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Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What will happen if I don't stop?

Last night we were very blessed to have Fr. Earl Fernandes, academic dean of the Mt. St. Mary's Seminary in Cincinnati, as our guest speaker for Kenosis: Teen Disciples for Love and Life. Fr. Fernandes addressed the topic of same-sex attraction.

After a brief overview of the Church's teaching on marriage, sexuality and same-sex attraction, Fr. Fernandes showed the USCCB's video about sexual complementarity, "Made for Each Other." He then answered dozens of questions written by the teens.

Several questions dealt with how to speak of the topic of same-sex attraction and behavior with family or friends. One questioner wanted to know if anything should be said to a friend who is struggling in this area.

Fr. Fernandes mentioned common interpretations of the Good Samaritan parable that describe the priest and the Levite as "too busy" to stop. But, Fr. Fernandes said that the road to Jericho was very dangerous. Consequently, some interpret the priest and Levite as asking themselves, "What will happen to me if I stop?"

The difference of the Good Samaritan was his question -- "What will happen to this man if I don't stop?"

Similarly, we are called to ask, "What will happen to my friend, to my relative, to this person, if I don't say something, if I don't share the beauty of my faith? What will happen to this person's salvation if I remain silent?"

Although the topic of same-sex attraction is a delicate and controversial one, we can remain confident that the Church's teaching is one of authentic love, as She longs for the eternal happiness of all of her children.

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