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Steve
Johnson
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I'm not sure if this is the right venue for
my question but here it goes.
I am an Anglican who is moving slowly but
surely toward Rome and have made great strides
in the past few years in my understanding
and acceptance of Roman tenets and doctrine.
My question concerns the fact that I am gay.
I am aware of the Church's teaching and can
understand and accept it, as it is.
My position on my sexuality is that it was
not a choice I made. The rest, I leave in the hands of
God. I am not involved in a relationship nor
am I sexually active and do not see that changing.
My question is:
- Can I expect my sexuality to be a hindrance
to being accepted into the Catholic Church?
Steve
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{
Can a gay Anglican expect his sexuality to be a barrier
to being accepted into the Catholic Church? }
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John
replied:
Hi, Steve —
Thanks for your question.
Your sexual orientation is not an
issue. People who suffer from same
sex attraction are called to celibacy
as are heterosexuals who are single.
All that is required is that you
accept what the Church teaches in
the area of faith and morals. Should
you stumble or fall into sin, the
solution is the same for both hetero
and homosexuals:
- you repent
- go to
Confession
- accept God's grace, and
- move on with your life making your
best faith effort to avoid sin by
the help of God's grace.
I'm not making light of sin, any
sin, but by the same token, Jesus
died for our sins and is always ready
to forgive us. We don't take God's
mercy for granted, but once we repent,
we have to stop beating ourselves
up for prior forgiven sins.
John
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Paul
replied:
Dear Steve,
Now that John has given you a good
answer let me zero in on a couple
of things you said and offer some
suggestions:
You state:
. . . nor
am I sexually active and do not
see that changing.
- There is a considerable difference
between not seeing yourself doing
something versus resolving not
to do it. When it comes to acts
of sin the latter is the necessary
attitude.
- I know it is easy to label yourself
according to how you feel or what
you're attracted to but
I don't think it's helpful, nor
does it do you or anyone else
justice. This is playing the world's
game of claiming we are what
we feel; even if those feelings
are disordered and even when they're
not acted upon.
Labeling-words such as gay shortchange
people and place them into a category,
which ultimately has a political
agenda at its origin. We are all
human beings. Our deliberate choices
can be good or evil and such choices
can contribute to our character
and becoming; but to label persons
simply according to feelings or
attractions, especially if they
are not acted upon, is unreasonable
and unnecessary.
Paul
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Eric
replied:
Hi, Steve —
In addition to what my colleague
says, I recommend you Google:
- On
the Pastoral Care of Homosexual
Persons
[Vatican][EWTN][Wikipedia]
(A document from the Holy See on
this topic.)
Another document is:
- Persona Humana: Declaration on Certain Questions Concerning Sexual Ethics.
[Vatican][EWTN]
The Church makes a distinction between
the inclination (which is merely
disordered) and the acts, which are
gravely sinful.
Eric
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Mike
replied:
Hi, Steve —
I used to run a free program that sent Catechisms to seeking Protestants and non-Christians but I no longer have the financial or operational means to do this anymore. Nevertheless, if you wish to go deeper, consider buying a cheap copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn everything we believe as Catholics.
— If you, or any visitor, have been helped by our work at AskACatholic.com, consider financially supporting us today.
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Mike
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