makes person a more complete person
Virtue lead to true freedom: self dominion (not a slave of passions)
Enables self-giving and loving more completely
Enriches person, confirms inclination towards God (you shall see God)
Slide 7:The Virtue of Chastity
Integrity
Self-Mastery: Love and Charity n
Not enslaved by passions
Temperance
Chastity: in celibacy; in matrimony
Slide 8:Male and Female
He Created Them
In God's image: capacity for love and communion
Difference (man & woman) and complementarity
Who is “more”: man or woman?
Equal dignity
Man and woman :Man and woman Different characteristics are physiological - not through education or environment. Different affectivity.
Way body is made affects spirit
Gender moulds emotional and intellectual life of man and woman
Feel, perceive reality, seek solutions to problems in different way
Feelings and will :Feelings and will How to practice purity?
Balanced interaction between reason, will, passions
Daily struggle
Help of sacraments and spiritual guidance
Enabled to act according to principles and values
Be a person who determines the tone of his/her environment (fashion, conversations, etc).
He /she does not follow what the majority do, but WHAT IS GOOD.
Areas of struggle :Areas of struggle Temperance and discipline in food and drink
Rejection of material that is superficial, provocative or pornographic
Reject material that fosters immoral lifestyles
Overcome excessive concern about dress or figure
Modesty in dress (both in public and in private)
Areas of struggle :Areas of struggle Dealing with boys (at school, parties, dates etc
Decency in gestures (walking, sitting, standing, dancing?)
Decency in conversations and jokes
Courtship: prudence
Danger of same sex attraction
ModestyProtect inner life :ModestyProtect inner life Sensations, thoughts, decisions and desires contribute to our inner life
Refers not just to soul, but also to body
Dress not just to serve needs of body, but also to help keep body private
Modesty and sense of physical shame protect our inner life
Modesty: Preserve personal dignity :Modesty: Preserve personal dignity Involves clothes, care of appearance, gestures, conversations
Taking good care of personal privacy, enriches
Enriches own dignity
Enriches dignity of others
Fosters stability of families
Promotes other goods that are signs of civilisation
Loss of sense of shame :Loss of sense of shame A clear sign of decadence in society
Manifested by eroticism, pornography and permissiveness
Devil: roaring lion
Slide 16:Evil brings unhappiness / Purity brings hapiness
Evil use of freedomsexual revolution :Evil use of freedomsexual revolution Original sin led to profound disorder / lack of harmony in each person
Faculties of soul don’t easily direct and dominate lower faculties
Feelings and passions are in disorder.
Today we witness a sexual revolution, accelerated in the late 1960’s.
Exaltation of “freedom” (licentiousness = do whatever you like)
Slide 18:Offences Against Chastity 1)Lust - disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure
2)Masturbation - deliberate stimulation of genital organs to derive sexual pleasure
3)Fornication - carnal union between unmarried man and an unmarried woman
4)Pornography
5)Prostitution
6)Rape
7)Homosexual acts
VOCATION TO MARRIAGE :VOCATION TO MARRIAGE Marriage = love = self-donation = sacrifice
Complementarity for those called to a vocation in marriage :Complementarity for those called to a vocation in marriage Creating the human race in his own image . . .. God inscribed in the humanity of man and woman the vocation, and thus the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion”.
“God created man in his own image . . . male and female he created them”; He blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply”;
CCC 2331
Chastity also in marriage
PERSON: Body and Soul :PERSON: Body and Soul Soul and body form the unity of person
Offences against Marriage :Offences against Marriage Adultery - Offends two commandments: the commandment of justice and that of chastity.
Divorce and separation
Polygamy
Incest
Abuse of minors
Free unions, homosexual unions and trial marriages
Early Predictions :Early Predictions Control the population crisis
Reduce the number of unwed pregnancies and abortions
Improve marriages
Evil use of freedom :Evil use of freedom Quiz (check one)
Q: What has contributed the most good to our culture in the XX century?
contraceptives
cars
computers
T.V.s and V.C.R.s Contraception Contribution?
Catholics and Contraception :Catholics and Contraception Catholics 1960:66% did NOT contracept 66% 80% Catholics 1995:80% contracept 34% did contracept
Evil use of freedom :Evil use of freedom Casual, Recreational Sex
Evil use of freedom :Evil use of freedom SOME CONSEQUENCES OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION:
More contraception
More abortions and abortifacients
More children born outside marriage
More sexual activity among teenagers (more vulnerable).
More STD among teenagers
More divorces
Slide 28:Teen Sexual Activity in US
Out of Wedlock Births :Out of Wedlock Births Percentage of out of wedlock births Source: William J. Bennett, The Index of Leading Cultural Indicators
Contraception ->Abortions :Contraception ->Abortions
Cohabitation and Divorce :Cohabitation and Divorce Couples now live together before marriage
and split up after marriage!
Divorce Rates :Divorce Rates Divorces
(per 1,000 married women)
Single Parent Families :Single Parent Families Percentage of All Families with Children
Reasons to condemn Contraception :Reasons to condemn Contraception a violation of the good of a woman’s physical and psychological health
an impediment to the total self-giving of spousal love
a rejection of God as Creator of new life
Impediment to Total Self-Giving :Impediment to Total Self-Giving
God Creates Every Human Soul :God Creates Every Human Soul
Contraceptive Thwarts God’s Life-Giving power :Contraceptive Thwarts God’s Life-Giving power
Counter-revolutionHoly Purity :Counter-revolutionHoly Purity Chastity represents an eminently personal task
Need of a counter-revolution today
it also involves a cultural effort, for there is “an interdependence between personal betterment and the improvement of society”.
CCC 2344
Conclusion :Conclusion Need for conviction that purity is possible
Don’t go with the crowd – set your own agenda
Clarify problems and doubts through guidance: ask what you do not know…
Gospel teaching: purity is necessary to see and love God
Rely on supernatural supports
Conclusion :Conclusion Rely on supernatural supports
sacraments
piety
love for the Blessed Virgin Mary
mortification
sincerity
humility
Avoid idleness