Hi, Anonymous — Thanks for your questions. In addition to the fine comments
from my colleague Eric, I'd like
to add something from a different
spiritual angle; just as a diamond
has many facets. Probably one of the most important
world-war battles that's happening
right now, here on earth, is the
battle for
our minds. On our side: Our
guardian and other holy angels of
God here to assist us and remind
us of our call to holiness: our call
to be other Jesus' in the world for
others who have not yet heard of
the Gospel.
The enemy: Satan
and his many demons who strive to
put many sinful thoughts in our heads
and persuade us to go ahead, sin
and throw Our Blessed Lord, Jesus,
out of our lives. The choice is ours as to which thoughts
we block or permit in! The properly trained Christian mind
will always keep this vital point
in mind when they are tempted by
bad thoughts, especially those that
tempt us into the sins of the flesh. The Church teaches that homosexual
acts, like sodomy, are a grave sins
against God.
Because the man or woman is using
their bodies for sexual pleasure
but not for the life-giving purpose
God has intended their bodies for. By nature, man
was created for woman and woman
was created for man. It
is through the
life-giving principle of the martial
act between a husband and wife, working
with the Holy Spirit, that new life
is created and was intended to:
- stabilize society for future
generations with children, and
- bring forth more adorers for
the kingdom to come.
This is why homosexuality destroys
our culture and the future of our
society in America. Successive generations
will not able to be cared for
because the importance of Christian
Marriage in our current society will
have been seen as an option instead a
basic staple of society.
- But what about single people?
There are some called by the Lord
to be a public witness for Christ
in the world as a single person.
These people live their life looking
toward the “ultimate joy” they
will hopefully have in Heaven. You stated in your question/reply:
- Is fantasying a
sin?
- What if a person
fantasizes about two heterosexuals
having sex; is that a sin?
- What is an example
of fantasizing?
One can be tempted with bad sexual
thoughts on their mind. The bad thoughts,
in themselves, are not a
sin, but a temptation. The person who chooses to give into
the bad thoughts, by saying, "I want
more bad thoughts",
sins by saying
"yes" to the sin. It
all depends on whether one chooses
to turn right away from the fantasy,
by saying
"no", or encourages [his/her]
mind to accept more bad fantasies. You stated in your question/reply:
- Is sexual thought
about two people having sex a
sin?
If it is deliberate, Yes. You stated in your question/reply:
- Is a sexual or
homosexual desire a sin?
No, so long as the person doesn't
act on the desire. You stated in your question/reply:
-
Is a homosexual
tendency a sin?
I'm not should what you mean.
There is no known natural reason
for a person to have homosexual tendencies.
God made man for woman and woman
for man. The root of homosexual thoughts come
mainly from the following media:
- T.V.
- radio
- books
- groups that encourage the behavior,
and
- the internet.
Any information you hear about homosexuality
being a genetic issue that has to
do with our genetic make-up is garbage! You stated in your question/reply:
- If a practicing
homosexual never confesses there
homosexual sin can they still
go to Heaven if they obey the
rest of God's beliefs?
It depends on whether they knew that
homosexual acts where mortal sins.
If they did know,
yet continued with their behavior,
No, they would not be able to go
to Heaven. All men and women have
been created with the natural law
written in their hearts and are bound
to be guided by the Holy Spirit to
repent if they sense what they
are doing is wrong [and/or] sinful. This natural law (which is built
into the soul) tells the practicing
homosexual that [his/her] behavior
goes against the purpose for which
God made their bodies. You stated in your question/reply:
- Do you need to
confess all your sins in order
to get into Heaven?
Catholics have to confess all known
mortal sins including the approximate
number of them to get to Heaven. Sins
against the flesh are mortal sins
and must be confessed. The same is
true with those sins where one gives
permission to more bad thoughts,
if they meet the criteria the Church
has given: From the Catechism of the Catholic
Church:
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1859 Mortal sin requires full
knowledge and complete consent.
It presupposes knowledge of the
sinful character of the act, of
its opposition to God's law. It
also implies a consent sufficiently
deliberate to be a personal choice.
Feigned ignorance and hardness
of heart do not diminish, but
rather increase, the voluntary
character of a sin.
1860 Unintentional ignorance can
diminish or even remove the amount
of blame of a grave offense. But
no one is deemed to be ignorant
of the principles of the moral
law, which are written in the
conscience of every man. The prompting's
of feelings and passions can also
diminish the voluntary and free
character of the offense, as can
external pressures or pathological
disorders. Sin committed through
malice, by deliberate choice of
evil, is the gravest.
|
You stated in your question/reply:
My teenager masturbates
while watching people on T.V. having
sex. I've asked the deacon at my
church, as well as other priests
and deacons, what I should do, but
I don't understand what they are
telling me.
- Is this natural?
- Is this considered
a sin?
- Is this natural
for anyone?
Yes, the struggle and temptation
is natural for any man or woman.
As men and women, we were created
with fallen natures, thanks to the
sin of Adam and Eve. The best comment I've heard on this
subject was from a priest who said
there is only one time when you won't
have to worry about struggling with
the sins of the flesh:
When you are 6 feet underground
... meaning, you are dead and
physically buried.
Our fallen nature manifests itself
by our sins of the flesh both inside
and outside the sacrament of Holy
Matrimony. Christian Baptism erased
original sin, but we still have a
tendency to repeat these sins of
the flesh due to concupiscence. Jesus even told us Himself:
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.
So He understands the struggle and how difficult it is. Many "red-blooded Americans" will
say. "It's natural!". I say, "No, it is natural within
marriage." Because
of our fallen nature, "their
line" can be persuasive; nevertheless,
it isn't. The Church and Our Lord tell us that
we have to strive to keep holy as
St. Paul struggled:
14 We
know that the law is spiritual;
but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 I
do not understand my own actions.
For I do not do what I want, but
I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now
if I do what I do not want, I
agree that the law is good. 17 So
then it is no longer I that do
it, but sin which dwells within
me. 18 For
I know that nothing good dwells
within me, that is, in my flesh.
I can will what is right, but
I cannot do it. 19 For
I do not do the good I want, but
the evil I do not want is what
I do. 20 Now
if I do what I do not want, it
is no longer I that do it, but
sin which dwells within me. 21 So
I find it to be a law that when
I want to do right, evil lies
close at hand. 22 For
I delight in the law of God, in
my inmost self, 23 but
I see in my members another law
at war with the law of my mind
and making me captive to the law
of sin which dwells in my members. 24 Wretched
man that I am! Who will deliver
me from this body of death? 25 Thanks
be to God through Jesus Christ
our Lord! So then, I of myself
serve the law of God with my mind,
but with my flesh I serve the
law of sin.
Romans 7:14-25
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
tells us the following:
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405 Although it is proper to each
individual, original sin does
not have the character of a personal
fault in any of Adam's descendants.
It is a deprivation of original
holiness and justice, but human
nature has not been totally corrupted:
it is wounded in the natural powers
proper to it, subject to ignorance,
suffering and the dominion of
death, and inclined to sin - an
inclination to evil that is called
concupiscence". Baptism,
by imparting the life of Christ's
grace, erases original sin and
turns a man back towards God,
but the consequences for nature,
weakened and inclined to evil,
persist in man and summon him
to spiritual battle.
A hard battle. . .
407 The doctrine of original sin,
closely connected with that of
redemption by Christ, provides
lucid discernment of man's situation
and activity in the world. By
our first parents' sin, the devil
has acquired a certain domination
over man, even though man remains
free. Original sin entails "captivity
under the power of him who thenceforth
had the power of death, that is,
the devil". Ignorance of
the fact that man has a wounded
nature inclined to evil gives
rise to serious errors in the
areas of education, politics,
social action and morals.
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Because of our fallen nature, it
is a struggle to keep our [temples|bodies]
holy, but this is what we are called
to do so that, in receiving the Lord
in the Eucharist, we partake 110%
in His divine nature and become co-workers
with Our Lord in his vineyard: the
world. Simple advice: If one commits one
of these sins, just go to Confession
and, end the Confession by telling
the priest you wish to make a good,
holy Communion.
Then you will have a clear
conscience when making your Sunday
obligation. My
two cents from a personal view: Weather
you are single or married,
the sins of the flesh are not
easy sins to combat no matter
what age you are. I have found
the most power weapons in keeping
my [temple|body] holy are:
- frequent Confession
- Daily Mass and
- praying the Rosary and particularly
asking Our Lady for help.
My personal prayer after Confession:
"Lord, you created my body
out of nothing. You created it
with all its senses: taste, touch,
sight, smell, and hearing. Although
my mind and body, at times, struggles
to understand aspects
of your teachings on sexuality
and may be drawn in the opposite
direction of your Holy Will, I
pray you will bless this body {make
the sign of the cross over your
whole body} and make it chaste
according to your Divine Will.
I ask this in the name of our
Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen."
Hope this helps, Mike Humphrey | 
