Morality

I have been meaning to post this for days but life has been busy.

I will refer you to the Mass readings for Friday, August 26th, a reading from the first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. I am using the version published in "Magnificat".
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Brothers and sisters, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God - and as you are conducting yourselves - you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.
This is the will of God, your holiness: that you refrain from immorality, that each of you know how to acquire a wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion as do the Gentiles who do not know God; not to take advantage of or expoloit a brother or sister in the matter, for the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you before and solemnly affirmed. For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness. Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

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then from today, a reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans, 12:1-2

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy an dpleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your ind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.

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What is happening in our culture today and has been for many years displays a complete disregard for the Word of God. We see a culture of death, which promotes abortion. Where does this come from? From contraception. The invention of contraception has influenced and in fact promoted sex without consequences, free "love" and complete hedonistic sexual liberty.

Where people used to value each other and their virginity, and stand before God to make their vows to each other and to Him, they now stand in a fallacy, having already given themselves to immoral pleasures.

Is it right to blame the individuals? Indeed it is, for we are all responsible for our own behavior and therefore we have a duty to know what God expects of us? What of those who do not know God? Well, the consequences of their actions may be mitigated, but it does not mitigate the state of their souls.

Didn't I say earlier on that there was sex without consequences? So do I contradict myself now? Indeed I do not. The consequences on earth may be hidden, but they are there. They are not publicized, and in fact when attention is brought, they are denied completely. The consequences of the culture of sex and death are obvious to some, subtle to others.

To women or men who give in to the culture, they find themselves in a quandry and wondering why they are not valued by the person they profess to love and respect. I was actually once told that by not giving in to sexual advances I was telling the boyfriend in question that I did not respect him. What of respect for me or my faith? It didn't matter...apparently respect is a two way street and God gets to stand by the curb as we drive away happily to Hell.

As a woman, I know well what is "expected" of me when I go out on a "date" and what defines todays "relationship." We are told over and over that we should engage in sexual acts because to refrain shows that we are not well balanced; to refuse to give in means that we are sexually repressed an we are not comfortable with our bodies and in need of psychological help. Secular psychologists go so far as to say we need treatment for the damage suffered from restrictive religious practices. Isn't this a consequence to the precentds set by the women and men who went before me? That to say "no" means that I am not normal?

And for men...that same double standard is there. If a man today cares to maintain his virginity, he is seen as less of a man. How sad. He, too, is suffering a consequence.

And what of the culture of death? A direct result of "free love". Love aint' free, friends and neighbors. Love is sacrificial. Love is beautiful, and love is a gift of God..but it is not free. And sex without consequences? A myth.

Consequences of sex...let's see...pregnancy...STD's (the pill and condoms can't really stop them, you know)...cancer, hormonal imbalance....abortion.

God intended for man and woman (yes, man and woman, not man and man or woman and woman) to come together to bond in love, and through their love, the consequence is pain, which is sacrifical love, and through that pain, a greater gift is given. A child. A child is not a lump of tissue..a child is a consequence of what is supposed to be a loving choice to bond with another within the confines of Holy Matrimony. To be created, to develop as a child of God and to become a part of a society ordered by morality.

But these days, women "bond" with multiple men and have multiple children by multitudes of fathers...and where are the "fathers"? Nowhere to be found...they are busy acting like animals and "mating" wiht the next lioness that comes along to strike his hormonal fancy.

We are given the Word of God as a way to learn to how to live...to walk as God has ordered and to create an ordered society. Those who do not know God do not have the basic instructions they need to live from day to day, or to combat the evil culture which surrounds us.

I have heard many women complain that they are not valued...they are not treated like the women they are supposed to be, they are not respected. And yet, they go out and rather than standing up for what makes them a woman, they give in and face the consequences in another failed "relationship", maybe the "choice" to cause death to a gift from God, or in additional loss of self-worth.

We are clearly told that men are to value women and choose a wife (not a concubine, not a live-in girlfrined) in holiness, and we women, then are directed to walk the ways of holiness.

We are ALL directed to overcome our hormones, use our heads and the intellect that God gave us and stand up for what we know is right. We are called to remain aloof to the culture when the culture is wrong, as it so clearly demonstrates today.

And yet, so many give in and fight against what deep down, they know to be true.

So many are searching for God, searchign for holiness, searching for worth, and they are looking for it in the wrong place. We know who leads them, so let us continue to pray that these souls be led to the God who created them, who loves them, and who wants them to walk the road to holiness.

Women, stand up and protect your femininity, protect life. Men, protect your sisters, your wives, you fiancees, your girlfriends, and your female friends. Protect your own interests, and save yourself. When you entice a woman to do what you know is wrong, you are responsible for both your own sin and her sin. Women, the same goes for you.

We are all culpable, and we are all called to walk to the Lord in holiness.

I heard it once said that if the Evil One has us by the Testes and the Ovaries, he has us, heart and soul....is that how you want to be controlled?

Do not give in, but rather, read the Bible, listen to God...ad do what you know to be right, especially when it's difficult. Your very soul and the souls of those you profess to love depend on it.

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PS: as a definition of love, read 1 Corinthians 13.