tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11440071132991775262024-03-13T00:38:41.851-04:00Field Hospital for Meaning, Purpose, and Fulfillment in Human Intimacy and SexualityThis blog examines various dimensions and struggles of human sexuality, including God's plan for the meaning, purpose, and fulfillment of our lives in this world and the next; including his incredible respect for our free will and his loving confidence in us.Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-9733575351440483882021-09-21T12:52:00.010-04:002023-02-05T17:55:42.170-05:00Beyond sex politics is God's unconditional love for every human being. Until we learn and accept to love as God loves, we suffer and cause suffering, but God kindly remains with us in it.<p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div><p><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span><span style="color: #cc0000;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span><br /><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></i></div></div><div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">God hates no one; nor should we hate anyone. God has only compassion, understanding, and mercy for all his creatures, and especially for human beings. He offers to fill us with his Spirit; that we too might love one another with the same love and mercy of compassion.</span></div><div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Our Creator God cares for all his creatures and, with a "parent's love", cares for every human being from the very first man and woman to those who will come last to birth at the conclusion of human history. The character and love of God, revealed most graphically in the human life of Jesus of Nazareth, has been named by Him as the love of our heavenly Father. We, by believing in Jesus as the divine / human Son of God, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">have</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> become children of God by adoption through faith; as witnessed by Saint John and Saint Paul. The first artwork below is a creative representation giving a glimpse of what Jesus accepted, for love of us, to demonstrate the extreme love God has for us, to suffer in his human body. As well, the attitude Jesus manifests in this image is the serene peace of the King of Kings, the Messiah, who was pleased to accomplish the will of the Father for our redemption; so that we might come to know, to accept, and to love God who has loved us first. </span></span></div><div><div><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;">1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being 4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. 8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. Gospel of John 1:1-14</span></blockquote></blockquote></div></div><div><span><blockquote><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.thetwopatricks.org" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="211" data-original-width="150" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rZIw0HfqtC1z1JWRMveFFFQWB9HT0ZpGmzFPvXP6InTG2ilXLpecxCFgX0qj7oTcULwQ49eMcSJiVkZuM2JV9Kpjo3djlOMg7dZEoRJjdv0atM0t_cbeCRrR-ycvA3OssdGEWgcy3Ymi/s0/Jesus-agonizing-King-2.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. 5 He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight 9 he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Paul to the Ephesians 1:3-10</span></blockquote></blockquote></span></div><div><span><blockquote><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;">15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. Paul to the Colossians 1:18</span></blockquote></blockquote></span></div><div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">Mary - her Hebrew name is Myriam - was chosen by God to be the Mother of his divine Son, and once He had taken flesh within her womb by the Holy Spirit, she was to name Him Jesus - in Hebrew Yeshua, which means "God saves" - and Mary was warned by the prophet Simeon, an old man in the service of the Temple in Jerusalem, that a sword would pierce her soul. In subsequent years, Mary shared Jesus' sufferings, most dramatically in his passion and death. Now, in eternity, Mary continues to share in the ongoing "passion" of the "Body of Christ" made up of all those who are joined to Christ Jesus as their "Head". The following artwork is an artistic representation of Mary, now in the glory of the Father's "House" in Heaven, continues to care for the "Body of Christ" of which we are members. In particular, she is shown here caring for the innocents who, like those massacred in Bethlehem, continue to be killed because they are unwanted. Though we are at times unable or unwilling to care, God never stops caring, and Mary the Mother of Jesus cares with all the love of God dwelling within her. </span></div><div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.thetwopatricks.org" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRH1LeXzTM03jNXwVFWEWO8DWNsLi3CJd7b3xWrdb_80NH1MaAvVHrB6Q7FzCiXgpA6Ae3DDNlSfnDUlzGluoDxRatYp1muCUQX-iympSOk6jXSJoo8xY6CiGTILG3AESNHGTOacWVTpf/s320/Mary-Patron-of-Aborted-1.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">I thank and ask God to bless the "Two Patricks" for sharing with the world these sacred images and our Creator and Father's invitation to love God as given to us in Jesus, and to pray to the Most Holy Trinity for the repentance of sinners and for the salvation of the world from all evil, temptation, deception, and darkness that may oppress it. </span></div><div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.thetwopatricks.org">https://www.thetwopatricks.org</a> </span></div><div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-17760668360859242082021-03-06T13:23:00.052-05:002023-02-05T17:11:41.670-05:00THE CREATOR'S DESIGN FOR OUR LIFE & HAPPINESS - God has revealed his Plan for us to be able to give meaning & purpose to our lives and in this way to find fulfillment <p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>In each case,</b></i><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b> for the complete article</b></i><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b> go to the link.</b></i></p><div><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>The next few links offer eloquent testimonies to the incalculable value of human life. Stephanie Gray shows how to enter into </span><span>a most compassionate </span><span>dialogue on issues which, for many people, evoke their most painful human experiences. We are called to love others by listening compassionately and taking genuine interest in their stories, because we have much to learn from one another. </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></div></div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #38761d;">In considering abortion as an option, or else before or after trying to understand what might be consequences of having an abortion, it is good to remember that</span> <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/this-pro-life-talk-at-googles-headquarters-was-a-hit-96758">LOVE UNLEASHES LIFE</a>.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://naapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/symphony.pdf"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Courtroom </span></b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">genetics</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></b></a><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://naapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/symphony.pdf">testimony of Dr. Jerome Lejeune</a> on </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">the wonder of </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">human </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">conception </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">in the Circuit Court for Blount County State of tennessee at Maryville, Tennessee on August 10th, 1989. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.sedin.org/propeng/embryos.htm">Second source for this testimony</a></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNfMlUHU_ibNuqrXMEZR-Ol7-NO5IEEDwRhWxZ8JpfYj0wydJjTe8ZeOH9rRSqnN9vIvzx77FjMCq4tWhxjNKuDt4mqoxpi87Ot0431_KykVF4J8Rgzyrvb7wpzrBX_oxql8KCNT_qwkg/s255/NFP-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQNfMlUHU_ibNuqrXMEZR-Ol7-NO5IEEDwRhWxZ8JpfYj0wydJjTe8ZeOH9rRSqnN9vIvzx77FjMCq4tWhxjNKuDt4mqoxpi87Ot0431_KykVF4J8Rgzyrvb7wpzrBX_oxql8KCNT_qwkg/s0/NFP-3.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"> SEVERAL INFORMATIVE LINKS / LIENS UTILES ET INFORMATIFS</span></b></div></span></b><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>Everyone wants to succeed. Sadly, we see </span><span>around us </span><span>so much failure and heartache... why is that? When we insist on finding our own way alone, we cannot avoid making mistakes, often the same mistakes others have made. It is wise to be willing to learn from the wisdom others have acquired, often painfully and at great cost. Our Church has two millennia of wisdom for life and marriage. </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">Successful Couples / Réussir son couple </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.diocesemontreal.org/en/life-and-its-seasons/marriage">https://www.diocesemontreal.org/en/life-and-its-seasons/marriage</a></b></span></span><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👈</b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>We are wise to be willing to learn from others, including the Church and her Magisterium teachings, which provide knowledge, context, and depth regarding human intimacy </span><span>for</span><span> </span><span>our "Life Project". </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;"><b>The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/family/documents/rc_pc_family_doc_08121995_human-sexuality_en.html">Guidelines for Education within the Family</a> </b><b style="color: #2b00fe;">👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Human experience accumulates wisdom, and from our collective experience we know for certain that the most effective way to avoid unexpected pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections is to restrict intimate relations to one's life long spouse or simply to abstain from sexual relations altogether. Contrary to widespread disinformation, we don't need sex in order to thrive and experience fulfillment in the meaning and purpose we want to give to our lives. For more information go to:</span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /><a href="https://diocesemontreal.org/en/archdiocese/offices-and-services/diocesan-centre-marriage-life-and-family?_ga=2.124018447.483393732.1675628133-150536496.1650503234"><b>DIOCESAN CENTRE FOR MARRIAGE, LIFE AND THE FAMILY</b></a> <br /><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Next in all conscience </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">we</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">share this information which suffers under a </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">worldwide</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">embargo preventing the deadly truth from getting out. The primary reason is that women who undergo an abortion - either immediately or later - endure such lasting suffering, physical but more often psychological; that they are ashamed or afraid or both to say anything about it. In time, many courageously admit how much they regret having had an abortion. The scandal is that all too often we men have not stood by our women but abandoned them to carry alone the burden of pregnancy, which is intended by our Creator to be carried by the couple in lifelong blessing and </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">great</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">joy for all concerned. So, <u>be warned</u>. </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">G.S.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: medium;">Abortion and contraception - You have a right and need to know </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span><a href="http://hushfilm.com/secret/">HUSH - </a></b><b><a href="http://hushfilm.com/secret/">a liberating conversation about </a></b><span><b><a href="http://hushfilm.com/secret/">abortion and women's health</a> </b></span><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkc9IWYRwFIjTqhoYBzUQEBRZ_SFr1JIeTEdKldcirxhyphenhyphen5bLu80vlFICJX97f-ScpBkeq2lbb56tsVGo3vzdLkh0E03sEAVtRDb-O3b-KcTiLm4EQjxbfBc0bth_mziKBTC4HEOAq9yqah/s233/NFP-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkc9IWYRwFIjTqhoYBzUQEBRZ_SFr1JIeTEdKldcirxhyphenhyphen5bLu80vlFICJX97f-ScpBkeq2lbb56tsVGo3vzdLkh0E03sEAVtRDb-O3b-KcTiLm4EQjxbfBc0bth_mziKBTC4HEOAq9yqah/s0/NFP-1.png" /></a></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;">Diocese of Montreal - Scroll down and click the tab TODAY'S CHALLENGES and scroll down to the links provided - <a href="https://diocesemontreal.org/en/life-and-its-seasons/family">Life and Its Seasons - Family</a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span>Diocese of Hamilton ON - <a href="https://hamiltondiocese.com/offices/family-ministry/natural-family-planning/">Natural Family Planning</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span>U.S.A. National Library of Medicine - <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546661/">Natural Family Planning</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Research and links from Priests for Life Canada - <a href="https://priestsforlifecanada.com">Scroll for Topics under Resources</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #38761d;">Florida Health Services - Foundations of Life - <a href="https://foundationsoflife.org/facts-about-abortion/risks-about-abortion/">Risks About Abortion</a> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">USCCB: </span><a href="https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/abortion/respect-for-unborn-human-life">Respect for Unborn Human Life: The Church's Constant Teaching</a><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH - <br /><a href="https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF08L22.pdf">Induced abortion and anxiety, mood, and substance abuse disorders: Isolating </a></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF08L22.pdf">the effects of abortion in the national comorbidity survey</a> - See especially the Discussion on page 6-7. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>The media - especially mainstream media - are too often more interested in bad news. One effect is that truly GOOD NEWS remains hidden and often hard to find. Here is some really great news about the support that actually exists out there for women abandoned by their man to carry alone the burden of their pregnancy. The GOOD NEWS is that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Check this out! </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: medium;"><b>Pregnancy Support - My Choices / Soutient Grossesse - Mes Choix </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: xx-small;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><b style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://pregnancycarecanada.ca/unexpected-pregnancy-help/">Pregnancy Care Canada</a> - Chateauguay QC </b></span><b style="color: #45818e;">Services</b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> </b><b style="color: #45818e;"><a href="https://www.centreoptions.org/indexen1">Options</a> </b><b style="color: #2b00fe;">👈</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><b><br />Mutual Help Organizations - <a href="https://catholicaction.ca">Catholic Action Montreal</a> </b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>It is true that carrying an unexpected pregnancy to term and then giving up the baby for adoption is a difficult sacrifice to make. It's hard to let go once you've "bonded" with your baby for nine months. However, for the rest of your life you will know that you have <u>given life</u>! This is much easier to bear for the <u>rest of your life</u> than knowing that you <u>put an end to a life</u>. See this for yourself! </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div style="color: #45818e; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: medium;"><br />Canada Adopts - </span><span style="color: #45818e;">See your doctor or social worker to offer your baby for adoption</span></b></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #45818e; font-size: large;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span><b><a href="https://www.canadaadopts.com/unplanned-pregnancy/putting-baby-adoption-canada-process/">Putting A Baby Up For Adoption in Canada: The Process</a> </b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👈</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>Our Creator is not a cruel God who abandons his creatures to their own devices. No! God actually cares for us and loves us and, in the Holy Spirit, offers us supernatural gifts for our life journey. </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; text-align: left;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">Fruits & Gifts of the Holy Spirit <br />Fruits et Dons de l'Esprit Saint </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="http://fruitsetdons.net/fruits-and-gifts.html">http://fruitsetdons.net/fruits-and-gifts.html</a></b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>Genuine love for others must begin with authentic and true, properly ordered love for one's own life, receiving </span><span>our life moment by moment</span><span> </span><span>from our Creator as the priceless gift that our life is. </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9b9b9b; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #24678d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; text-align: center;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #9b9b9b; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #24678d;">SELF-ESTEEM AND ASSERTION: </span></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #24678d; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><strong>FOUNDATIONS OF LIFE!<br />ESTIME ET AFFIRMATION DE SOI : FONDATIONS DE LA VIE !</strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #9b9b9b; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #24678d;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b></span></strong><b><a href="http://estimeetaffirmationdesoi.ca/self-esteem-and-assertion.html">http://estimeetaffirmationdesoi.ca/self-esteem-and-assertion.html</a></b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>Extraterrestrials observing our condom </span><span>use</span><span> might rightly conclude that the human species is afraid of its own fertility, and they would be right. Tragically, the facts tell a far scarier story. Selling condoms is a profitable business, the facts threaten the profit margin. Condoms don't deliver the full protection they advertise. The perfect protection from deadly infectious diseases and from unwanted pregnancy is to reserve our fertility for our own spouse for life - before </span><span>and</span><span> during </span><span>marriage. </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9b9b9b; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #24678d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; text-align: center;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">CHASTITY is the most effective way to avoid STI's </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4222011/#:~:text=The%20most%20effective%20way%20to,relationship%20with%20an%20uninfected%20partner.">U.S.A. National Library of Medicine</a> </b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">For the first time in human history, <a href="https://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/chastity.php">sexual promiscuity and sexually transmitted infections have skyrocketed and are out of control</a> - not to mention the disappointment and heartache....</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>The so-called "sexual revolution" of the 1960's messaged women they could enjoy the same "freedom" from responsibility apparently enjoyed by men, but it was a big lie. Men and women become "less manly" and "less feminine" when engaging in senseless and irresponsible sexual activity. Because of the shame involved in abortion, it took decades for women to realize and admit the truth of their suffering because of abortion. Over time, amazing support services developed. Now women can know it is possible to experience healing and to prosper again after an abortion. </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Quattrocento Sans", sans-serif; text-align: left;"></strong></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9b9b9b; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #24678d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; text-align: center;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong style="background-color: white; font-family: "Quattrocento Sans", sans-serif; text-align: left;">POST-ABORTION HEALING RESOURCES IN CANADA</strong><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><strong style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: "Quattrocento Sans", sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👇 </span></b></strong><b>Post Abortion Healing Links</b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👇</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/post-abortion-healing">Campaign Life Coalition</a> </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;">FOCUS ON THE FAMILY - <a href="https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/post-abortion-hope-and-healing/">Hope & Healing</a> - <a href="https://www.focusonthefamily.com/get-help/post-abortive-recovery-resources/">Recovery Resources</a> </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;">Healing for MEN - <a href="https://www.kofc.org/un/en/resources/cis/cis334.pdf">Knights of Columbus</a> - <a href="https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/men-and-the-abortion-aftermath-4021">EWTN Interview text</a> </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;">Sisters of Life - <a href="https://sistersoflife.org/healing-after-abortion/">Hope & Healing</a> </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><span>PREGNANT AND NOT KNOWING WHAT TO DO? YOU ARE NOT ALONE! </span><span>G.S.</span></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ff00fe;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Source Sans Pro Light"; white-space: pre-line;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 16px;">----------------------------------------------------------------
</span><b>I am pregnant and I am thinking about getting an abortion...
</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Source Sans Pro Light"; text-align: left; white-space: pre-line;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Je suis enceinte et je songe à l'avortement...
</b><i>(La barre de navigation en haut à gauche du centre a un bouton FRANÇAIS
n'est pas toujours visible... trouvez-le à tâtons....)</i><b> </b></span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #45818e;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://pregnancysupportservices.org">https://pregnancysupportservices.org</a></b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👈</b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><b>WELCOME TO PREGNANCY SUPPORT SERVICES </b><br /></span><b><span style="color: #45818e;">AND</span> </b><b style="color: #45818e;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><a href="https://relationshipsed.org/" style="font-weight: bold;">RELATIONSHIPS ED.</a><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👈</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #45818e;">(Site américain en anglais et en espagnol seulement)</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Until recently we could go to the Moon and consider going to Mars, but we still knew so little about a woman's body, fertility, and how it all works together. Feminine fertility and vitality remained one of life's great mysteries. Finally, science is catching up and we now understand so much more about how our feminine fertility works and doctors can actually diagnose missing elements and provide them in simple therapies that allow "infertile" women to enjoy their full fertility. Check this out! </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">G.S.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span><div><p style="text-align: left;"></p></div><p style="color: black;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9b9b9b; font-family: Montserrat; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #24678d;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ffa400; text-align: center;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></span></p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #45818e;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">NaProTechnology - </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Medical and Surgical </span></b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #45818e; font-size: medium;">Specialty for Women of Procreative Age</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="color: #45818e;">(Site américain en anglais seulement)</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #45818e;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://naprotechnology.com">https://naprotechnology.com</a></b><b style="color: #2b00fe;"> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4R_JmTXr86pM7B9xPw0kzzJl0DsXeZRmfSySG1iLFnA445XencGKtNKItb8L_s-cwppTRpsxBvmhkwY-fjBAYxfXwMPX_8NLrAedEbglONDslalNCaMg4meIvon6rG2b75N3LFpN-0_Bw/s225/NFP-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4R_JmTXr86pM7B9xPw0kzzJl0DsXeZRmfSySG1iLFnA445XencGKtNKItb8L_s-cwppTRpsxBvmhkwY-fjBAYxfXwMPX_8NLrAedEbglONDslalNCaMg4meIvon6rG2b75N3LFpN-0_Bw/s0/NFP-2.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="color: black; font-weight: 400;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="color: black; font-weight: 400; text-align: left;"></p><center style="color: black; font-weight: 400;"></center><div style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p style="font-weight: 400; text-align: left;"></p><div style="color: black; font-weight: 400;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="color: black; font-weight: 400;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div></span></b>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-89421923518735679922021-02-11T12:12:00.010-05:002023-02-05T17:56:12.348-05:00"Mommy, Daddy. Please talk to me about love." Parents need to be the first to provide their children with affective formation and sexual education. <p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: x-large;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFmBwMvK3bSegnOT2VPTWyDUGbAX1URSy7kSXXbSFO4ZUW32rx29u8McaGJJuNq7ndxGJcaTsNWWpy3OO_93cgUbszoOT2LFsxLVyMS5y0oAp36QpHNVuv-wFLVn1Kadxcr4UVxGoTt8f/s300/Parent-child-ed-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFmBwMvK3bSegnOT2VPTWyDUGbAX1URSy7kSXXbSFO4ZUW32rx29u8McaGJJuNq7ndxGJcaTsNWWpy3OO_93cgUbszoOT2LFsxLVyMS5y0oAp36QpHNVuv-wFLVn1Kadxcr4UVxGoTt8f/s0/Parent-child-ed-3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwMJIJw0HUol5R7m?e=o91Csy">PDF version</a> <span style="color: #38761d;">of this file </span></b></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">“Mommy, Daddy. Please, talk to me about love.”</span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Notes from a conference in French “S’il-vous-plaît, parlez-moi
d’amour”given at the Diocese’s offices March 29<sup>th</sup>, 2017 by Inès
Pélissié du Rausas, a mother who has </span></span></i><a href="http://questions.aleteia.org/experts/37/ines-pelissie-du-rausas/"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">written books</span></i></a><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> <span style="color: #38761d;">on how parents can form their
children well at the various stages of their development in ways appropriate to
each age to understand and live well their human sexuality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsj181I21clJyPcg2TqZgscZeojfX8Zo8ga8uGz2r9j5fDQRnJqXqub3B-EKwT8NCj7tLb25ZLhLd9nFGUIlvdjmLchabszgvqX7hljABhQGgEbf_sP_fcBuaqmq0qfu_OWY0a22FIBCa/s259/Parent-child-ed-5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCsj181I21clJyPcg2TqZgscZeojfX8Zo8ga8uGz2r9j5fDQRnJqXqub3B-EKwT8NCj7tLb25ZLhLd9nFGUIlvdjmLchabszgvqX7hljABhQGgEbf_sP_fcBuaqmq0qfu_OWY0a22FIBCa/s0/Parent-child-ed-5.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #38761d;"><br />Inès advocates precocious but progressive
education of children with tenderness by their parents in contrast to the
intrusion of culture and society which, truthfully, is erroneous, violent, and
damaging, all too often ruining or at the very least hurting our children’s
innocence and ability to appreciate all the beauty, truth, and goodness of the
gift of life entrusted to them by God and their own great dignity and that of
others. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">As lionesses are so ferocious in defending
their young; so too should we be as parents to defend and form our children
regarding their vocation, their calling to eternal life, which is at stake, and
the spiritual strength God offers us within Marriage and family life. While we
value traditional marriage, children are born who receive life and love in
non-traditional families or households. We probably all know some near or far,
and we love them with all our hearts.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Let us think of our own children, of the
children of others, of the poor, and of those who at first view may be thought
of as on the margins of society. As we put the well-being of our children
first, we need to rediscover or to acquire for the first time our backbone and
stand up for our children, for our family, for Marriage, for others, for the
poor, for the Church, for humanity, and for God. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">With the Holy Spirit we have at hand an
infinite variety of new solutions to age old problems created when people –
motivated by so many hidden goals driving them – tamper with our children and
seek to “play around” with their innocent, vulnerable, and trusting hearts. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">No one must play around with our children’s
hearts!</b></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">PRESSURES AND LOBBIES</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">There are 3 lobbies and “outside interests”
putting considerable pressure everywhere and all the time on our children, and
particularly on what the marketing strategists call “pre-adolescents”. In
reality, there is no such thing as a pre-adolescent unless it is in the
interest of someone to target children in the “latency stage” in view of
influencing them in advance of becoming adolescents. The latency stage is what
children live from the age of 6 until puberty, when in principle all sexual
things don’t interest them or are even repugnant to them. In other words, there
are interests out there addressing our children in the latency stage as though
they were already adolescents, or potential adolescents, or children wanting to
become adolescents. These interests threaten to interrupt the safety of the
latency stage as they prematurely stimulate the imagination of children and, in
so doing, damage their innocence.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Tactic # 1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Under
the pretext of taking the defense of freedoms / liberties and equality, such
as, for example, the fight against AIDS, all manner of misinformation and
outright lies are propagated, always with the overhanging threat of severe
reprisals upon anyone who might dare to oppose this tactic in real life and
time.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Tactic # 2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Consider
all the frantic activity around pornography – such as with the considerable
pressure on parents to provide their young children with an I-Pad, or I-Phone,
or Laptop, or their equivalent – to sever the safety ties of young children to
their parents and make them free to “roam” and be led astray by any number of
“wolves” in sheep’s clothing presented to them in any number of creative and
cleverly disguised ways. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">All pornographic voices and images
and words speak of prostitution – none of them speak of love, not of true love,
nor of divine love – but always of pleasure, greed, power, and domination.
Solicitation to draw children into various forms of prostitution of their
bodies as pleasure objects and to treat others not as persons but as pleasure
objects often takes violent forms but is always aggressive with dangerous
consequences. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The person of the child is hurt,
damaged, within their very self, but they also become dangerous for others by
being conditioned to believe that they are incapable of mastering or
restraining their own impulses.<br /><br /><b style="text-indent: 36pt;"><span lang="EN-US">SOLUTION</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: 36pt;"> We
must do all we can to protect our children against these attacks and form them
to learn to avoid such animal and predatory behaviors as are portrayed and
promoted by pornography in all its forms. What is hopeful is that with children
we can always repair any damage, and they can always learn and grow. With a
child we can always love and begin afresh.</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Tactic # 3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">We
have all become painfully aware of and familiar with the latest new ideology
which aggressively seeks to impose on young and vulnerable children and
adolescents and even young adults a burden to select their own gender, as if
our gender were an “à la carte” activity for human beings. Gender ideology
negates human sex and gender by replacing male and female with homosexual and
heterosexual, M & F with H & H. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>This new ideology seeks
to replace the individuality and complementarity of our human nature as
designed by God with pleonasm – that is, with what is the same as, with
redundancy – favoring what is the same as me, rejecting what is different from
me. It is the destruction of the richness of complementarity for the sake of
the identical. <br /><br /></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">SOLUTION</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>We
must avoid using any other terms than those given to us by God – male and
female – and simply say that I am woman, or I am man, girl or boy. The term
“heterosexual” was coined by a German who wanted to promote homosexual activity
in the 18<sup>th</sup>/19<sup>th</sup> century. He used from the Greek
“heteros” which means different and “sexue” or in Latin “sexus” which means
separate or different. In other words, the term is redundant, saying the same
thing twice. It’s a clever trick to annihilate the final purpose of our human
sexuality – which is life and union for life and stability in Marriage and
family life – and replace it with individuals seeking after their own pleasure.
<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>In the Creator’s plan
for our happiness, the finality of our human sexuality is union and fecundity,
life and family. These other “interests” want to promote “sex ed” – that is,
education to sexual practices that it is claimed “everyone wants” and how to
practice them providing safety and protection from sexually transmitted
infections and diseases. However, there is never any question or concern in
“sex ed” to protect the person in all that we are and can be. <span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Such “sex ed” ignores and
tramples the meaning and beauty of the human body as well as the body’s union
to relationship, marriage, children, and family, and the truth that we all want
to be loved. All the “dirty” content damages the child’s heart by presenting a
perversion of human sexuality. The solution is to reach the child’s heart by
treating with the truth, love, beauty, and life, which is good news, and “different
from what you have seen”, what is presented out there in the world, in culture,
and in the various media of mass and social communication.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">SUMMARY</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
pre-adolescent or rather the child in the latency and innocent stage is “beaten
up or mugged” by publicity which treats him like an adolescent when he isn’t
one yet.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;">First we have to present love as beautiful before we can
treat what is dirty, false, violent, exploitative, abusive, etc. We only have
to look at video clips that turn various scenarios into pornography. Porn is to
be avoided by everyone in all of its forms, because this garbage expresses
itself in the heart and hardens it. The world of “hot” folks is actually
glacial… cold… without real love which builds the other up without exploiting
him or her.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">7 to 8
years old is the age of reason which introduces a new form of stability for the
child who leaves infancy behind. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">6 or 7
to 12 is the latency period during which a form of modesty awakens and
manifests itself in different ways. From now on the child wants to bathe alone,
now having a greater awareness of himself, of his body. As a result the boy
displays a kind of repugnance for everything sexual and even for marks of
affection for members of the opposite sex.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The
young girl for her part may begin to keep an intimate diary which must be
protected from her brothers.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">In any
case parents must gently open their child to others during this period during
which both girls and boys are inclined to close in on themselves.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">In the
west for the past 100 years puberty has been advancing and showing itself
younger; without doubt due to pollution and the increased presence of estrogen
in the environment due to the pill and other sources which end up in the waters
and the soils and, as a result, in the food chain.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">THE CHILD IN THE LATENCY STAGE</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Paradox # 1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The child is really connected but very alone. He
has a great need to be loved. Parents should ask themselves, “Does my child
know that I love him?” Even in the culture we see evidence of this unavoidable
truth as, for example, in the “Harry Potter” series of novels we see from
beginning to end the conviction that “evil can do nothing against the
sacrificial love of a mother.”<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Paradox # 2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Our
children need to be absolutely loved by their parents, no matter the
conditions. In addition there is the even greater good that they are wanted and
loved by God. Let’s do what we must so that they can immerse themselves and bathe
in the love of God.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Paradox # 3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">During
this latency stage the child puts forward “me by myself” but for all that we
continue to deliberately accompany, congratulate, and surround him with our
love, perhaps a little more discretely, but just as truly and personally,
despite the new “distance”.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Paradox # 4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->External autonomy versus interior liberty – The
child now becomes more competent in getting around and doing things; but going
about taking care of his own needs by himself requires maturity, more than he is
likely to have at this age. His incomplete maturity requires a degree of
support that varies from one child to another. Parents need to observe and
realize that during this latency stage the child cannot yet be really mature or
entirely autonomous, despite his declarations, demands, or protests.<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span>Here
lies the great challenge for the parent who is too busy and tired: to recharge
his strength and energy for the good of the child in his suffering, pain, and
shadows. The challenge is all the greater for the parent still living with his
own sufferings, pain, and shadows; which he must manage privately in order to
continue providing the emotional education of the child. This emotional
education of the child becomes all the more difficult in view of the child’s
own interior states. At this level, what the parent is going through can make
him more compassionate to the states through which his child is passing, and
this same compassion can allow the parent to sufficiently forget himself to
attend to his child’s needs.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 6;"> </span>In
the matter of emotional education in his human nature and sexuality, the child
has the right to see, to hear, and to know his parents’ love story, and thus,
his origins. It doesn’t matter if one of the parents and spouses is no longer
around. The remaining parent must put aside all recrimination he may feel
against his ex- spouse; because the child has both the right and the need to
know about his origins in the love that his parents had for one another, and
hence, for him their child.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">EMOTIONAL AND SEXUAL EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
BEFORE ADOLESCENCE</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The emotional and sexual education of our
children needs to happen before they enter into adolescence, and it can begin
as soon as they ask questions that remotely or closely touch all that has to do
with their origin or sexuality. This education of the child by their parent
must always be done with great tenderness and affection; for this is the most
faithful expression of the truth about love which gives life not only at the
beginning but which continues to give life all during life. Given the human and
cultural situation in which we currently live, parents need reference points in
order to effectively embark on the emotional and sexual education of their
children.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Reference point # 1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Human
love is lived in the world of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>human
persons</u></b>. Human <u>beings</u> are not things, not animals, not machines,
not toys, but <u>persons</u>. We, human beings, we are a living network of
body, soul, spirit, mind, and heart. So we’re not talking about a model of
animal instinct as in wild or domesticated beasts. We are not human beasts, but
rather human <u>persons</u>. This is why we absolutely reject all forms of
pornography, of prostitution, or of perverted sexuality which, in every case,
showcases instinctual, impulsive, and therefore, animal behaviors and
activities. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Reference point
# 2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Your
body</u> – is <u>you</u> – </b>it is not a thing which belongs to you, but <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>you are your body</u></b> at the same
time that you are also your soul, your spirit, your mind, and your heart, which
<u>all together</u> form the person that you are. So what your body lives, you
live it too. That is why all behaviours which deform the human person and human
sexuality by whatever pornographic expression – such as submission to
concupiscence or instinctive behaviours such as fellatio and others – are a
violence against and a disruption of your <u>dignity</u>. <span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Serial or repeated sexual
relations harden the heart which becomes incapable of truly loving or being
loved; which brings deep suffering of isolation and interior cold. Having
recourse to pornography causes the person with a hard heart no longer to
believe in real love or even in life. Such a person may either be swallowed up
in the impulse to suicide or may seek an escape in the artificial option of “no
sex” or refusing to identify with any gender: “I am neither male nor female,
neither man nor woman”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Reference point
# 3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Faced with all this pollution of ideas, of
propaganda, and of interior states, what do we say to our children? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“I am made to love… I have a heart.”</b>
The parent can and must soak the heart of their child in love and the child
will himself or herself recognize “garbage” assertions. In the same way that
one must wax well with many repetitions a piece of furniture made from high
quality wood to protect it from stains; so must parents “wax well” their
children’s hearts, spirits, minds, and souls. The “layers” of wax are so many
intimate moments of complicity with their child as they entertain all sorts of
assertions about love – about their parents’ love but also about God’s love –
of which he, the child, is the product and of which he continues to be the
object, and of which he is also now becoming the subject, capable of loving in
his turn in a disinterested fashion with a sacrificial love; ever seeking to
serve the good of the other, the beloved.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Creative use of language to convey the profound
beauty and meaning of our affections and human sexuality</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The
mommy’s tummy, the mommy’s uterus is a <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>sanctuary
of life</u> </b>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>safe cradle</u></b>
for the baby right next to the mommy’s heart where the baby hears his mommy’s
heart, and together they make the music of two hearts beating together.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">How will
the baby come out of mommy’s tummy? The baby will come out by <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>a little path reserved for life and for
love</u></b>, reserved for the baby to live, and also reserved for love and
therefore for the daddy.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The
vagina of the mommy is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>made only for
life and for love</u></b>.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The anus
is for something else, to let the body get rid of garbage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The
channel for pee is also for getting rid of garbage, even if it seems to be the
same channel for two different things, it is only part of it which is shared,
but by only one thing at a time.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">How did the baby get into mommy’s tummy?</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Path of love # 1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The
baby entered into mommy’s tummy by the same special path that the baby will
take to come out on his birthday. It is the little path reserved for life and
for love, for the heart.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Path of love # 2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Daddy
and Mommy love each other and tell each other, but it isn’t enough – just like
when you are glad to see me and give me a hug – so Daddy and Mommy give each
other a special hug.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Path of love # 3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">When
the heart of the daddy and the mommy are full of love; then the daddy’s heart
is also full of love and he is able to give all his love to the mommy. The
Daddy’s rod gently lifts up and is able to enter into the mommy’s path which is
reserved for life and for love.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Path of love # 4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Then
there is a crowning of their love… there is great joy in their united hearts
and bodies, and it is from this love that the child begins to exist in the
mommy’s tummy.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #38761d;">ADOLESCENTS</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 18pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The education of our children sits squarely in
our right and our duty to think and to speak. Various ideologies try to
intimidate us and reduce us to silence, but it is more essentially our right
and our duty to speak with precision to our children who, for their part, have
both the right and the need to know the whole truth about their life and their
origin, their human nature, and their human sexuality. Adolescents now observe
the dichotomy among the various voices demanding their attention and
allegiance; so we must approach them with a much more precise language.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Approach # 1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Confronted by all the voices speaking of human
sexuality, with adolescents we need to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>talk
all the more precisely</u></b>, because they have a greater need to understand
more concretely and specifically.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Approach # 2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->We must also speak to them of the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>interior battle</u></b> and of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>self mastery</u></b>; that as human
persons we have a great capacity for self-control, but we must exercise it, and
that our self mastery grows with time and practice (just as sin and
irresponsibility also grow stronger), and that the love of God is the source of
our interior strength. It is God who loves us first and who draws us to love
Him, to love others, and to love ourselves.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Approach # 3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It is good and necessary for us to elicit in <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the child</b> – and eventually <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the adolescent – <u>admiration</u></b> for
the perfection of love. Loving is like having a good voice. To sing well one
must see and know the partition well. The lyrics and notes of the partition
are: respect for the other, fidelity to the other, tenderness towards the
other, and paying attention to the expectations of the other.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Approach # 4.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Homophilia</b>
– at the beginning of adolescence youth find reassurance in their peers and can
feel all kinds of emotions towards their peers, but there is <u>nothing sexual</u>
about it. However, in our time we bear the burden of a culture which has been manipulated
for decades by those with strategic agendas to change society’s attitudes. This
culture tries to sexualize the other. Unfortunately, this sexualization of the
other makes it very difficult to engage in any ordinary, true, and
disinterested friendship without having any sexual overtones.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Approach # 5.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->One must certainly not listen to voices that
advocate “trying everything” in terms of sexual activity, because we have a
“body memory” which even after a single act colors everything that follows.
That is why outside of the loving relationship of one man and one woman in a
committed, permanent, exclusive, and faithful union, such as in marriage, all
sexual activity conditions the human heart on a path of egoism and the quest
for personal pleasure; which hardens the human heart and makes true love all
the more difficult.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Approach # 6.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->A youth can become aware of a “dragger” or
homosexual predator trying to impose on him or her. This youth must understand
– this is absolutely essential – that “feeling” something is not “consenting”.
The youth, like any human person, remains ever free to ask himself, “What do I
want?” and “Is this good or not?” the “No!” of which I am capable in my
conscience protects me in order to one day be able to say a beautiful “Yes!” to
the person that I will choose to love and who will love me in return.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">Approach # 7.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->The young adolescent woman like the young adult
woman can find herself temporarily in the condition of “homo femini” or fear of
male sexuality because of its violent portrayal in pornography. She must learn
from her parents that it isn’t really like that in a loving relationship between
human persons.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Parents,
enjoy many gratuitous moments sitting down face to face with your child. See
the relationship of befriending when the fox meets the little prince. We must
approach gently, and that takes time. For boys, it’s better by the father; but
if not, the mother must do it. For example, the mother can say to him, “Your
father and I want to tell you…”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="color: #38761d;">THE SPIRITUAL LIFE OF CHILDREN</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;">Original sin consists in man and woman turning away from
their relationship with God the Creator to prefer making up their own life,
their own reality, their own universe, their own definition of human life and
of good and evil. There is nothing more painful in our human condition than
this isolation from God, who is not only our origin in life and in love but
also our final destiny for eternal life and perfection of love and communion.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;">That is why it is essential for parents to introduce
their child to God. However, we cannot give what we do not already possess.
Still, with God, it is never too late. So, the simple realization by parents
that there is somewhere within them some sort of desire to give their children
what is best can already open within them the gateway to all that is “beyond”.
These are the opportunities in real time, in the present moment, to give their
children the “sacraments” or knowledge of God, or prayer, or spirituality, or
faith. The Holy Spirit is ever present and eager to supply our weakness and
guide us.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;">The heart of the Judeo-Christian Tradition is clearly
that the God who is good and loving, the Creator of the Universe, wants to have
a relationship of friendship and love with every human person. God, who is
infinitely rich, wants to give us everything, but all the obstacles that exist
are within us… the “gates” within us are not always open, or else they are not always
open wide. God our Creator shows such an extreme respect for our freedom that God
seems to us to be absent or silent. This impression is false, because as soon
as we open ourselves to God, the Holy Three in One are right here.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">BAPTISM</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> – </span></b>At Baptism God the Holy Trinity engenders within the human
person a “family relationship” of adoption introducing the person – even a
newborn baby – into the heart of the relationship of communion already existing
from all eternity and which “defines” the divine being we call God and whose
nature Jesus has revealed as a “communion of divine persons in a single divine
being”. The life that exists in God in perfect love and perfect harmony begins
to “flow” or “vibrate” in us, and we begin to “live in God”. As for everything
else regarding our human life on Earth, this new life “in God” must be
cultivated, first by our parents and godparents, but gradually by the free and
motivated participation of the child himself or herself. In time, the presence
and love of God can be experienced as a “spiritual fire” within.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">CONFIRMATION</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> – </span></b>Whether it is the day after its birth or at 11 / 12 years
old, at its confirmation or chrismation the child receives a new “effusion” or
“outpouring of the Holy Spirit of God” as the apostles and 100 or so other
disciples received while they were gathered around the Mother of Jesus in the
Upper Room on the day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is ever at work to infuse
his gifts: piety for greater respect for the works of God, especially man and
woman, girl / boy; and all the other spiritual gifts for the person and the
charisms for the good of others and the Church. Parents can / must help their
child to see himself or herself as loved by God and that they receive
themselves from God in love. Their gender – female or male / woman or man – was
given to them at their conception and will ever manifest itself and develop.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">HOLY COMMUNION</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> – </span></b>as the mother gives of her blood / milk in nursing her
baby at the maternal breast, so does Jesus – risen from the dead and Son of God
– give of himself as spiritual food to communicants, giving us in Holy Communion
a veritable “transfusion” of the divine life He possesses with his Father and
the Holy Spirit. Our sharing in the divine life of love which is in God and in
which we are initiated through Baptism is in a continual process of development
and not yet “permanent” on Earth, and it will only be permanent in Heaven when
we will have accomplished our life and mission.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">ANOINTING OF THE SICK</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> – </span></b>As He did in Palestine, Jesus continues to heal the sick
and wounded while forgiving sins and driving out evil spirits who at various
times torment the baptised. Sometimes physically healing and other times not, at
all times God manifests his sovereign divine will; our Creator and Redeemer
knows what we need most in view of our eternal destiny, and often what God
wants to give us may not be what we want or ask. We need to trust in God.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">PENANCE – RECONCILIATION</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> – </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Jesus
allows us to meet Him face to face as He did when He walked the Earth through
the representatives He gives himself and whom He sends us in the persons of his
priests <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">(<u>HOLY ORDERS</u>)</b>.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">MARRIAGE</span></u></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> – </span></b>To those who believe in Him and who put their trust in Him
Jesus vouches that their love will reflect his faithful and sacrificial love
for his Church, his Beloved, the body of all his assembled faithful disciples.
When couples – both the man and the woman – practice putting their faith in God
and make room for him in their personal lives and also in their couple; then
their Marriage becomes truly sacramental. Christ manifests his love for the
woman through her husband, and for the man through his wife. In their couple,
their love becomes a true reflection of the Holy Trinity.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">P.S.:</b> Genesis
portrays God’s creation of humans as man <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>and</u></b>
woman in original innocence, with an amazing capacity for authentic friendship
and selfless, self-sacrificial love. The enemy of humanity seeks to “sexualize”
our capacity for friendship in order to reduce us to slavery and deprive us of
the liberty of the children of God. <u>Sin</u> divided us into man <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>or</u></b> woman. <u>Patriarchy</u> is
domination <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>by</u></b> man. <u>Feminism</u>
reduces us to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>neither</u></b> man <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>nor</u></b> woman. <u>Gender ideology</u>
seeks to <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>neutralize</u></b> our
innate human gender as woman or man by replacing our identity with the illusion
of a “choice”. For its part, the “<u>gay</u>” culture and homosexual “<u>lobby</u>”
prey on young children before puberty and young adolescents who are likely to
be experiencing temporary “Homophilia” as they develop, in a deliberate
strategy to impose their ideology on them precisely when they are most
vulnerable. Their objective is to have the young “fall” and identify themselves
as “gay” or “lesbian” and, reducing them to sexual activity, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>deny</u></b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>abandon</u></b> their great dignity as girl or boy, woman or man, in
accord with the gender with which they were endowed at their conception. The
good news is that Jesus Christ our Lord restores lost innocence and our
capacity for the reciprocal gift of self for which our gender as man or woman
empowers us, God’s gift to enable us to live our human life and love in the
image and likeness of God the Holy Trinity.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">These notes were taken
from a conference given March 29<sup>th</sup>, 2017 at the offices of the
Archdiocese of Montreal by </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Inès Pélissié du Rausas with added
thoughts by me. He book containing a much more complete and detailed
explanation of her instructions to parents is entitled:</span></i></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"><span style="color: #38761d;">“S’il te plait, parle-moi de l’amour ! »</span></span></b></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSM8SSFzR7rjqGT__6D6vOvxI7RbQs11pQ3fmA8JBr6R_5B6_YK0da6nZBcYBZb17_tHNphZIB58R3FxCMx-E6DuW5ZgwY8siJGCQ9UcqIrkj-mDiLuzwHyWQbri-vvUqbbLgqnv6Flbv/s499/Parent-child-ed-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="339" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSSM8SSFzR7rjqGT__6D6vOvxI7RbQs11pQ3fmA8JBr6R_5B6_YK0da6nZBcYBZb17_tHNphZIB58R3FxCMx-E6DuW5ZgwY8siJGCQ9UcqIrkj-mDiLuzwHyWQbri-vvUqbbLgqnv6Flbv/s320/Parent-child-ed-2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">It is available from Amazon in France at <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.fr/Sil-te-pla%C3%AEt-parle-moi-lamour/dp/2351170059">THIS
LINK</a></b> or at Amazon.ca at <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Sil-plait-maman-parle-moi-lamour/dp/2351170644/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492705376&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=S%27il+te+pla%C3%AEt%2C+parle-moi+de+l%27amour+%21%2C+In%C3%A8s+P%C3%A9lissi%C3%A9+du+Rausas">THIS
LINK</a></b></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-30186103807568669752021-02-11T11:00:00.006-05:002023-02-05T17:56:30.651-05:00" Maman, Papa. S'il te plaît, parlez-moi de l'amour ! " - Les parents se doivent d'être les premiers à donner à leurs enfants une formation affective et une éducation sexuelle.<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwJDbbzI4f3i-EOP?e=J5aJD4"></a></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQ8aRZ-nSbRR21kGcFP34VxU-4jTO-5MiFuXNgrQyWv4GWyq99l1k2sKV3qVRcpId471Jua2UmekSkfKdsGzUlrzPaQNIW_NuqvAmOLngmk2fQ5lnoijviY4E1KdPPWJSwsLtz2uFkoPW/s259/Parent-child-ed-5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLQ8aRZ-nSbRR21kGcFP34VxU-4jTO-5MiFuXNgrQyWv4GWyq99l1k2sKV3qVRcpId471Jua2UmekSkfKdsGzUlrzPaQNIW_NuqvAmOLngmk2fQ5lnoijviY4E1KdPPWJSwsLtz2uFkoPW/s0/Parent-child-ed-5.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwJDbbzI4f3i-EOP?e=J5aJD4">Version PDF</a> de ce fichier </span></b></div></span></b><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">« Maman, Papa. </span></span></b><span lang="FR"><a href="https://www.amazon.fr/Sil-te-pla%C3%AEt-parle-moi-lamour/dp/2351170059"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">S’il te plaît, parlez-moi de
l’amour !</span></b></a></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span></b></span><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">»</span></span></b></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><i><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Notes prises à la conférence
donnée aux bureaux du Diocèse le 29 mars, 2017 par </span></i><i><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Inès
Pélissié du Rausas, une maman qui a écrit des livres pour partager avec les
parents comment ils peuvent former leurs enfants aux diverses étapes de leur
développement de façon appropriée à chaque étape pour bien comprendre et vivre
leur sexualité humaine.</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XKJyD9_fUcf7R8w-V4mS2xkX4wKYw1zKIRimv2gF_X0zbCV1uZXvMKclQyo5D-fVxdnJ8bR_mp_zkdKhuW3m9ETVuL4GubYi4P5VauoE3QPDQGltuTVQcDBy3uDs4cqEBAc0zyDsFRnB/s275/Parent-child-ed-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XKJyD9_fUcf7R8w-V4mS2xkX4wKYw1zKIRimv2gF_X0zbCV1uZXvMKclQyo5D-fVxdnJ8bR_mp_zkdKhuW3m9ETVuL4GubYi4P5VauoE3QPDQGltuTVQcDBy3uDs4cqEBAc0zyDsFRnB/s0/Parent-child-ed-4.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #38761d;"><br />Inès
préconise l’éducation précoce mais progressive et avec tendresse de leurs
enfants par les parents en contraste avec l’intrusivité d’une culture et d’une
société qui, à vrai dire, sont dans l’erreur, violentes, et trop souvent
dommageables à l’égard des enfants en
blessant leur innocence et leur habilité d’apprécier toute la beauté, la
vérité, et la bonté du don de vie que leur confie le Bon Dieu, aussi bien que
leur propre grande dignité et celle des autres. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt;">Les lionnes sont féroces à la défense de leurs
lionceaux ; tout autant devons-nous l’être à la défense de nos enfants et
pour les former concernant leur vocation, leur appel à la vie éternelle qui est
l’enjeu, ainsi que la force spirituelle que le Bon Dieu nous offre par le
Mariage et la vie en famille. Aussi, bien que nous valorisons le mariage
traditionnel, il reste que des enfants voient le jour et reçoivent la vie et
l'amour dans des familles ou des maisonnées non traditionnelles. Nous en
connaissons probablement tous de près ou de loin, et nous les aimons de tout
notre cœur. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt;">Pensons donc à nos propres enfants, aux
enfants des autres, des pauvres, ou des gens qui, à première vue, pourraient
être considérés d’un certain point de vue comme "en marge" de la
société. En mettant de l'avant le bien de nos jeunes, nous devons reprendre ou
acquérir notre colonne vertébrale et nous lever debout pour nos enfants, pour
notre famille, pour le Mariage, pour les autres, ainsi que pour les pauvres,
pour l’Église, pour l’humanité, et pour Dieu.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt;">Avec l’Esprit Saint nous avons à la portée de
la main toute une variété infinie de nouvelles solutions aux vieux problèmes
créés quand ceux ou celles qui, motivés par des objectifs cachés et égoïstes,
veulent s’en prendre à nos enfants.</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span><b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt;">Il ne faut pas jouer avec le cœur de nos
enfants ; car leur cœur est précieux !</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">PRESSIONS
ET « LOBBIES »</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 35.4pt;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Il
y a 3 « lobbies » ou « tierces intérêts » qui mettent
énormément de pression partout et en tout temps sur nos enfants, ceux que les
agents de marketing désignent comme « préadolescents ». En
réalité il n’y a pas de préadolescents sinon qu’il s’agisse de ceux qui
s’intéressent à cibler les enfants en « étape de latence » en vue de
les influencer avant qu’ils ne deviennent adolescents. La période de latence est
celle que vivent les enfants de 6 ans à la puberté, durant laquelle en principe
toute chose sexuelle ne les intéresse point ou leur répugne. En d’autres
termes, il y a autour de nous des intérêts qui s’adressent à nos enfants en
période de latence comme s’ils étaient déjà adolescents, ou de potentiels
adolescents, ou des enfants qui on hâte de devenir adolescents. Ces intérêts
menacent d’interrompre la sécurité de l’étape de latence en stimulant de façon
prématurée l’imagination des enfants et d’endommager leur innocence.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tactique # 1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sous prétexte de prendre la
défense des libertés et de l’égalité – comme par exemple dans le cas de la
lutte contre le CIDA, on fait la propagande de toutes sortes de fausse
information ou même de mensonges, tout en menaçant de sévères représailles tous
ceux qui oseraient s’y opposer en temps réel.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tactique # 2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Considérez pour un instant
toute l’activité effrénée autour de la pornographie – comme toute la pression
sur les parents de donner à leurs jeunes
enfants un I-Pad, ou I-Phone, ou Portable, ou l’équivalent – afin de couper les
liens de protection dont jouissent les jeunes enfants de la part de leurs
parents – pour les entraîner à « fureter » et se voir entraînés par
toutes sortes de « loups » en peau de brebis qui leur sont ainsi
présentés par une infinité de ruses camouflées par autant de stratégies créatrices
et délibérées. Toutes les voix, les images, et les paroles
pornographiques parlent de et représentent la prostitution – aucunes d’entre
elles ne parlent d’amour, de l’amour vrai, ni de l’amour divin – mais toujours
de plaisir, de la convoitise, de la puissance, et de la domination. On
sollicite nos enfants pour les entraîner par toutes sortes de manières de
prostituer leur corps comme objet de plaisir et de traiter ainsi les autres
comme objets de plaisir. Ces attaques sont souvent violentes, mais toujours
agressives avec de graves conséquences. C’est
la personne de l’enfant qui est blessée, endommagée, au-dedans d’eux-mêmes,
mais en plus ils deviennent dangereux pour autrui en se faisant conditionner à
croire qu’ils sont incapables de se maîtriser ou de restreindre leurs
impulsions.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 35.4pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">SOLUTION</span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt;">Nous devons faire tout notre possible pour
protéger nos enfants contre ces attaques et les former à apprendre à éviter
tout comportement animal ou de prédateur comme ceux que les artisans de la
pornographie représentent et dont en fait la promotion la pornographie sous
toutes ses formes. Ce qui nous porte à espérer c’est qu’avec les enfants on
peut toujours réparer, évoluer ; car ils sont toujours prêts à apprendre.
Avec un enfant on peut toujours aimer et recommencer.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l3 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Tactique # 3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt;">Nous sommes tous
peinés de prendre conscience de cette nouvelle idéologie qui cherche à
s’imposer agressivement aux jeunes enfants vulnérables, aux adolescents, et
même aux jeunes adultes - leur mettant à charge le fardeau de sélectionner leur
propre genre, comme si notre genre était pour les êtres humains une
activité « à la carte ». L’idéologie du genre fait la négation du
sexe et du genre en remplaçant mâle et femelle par homosexuel et hétérosexuel,
M & F par H & H.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><br />
Cette nouvelle idéologie cherche
à remplacer l’individualité et la complémentarité de notre nature humaine –
telle que le Créateur l’a conçue – par un pléonasme, c’est-à-dire, par une
redondance, pour ainsi favoriser ce qui est identique tout en rejetant ce qui
est différent de moi. Il s’agit de détruire la richesse de ce qui est
complémentaire pour se contenter de ce qui est identique.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 35.4pt;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">SOLUTION</span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Il
nous faut éviter d’utiliser tout terme autre que ceux qui nous ont été donnés
par Dieu – mâle et femelle – et dire tout simplement que je suis femme, ou je
suis homme, fille ou garçon. Le terme « hétérosexuel » fut forgé par
un allemand au 18<sup>e</sup>/19<sup>e</sup> siècle qui voulait promouvoir
l’activité homosexuelle. Il utilisa du grec « hétéros » qui veut dire
différent et « sexue » ou du latin « sexus » qui veut dire
séparé ou différent. Autrement dit, le terme est redondant, disant la même
chose deux fois. Voilà une ruse pour détruire la finalité de notre sexualité
humaine – qui est la vie et l’union pour la vie et la stabilité dans le mariage
et la vie en famille – afin de la remplacer par des individus en quête de leur
propre plaisir. Le Créateur a un
plan pour notre bonheur, selon lequel la finalité de notre sexualité humaine
est l’union et la fécondité, la vie et la famille. Ces autres
« intérêts » veulent promouvoir « l’éduc sex » -
c’est-à-dire l’éducation aux pratiques sexuelles qu’on prétend que « tout
le monde veut » et aussi comment les pratiquer à condition d’être protégés
des diverses infections et maladies transmises sexuellement. Cependant, pour
ces intérêts il n’est jamais question ni souci en « éduc sex » de
protéger la personne de l'enfant en tout ce qu'il est et tout ce qu'il peut
devenir. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt;">Tous ces
projets « d’éduc sex » ignorent et méprisent tout le sens et la
beauté du corps humain ainsi que l’union du corps à la relation, au mariage,
aux enfants, à la famille, et en fin de compte, à la vérité que nous voulons
tous être aimés. Tous ces contenus « sales » endommagent le cœur de
l’enfant en lui présentant une perversion ou réduction de la sexualité humaine.
La solution est de rejoindre le cœur de l’enfant en traitant de l’amour, de la
beauté, et de la bonté de la vie comme une bonne nouvelle. Il s’agit donc
« d’autre chose que ce que tu as vu ou entendu », différent de ce qui
est présenté partout – surtout en porno – dans la culture, et par les moyens de
communication sociale et de masse.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">SOMMAIRE</span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> Le « préadolescent » ou plutôt
l’enfant en période de latence et d’innocence subi un « matraquage »
de la part de la publicité qui le traite comme un adolescent quand il ne l’est
pas encore.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Il faut d’bord présenter l’amour qui est beau avant de
traiter ce qui est sale, faux, violent, etc. On n’a qu’à voir les clips qui
font la pornification des scénarios. La pornographie sous toutes ses formes est
à éviter pour tous ; car ces déchets s’exprime dans le cœur et
l’endurcissent. L’univers des gens « hot » est glacial… froid… sans
amour véritable qui édifie l’autre sans l’utiliser ni l’exploiter.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">7 à 8 ans est l’âge de la raison qui introduit une nouvelle
forme de stabilité pour l’enfant qui quitte le « bas âge ».</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">6 ou 7 à 12 est donc la période de latence où une pudeur
s’éveille et se manifeste de diverses façons. Désormais l’enfant veut prendre
son bain tout seul alors qu’il a maintenant une plus grande conscience de soi,
de son corps. Par conséquent le garçon manifeste une sorte de répugnance pour
toute chose sexuelle et même pour toute marque d’affection avec les membres de
l’autre genre. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">La jeune fille pour sa part peut se mettre à tenir un
journal intime qu’il faut à tout prix protéger de ses frères.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">En tous les cas les parents doivent doucement ouvrir leur
enfant aux autres durant cette période durant laquelle tant les garçons que les
filles tendent à se replier sur soi.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">In occident depuis 100 ans la puberté s’est avancée et se
manifeste plus jeune ; sans doute à cause de la pollution et aussi à la présence
accrue de l’estrogène dans l’environnement à cause de la pilule et d’autres
sources qui finissent par se retrouver dans les eaux et les sols, et par
conséquent, dans les aliments. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">L’ENFANT
EN PÉRIODE DE LATENCE</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Paradoxe # 1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">L’enfant est très branché
mais très seul. Il a grand besoin d’être aimé. Le parent doit se poser la
question, « Mon enfant, est-il sûr que je l’aime ? » Voyez dans
la culture cette vérité incontournable, comme par exemple, dans la série de
romans « Harry Potter » où il y a cette conviction d’un bout à
l’autre que « le mal ne peut rien contre l’amour sacrificiel d’une
mère ». Nos
enfants ont besoin d’être absolument aimés de leurs parents peu importe les
conditions. Par surcroît il y a ce plus grand bien qu’ils sont voulus et aimés
par Dieu. Faisons donc en sorte qu’ils puissent se trouver immergés et ainsi baigner
dans l’amour de Dieu.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Paradoxe # 2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Durant cette période de
latence l’enfant se manifeste comme « moi tout seul » mais pour
autant en tant que parent on continue très délibérément d’accompagner, de
féliciter, et d’entourer de notre amour désormais un peu plus discret peut-être
mais tout aussi vrai et proche, malgré une nouvelle « distance ».</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Paradoxe # 3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">L’autonomie extérieure
versus la liberté intérieure – L’enfant devient plus compétent à se mouvoir et
pour faire des choses, mais pour s’orienter par lui-même pour son besoin il requiert
la maturité, plus qu’il en a probablement encore à cet âge. Son degré de besoin
d’appui en raison de sa maturité incomplète varie beaucoup d’un enfant à
l’autre, mais les parents doivent se rendre à l’évidence que durant cette
période de latence l’enfant ne peut pas encore être vraiment mature et
entièrement autonome. Voilà le grand défi pour le
parent trop occupé et fatigué ; car il faut recharger ses forces et son
énergie en vue du bien être de l’enfant en ses souffrances, en ses douleurs, en
ses ombres. Autant plus grand est le défi pour le parent qui vie toujours ses
propres souffrances, douleurs, et ombres, qu’il doit gérer en privé afin de
continuer de pourvoir à l’éducation affective de l’enfant. Cette éducation
affective de l’enfant devient d’autant plus difficile en raison des états
intérieurs de l’enfant lui-même. A ce niveau, ce que vie le parent peut le
rendre plus compatissant aux états que vie son enfant et cette même compassion
peut lui permettre de s’oublier suffisamment pour voir aux besoins de son
enfant. En matière
d’éducation affective à sa nature humaine et à sa sexualité humaine, l’enfant a
droit de voir et entendre et connaître l’histoire d’amour de ses parents, et
donc, de ses origines. Peu importe si l’un des parents et époux n’est plus dans
le décor. Le parent qui reste doit mettre en veilleuse toute récrimination
qu’il pourrait avoir contre son ex-conjoint ; parce que l’enfant a droit
et a besoin de connaître ses origines dans l’amour qu’avaient ses parents l’un
pour l’autre, et donc, pour lui leur enfant.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">L’ÉDUCATION
AFFECTIVE ET SEXUELLE DES ENFANTS AVANT L’ADOLESCENCE</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">L’éducation affective et sexuelle de nos enfants doit se
faire avant leur entrée en adolescence, et peut se faire dès que l’enfant pose
des questions de près ou de loin concernant tout ce qui touche ses origines ou
la sexualité. Cette éducation par le parent de son enfant doit toujours se
faire avec grande tendresse et affection ; car voilà l’expression la plus
juste de la vérité de l’amour qui donne la vie non seulement dès ses origines
mais qui continue à donner la vie toute la vie durant. Compte tenu de la
situation humaine et culturelle dans laquelle nous vivons, les parents ont
besoin de points de repère pour bien s’avancer dans l’éducation affective et
sexuelle de leurs enfants.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Point de repère
# 1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">L’amour
humain se vit dans le monde des <b><u>personnes
humaines</u></b>. Ce ne sont pas des choses, pas des animaux, pas des engins,
pas des enjeux, mais des personnes. Nous, les personnes humaines, nous sommes
un ensemble vivant de corps, d’âme, d’esprit, de pensée, et de cœur. Donc, nous
ne parlons pas d’un modèle d’instinct animal comme pour les bêtes soit sauvages
soit domestiquées. Nous ne sommes pas des bêtes humaines, mais nous somme des
personnes humaines. Donc, il nous faut absolument écarter toute forme de
pornographie, de prostitution, ou de perversion de la sexualité qui, dans tous
les cas, préconise des comportements et des activités instinctives, impulsives,
et donc, animales.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Point de repère
# 2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><u><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Ton corps</span></u></b><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> – <u>c’est toi</u></span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
– ce n’est pas une chose qui t’appartient, mais <b><u>tu es ton corps</u></b> en même temps que tu es aussi ton âme, ton
esprit, ta pensée, et ton cœur, qui <u>tous ensembles</u> font la personne que
tu es. Donc, ce que ton corps vit, tu le vis aussi. Par conséquent, tous les
comportements qui déforment la personne et la sexualité humaine par toute forme
d’expression pornographique – tels que la soumission à la concupiscence ou aux
comportements instinctifs comme la fellation et autres – sont une rupture de ta
dignité. Les relations
sexuelles à répétition endurcissent le cœur qui devient incapable de vraiment
aimer ou d’être aimé ; ce qui entraîne une grande souffrance d’isolement
et de froid intérieur. La fréquentation de la pornographie fait qu’une personne
à le cœur endurci ne croit plus à l’amour véritable, ni à la vie. Soit que la
personne se laisse engloutir par un instinct de suicide soit qu’elle cherche la
fuite telle que l’option artificielle « no sexe » ou le refus de
s’identifier à tout genre : « Je ne suis ni mâle ni femelle, ni homme
ni femme ».</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Point de repère
# 3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Face
à toute cette pollution d’idées, de propagande, et d’états intérieurs, que dire
à nos enfants ? <b>« <u>Je suis
fait pour aimer</u>… <u>j’ai un cœur</u>. »</b> Le parent peut et doit
imprégner le cœur de l’enfant d’amour et l’enfant saura lui-même ou elle-même
reconnaître les propos « poubelle ». Tout comme il faut bien cirer à
plusieurs répétitions un meuble en bois de grande qualité pour le protéger de
toute tache ; ainsi les parents doivent-ils « bien cirer » les
cœurs, les esprits, les pensées, les âmes de leurs enfants. Les
« couches » de cire sont autant de moments intimes de complicité avec
leur enfant en lui tenant toutes sortes de propos d’amour – de l’amour de ses
parents mais aussi de l’amour de Dieu – dont lui, l’enfant, est le produit et
dont il fait toujours l’objet, et maintenant qu’il est en train de devenir
aussi le sujet, capable d’aimer à son tour l’autre de façon désintéressée et d’un
amour sacrificiel. Nous
sommes faits par Dieu pour le don, pour l’amour qui se donne – parlez à
l’enfant dans l’amour. Il y a tout un vocabulaire à se donner ou à inventer qui
évite toute la pollution de perversions sexuelles que les mots ordinaires
désormais, malheureusement, traînent à leur suite.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">La
créativité du langage de l’amour dans le domaine affectif et sexuel</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Le ventre de la maman, l’utérus de la maman est un <b><u>sanctuaire de la vie</u>, un <u>berceau </u></b></span><b><u><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">sécurisé</span></u></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
pour le bébé tout près du cœur de sa maman où bébé entend battre le cœur de
maman qui fait une musique de deux cœurs qui battent ensemble</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Comment le bébé va-t-il sortir du ventre de maman ? Le
bébé va sortir par <b>un <u>petit chemin
réservé à la vie et à l’amour</u></b>, réservé pour lui le bébé pour sa vie, et
réservé aussi à l’amour et donc au papa.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Le vagin de la maman est <b><u>fait uniquement pour la vie et pour l’amour</u></b>.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">L’anus c’est pour autre chose, pour permettre au corps de
rejeter les rebus. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Le chemin du pipi aussi, même s’il semble être le même
chemin pour deux choses différentes, ce n’est qu’une partie du chemin qui est
partagé, mais pour une seule chose à la fois.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Comment
le bébé est-il entré dans le ventre de maman ?</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chemin d'amour #
1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Le bébé est entré dans le
ventre de maman par le même chemin spécial qu’il va prendre pour sortir le jour
de sa naissance. C’est le petit chemin réservé à la vie et à l’amour, pour le
cœur.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chemin d'amour #
2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Papa et Maman s’aiment et
ils se le disent, mais ce n’est pas assez – comme toi quand tu es content de me
voir et tu me donne un câlin – alors Papa et Maman se donnent un câlin spécial.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chemin d'amour #
3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Quand le cœur du papa et de
la maman sont pleins d’amour ; alors le cœur du papa aussi est plein
d’amour et il est capable de donner tout son amour à la maman. La verge du papa
se redresse tout doucement et est capable d’entrer dans le chemin de la maman
réservé à la vie et à l’amour.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Chemin d'amour #
4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Alors il y a un
couronnement de l’amour… il y a grande joie dans leurs cœurs et dans leurs
corps unis, et c’est de cet amour que l’enfant commence à exister dans le
ventre de sa maman.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">LES
ADOLESCENTS</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">L’éducation de nos enfants est de notre droit et de notre
devoir de penser et de parler. Les idéologues cherchent à nous intimider et à
nous réduire au silence, mais nous avons naturellement le droit et le devoir de
parler à nos enfants plus précisément, qui, pour leur part, ont le droit et le
besoin de savoir toute la vérité sur leur vie et leur origine, sur leur nature
humaine, et leur sexualité humaine. Avec les adolescents, qui désormais
observent la dichotomie qu’il y a entre les diverses voix qui revendiquent leur
attention et leur assentiment, il nous faut une approche plus précise.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Approche # 1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Face à toutes les voix qui
parlent de la sexualité humaine, il faut en <b>parler davantage précisément</b> avec les adolescents, qui ont un plus
grand besoin de comprendre concrètement.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Approche # 2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Il faut aussi leur parler
du <b><u>combat intérieur</u></b> et de la <b><u>maîtrise de soi</u></b>, qu’en tant que
personnes humaines nous avons une grande capacité de maîtrise de soi, mais
qu’il faut exercer celle-ci, que notre maîtrise de soi s’accroît avec la
pratique, et que l’amour de Dieu est la source de notre force intérieure. C’est
Dieu qui nous aime le premier et qui nous entraîne à l’aimer, à aimer les
autres, et à nous aimer nous-mêmes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Approche # 3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Il est bon et nécessaire
pour nous de susciter <b>l’<u>admiration</u>
de l’enfant</b> – et éventuellement de l’adolescent – <b>pour <u>la perfection de l’amour</u></b>. Aimer c’est comme avoir une
bonne voix. Pour bien chanter il faut voir et bien connaître la partition. Les
mots et les notes de la partition sont : <u>le respect</u> de l’autre, <u>la
fidélité</u> à l’autre, <u>la tendresse</u> envers l’autre, <u>l’attention</u>
aux attentes de l’autre.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Approche # 4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Homophilie</span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
– Au début de l’adolescence on est rassuré avec ses semblables et donc on peut
ressentir plein d’émotions envers ses semblables, mais il n’y a <u>rien de
sexuel</u> en cela. Cependant aujourd’hui la culture (qui depuis des décennies
est manipulée par des gens avec des agendas stratégiques pour changer les
attitudes de la société) la culture, donc, cherche à sexualiser l’autre.
Malheureusement, cette sexualisation artificielle de l’autre rend très
difficile l’amitié véritable et désintéressée avec l’autre sans accents
sexuels.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Approche # 5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Il ne faut surtout pas
écouter les voix qui préconisent de « tout essayer » en matière
d’activité sexuelle, parce qu’il y a une « mémoire du corps » qui
même après un seul acte colore tout ce qui suivra. C’est ainsi qu’en dehors de
la relation amoureuse engagée, permanente, exclusive, et fidèle d’un homme et
d’une femme, comme dans le mariage, toute activité sexuelle conditionne le cœur
humain dans une voie d’égoïsme et de quête de son propre plaisir ; ce qui
endurcie le cœur humain et rend d’autant plus difficile l’amour vrai.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Approche # 6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Un jeune peut se rendre
compte qu’un « dragueur » cherche à s’imposer à lui. Ce jeune doit
comprendre – et c’est absolument essentiel – que « sentir » quelque
chose n’est pas « consentir ». Le jeune, comme toute personne
humaine, demeure toujours libre de se demander, « Qu’est-ce que je
veux ? » et « Est-ce que c’est bien ou non ? » Le
« Non ! » dont je suis capable dans ma conscience me protège
pour un jour pouvoir dire un beau « Oui ! » à la personne de mon
choix pour l’aimer et qui m’aimera en retour.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 36pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo5; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #38761d;"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Approche # 7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">La jeune adolescente comme
la jeune adulte peut se trouver en condition temporaire de « homo
femini » ou de crainte de la sexualité masculine en raison de sa
représentation violente en porno. Elle doit apprendre de ses parents qu’il n’en
est pas ainsi dans une relation amoureuse entre personnes humaines.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Parents, prenez beaucoup de moments gratuits en tête à tête
avec votre enfant. Voyez la relation d’apprivoisement dans la rencontre du
renard avec le petit prince. Il faut s’approcher avec délicatesse, et cela
prends du temps. Pour les garçons, c’est mieux par le père ; sinon, la
mère doit le faire. Par exemple, la mère peut lui dire, « Ton père et moi
nous voulons te dire… »</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">LA
VIE SPIRITUELLE DES ENFANTS</span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Le péché originelle consiste en l’homme et la femme qui se
détourne de leur relation à Dieu le Créateur pour préférer à confectionner leur
propre vie, leur propre réalité, leur propre univers, leur propre définition de
la vie humaine ainsi que du bien et du mal. Il n’y a rien de plus souffrant
dans notre condition humaine que de cet isolement de Dieu, Lui qui est non
seulement notre origine dans l’amour mais aussi notre destinée finale et
éternelle.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Il est donc capital pour les parents d’introduire leur enfant
au Bon Dieu. Cependant, on ne peut pas donner ce qu’on ne possède pas déjà.
Toutefois, avec le Bon Dieu, il n’est jamais trop tard. Donc, la simple
réalisation par les parents qu’ils ont à quelque part au-dedans d’eux-mêmes un
quelconque désir de donner à leurs enfants ce qui est le mieux peut déjà leur
ouvrir une porte à tout ce qui existe « au-delà ». Voilà donc l’opportunité
dans le moment présent de donner à leur enfant soit les
« sacrements », soit la connaissance de Dieu, soit la prière, soit la
spiritualité, soit la foi, ainsi de suite.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Le cœur de la Tradition judéo-chrétienne est clairement que
le Bon Dieu, Créateur de l’Univers, désire avoir avec toute personne humaine
une relation d’amitié et d’amour. Le Bon Dieu, qui est richissime, veut tout
nous donner, mais il y a de notre part trop souvent des entraves… les
« portes » au-dedans de nous ne sont pas toujours ouvertes, ou bien
elles ne sont pas ouvertes toutes grandes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><u><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">LE
BAPTÊME</span></u></b><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
– </span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Au Baptême le Dieu Trinité engendre au sein de la personne
humaine une « relation de famille » qui introduit la personne – même
le petit bébé naissant – au sein de la relation de communion qui existe depuis
toujours et qui « définit » l’être divin que nous appelons Dieu et
dont Jésus a révélé la nature comme une « communion de personnes divines
en un seul être divin ». La vie qui existe en Dieu dans un amour parfait
dans une harmonie parfaite commence à « ruisseler » ou
« vibrer » en nous, et nous commençons à « vivre en Dieu ».
Comme pour tout le reste de notre vie humain sur Terre, cette nouvelle vie
« en Dieu » doit être cultivée, d’abord par les parents et les
parrains, mais graduellement par la participation libre et motivée de l’enfant
lui-même ou elle-même.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><u><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">LA
CONFIRMATION</span></u></b><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
– </span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Que ce soit le lendemain de sa naissance ou à 11 / 12 ans, à
sa confirmation ou chrismation, l’enfant reçoit une nouvelle « effusion de
l’Esprit Saint de Dieu » comme l’ont reçue les apôtres et la centaine
d’autres disciples assemblés autour de la Mère de Jésus dans le Cénacle le jour
de la Pentecôte. L’Esprit Saint est toujours à l’œuvre pour infuser ses
dons : la piété pour un grand respect pour l’œuvre de Dieu, dont l’homme
et la femme, garçon / fille ; et tous les autres dons spirituels pour la
personne et charismes pour le bien des autres et de l’Église. Les parents
peuvent et doivent aider leur enfant à se voir aimé(e) de Dieu et qu’il se
reçoit de Dieu dans l’amour. Son genre – femelle ou mâle / femme ou homme – a
été donné à sa conception et désormais se manifestera et grandira.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><u><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">LA
SAINTE COMMUNION</span></u></b><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
– </span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Comme la maman donne de son sang / lait en nourrissant son
bébé au sein maternel, ainsi Jésus – ressuscité des morts et Fils de Dieu – se
donne en nourriture spirituelle aux communiants, nous donnant par le fait même
une véritable « transfusion » de la vie divine qu’Il possède avec son
Père et l’Esprit Saint. Notre partage de la vie divine d’amour qui est en Dieu
en laquelle nous avons été initiés au Baptême n’est pas encore
« permanent » sur cette Terre, et ne deviendra permanent qu’au Ciel
quand nous aurons accompli notre vie et notre mission.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><u><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">L’ONCTION
DES MALADES</span></u></b><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
– </span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Comme Il le faisait en Palestine, Jésus continue de guérir
malades et blessés tout en pardonnant les fautes et en chassant les mauvais
esprits qui à diverses occasions tourmentent les baptisés.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><u><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">LE
PARDON – LA RÉCONCILIATION</span></u></b><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
– </span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Jésus nous permet de Le rencontrer face à face comme
lorsqu’Il marchait sur la Terre par les représentants qu’Il se donne et qu’Il
nous envoie en la personne de ses prêtres
<b>(<u>LES SAINTS ORDRES</u>)</b>.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><u><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">LE
MARIAGE</span></u></b><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
– </span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">À ceux qui croient en Lui et qui mettent en Lui leur
confiance Jésus se porte garant que leur amour reflète son amour fidèle et
sacrificiel pour son Église, sa Bien-aimée, le corps de tous ses disciples fidèles
rassemblés.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">P.S.:</span></b><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> La Genèse représente la création par Dieu des humains dans leur
innocence originelle en tant qu’homme <b><u>et</u></b>
femme. L’ennemi de l’humanité cherche à sexualiser notre capacité d’amitié afin
de nous réduire en esclavage et nous priver de la liberté des enfants de Dieu. Le
<u>péché</u> nous a divisés comme homme <b><u>ou</u></b>
femme. La <u>patriarchie</u> est la domination <b><u>par</u></b> l’homme. Le <u>féminisme</u> nous réduit à <b><u>ni</u></b> homme <b><u>ni</u></b> femme. <u>L’idéologie du genre</u> cherche à <b><u>neutraliser</u></b> notre genre inné
comme femme ou homme en remplaçant notre identité par l’illusion du
« choix ». Pour sa part, la culture « <u>gai</u> » et le <u>lobby</u>
homosexuel s’en prennent aux jeunes enfants avant la puberté et les jeunes
adolescents qui souvent font l’expérience de l’ « Homophilie »
au cours de leur développement. Leur stratégie délibérée est d’imposer leur
idéologie précisément au moment où les jeunes sont les plus vulnérables. Leur
objectif est de faire « tomber » les
jeunes en s’identifiant comme « gai » ou
« lesbienne » eux-mêmes et, par le fait même, <b><u>nier</u></b> et <b><u>abandonner</u></b>
leur grande dignité de fille ou de garçon, femme ou homme, qui est en accord
avec le genre dont ils ont été doté à leur conception. La bonne nouvelle est
que Jésus Christ notre Seigneur restaure notre innocence perdue et notre
capacité pour le don réciproque de soi, pour lequel notre genre nous habilite.
Voilà le don que Dieu nous fait pour nous permettre de vivre notre vie humaine
et l’amour à l’image de Dieu Trinité. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Ces notes furent prises à la conférence donnée le 29
mars, 2017 aux bureaux de l’Archidiocèse of Montréal par Inès Pélissié du
Rausas avec quelques pensées que j’ai cru bon d’ajouter. Son livre contient une
explication beaucoup plus complète et détaillée de ses instructions aux parents
et s’intitule :</span></span></i></p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"><span style="color: #38761d;">“S’il te plait, parle-moi de l’amour ! »</span></span></b></p><p>
</p><p align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19sJWCGlo0-4EGoZWjBBRLfL0bxygfm-WOkPdXgY1e94ERNJb9Sl-aSu_6Pc-1V9JDatXv91gAk4qqInjKUVW355odtmuIIGpcH03rWjVFo_C1G0md8Dgh8kykC2nPqSdjiLX_8LgLZxT/s499/Parent-child-ed-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="348" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh19sJWCGlo0-4EGoZWjBBRLfL0bxygfm-WOkPdXgY1e94ERNJb9Sl-aSu_6Pc-1V9JDatXv91gAk4qqInjKUVW355odtmuIIGpcH03rWjVFo_C1G0md8Dgh8kykC2nPqSdjiLX_8LgLZxT/s320/Parent-child-ed-1.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Ce livre est disponible à
Amazon en France à ce <span lang="FR"><a href="https://www.amazon.fr/Sil-te-pla%C3%AEt-parle-moi-lamour/dp/2351170059"><b><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;">LIEN</span></b></a></span><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"> :</span><span lang="FR-CA"> </span><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;">ou à Amazon.ca au </span><span lang="FR"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Sil-plait-maman-parle-moi-lamour/dp/2351170644/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1492705376&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=S%27il+te+pla%C3%AEt%2C+parle-moi+de+l%27amour+%21%2C+In%C3%A8s+P%C3%A9lissi%C3%A9+du+Rausas"><b><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;">LIEN</span></b></a></span><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"> :</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-35859310447733828302020-01-26T14:01:00.012-05:002023-02-05T18:10:18.954-05:00babies bébés - Where do babies come from? D'où viennent les bébés?<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-onDj3aD_RtAX_SS2RlC-OMG0bZSdxIvCM1V95qlsFXax3B9Drsz4A3urH7BkL5_AsiJDJtrSC2wIWjupQN9ERUPDSgbnJX8j7Ux1qg2rE3WjRh11IapN47E83xitRtNsToQrm7DIEzmU/s335/baby-bebe-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-onDj3aD_RtAX_SS2RlC-OMG0bZSdxIvCM1V95qlsFXax3B9Drsz4A3urH7BkL5_AsiJDJtrSC2wIWjupQN9ERUPDSgbnJX8j7Ux1qg2rE3WjRh11IapN47E83xitRtNsToQrm7DIEzmU/s320/baby-bebe-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"> <span style="color: #38761d;">Where do babies come from?</span></span></b></div></span></b><p></p><h2 class="wsite-content-title" style="background-color: white; font-family: Quattrocento, serif; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><a href="https://aleteia.org/2019/12/20/where-do-babies-come-from-how-to-answer-your-preschooler/">How to answer your preschooler</a> - <a href="https://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/where-do-babies-come-from/">Focus on the Family</a> </span></h2><div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">D'où viennent les bébés ?</span></b></p><h2 class="wsite-content-title" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2em; margin: 0px 0px 15px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Quattrocento, serif; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://institutdetheologieducorps.org/livre/parlons-damour-a-nos-enfants-a-la-lumiere-de-la-theologie-du-corps/">Parlons d’amour à nos enfants : à la lumière de la théologie du corps</a> <br /></span><span style="font-size: small;">Cahier pratique pour en parler aux 3-13 ans</span></h2></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://institutdetheologieducorps.org/livre/sil-te-plait-maman-parle-moi-de-lamour/">S’il te plaît, Maman, parle-moi de l’amour</a> </span></b></div><div><b>Que dire à ma fille pré-adolescente de 9 à 13 ans ?</b></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://institutdetheologieducorps.org/livre/les-parents-lecole-et-la-sexualite-qui-dit-quoi/">Les parents, l’école et la sexualité, qui dit quoi ?</a> </b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-38929266307487979922020-01-05T09:31:00.045-05:002023-02-05T18:12:51.212-05:00Family & Parenting - Guided by the Architect's plans, parents form their children to understand and manage their affections and human sexuality <p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------<br /><br /></b></i><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlMEW6snPVgNT19DIgtUhohY9nLdCf3K5Wl77v5sjrKJNbI_qao0GBrKpwlskbV0bwodjdyoApT446WEYwgeHbYtaYacOR4xdxvzUZIzCv-i6ygUAYlvhFcNGnAsB5dVgecCiPyaYn8Zd/s275/Parent-child-ed-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlMEW6snPVgNT19DIgtUhohY9nLdCf3K5Wl77v5sjrKJNbI_qao0GBrKpwlskbV0bwodjdyoApT446WEYwgeHbYtaYacOR4xdxvzUZIzCv-i6ygUAYlvhFcNGnAsB5dVgecCiPyaYn8Zd/s0/Parent-child-ed-4.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"> Church, Family, & Life - a useful <a href="http://sexualitevivante.net/living-sexuality.html">Information Kit</a> </span></b></div></span></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">BUILDING A FAMILY ENVIRONMENT AS A "NEST" FOR YOUR CHILDREN.... </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://proudtobecanadian.ca/for_the_sake_of_the_children/">For the sake of the Children</a></b> - What is best for them? - June 26, 2005 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>NO DIFFERENCE?:</b> <a href="https://scholarlycommons.law.case.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1572&context=faculty_publications">AN ANALYSIS OF SAME-SEX PARENTING</a> - 2011 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://delivery.shopifyapps.com/-/c0b5ad22a305c5cd/ce9aff55da4b9e76">Parents, Children, and The Rules of Life</a></b> - 1980 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">AFFECTIVE & SEXUAL FORMATION & EDUCATION OF YOUR CHILDREN.... </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://sexfieldhospital.blogspot.com/2017/04/mommy-daddy-please-talk-to-me-about.html">"Mommy, Daddy. Please talk to me about love."</a> </b>- April 18, 2017 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://lovewise.org.uk/blog/2016/09/30/family-charity-speaks-out/">Family Charity Speaks Out</a></b> - Parents & Schools not Gov't - Sept 12, 2016 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.todaysparent.com/family/parenting/age-by-age-guide-to-talking-to-kids-about-sex/">How to talk to your kids about sex: An age-by-age guide</a></b> - Sept 24, 2020 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://c-fam.org/turtle_bay/real-sex-ed-works/">Surprise! Telling Kids the Truth About Sex Actually Works!</a></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> June 22, 2016 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/2014/04/14/talking-about-sex-bible-study/">Talking to Your Kids About Sex: A Parent-Child Bible Study</a></b> - April 14, 2014 / 2020 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://sexfieldhospital.blogspot.com/2017/04/maman-papa-sil-te-plait-parlez-moi-de.html">" Maman, Papa. S'il te plaît, parlez-moi de l'amour ! "</a> </b></span><span style="color: #38761d;">- April 18, 2017</span></p><div><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">TALKING TO YOUR CHILDREN ABOUT....</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.macyouth.org/uploads/2/9/8/8/29880115/axis-parents-guide-to-lgbtq-and-your-teen-1.pdf"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">A Parent’s Guide to LGBTQ+ &</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></a></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://www.macyouth.org/uploads/2/9/8/8/29880115/axis-parents-guide-to-lgbtq-and-your-teen-1.pdf">Your Teen</a></b> - 2020 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.josephnicolosi.com/book-store">A Parent's Guide to Preventing Homosexuality</a></b> - 2017 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.staugustine.net/our-books/books/same-sex-attraction/">Same-Sex Attraction - </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.staugustine.net/our-books/books/same-sex-attraction/">A Parents' Guide</a></b> - 2003 </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-124575843247479592019-12-08T01:10:00.011-05:002023-02-05T18:24:36.694-05:00LIFE - The Promotion of Life - The Marvel of Conception - The Protection of the Vulnerable <p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------<br /></b></i><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazcEvpg9Z6L0JLlnfdhax01IgJe4ISfTlCLwkpYeB43owGwzNEiKxNGTeUXv9ru399kQASCa-EUY7tltYN2bGyjXlZXKnUfnp84ZzweAZZwOXJkLjrxHmlBLo8aCtGBpIGVUoGH0fEkiH/s1450/NFP-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="1450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazcEvpg9Z6L0JLlnfdhax01IgJe4ISfTlCLwkpYeB43owGwzNEiKxNGTeUXv9ru399kQASCa-EUY7tltYN2bGyjXlZXKnUfnp84ZzweAZZwOXJkLjrxHmlBLo8aCtGBpIGVUoGH0fEkiH/s320/NFP-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"> FERTILITY & THE MARVEL OF CONCEPTION </span></b></div></span></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/how-art-and-technology-are-clearing-up-miscontraceptions-on-womens-fertility-68116">How art and technology are clearing up 'miscontraceptions' on women’s fertility</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;"> <br /> By Adelaide Mena Washington D.C., Mar 6, 2015</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/are-we-less-free-than-a-1950s-housewife-a-look-at-contraception-54448?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Are we less free than a 1950s housewife? A look at contraception</a></span></b> <br />By Ann Schneible - Rome, Italy - Sep 16, 2016 </span><span style="color: #38761d;">What started as a means to liberate women seems to have taken an ironic twist.</span><span style="color: #38761d;">... little more a decade into the 21st century, the sexual exploitation of women and girls is at </span><span style="color: #38761d;">an all-time high, and the dream of woman's liberation – as promised by contraception – seems </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to be falling far short of the reality. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://sanjosearticles.com/?page_id=2">San Jose Articles</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">We — human rights lawyers and advocates, scholars, elected officials, diplomats, and medical and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">international policy experts — hereby affirm these Articles. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">San Jose, Costa Rica March 25, 2011</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://www.sedin.org/propeng/embryos.htm">It's About the Human Nature: </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.sedin.org/propeng/embryos.htm"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">What's In the Fridge?</span></b></a> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Jerome Lejeune's 1989 Expert Court Testimony </span><span style="color: #38761d;">regarding the nature of human embryos </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/yes-unborn-babies-can-feel-pain-at-20-weeks-doctors-testify-91293">Yes, unborn babies can feel pain at 20 weeks, doctors testify</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> <br /> By Matt Hadro - Washington - Mar 16, 2016</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.rnn.promo/natural-family-planning.html">Natural Family Planning (NFP) simplified</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">by observing ovulation after the fact rather than trying to predict it </span><span style="color: #38761d;">For the text below in downloadable and printable format (pdf), click here: <a href="http://www.rnn.promo/uploads/1/2/7/3/127330543/04_28_2020_pm_nfp_text_only.pdf"><b>04_28_2020_pm_nfp_text_only.pdf</b></a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2016/08/nfp-is-not-always-marriage-building">NFP Is Not Always “Marriage-Building”</a></span></b> <br />by Audrey Pollnow 8.1.16 <span> </span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">NFP can be a healthy exercise in asceticism, particularly for people who care too much about sexual gratification. But there are couples who have the opposite problem: They are disinclined to seek sex, either because they are not getting along, or because one of them is unusually indifferent to sex. When we recommend an ascetic discipline to help someone grow in virtue, we need to tailor our recommendation to the vice the person actually has. As Aristotle points out, most virtues have two associated vices: one involving an excess and the other involving a deficiency. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/this-female-nuclear-physicist-just-created-a-fertility-app-68975?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">The female nuclear physicist who created a fertility app</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;"> <br /> Stockholm, Sweden, Mar 20, 2018 </span><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Meet Elina Berglund: a nuclear physicist who will be known as the woman who developed the first natural cycle fertility app to have been internationally certified as an effective means of avoiding pregnancy.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://twinsurprises.wordpress.com/2012/12/07/twins-conversation-in-the-womb/">Twins conversation in the womb</a></span></b> Posted on December 7, 2012 <br /><b style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://pablomolinerodotcom.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/boy-and-girl2.pdf">Boy and Girl</a></span></b> - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Copyright © Pablo J.Luis Molinero, 1980.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://un-idiot-attentif.blogspot.com/2011/06/y-t-il-une-vie-apres-la-naissance.html">Y a-t-il une vie après la naissance?</a></span></b> </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Publié 14th June 2011 par Fiodor</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfkTfsgzoklrT11an2?e=JDFwZj">Prayer for the Baptism of the Unborn</a></span></b> − Aborted and Miscarried </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Babies </span><span style="color: #38761d;">24/07/2014</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">PROMOTION OF LIFE </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxNELjjNTIW6THyL?e=QjwQdE">Danes taught ‘how you have children’</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">After years of teaching kids how to use contraceptives, Sex and Society, the country’s biggest provider of sex education materials for schools, has changed its curriculum to encourage having babies under the headline: “This is how you have children!”</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/04/10/5-ways-europe-is-trying-to-convince-its-citizens-to-make-more-babies/">5 ways Europe is trying to convince its citizens to make more babies</a></span></b> <br />Much has been written about Europe's debt and financial crises. This, however, is not the only challenge the continent faces: Some European countries are rapidly aging, as this map shows. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">All over the continent, potential parents have shown reluctance to have more babies. Hence, governments and advocacy groups are becoming increasingly creative about getting their citizens to make babies.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/record-breaking-40-days-for-life-campaign-sees-monumental-results-42367?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Record-breaking 40 Days for Life campaign sees monumental results</a></span></b> <br /></span>By Maggie Maslak </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Dallas, Texas, Nov 6, 2015 - After its 2015 fall campaign of prayer and fasting outside hundreds of abortion clinics around the world, the pro-life advocacy group 40 Days for Life says its efforts have been met with record-breaking results. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“We had 307 cities participate in the 40 Days for Life campaign in the United States and around the world, and we have really seen 40 Days for Life go into any environment and get the same result: moms choosing life at the very last minute.” </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://thegenderandsexconference.org/madrids-declaration/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTWpFMFltUTRaREV4WXpBdyIsInQiOiJsdzJURlFBWjNHRHNZUlVjdHdkTFZqSHFVNmRtTDRmZjN6NEhCSU1wNUtyRkxnY2s2clV6MWNPWVJBTDhZMlRhU0hlOFNvNzRmNlwva2E3cHJkYTltQ1FPa1krV3hVbDU3WVNVTitxZWdVN0RKOWthOT">Madrid Declaration for Understanding, Respect, and Freedom</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Madrid, February 23, 2018 <span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;">The so-called “gender perspective” was first introduced on the international agenda to guarantee equality of opportunity and equality of rights between men and women. Today, it has become an authentic “gender ideology”, with objectives that are dangerous for democracy. Gender ideology has been used violently, and it has turned what could be just into a lie. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/my-debate-with-a-pro-abortion-philosopher-at-stanford">My Debate with a Pro-Abortion Philosopher at Stanford</a></span></b> <br />Trent Horn - May 03, 2017 <span> </span>After the debate, Boonin thanked me for participating and hoped we could engage the subject again at a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">future venue. I found him to be very courteous and insightful, which made for an enjoyable evening. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Although we profoundly disagreed about a contentious issue, we showed that one could still </span><span style="color: #38761d;">have civil disagreement in such circumstances.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Persuasive-Pro-Life-Cultures-Toughest-ebook/dp/B00O96DVLG/?tag=ththve-20"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Persuasive Pro-Life</span></b></a> - Trent Horn<br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">How to Talk About </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Our Culture’s Toughest Issue </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://issuu.com/columbia-magazine/docs/columbiajan11en">Shepherds on the Sidewalk</a></span></b> - KofC - Columbia Jan 2011 pages 26-27<br />The 40 Days for Life campaign is gaining momentum and saving lives - by Carolee McGrath</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://theinterim.com/issues/abortion/mother-teresa-stuns-clinton/">Mother Teresa stuns Clinton</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">On Feb. 3, 1994 <span> </span><span> </span>Mother Teresa spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. <br />Before an </span><span style="color: #38761d;">audience of 3,000, which included President Bill Clinton and Vice-President Al Gore, Mother Teresa </span><span style="color: #38761d;">called for an end to abortion, “the greatest destroyer of peace today.” A disconcerted Clinton did not </span><span style="color: #38761d;">take part in the standing ovation which followed the speech. Observers called it the most embarrassing </span><span style="color: #38761d;">moment of the Clinton administration.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/ending-the-need-for-abortion-the-mission-behind-marisol-health-71902?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Can we end the need for abortion? One organization aims to find out</a></span></b> <br />Denver, Colo., Feb 9, 2017 <span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Women's healthcare is reaching a new dawn in the state of Colorado, courtesy </span><span style="color: #38761d;">of a new Catholic Charities initiative whose goal is to eliminate abortion from </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the definition of women's healthcare. The new initiative, called Marisol Health, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">hopes to empower women by offering a holistic option for healthcare, which </span><span style="color: #38761d;">includes aid with housing and every spectrum of human services.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">PROTECTION OF THE VULNERABLE </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.diocesemontreal.org/en/news-and-info/latest-news/responsible-pastoral-ministry">For a responsible pastoral ministry</a></b> </span><br /> Archbishop Christian Lépine - June 22, 2016 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.diocesemontreal.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/General%20Guide_ENG_Janv2020DEF_1.pdf">DIOCESAN POLICY </a></b></span><b style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.diocesemontreal.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/General%20Guide_ENG_Janv2020DEF_1.pdf"><span style="font-size: medium;">OF RESPONSIBLE PASTORAL MINISTRY</span></a> <br /></b><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">MONTREAL<span> </span>A Responsible Pastoral Ministry is every pastoral action committed to never use any type of abuse: sexual, emotional, financial or physical against any minor or vulnerable person in order to protect Dignity and Integrity of all people because they are « in the image of God ».</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Roboto Regular";"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.diocesemontreal.org/en/news-and-info/latest-news/general-implementation-responsible-pastoral-ministry-policy">Implementation of Responsible Pastoral Ministry</a></span></b> <br />Archbishop Christian Lépine has just validated the pilot project of Responsible Pastoral Ministry and announces the beginning of its general implementation in the whole Archdiocese of Montreal. </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><a href="https://www.cccb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Protecting_Minors_2018.pdf"><b>Protecting </b><b>Minors </b></a></span><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.cccb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Protecting_Minors_2018.pdf">from Sexual Abuse</a> - CCCB </span><br /></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>A Call to the Catholic Faithful in Canada </b></span><b style="color: #38761d;">for Healing, Reconciliation, and Transformation</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2014/documents/papa-francesco_20140322_chirografo-pontificia-commissione-tutela-minori.html">CHIROGRAPH OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS FOR THE INSTITUTION OF A PONTIFICAL COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION OF MINORS</a> </b></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-30703634746977736292019-08-15T22:30:00.007-04:002023-02-05T18:29:52.297-05:00HEALTH & SEXUAL RECOVERY TO CHASTITY - For a full and unfettered outlook on human life, sexuality, & happiness, for the sake of meaning, purpose, and direction freely given to one's life<p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------<br /><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSUjBZFsxeKIIJOuHNAVLOLB2RLP4ZBR3ziEdi3ujNOhYcZtUV_ZUS8VqZihyphenhyphenl5h9wOJn_zLKt-eb-X6gP-1rMUqAsuEOxEnzaTAz9YK70gEXTNzxDPzSCNcRRwXHnF1wdTKCRzL0_IJT/s334/Creation-Michelangelo-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="151" data-original-width="334" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeSUjBZFsxeKIIJOuHNAVLOLB2RLP4ZBR3ziEdi3ujNOhYcZtUV_ZUS8VqZihyphenhyphenl5h9wOJn_zLKt-eb-X6gP-1rMUqAsuEOxEnzaTAz9YK70gEXTNzxDPzSCNcRRwXHnF1wdTKCRzL0_IJT/s320/Creation-Michelangelo-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"> HEALTH & HUMAN SEXUALITY </span></b></div></span></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/is-purity-possible">Is Purity Possible?</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By Joseph L. Soria </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">If God forbids something, whether it be killing, lying, stealing, fornicating, or anything else, he does so not just because these things are evil in themselves, but also because they make us evil, lowering our nature to the level of the beasts. In this context it is easy to understand St. Augustine’s exclamation: “What am I to you that you should command me to love you, and if I do not, are angry and threaten vast misery? Is it then a trifling sorrow not to love you?” Therefore the sixth commandment, though formulated negatively, is fully understood only within the context of the love of God — for this is how we are to understand that the prohibitive nature of the commandment actually entails positive dimensions. It makes little sense if we interpret it from an exclusively negative point of view; for indeed it is an invitation to love.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholic.com/tract/celibacy-and-the-priesthood">Celibacy and the Priesthood</a></span></b> <br />Protestant attacks on priestly celibacy come in a number of different forms—not all compatible with one another. There is almost no other subject about which so many different confusions exist. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The first and most basic confusion is thinking of priestly celibacy as a dogma or doctrine—a central and irreformable part of the faith, believed by Catholics to come from Jesus and the apostles. Thus some Protestants make a great deal of a biblical reference to Peter’s mother-in-law (Mark 1:30), apparently supposing that, if Catholics only knew that Peter had been married, they would be unable to regard him as the first pope. Again, Protestant time lines of “Catholic inventions” assign “mandatory priestly celibacy” to this or that year in Church history, as if prior to this requirement the Church could not have been Catholic. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">These Protestants are often surprised to learn that even today celibacy is not the rule for all Catholic priests. In fact, for Eastern Rite Catholics, married priests are the norm, just as they are for Orthodox and Oriental Christians.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/why-married-priests-wont-really-fix-the-shortage-80190?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">Why married priests won't really fix the shortage</a></span></b> <br />By Mary Rezac Denver, Colo., Jun 18, 2017 - <span> </span>In 1970, there was one priest for every 800 Catholics in the United States. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Today, that number has more than doubled, with one priest for every 1,800 Catholics. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Globally, the situation is worse. The number of Catholics per priest increased from 1,895 in 1980 to 3,126 in 2012, according to a report from CARA at Georgetown University. The Catholic Church in many parts of the world is experiencing what is called a “priest shortage” or a “priest crisis.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">SACRA PROPEDIEM ENCYCLICAL OF POPE BENEDICT XV ON <br /></span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xv/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xv_enc_06011921_sacra-propediem.html"><span style="font-size: medium;">THE THIRD ORDER OF ST. FRANCIS</span></a></b> <br />TO THE PATRIARCHS, PRIMATES, ARCHBISHOPS, BISHOPS, AND OTHER ORDINARIES IN PEACE AND COMMUNION WITH THE APOSTOLIC SEE.<br />The important role of the Third Order of Saint Francis, The Order of Penance, for the renewal of the Church and of all believers, and for the ongoing evangelization of humanity. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://windsorla.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/withrespecttosex.pdf">With Respect To Sex</a></span></b> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">by Daryl Glick <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">St. Augustine prayed, "Grant me chastity, Lord, but not yet" (Confessions, VIII, 7). His was a classic </span><span style="color: #38761d;">case of someone wanting to have his cake and eat it too. For saints and sinners, and everyone in between, purity is a sensitive subject, and one which occasions struggle and trials and sometimes more </span><span style="color: #38761d;">than a little doubt and worry. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Today it's not uncommon to find Catholics who seem to accept everything the Church teaches except </span><span style="color: #38761d;">when it comes to sexual morality. Here they prefer to simply "follow their own conscience" (a lax conscience, perhaps?). Yet these teachings are a basic part of Catholic doctrine, and haven't changed over </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the past 2,00 years. Picking and choosing is risky business. The Church, we must remember, teaches </span><span style="color: #38761d;">not her own doctrine, but that of her Founder, who said, "Teach them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Mt 28:20). </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The virtue of purity is often misunderstood and even maligned these days. Some call it a "Victorian </span><span style="color: #38761d;">prejudice," puritanical, or repressive. But are we really happier than before we were "liberated"? Sexual permissiveness has had some ugly offspring: casual acceptance of pre-marital sex, a sharp rise in </span><span style="color: #38761d;">divorce and abortions, teenage promiscuity, and the blatant appeal to sexual appetites in television, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">movies, and advertising. Maybe it's time to take a closer look at the Church's teachings on purity.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/this-pro-life-talk-at-googles-headquarters-was-a-hit-96758?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">LOVE UNLEASHES LIFE</a></span></b> <br />This pro-life talk at Google's headquarters was a hit - Mountain View, Calif., Jun 22, 2017 CNA/EWTN News - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">A pro-life activist walks into Google’s headquarters and delivers a speech so compelling that within 24 hours, the online </span><span style="color: #38761d;">video of it surpassed a similar speech given by the head of Planned Parenthood. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">It may sound like the start to a far-fetched joke, but on April 20th, pro-life speaker and activist Stephanie Gray did just </span><span style="color: #38761d;">that. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Gray was the co-founder of the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and served as its executive director for several </span><span style="color: #38761d;">year before starting the ministry which she now runs, <a href="https://loveunleasheslife.com/"><b>Love Unleashes Life</b></a>. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150924_usa-omelia-vespri-nyc.html">VESPERS WITH PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS - </a></b></span><b style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2015/documents/papa-francesco_20150924_usa-omelia-vespri-nyc.html"><span style="font-size: medium;">HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS</span></a> - </b><span style="color: #38761d;">St Patrick's Cathedral, New York - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Thursday, 24 September 2015 </span><span style="color: #38761d;">This evening, my brothers and sisters, I have come to join you – priests and men and women of consecrated life </span><span style="color: #38761d;">– in praying that our vocations will continue to build up the great edifice of God’s Kingdom in this country. I </span><span style="color: #38761d;">know that, as a presbyterate in the midst of God’s people, you suffered greatly in the not distant past by having </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to bear the shame of some of your brothers who harmed and scandalized the Church in the most vulnerable of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">her members… In the words of the Book of Revelation, I say that you “have come forth from the great </span><span style="color: #38761d;">tribulation” (Rev 7:14). I accompany you at this moment of pain and difficulty, and I thank God for your </span><span style="color: #38761d;">faithful service to his people. In the hope of helping you to persevere on the path of fidelity to Jesus Christ, I </span><span style="color: #38761d;">would like to offer two brief reflections.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/november/documents/papa-francesco_20151126_kenya-religiosi.html">MEETING WITH CLERGY, MEN AND WOMEN RELIGIOUS AND SEMINARIANS - </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2015/november/documents/papa-francesco_20151126_kenya-religiosi.html"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS</span></b></a> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Sports field of St Mary’s School, Nairobi (Kenya) - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Thursday, 26 November 2015 - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">In our life as disciples of Jesus, there must be no room for personal ambition, for money, for worldly </span><span style="color: #38761d;">importance. We follow Jesus to the very last step of his earthly life: the cross. He will make sure you rise again, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">but you have to keep following him to the end. I tell you this in all seriousness, because the Church is not a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">business or an NGO. The Church is a mystery: the mystery of Jesus, who looks at each of us and says: “Follow </span><span style="color: #38761d;">me”. So let this be clear: Jesus is the one who calls. We have to enter by the door when he calls, not by the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">window; and we have to follow in his footsteps. Obviously, when Jesus chooses us, he does not “canonize” us; </span><span style="color: #38761d;">we continue to be the same old sinners. If there is anyone here – a priest or a religious – who doesn’t think that </span><span style="color: #38761d;">he or she is a sinner, please raise your hand… We are all sinners, starting with me. But the tenderness and love </span><span style="color: #38761d;">of Jesus keep us going.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">SEXUAL RECOVERY TO CHASTITY </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.cardus.ca/comment/article/love-again/">LOVE, AGAIN – On a celibate breakup and what happened after.</a></span> </b><br />by Wesley Hill May 10th 2018 </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Before I knew what was happening, or before I was willing to admit that I knew what was happening, it was too late to save the friendship. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxVjuDQrqqam5R5R?e=0kYQGZ">COURAGE INTERNATIONAL</a></span></b> - a few documents <br /></span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://couragerc.org/40-years-of-courage/">40 Years of Courage</a></b> <span> </span></span><span> <br /></span>The inspiration for the ministry that would eventually be established as Courage first came to Terence Cardinal Cooke, Archbishop of New York, in the spring of 1978. Cardinal Cooke wished to start a ministry that would specifically address the pastoral needs and concerns of lay persons experiencing same-sex attractions who desired to live chastely in accordance with Catholic teaching. The Cardinal consulted with the Director of Spiritual Development for the Archdiocese of New York, Father Benedict Groeschel (then OFM Cap., later CFR) who advised that Father John Harvey OSFS, a priest from Philadelphia, would be the ideal person to lead such a ministry. Father Harvey, a moral theologian, professor, and pastoral counsellor, had already written guidelines for confessors on the question of homosexuality and was giving retreats to priests and brothers in perpetual vows who were committed to living out their vow of chaste celibacy amid the experience of same-sex attraction. <br /></span></span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://couragerc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/minstry-persons-homosexual-inclination-2006.pdf">Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><a href="https://couragerc.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/minstry-persons-homosexual-inclination-2006.pdf"><b>Guidelines for Pastoral Care</b></a> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/why-three-gay-catholics-left-the-church---and-why-they-returned-39419">Why three gay Catholics left the Church – and why they returned</a></span> </b><br />By Mary Rezac - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Philadelphia, Pa., Oct 15, 2015 - <span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Dan, Rilene and Paul knew that once their stories were out, life would not be the same. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“We’ve been advised not to google ourselves,” Rilene said, laughing. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">These three are the subjects of a recently released documentary, “Desire of the Everlasting Hills,” which chronicles their stories of having same-sex attraction, and how they eventually found peace in the Catholic Church.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://everlastinghills.org/movie/">Desire of the Everlasting Hills</a></span> <br /></span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://everlastinghills.org/wp-content/uploads/Study-Guide-for-web.pdf">Documentary Discussion Guide</a> </span><br /></span></b><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">I was captivated by the beauty of these two men and woman's stories. Though I may not agree with all there decisions I found my self crying because I have many of those same desires for love, god and intimacy. I feel more human after seeing this. Homosexuality is is tough topic to talk about and these directors made a good effort of being authentic and taking political stance. I found myself laughing and crying at the same time because I saw myself in those three humans stories. I don't give the film a 10 because The cuts on the film could have been done a lot more smoothly. Also the audio was terrible when the interviewer was asking questions, subtitles are not good enough. I think this movie could reach bigger audience if not all the people were homosexual because gays and straights both struggle with balancing their desire for God, Love, and Intimacy. We all desire the infinite.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/pornography/upload/Create-in-Me-a-Clean-Heart-Statement-on-Pornography.pdf">Create in Me a Clean Heart - </a></b></span><b style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/pornography/upload/Create-in-Me-a-Clean-Heart-Statement-on-Pornography.pdf"><span style="font-size: medium;">A Pastoral Response to Pornography</span></a> <br /></b><span style="color: #38761d;">“A clean heart create for me, God.” (Ps 51:12)<span> </span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The document Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography Use was developed by the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). It was approved by the full body of the USCCB at its November 2015 General Meeting. </span></span><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;">As pastors of the Catholic Church, we offer this statement to give a word of hope and healing to those who have been harmed by pornography and to raise awareness of its pervasiveness and harms.1 In the confessional and in our daily ministry and work with families, we have seen the corrosive damage caused by pornography—children whose innocence is stolen; men and women who feel great guilt and shame for viewing pornography occasionally or habitually; spouses who feel betrayed and traumatized; and men, women and children exploited by the pornography industry. While the production and use of pornography has always been a problem, in recent years its impact has grown exponentially, in large part due to the Internet and mobile technology. Some have even described it as a public health crisis. Everyone, in some way, is affected by increased pornography use in society. We all suffer negative consequences from its distorted view of the human person and sexuality. As bishops, we are called to proclaim anew the abundant mercy and healing of God found in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, and through his Church.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://dignitycanada.org/CCCB-Pastoral%20Ministry%20to%20Young%20People%20with%20Same-Sex%20Attraction.pdf">Pastoral Ministry to Young People with Same-Sex Attraction</a></span> </b><br />“As Bishops, we wish to address the pastoral needs of adolescents and young adults who question their sexual identity or experience feelings of same-sex attraction. We are concerned for the spiritual good of all persons, and want to help them live out their call ‘to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity’. Convinced that ‛only what is true can ultimately be pastoral,’ we offer this guidance, by way of general principles and pastoral guidelines, to all Catholics, pastors, parents and educators, as well as to young adults themselves,” the Commission states in its introduction to the pastoral letter. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">While stressing the fact that the Church in her teaching never condemns persons with same-sex attraction, the Bishops note that “while homosexual acts are always objectively wrong, same-sex inclinations are not in themselves sinful or a moral failing”. (…) “For many people, same-sex attraction constitutes a trial. They therefore deserve to be approached by pastors with charity and prudence.” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">In its letter, the Commission offers various pastoral guidelines, in addition to expressing its “profound gratitude to all those who wisely and lovingly guide young people with a same-sex attraction: priests and pastoral associates, parents and educators”.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.javaemerald.com/religion/gloria_polo_testimony.html">MY JUDGMENT BEFORE GOD</a></span> <br /></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;">(Dr. Gloria Polo's testimony) </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Translated from Spanish to English by Susanna Vallejo. <br /></span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="http://testimonygloriapolo.blogspot.com/">Alternative source of Dr. Gloria Polo's testimony</a></b> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxQcBMWUnXJADhWQ?e=pg2N88">Our Father’s Gift of Tenderness Is Designed to Cure Sexual Obsessions</a></span> <br /></b>Since the time of the Apostles, when Jesus first called them his little children, through the action </span><span style="color: #38761d;">of the Holy Spirit, God the Father developed the assembly of disciples Jesus established as his Church </span><span style="color: #38761d;">into a community of faith, a living social body endowed with many of the traits we identify with the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">family. Jesus gave birth to his Church through the blood and water that flowed from his side opened </span><span style="color: #38761d;">by the soldier’s lance as He lay dead upon the Cross; just as God had brought forth Eve from Adam’s </span><span style="color: #38761d;">opened side. Of course this is symbolic imagery, but it expresses a profound truth that God has taken </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the trouble to reveal to us in this way. Having given birth to his Church – this assembly of his disciples </span><span style="color: #38761d;">– Jesus made her his Bride in a Marriage God first made with mankind as a betrothal at the moment </span><span style="color: #38761d;">when He was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit, and as God’s Son was united to a human </span><span style="color: #38761d;">flesh. From conception to resurrection, Jesus took on the human roles of both Husband and Father.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium; font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/meet-the-monks-who-spend-their-lives-praying-for-irelands-priests-21577?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Meet the monks who spend their lives praying for Ireland's priests</a></span><b> <br /></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By Kevin Jones Dublin, Ireland, Mar 17, 2017 </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Prayer, reparation and praising God are the focus of a new Benedictine priory in Ireland, which focuses especially on reparation for the sins of priests. “It was never our predetermined plan to come to Ireland,” Silverstream Priory’s Father Benedict Anderson, O.S.B., told CNA. “But we believe that, through circumstances that we could never have foreseen, Divine Providence placed us here to play some role, however modest, in the life of the Irish Church.”</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-15363731739033930922019-07-22T11:40:00.042-04:002023-02-05T18:33:21.895-05:00DRESSING MODESTLY - For comfort, dignity, and humility, with respect for others VS to attract attention, provoke, and seduce <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span>There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>PLEASE NOTE: </b>This is a fairly long post. First there is a brief list of articles. You can scroll down for short summaries and further down for links to the full articles. The links in effect bring you to the sources of these articles. ENJOY.</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>--------------------------</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><i><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;">TO NAVIGATE QUICKLY TO OTHER POSTS: </b><span style="color: #38761d;">Use the list of TOPICS in the column on the right or scroll down to the Blog Archive. Click on the arrows and specific dates and then Blog Post Titles open up. Click on them and you will go to those posts. ENJOY. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNOH-MuDARFdVDAcLMYCk-FleiGU2uRW4f-5NtyfipeC7Qeos7xi6K9zU9V5YeNnmoUJSluJuSvRwTl0fB8PJvS6SXegET91FjsoQGcBvVzfRS7jEHtvBPptUSQpdIEJZI4Qj0ui36187/s1226/Our-Lady-of-Guadalupe-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1226" data-original-width="788" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqNOH-MuDARFdVDAcLMYCk-FleiGU2uRW4f-5NtyfipeC7Qeos7xi6K9zU9V5YeNnmoUJSluJuSvRwTl0fB8PJvS6SXegET91FjsoQGcBvVzfRS7jEHtvBPptUSQpdIEJZI4Qj0ui36187/s320/Our-Lady-of-Guadalupe-4.jpg" /></a></b></span></div><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b>DRESSING MODESTLY</b></div></b></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Brief Introduction to this post: </b>When in December 1531 the Mother of Jesus appeared to Juan Diego on Pepeyac Hill, which is now Mexico City, she left a miraculous image of herself on his tilma, his poncho. This is the only image we have of Mary that comes from her and / or from God. In her image she was immediately recognized by the local indigenous population - "Indios or Aztecs" as a woman, a pregnant mother, and a woman from Heaven, from God. In fact, she seemed to them so attractive, so humble and kind, so well disposed; that in the following decade 9 million people were baptized. Until then, the Spanish missionaries had made very little progress in evangelizing the people. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">In all her apparitions, Mary appeared as a most beautiful young woman, and her clothing is reported to have rendered her femininity and also every movement of her limbs. Her dress was modest because it is not designed to provoke, or seduce, or attract, but rather, to invite to an encounter and a conversation. This is perhaps the only instruction we have from God, apart from numerous references and instructions in Sacred Scripture. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: medium;"><span><span>There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - is that we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To identify oneself on the basis of just the one element of our sexuality is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you.</span><span><br /></span></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>MEN'S DRESS VALUES</b> </span></p><p><b>👉 1. <a href="https://catholicism.org/a-few-thoughts-on-mens-dress-at-sunday-mass.html">A Few Thoughts on Men's Dress at Sunday Mass by Brother André Marie</a> - </b>May 10, 2010 <br /></p><p><b>👉 2. </b><b><a href="https://catholicgentleman.net/2013/07/gentlemen-dress-up-for-mass/">Dress Up for Mass!</a> by Sam Guzman - </b>July 27, 2013 <b> - </b>July 27, 2013 <br /><br /></p><div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>WOMEN'S DRESS VALUES</b> </span></p><div><b>👉 3. <a href="https://catholic-link.org/catholic-teen-thoughts-tips-modesty/">A Catholic Teen’s Thoughts And Tips On Modesty</a> - </b>July<b> </b>2019 <br /><br /></div><div><b>👉 4. <a href="https://www.wayoflife.org/reports/survey_of_christian_men_womens_clothing.html">Survey of Christian Men on the Subject of Women's Clothing</a> </b><b>- </b>June 16, 2015</div></div><p><b>👉 5. </b><b><a href="http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/catholic_life/modesty_dress.htm">Some Thoughts on Modesty / Immodest Dress</a> </b>- April 25, 2016 <b> </b> </p><p><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>6. <a href="http://www.national-coalition.org/modesty/modnorms.html">Establishing Practical Norms for Modesty in the Light of the Church's Teachings</a> </b>- 1999</p><p><b>👉</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. <a href="http://www.catholictradition.org/Children/immodest-dress.htm">IMMODEST DRESS - The Mind of the Church by Louise Martin</a> </span>- 1901 - <i style="text-align: center;">WARNING - This text sounds dated in its language and there are typos; still, it addresses issues which are ever relevant in human society because our human nature remains what it is from one generation to the next. The substance of this text remains pertinent for us today for anyone who truly wishes to please God and to live and behave in a way that benefits others and avoids doing harm.</i></p><p></p><p><b>👉</b><b> 8. </b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19124981"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marylike Modesty Handbook - </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Purity Crusade</span></b></a></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19124981"> of </a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19124981">Mary
Immaculate</a></span> </b><span style="color: darkblue;">- 1988 <br /><br /></span></span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: center;"><span style="color: darkblue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><p><b><span style="color: #38761d;">DRESS VALUES FOR ALL - FOR MODESTY GENERALLY </span></b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>9. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/15053472/modesty">A Mother’s Point Of View Modesty in Thougts, Words & Actions</a> </b>- April 25, 2016 </span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>10. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2013/07/what-our-daughters-and-sons-need-to.html">What our Daughters (and sons) Need to Know about Modesty</a> </b>- by Kelly - July 2, 2013 </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b>11. </b></span><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/dress.html">Scriptural Examples of Proper Dress</a> </b>- by </span><span style="text-align: center;">William V. Manson - </span>April 25, 2016 </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>12. <a href="http://www.olrl.org/virtues/modcrus.shtml">Some Directives of the Magisterium on Christian Modesty</a> </b>- 1998</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b>13. <a href="http://www.sicutincaelo.org/b03_twsg.html">"Those Who Serve God Should Not Follow The Fashions"</a></b> - Our Lady of Fatima <br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;">First Published A.D. 2003
Sixth Edition — Revised January 2017
© A.D. 2017 Robert T. Hart <br /><br /></div><p></p><p><b><span style="color: #38761d;">DRESS VALUES FOR ALL - FOR GOING TO CHURCH </span></b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>14. <span style="color: #38761d;">Un-dressed on the Altar (read in the Sanctuary)</span> </b>- by Marisa Pereira - May 27, 2012 </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://catholicexchange.com/un-dressed-on-the-altar">Part One</a> - - - <a href="https://catholicexchange.com/un-dressed-on-the-altar/2">Part Two</a> </b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span> </span><span> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Dressing up for mass is outdated!</span></b> - by Marisa Pereira - June 5, 2012 </div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://catholicexchange.com/dressing-up-for-mass-is-outdated">Part One</a> - - - <a href="https://catholicexchange.com/dressing-up-for-mass-is-outdated/2">Part Two</a> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>15. <a href="http://oswc.org/stmike/qa/fs/viewanswer.asp?QID=2039">Modesty at Church - Answer to a question by Bro. Ignatius Mary</a></b> - October 31, 2011 </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This forum is for general questions on the faith. </i><br /><b>COMMENT:</b> An excellent overview of appropriate dress at Church. Gilles Surprenant</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>16. <a href="http://uploads.weconnect.com/mce/9ae17b153a32567d1646caa8c4010174c30ac349/Liturgical/Dress%20Code%209.2013.pdf">St. Gabriel Archangel Catholic Church Liturgical Ministers Dress Code</a></b> - Sept 17, 2013</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This is a good example of parish policy in the matter of dress for those in the sanctuary.</i></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>17. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.papalaudience.org/dress-code">Papal Audience & visiting the Vatican Dress Codes</a> - </b>(International minimum standard)<br /><br /></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #38761d;">UNSUSPECTED OR INTENTIONAL PROVOCATION </span></b></p><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>18. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.christianheadlines.com/trending/why-do-so-many-women-show-off-cleavage-in-church.html?utm_source=blueconic&utm_medium=contentrec">Why Do So Many Women Show Cleavage in Church?</a> </b>by John UpChurch - July 26, 2013</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>19. </b><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><b>MOD - Modern or Modest? - </b>by Flavia Fernandes - Mumbai, July 2009</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><p><i>(There is no direct link for this article but it is included in a huge collection of articles <a href="https://studylib.net/doc/8027688/modesty-and-how-catholics-must-dress-for-mass">HERE</a>.)</i></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-align: left;"></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p></span></div></div></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>20. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/modesty-in-the-culture-of-shamelessness">Modesty in the Culture of Shamelessness</a> </b>- by Michael O'Brien - October 8, 2008 </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>21. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://catholicexchange.com/modest-dress-at-mass">Modest Dress at Mass What I Wish I Had Known</a> </b>by Karen Lynn Ford - August 27, 2005</span></div></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>22. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwHbTztcL4hB3752?e=qGI8NZ">SCREAMING FLESH</a> - by Jayme-Dawn Kryskow - </b>October 2003 </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: center;"></span></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">A BRIEF HISTORY OF MODESTY </span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">👉</b><b style="text-align: left;"> </b><b>23. </b></span><b><a href="https://journals.openedition.org/1718/399">A Brief History of Modesty</a> </b>by <span style="text-align: center;">Abigail Williams - 2014 <br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;">In "Revue de la Société d'études anglo-américaines des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles" pp 135-156</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">(Go to link for complete article) </i><b><a href="https://journals.openedition.org/1718/399">https://journals.openedition.org/1718/399</a> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </span></b></p><div><b><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span></b></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>👇 GLIMPSES OF THESE SOURCES FOLLOW 👇</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="color: #38761d;">MEN'S DRESS VALUES</b><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></p><p><b>👉 1. <a href="https://catholicism.org/a-few-thoughts-on-mens-dress-at-sunday-mass.html">A Few Thoughts on Men's Dress at Sunday Mass by Brother André Marie</a> </b>May 10, 2010 <br /></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">(Excerpted from a Sunday bulletin)</em></p><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">A question I received in the question box recently claimed that much ado is made over women’s dress and little over men’s dress at our chapel. I’ve done some reflecting on it, and the point is taken. Prescinding from the particulars of the question, its general theme merits our attention as a Catholic community striving to be a miniature Christendom.<span id="more-15783" style="box-sizing: inherit;"></span></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">Therefore, I would like to address the subject of dress — this time, for men only (<em style="box-sizing: inherit;">“no girlz allowed”</em>).</p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">I will state a blunt fact: Women’s dress is a concern because transgressions in this area are more often associated with the moral problem of immodesty, and the consequent problem of lust. As the male of the species are all fallen sons of Adam, female immodesty is something that adversely affects male morals quite strongly. (It usually does not work the other way round.) However, while women’s fashion <em style="box-sizing: inherit;">mis</em>statements err on the side of immodesty, men’s tend to err of the side of slovenliness. Therefore, another blunt point is in order: <em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Men </span></em><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">(notice I avoid saying </em><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; text-decoration-line: underline;">gentle</span></em><em style="box-sizing: inherit;">men)</em><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> — quit being slobs!</span></em><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700;"> </span>Queer looking haircuts, T-shirts, jeans, and “the casual look” in general (much more, “the caveman look”) are not appropriate for Sunday Mass. <span> </span><span> </span></p><p style="box-sizing: inherit; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><i>(Go to link for complete article)</i></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://catholicism.org/a-few-thoughts-on-mens-dress-at-sunday-mass.html">https://catholicism.org/a-few-thoughts-on-mens-dress-at-sunday-mass.html</a> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>👉 2. <a href="https://catholicgentleman.net/2013/07/gentlemen-dress-up-for-mass/">Dress Up for Mass!</a> by Sam Guzman - </b>July 27, 2013 </p><p>Society is growing more and more casual. I have seen people shopping for groceries in their pajama pants and fuzzy slippers. I’ve been to world-class classical concerts where people are dressed in Hawaiian shirts and jeans. In fact, it’s hard to think of anything people will dress up for anymore. Even weddings and funerals are getting more and more casual.</p><p>This bothers me because how we dress is a sign of how much respect we have for ourselves and for other people. If we don’t dress up for anyone or anything, it’s a sure sign that we don’t respect anyone or anything.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Dressing up is a small sacrifice</p><p>Looking sharp takes effort. Putting on a well pressed suit and tie, rather than a wrinkled t-shirt, takes time. Shaving, rather than sporting a scruffy five-o-clock shadow, takes a little bit of effort. Combing your hair, rather than letting it stand on end, requires a small amount of work. It is exactly these little sacrifices of time and effort, though, that tell other people that they are worth it.</p><p></p><p>Trust me, I know it’s not easy for men. We naturally don’t want to make that effort. I guarantee that if you do, though, you will feel like a million bucks. You will feel more manly and more confident.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://catholicgentleman.net/2013/07/gentlemen-dress-up-for-mass/">https://catholicgentleman.net/2013/07/gentlemen-dress-up-for-mass/</a> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>WOMEN'S DRESS VALUES</b> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉 3. <a href="https://catholic-link.org/catholic-teen-thoughts-tips-modesty/">A Catholic Teen’s Thoughts And Tips On Modesty</a> - </b>Written By Cailin Boswell <b>- </b>2019 </p><p style="text-align: center;">The teen years are a time when fashion is at the forefront of most girls’ minds. Everyone wants to fit in, look beautiful, and attract attention. It can be a difficult time to navigate for Catholic young women. Cailin of Catholic Teen Posts shares her thoughts on the subject of modesty in the hopes of encouraging other girls her age in their effort to dress in a way that brings the right kind of attention!</p><p style="text-align: center;">I would like to present my take on modesty. This is not about sparking a religious debate. Although men should also practice modesty, I am writing this for my female Christian beauties.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I am not anywhere near an expert on modesty. In fact, I do not think it is possible for anyone really to be, for modesty is not just the clothing we wear but about not drawing attention to ourselves, whether that be in the way we talk, the way we think, or the way we treat others. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://catholic-link.org/catholic-teen-thoughts-tips-modesty/">https://catholic-link.org/catholic-teen-thoughts-tips-modesty/</a> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><div><b>👉 4. <a href="https://www.wayoflife.org/reports/survey_of_christian_men_womens_clothing.html">Survey of Christian Men on the Subject of Women's Clothing</a> </b><br /><div class="stacks_out" id="stacks_out_3" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #191919; font-size: 12.8px; margin: 0px auto; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="stacks_in text_stack" id="stacks_in_3" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">Republished June 16, 2015 (first published May 1, 2007)</span></div></div><div class="stacks_out" id="stacks_out_325870" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #191919; font-size: 12.8px; margin: 0px auto; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="stacks_in" id="stacks_in_325870" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="stacks_out" id="stacks_out_325870_5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="stacks_in text_stack" id="stacks_in_325870_5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 24px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;">David Cloud, Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061</span></div><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">866-295-4143, </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #000099; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><u style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="mailto:fbns@wayoflife.org" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0066cc; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;">fbns@wayoflife.org</a></u></span></div></span></div></div></div></div><div class="stacks_out" id="stacks_out_5" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px auto; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="stacks_in text_stack" id="stacks_in_5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #191919; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">This article is from the author’s book, </span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a href="http://www.wayoflife.org/publications/books/dressing_for.php" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0066cc; outline: none; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="self">Dressing from the Lord</a></em></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">, which is available from Way of Life Literature. It can be ordered via the online catalog or by phone or e-mail (866-295-4143, www.wayoflife.org).<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />______________________<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: bold; line-height: normal;">I</span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> sent out a notice to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service e-mail list and asked the following question of the men on the list who are members of fundamentalist and independent Baptist churches:<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /></span><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />“In your opinion, which of the following items of female dress cause a real potential for lust?”<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />short skirts tight skirts slit skirts long skirts with slits to the knees sleeveless blouses low cut blouses and dresses tight blouses sheer blouses<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />T-shirts V-neck dresses form-fitting jeans looser-fitting pants shorts one piece bathing suits<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />[We included pedal pushers and capris in the original survey but most of the men did not know what they are, so it turned out that the comments on those items were too irrelevant to include in this book.]<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />My objective in this is to help girls and women in strong Bible-believing churches to understand how men think, not only men in the world or men in churches in general but men in the very churches that they attend.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />I received a flood of response to this survey. In just one day I received well over 100 responses from men ages 24 to 74 and from many parts of the world, and that was on a weekend, and they are still coming in a week and a half later. This tells me that there is a readiness on the part of men to let women understand how they see this issue.<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" /><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />As you will see, the responses were very earnest. The men are discouraged that lust is such a powerful temptation in their lives, and they admitted that it is so. Some of the men literally begged me to tell the women that their manner of dress is important and that they need to understand how men look at things. <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span></span></div><div class="stacks_in text_stack" id="stacks_in_5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #191919; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></i></div><div class="stacks_in text_stack" id="stacks_in_5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #191919; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></div><div class="stacks_in text_stack" id="stacks_in_5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #191919; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><br /></span></div><div class="stacks_in text_stack" id="stacks_in_5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="https://www.wayoflife.org/reports/survey_of_christian_men_womens_clothing.html">https://www.wayoflife.org/reports/survey_of_christian_men_womens_clothing.html</a> </b></span>👈</span></span></div><div class="stacks_in text_stack" id="stacks_in_5" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; color: #191919; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: center;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"><p style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p></span></div></div></div><p><b>👉 5. <a href="http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/catholic_life/modesty_dress.htm">Some Thoughts on Modesty / Immodest Dress</a> </b>- April 25, 2016 <br /></p><p>“The Church knows and teaches that the human body, which is God’s masterpiece in the visible world, and which has been placed at the service of the soul, was elevated by the Divine Redeemer to the rank of a temple and an instrument of the Holy Spirit, and as such must be respected. The body’s beauty must therefore not be exalted as an end in itself, much less in such guise as will defile the dignity it has been endowed with.” -Pope Pius XII, “Moral Problems in Fashion Design”, 1957</p><p>Today’s Fashions</p><p></p><p>Think today’s fashions are “no big deal”? Think that following the dress of the crowd is okay? Think again! Many (most?) popular fashions today are offensive to God, sinful, scandalous, occasions of sin, enticements to sin, and display a lack of regard for the body as “a temple of the Holy Spirit”. Everywhere we see tight, form-fitting clothes, bare skin, exposed undergarments, etc. We also see women dressed like men (e.g. wearing men’s trousers – and now even men’s undergarments) and young girls dressed like women of ill-repute (e.g. skin-tight clothes, exposed midriffs, low-cut tops, etc.). It seems that many people today have completely lost the sense of modesty. <br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/catholic_life/modesty_dress.htm">http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/pc/catholic_life/modesty_dress.htm</a> 👈</b></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><p><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>6. <a href="http://www.national-coalition.org/modesty/modnorms.html">Establishing Practical Norms for Modesty in the Light of the Church's Teachings</a> <br /></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""Tahoma",sans-serif">By The
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>As we establish
norms of modesty for those under our charge, we should do so in the light and
under the direction of the Church’s official teachings. From the earliest days
there has been a clear teaching on the necessity of purity. The Gospel
according to Saint Matthew (5:27-28) records the very words of Our Lord.</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>You have heard
that it was said to the ancients, <em>“Thou
shalt not commit adultery.”</em> But I say to you that anyone who so
much as looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery with her in
his heart. Saint John Chrysostom instructed women of all times about dress when
in the fourth century he declared:</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
</p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">You carry your
snare everywhere and spread your nets in all places. You allege that you never
invited others to sin. You did not, indeed, by your words, but you have done so
by your dress and your deportment. … When you have made another sin in his
heart, how can you be innocent? Tell me, whom does this world condemn? Whom do
judges punish? Those who drink poison or those who prepare it and administer
the fatal potion? You have prepared the abominable cup, you have given the
death dealing drink, and you are more criminal than are those who poison the
body; you murder not the body but the soul. And it is not to enemies you do
this, nor are you urged on by any imaginary necessity, nor provoked by injury,
but out of foolish vanity and pride. <span> </span><span> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.national-coalition.org/modesty/modnorms.html">http://www.national-coalition.org/modesty/modnorms.html</a> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><p><b>👉</b><b> </b><span style="font-weight: bold;">7. <a href="http://www.catholictradition.org/Children/immodest-dress.htm">IMMODEST DRESS - The Mind of the Church by Louise Martin</a> </span>- 1901 </p><div style="text-align: center;"><div>In 1921, the Church spoke out strongly against immodest fashions. At that time Pope Benedict XV, in his encyclical, "Sacra Propediem" stated:</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>"... one cannot sufficiently deplore the blindness of so many women of every age and condition; made foolish by desire to please, they do not see to what a degree the indecency of their clothing shocks every honest man, and offends God. Most of them would formerly have blushed for those toilettes as for a grave fault against Christian modesty; now it does not suffice for them to exhibit them on the public thoroughfares; they do not fear to cross the threshold of the churches, to assist at the Holy sacrifice of the Mass, and even to bear the seducing food of shameful passions to the Eucharistic Table where one receives the heavenly Author of purity. And We speak not of those exotic and barbarous dances recently imported into fashionable circles, one more shocking than the other; one cannot imagine anything more suitable for banishing all the remains of modesty." [Par. 19]</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>"In what concerns specially the Tertiary Sisters, We ask of them by their dress and manner of wearing it, to be models of holy modesty for other ladies and young girls; that they be thoroughly convinced that the best way for them to be of use to the Church and to Society is to labor for the improvement of morals." [Par. 21]</i></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.catholictradition.org/Children/immodest-dress.htm">http://www.catholictradition.org/Children/immodest-dress.htm</a> 👈</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><p><b>👉</b><b> 8. </b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19124981"><b style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Marylike Modesty Handbook of the </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Purity Crusade</span></b></a></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19124981"> of </a></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19124981">Mary Immaculate</a></span> </b><span style="color: darkblue;">- 1988 </span></span></span></p><div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">This is taken from the "My
Life In Prayer" book; I could not find any copyright so hopefully nobody
will mind that I'm putting this online. (The very beginning of the prayer book
says, "Any part of this publication may be translated or reproduced in any
form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording
or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented,
without permission in writing from the publisher. It was printed in June 1998.)
It was initiated December 8, 1944, the Feast of <br />
the Immaculate Conception.</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt;"><i style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Out of respect for Our Lord and for the
edification of our neighbour, we beg women and girls to appear in Church
modestly dressed. Slacks, shorts, sleeveless and low-cut dresses do not meet
the norm of Christian modesty. Your cooperation is evidence of your love for
Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and respect for the House of God.
"Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very
much." Our Lady of Fatima, 1917.</i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="https://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19124981">
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->https://www.gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=19124981</a> 👈</b></span><!--[endif]--></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><div style="text-align: center;"><p><b><span style="color: #38761d;">DRESS VALUES FOR ALL - FOR MODESTY GENERALLY </span></b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>9. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/15053472/modesty">A Mother’s Point Of View Modesty in Thougts, Words & Actions</a> </b>- April 25, 2016 </span></div><p style="text-align: left;">Over the past few months, we have been asked to write more on chastity and modesty. Since thisis the beginning of a new year, we thought these would be good virtues to work on so we can be better rolemodels for our children and our community, and witnesss-es to the Catholic faith, with which we are so blessed. </p><p style="text-align: left;">We have had a couple of good, holy priests in our par-ish who were a great asset in encouraging and demandingmodesty in dress, so much so, that communion was refusedto women improperly dressed. But never did this happen without Father gong immediately after Mass to instructthe person about his reasons for doing so. These priests were very gentle in their approach. However; one definitelygot the message that it was not appropriate, or respectful,to approach Our Lord at the communion rail improperlydressed. It was likewise made clear that it is a sin to be a dis-traction in church, or to be an occasion of sin to another. </p><p style="text-align: left;">We have always respected those priests for their cour-age and commitment to not only teach the necessity ofmodesty, but to enforce it. After all, if we want to callourselves, or claim to be, Catholics, we must live as wit-nesses to the rules and guidelines Holy Mother Church hashanded down to us. In these modern times we have driftedso far from what the Church expects of Her Children that we most often cannot distinguish Catholics from non-Catholics. As Catholics, we are all called to become holy,to become saints, and to bring others into the One TrueChurch. We are so grateful to Almighty God for our faith-ful and courageous priests who aren’t afraid to preach andteach the truths upon which Christ founded His Church.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In all fairness to our Catholic population, many havegrown up in the Church never being properly catechizedon Her teachings. If they were taught the reasons whythings were done as they are in the Church, most wouldaccept, rather than question, the customs. As good Catho-lics hungry to know and understand our faith, we mustlikewise encourage our priests to teach us these truths.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/15053472/modesty">https://www.scribd.com/document/15053472/modesty</a> </b><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; font-size: 17.6px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">👈</b></p><p><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>10. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2013/07/what-our-daughters-and-sons-need-to.html">What our Daughters (and sons) Need to Know about Modesty</a> </b>- by Kelly - July 2, 2013 </span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">Every year around this time I see articles circulating facebook and blogland that detail exactly why a christian woman ought not to wear a bikini or some other "immodest" article of clothing and I am reminded, as much as I love the church, </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">how broken our view of womanhood and modesty are. </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">Bottom line? </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">You are not responsible for another person's choice to violate you; whether with his mind or his eyes or his heart or his hands. None of it is your fault. Ever.</b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">Here's what I most want my daughters to know about modesty:</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;"> Girls, you are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are treasured and valued. It is not your clothes that make you beautiful, but your spirit, your love, your joy and service and the very fact that you are a creation of The Most High. And although there is forgiveness for sin and God is in the business of redeeming our mistakes, there is great beauty and blessing in saving certain pieces of yourself,physically and emotionally, for the man you will spend your life with. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">God cares what you wear, because he cares about your heart. Seek him first, and whatever you do, do it to the glory of God.</b><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">And son, I want you to know that ultimately lust stems from the human heart, not a woman's body. You are responsible for where your eyes go,where your mind goes, what your heart chases after. But also that you are capable. </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">The world is trying to brand you as simple and weak, but that is not who you were made to be.</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;"> You are not a hopeless pawn in a world saturated with sexual desire but are able and equipped in the strength of the holy spirit to see your mind renewed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; font-size: 17.6px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;" /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>COMMENT </b>- I agree with this author's critique that as Christians and as Church we should not shift the entire blame and responsibility for lust to women and how they dress. However, the flip side is woman's desire to be noticed and appreciated, to be attractive. Women can be ill served by fashions that are designed to glue men's eyes to their physical / sexual features; whereas the Word of God clearly advises and instructs women to deliberately avoid this and rather dress in order to highlight their inner radiance and beauty of character and spirit as well as their good works. I do believe that women who truly want to please God and care for their male brothers do make efforts to avoid dressing in a manner that is designed to be provocative or seductive; whether or not this is their conscious intention. We often accomplish what we do not intend; a reality check is useful.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588235294118)" style="font-family: bookmania, serif;"><a href="http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2013/07/what-our-daughters-and-sons-need-to.html">http://www.imperfecthomemaking.com/2013/07/what-our-daughters-and-sons-need-to.html</a> </span></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; font-size: 17.6px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;">👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b>11. </b></span><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/dress.html">Scriptural Examples of Proper Dress</a> </b>- by </span><span style="text-align: center;">William V. Manson - </span>April 25, 2016 </p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.4px;">This study includes biblical examples that have to do with the subject of proper dress. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif; letter-spacing: 0.4px;">First we will peruse several scriptures that portray proper clothing as being used for specific situations, and we have no countermanding examples. Proper attire is repeatedly portrayed in the Scripture in analogy with righteousness. It would not be wise to do this if there was to be a time when proper clothing would no longer be respected by righteous people.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17.6px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif;"><b><a href="http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/dress.html">http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/dress.html</a> 👈</b></span></span></p><p><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>12. <a href="http://www.olrl.org/virtues/modcrus.shtml">Some Directives of the Magisterium on Christian Modesty</a> </b>- 1998</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: center;">Modesty and Modes of Dress</div><div><br /></div><div>We are all born with a fallen nature and, consequently, we must keep our bodies covered in order to avoid the dangers of concupiscence. This fact, a result of original sin, is deliberately ignored each time that naturalism attempts to insinuate itself into our Christian customs. Then it is that the purpose of clothing is lost sight of, and instead of being an invitation to virtue, it becomes an incitement to sin. The Church, like a vigilant Mother, full of tender care for the holiness and eternal salvation of Her children, has often been obliged to warn the faithful so that they might avoid the errors of fashion, and to take the measures necessary to ensure that the holy places and sacred things should not be profaned by immodesty in dress.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, we are living in times that have lost the sense of sin and, as a result, we see around us an eruption of styles of dress which are, in every way, contrary to Christian modesty. Christian people must not allow themselves to be carried along by the spirit of the world but must firmly resist such deviations... Jacinta Marto, one of the little seers of Fatima, although she was only eleven years old at the time, had a wisdom taught her by the Mother of God.</div><div><br /></div><div>She merits, therefore, our attention. Here is what she said with regard to styles of dress: "Fashions will arise which will greatly offend God." When we consider the fashions of our day, we are led to conclude that the times foretold by the little seer have arrived. Indeed, the styles of dress of the women and girls of today such as: very tight clothing; dressing like men, including slacks and tights; low necklines; skirts with hemlines or slits which do not cover the leg below the knee – are absolutely contrary to the norms of Christian modesty.</div><div><br /></div><div>For this reason, in order to conform to the recommendations of the Holy See, and in particular to the instructions of the Sacred Congregation of the Council, we urge our faithful people to refrain from following such ways of dressing.</div><div><br /></div><div>"Those who keep the Law of God", Jacinta said, "should not follow fashions". Our priests must try to apply the instructions of the Sacred Congregation of the Council, without violence or rudeness, but with firmness. They must not let persons, dressed in the styles described above, receive the Sacraments and, as far as possible, must not allow them access to the Temple of God.</div><div><br /></div><div>Furthermore, they must frequently remind the faithful of these regulations. Also, when couples present themselves for marriage preparation, the priests must tell them to inform their wedding guests of the rules for dress in church. People dressed in these unacceptable ways must not be accepted as witnesses to the marriage and, after due warning, they must not be admitted to Holy Communion.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is highly recommended that these prescriptions be posted at the entrance to the church.</div><div><br /></div><div>-Bishop Antonio de Castro-Mayer-</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></div></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 17.6px; letter-spacing: 0.4px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Amiri, serif;"><b><a href="http://www.olrl.org/virtues/modcrus.shtml">http://www.olrl.org/virtues/modcrus.shtml</a> 👈</b></span></span></p><p><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b>13. <a href="http://www.sicutincaelo.org/b03_twsg.html">"Those Who Serve God Should Not Follow The Fashions"</a></b> - Our Lady of Fatima <br /><div>First Published A.D. 2003 Sixth Edition — Revised January 2017 © A.D. 2017 Robert T. Hart </div></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>1. The Mind of the Catholic Church on
Modesty in Dress </b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Often today we hear sensible people complaining about the
immodesty in dress that is seen everywhere and unfortunately
even in our churches. But, objectively speaking, where do we
draw the line and call a garment immodest? And how can we be
sure that we ourselves are dressing with proper Christian modesty
that is pleasing to God? This booklet is provided to answer these
questions. For on this subject, through his Church, God has made
his Will clearly known. Perhaps for some, this booklet will be the
litmus test to determine whether or not they are truly willing to
deny themselves, to take up their cross, and follow Jesus. </p><p style="text-align: center;">The Need for this Booklet </p><p style="text-align: left;">It is widely known that Pope Pius XII often said: “The greatest
sin of our modern generation is that it has lost all sense of sin.” 1 It is
less known that more specifically he once stated: “Many women . . .
give in to the tyranny of fashion, be it even immodest, in such a way
as to appear not even to suspect that it is unbecoming. They have
lost the very concept of danger: they have lost the instinct of
modesty.” 2 These words spoken over 50 years ago ring more true
today than ever (and not only for women). For in today’s postChristian society where indecent and improper dress have become the
norm, even among good-willed and devout Catholics there is much
ignorance as to what is meant by proper Christian modesty. Yes, even
the most virtuous of Catholics who attend daily Mass and have an
intimate relationship with Jesus, frequently are not fully aware of the
Church’s teaching in this matter. Could it be that this booklet is for
you? May Our Lady, our true Mother, be with you to enlighten you to
understand and to be receptive to the Will of God in this matter — for
indeed, it may be a challenge. </p><p style="text-align: left;">This booklet has been prepared, therefore, to provide all those
who have been given the immense privilege of calling themselves
Catholic the information they need to be well aware of the mind of
the Church, and therefore the mind of Christ, on what constitutes
proper Christian modesty and decency in dress. <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span><span> </span> </span><span> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">(Go to one link or another for complete article)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.sicutincaelo.org/downloads/TWSG_Print.pdf">PRINTABLE VERSION IN BOOKLET FORM</a></b> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.sicutincaelo.org/pr_instr.html">BOOKLET PRINTING INSTRUCTIONS</a></b> </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Readable version: <a href="http://www.sicutincaelo.org/downloads/TWSG_Read.pdf">http://www.sicutincaelo.org/downloads/TWSG_Read.pdf</a> 👈</b></p><p><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">DRESS VALUES FOR ALL - FOR GOING TO CHURCH </span></b></p><div><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>14. <span style="color: #38761d;">Un-dressed on the Altar (i.e. in the Sanctuary)</span> </b>- by Marisa Pereira - May 27, 2012 </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to links for complete article)<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></i><b><a href="https://catholicexchange.com/un-dressed-on-the-altar">Part One</a> - - - <a href="https://catholicexchange.com/un-dressed-on-the-altar/2">Part Two</a> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 26px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">With the lazy, hazy days of summer upon us, I have been asked to address the topic of appropriate dress for church on Sunday. However, at the moment, I’d like to focus the attention on appropriate dress for lay people while serving on the altar in the capacity of lector, usher or Eucharistic Minister. <br /><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"><br />Last week I was addressing a group of professionals on the topic of “professional” dress and presentation. It dawned on me then, that we wouldn’t dream of griping about the heat and our comfort or lack thereof (among other things) when attending an interview or a business meeting. However, I guess church seems to be lumped in the category of “weekend” dressing and therefore we find it easier to bemoan the formality of dress that is expected. Besides, our livelihood is not connected to it; funny the role</span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"> </span><em style="background-color: transparent; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"><strong style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px;">that</strong></em><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; text-align: center;">little detail plays! In my opinion, serving on the altar is a privilege and when we are on the altar we become “presenters”. I doubt anyone would attempt a business presentation other than in business attire. So the need to modify the expectation for a presentation at church really baffles me. Further baffling is most priests’ reluctance to upset the apple-cart by addressing the topic.</span></span></p><p></p></div><div><b> <span style="color: #38761d;">Dressing up for mass is outdated!</span></b> - by Marisa Pereira - June 5, 2012 </div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to links for complete article) <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></i><b><a href="https://catholicexchange.com/dressing-up-for-mass-is-outdated">Part One</a> - - - <a href="https://catholicexchange.com/dressing-up-for-mass-is-outdated/2">Part Two</a> </b></div></div><p style="text-align: left;">Thank you for all the feedback on my last article on dressing for service on the altar. By popular demand, here are my thoughts on general congregational dressing…</p><p style="text-align: left;">Several weeks ago my daughter and I were driving through a College campus when we saw a young student dressed in jacket and tie (it wasn’t cold) walking to Sunday service. I commented that he couldn’t be headed to the Catholic Church – I was right! No big Sherlock moment here, just a commentary on the unfortunate lack of dress and decorum at a Sunday Mass.<span> 👈</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></div><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>15. <a href="http://oswc.org/stmike/qa/fs/viewanswer.asp?QID=2039">Modesty at Church - Answer to a question by Bro. Ignatius Mary</a></b> - October 31, 2011 </div><div><i>This forum is for general questions on the faith. </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>Question:</b><b> </b> When it comes to modesty, what liberties and/or obligation does a priest currently have under Canon Law and Church teaching to do things to prohibit the immodestly dressed from certain participation in Mass, or even from entering the church (like placing a sign outside the church for notification)? Is it possible for communion to be denied if someone is very clearly inappropriately dressed (i.e. extremely short shorts)?</div><div><br /></div><div>I ask because my grandmother once told me that in the old days priests would skip you for communion if you even did as much as kneel on the communion rail with short sleeves - at least in the churches in which she attended Mass. And of course, I want to make sure that whatever I do if I am ordained to priesthood is in line with the Church, obedience to the bishop, and proper charity.</div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://oswc.org/stmike/qa/fs/viewanswer.asp?QID=2039">http://oswc.org/stmike/qa/fs/viewanswer.asp?QID=2039</a> 👈</b></p><p><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>16. <a href="http://uploads.weconnect.com/mce/9ae17b153a32567d1646caa8c4010174c30ac349/Liturgical/Dress%20Code%209.2013.pdf">St. Gabriel Archangel Catholic Church Liturgical Ministers Dress Code</a></b> - Sept 17, 2013</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>This is a good example of parish policy in the matter of dress for those in the sanctuary.</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div>Serving in liturgical ministry is a privilege which requires not only catechetical and logistical
training but also requires attire that shows respect for the ministry and for Our Lord ever present
in the Blessed Sacrament. St. Gabriel’s does have a dress code that has been issued for
individual ministries. What follows is a dress code addressing all liturgical ministries. It is
suggested that liturgical ministers follow this dress code when serving in ministry. However, St.
Gabriel’s would appreciate it if you would also follow this dress code when attending Mass as
you may be asked to serve in your ministry at the last minute. </div></div><div><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete article)</i></div><div><b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="http://uploads.weconnect.com/mce/9ae17b153a32567d1646caa8c4010174c30ac349/Liturgical/Dress%20Code%209.2013.pdf">http://uploads.weconnect.com/mce/9ae17b153a32567d1646caa8c4010174c30ac349/Liturgical/Dress%20Code%209.2013.pdf</a></b></span></div><div><b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>17. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="http://www.papalaudience.org/dress-code">Papal Audience & visiting the Vatican Dress Codes</a> - </b>(International minimum standard)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete code)</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.870588235294118)" style="font-family: bookmania, serif;"><b><a href="http://www.papalaudience.org/dress-code">http://www.papalaudience.org/dress-code</a></b></span></span></p><div><b style="background-color: white;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></div><div><b style="background-color: white;"><br /></b></div><p><b><span style="color: #38761d;">UNSUSPECTED OR INTENTIONAL PROVOCATION </span></b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>18. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.christianheadlines.com/trending/why-do-so-many-women-show-off-cleavage-in-church.html?utm_source=blueconic&utm_medium=contentrec">Why Do So Many Women Show Cleavage in Church?</a> </b>by John UpChurch - July 26, 2013<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div><br /></div><div>My wife brought up the topic as we drove by cornfields on the way home from church. “You just can’t wear something like that on stage.” I knew exactly what she meant. During the worship set, one of the praise leaders wore a dress that covered about as much skin as a tight-fitting, low-cut swimsuit with a short skirt. Remembering the lessons from <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B000FC0XRS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">Every Young Man’s Battle</a>, I’d locked my eyes on the praise lyrics or simply closed them so that I couldn’t see her. “When you dress like that,” my wife added, “you take the focus off God and put it on you. You’re undermining the whole reason we’re there.”</div><div><p><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go to link for complete code)</i></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: bookmania, serif;"><b><a href="https://www.christianheadlines.com/trending/why-do-so-many-women-show-off-cleavage-in-church.html?utm_source=blueconic&utm_medium=contentrec">https://www.christianheadlines.com/trending/why-do-so-many-women-show-off-cleavage-in-church.html?utm_source=blueconic&utm_medium=contentrec</a> 👈</b></span></span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></span></p></div></div></span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>19. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b>MOD - Modern or Modest? - </b>by Flavia Fernandes - Mumbai, July 2009</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Scandals can come
through various sources, e.g. profane paintings and sculptures, immodest
dresses, loose lifestyles and even toys. All these may cause the loss of many
souls. Immodesty in dress, apparent in everyday life, is the most common source
of scandal. It is not only a major problem in our own times, but it is also one
of the greatest stumbling blocks to our own salvation and to the salvation of
others. Though modesty or immodesty is usually attributed to women, this is not
entirely true, for even men may dress immodestly. </span><span>The heart of a
person can be seen by how he/she attires his/her body. We have only to go back
in time and reflect on how Satan duped our First Parents Adam & Eve, to see
where we stand today.</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>Clothing has been
in existence since time immemorial; in fact, since Adam and Eve. Before their
fall it was Sanctifying Grace that covered their nakedness. Genesis 2:22-25
tells us<em> “The man and his wife
were both naked, and they felt no shame,” </em>because God had created
them in His own image and likeness: holy and pure; without sin, blemish, or
guilt. Indeed, they were one with God and with each other. </span><span>After their fall,
through the sin of Disobedience, they lost Sanctifying Grace, Integrity and
Immortality: </span><em>“Then the eyes of
both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together and made themselves aprons… </em><span>(Genesis 3:7)</span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>By violating
God’s command, their whole being, body, soul and spirit, was profoundly
affected by sin. Even after covering themselves with fig leaves, Adam was still
hiding from God, because he was afraid on account of his nakedness. It is from
this point on that the tale began of immodest dress, which, on account of fallen
human nature, arouse the base passions of men and leads them into sin.
Instinctively, therefore, Adam felt that his own and his wife’s nakedness
needed to be covered.</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>We know that
leaves are fragile and would disintegrate in no time, so they could not provide
the required protection. Could it be that, since these aprons did not provide
enough coverage in God’s eye, “the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments
of skins, and clothed them”? (Genesis 3:21)</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If God had
permitted nakedness, he would not have clothed our first parents. <em>But God did want them t be clothed and so
clothed them Himself! </em>How misguided therefore are the nudists, who
have created nudist colonies, thinking they are going back to nature.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go below for complete article) </i><b style="font-family: bookmania, serif;">👇</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></span></p></span></div></div></div></div><p><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>20. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/modesty-in-the-culture-of-shamelessness">Modesty in the Culture of Shamelessness</a> </b>- by Michael O'Brien - October 8, 2008 <br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Grace
never casts nature aside or cancels it out. Rather it perfects it and ennobles
it." </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">- John Paul II, <i>On
the Dignity and Vocation of Women</i><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">October 8, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - I’ve been
pondering recently, as I have so many times over the years, what Our Lady meant
precisely in the messages of Fatima when she spoke about the offences through
the clothing fashions that would develop in the years following the
apparitions. Appearing to Blessed Jacinta Marto between December, 1919 and
February, 1920, she said, "Certain fashions will be introduced that will
offend Our Lord very much." And "Woe to women lacking in
modesty."<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Clearly, Our Lady is neither a repressive
puritan nor a prude. It goes without saying that neither is she a libertarian.
She is beautiful in heart, mind, body and soul. She is without sin and thus she
is subject to neither unholy shamelessness nor to personal shame. She is prudent,
modest, and wise about human nature. She loves with the fullness of indwelling
divine love, which means that she loves with an eternal motherly heart,
concerned above all with the ultimate good of each of her children.<br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">Much of current fashion, especially for women,
is an assault upon the ultimate good of those who wear such clothing. It is
cunningly designed for attraction, enticement, and seduction, reinforcing the
great lie which dominates modern consciousness. This lie tells us that the body
is simply an object which we possess as our own, to do with as we like.<br />
<!--[endif]--></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 115%;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go below or follow the LINK for complete article) </i><b style="font-family: bookmania, serif;">👇</b></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/modesty-in-the-culture-of-shamelessness">https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/modesty-in-the-culture-of-shamelessness</a> 👈</b></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></span></p></span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>21. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://catholicexchange.com/modest-dress-at-mass">Modest Dress at Mass What I Wish I Had Known</a> </b>by Karen Lynn Ford - August 27, 2005<br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div><br /></div><div>About 12 years ago a woman in her early twenties went to Disney World. She loved Mickey Mouse and couldn’t wait to see him in person. She had a youthful love of everything the Magical World of Disney promised.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, she also believed much of what she saw and learned in the “real world.” She thought that to get attention she needed to dress to impress — provocatively. To look good, or what she thought was good then, and to get a tan on her northern Ohio body in April, she entered the children’s fantasy-land in short shorts and a bikini bathing suit top. Thank God for the good sense of the Disney World employee who promptly told this young woman that she needed to wear a real shirt because Disney is a family park. She had a t-shirt and put it on, and felt pretty foolish.</div><div><br /></div><div>That young woman, now 34-year-old me, grew up to regret the way she used to dress. As a mother of three with a fourth on the way, I now realize that modesty is not just beneficial to the girl or woman wearing the clothes. It benefits everyone who looks at her.</div><div><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go below or follow the LINK for complete article) </i><b style="font-family: bookmania, serif;">👇</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://catholicexchange.com/modest-dress-at-mass">https://catholicexchange.com/modest-dress-at-mass</a> 👈</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></span></p></div></div></span></div></div><p><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>22. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwHbTztcL4hB3752?e=qGI8NZ">SCREAMING FLESH</a> - by Jayme-Dawn Kryskow - </b>October 2003 <br /></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><p align="center" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">“</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Let all
flesh be silent at the presence of the Lord; </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">for He has risen out of His holy
habitation.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">” </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Zechariah 2</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">13</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">As women, are we aware of the
ways our bodies speak or even scream as we encounter men? Do we want our bodies to scream at men or
praise God? </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>T</span><span lang="EN-US">he issue of modesty has always
been a struggle far me. “Clothes are
just clothes and men should control their eyes, self‑control is a virtue, DUH!”
is what I thought. The over‑indulgent
attitude of our society, that our lives and our bodies are our own, has had a
great impact on me. We all live in our
own bubble and as long as we are not being harmed we must not be doing anything
wrong. It is crazy how many of us hove
been deceived.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">When I had entered high school, I
become acutely aware of the power of the female body. The power present was not just the idle
reality of what the female body looks like, there is also a great power in the
way that the body moves and is dressed.
I took advantage of this power at times and was amazed at the response,
the ability to turn a guy’s head was exciting and fun and all I had to do was
walk by them. Ironically, I often got mad at guys when I felt like they were
treating me like "a piece of meat", not realizing that I was putting
myself an the meat shelf,</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then, my sister spoke....</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">My sister had gone through a very
powerful conversion and this had a big impact on her role as a big sister. I remember one of the first thugs she ever
taught me was about modesty. She
explained that as women, we are responsible for the men around us. If we wear clothing that causes a man to sin
in his thoughts, we as women are held responsible. Yes they are also responsible for what they
choose to look at and think. Our responsibility
is in not teasing them with a sinful pleasure.
The clothes that we wear may even affect the destination of the men
around us for eternity. In other words,
if a man is going to hell because of lustful thoughts nurtured by an immodestly
dressed woman, we will have to face the consequence of placing the temptation
before them.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 26px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: start;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-family: inherit;">This was my first lesson on
modesty. My immediate reaction to this
news was a sense of excitement and power.
Wow! We truly hold much power in
our hands and we are the only ones who can really help protect men from the
monster of lust. </span><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><p><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px;">(Go below or follow the LINK for complete article) </i><b style="font-family: bookmania, serif;">👇</b></p><p><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwHbTztcL4hB3752?e=qGI8NZ">https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwHbTztcL4hB3752?e=qGI8NZ</a> 👈</b></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - <br /><br /></b></span></p><p><b><span style="color: #38761d;">A BRIEF HISTORY OF MODESTY </span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">👉</b><b style="text-align: left;"> </b><b>23. </b></span><b><a href="https://journals.openedition.org/1718/399">A Brief History of Modesty</a> </b>by <span style="text-align: center;">Abigail Williams - 2014 <br /></span></p><div>In "Revue de la Société d'études anglo-américaines des XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles" pp 135-156</div><div><br /></div><div>This essay explores the concept of measure and excess through the lens of the term “modest.” By looking at modesty as a key value in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, we can start to unpick the complexities of the politics and aesthetics of moderation. The word modest is used widely throughout this period, and this article draws on textual examples from Jonathan Swift, John Milton, Sarah Fielding, and Alexander Pope to show the role the term played in the conception of political rhetoric, sexual propriety, social and dramatic performance. But as its varied uses show, modesty also highlighted tensions between naturalism, restraint, and passion, and revealed the potentially problematic relationship between virtue, and the appearance of virtue.</div><div><br /></div><div><i style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: bookmania, serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">(Go to the bottom of this post or to this link for complete article)</i></div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div><b><a href="https://journals.openedition.org/1718/399">https://journals.openedition.org/1718/399</a> </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </span></b></p></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: medium;"><span><span>There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - is that we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To identify oneself on the basis of just the one element of our sexuality is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you.</span><span><br /></span></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div></div></span></div><p></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">👇 <span style="color: #38761d;">COMPLETE ARTICLE LINKS FOLLOW HERE</span> 👇<br /><br /></span></b></p></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">19. </span> </b><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://fathergillespages.blogspot.com/2009/07/mod-modern-or-modest-by-flavia.html">MOD - Modern or Modest?</a> - </b>by Flavia Fernandes - Mumbai, July 2009</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></span></p></span></div></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div><p><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>20. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://fathergillespages.blogspot.com/2008/10/modesty-in-culture-of-shamelessness-by.html">Modesty in the Culture of Shamelessness</a> </b>- by Michael O'Brien - October 8, 2008 <br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">"Grace
never casts nature aside or cancels it out. Rather it perfects it and ennobles
it." </span></i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-CA;">- John
Paul II, <i>On the Dignity and Vocation of Women</i></span><br /></span></p><p><span style="text-align: center;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></span></p></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>21. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://fathergillespages.blogspot.com/2005/08/modest-dress-at-mass-what-i-wish-i-had.html">Modest Dress at Mass What I Wish I Had Known</a> </b>by Karen Lynn Ford - August 27, 2005</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></span></p></span></div></div></div></div></span></div></div><p><b>👉</b><b> </b><b>22. </b><span style="text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://fathergillespages.blogspot.com/2003/10/screaming-flesh-by-jayme-dawn-kryskow.html">SCREAMING FLESH</a> - by Jayme-Dawn Kryskow - </b>October 2003 <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">“</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Let all flesh be silent at the presence of the Lord; </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">for He has risen out of His holy habitation.</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">” </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">Zechariah 2</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS";">13</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwHbTztcL4hB3752?e=qGI8NZ">https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwHbTztcL4hB3752?e=qGI8NZ</a></b></span></p></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><p><span style="background-color: white;"><b>- - - - - - - - + + + - - - - - - - </b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;">👉</b><b style="text-align: left;"> </b><b>23. </b></span><b><a href="https://fathergillespages.blogspot.com/2014/03/a-brief-history-of-modesty-by-abigail.html">A Brief History of Modesty</a> </b>by <span style="text-align: center;">Abigail Williams - 2014 </span></p></span></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"><div><b><a href="https://journals.openedition.org/1718/399">https://journals.openedition.org/1718/399</a> </b></div><p><span style="background-color: white;"></span></p><div><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div></span></div></div></div></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com01071 Rue Mansfield, Montréal, QC H3B 2M9, Canada45.4991639 -73.566780545.497659877015423 -73.5689262672119 45.500667922984576 -73.564634732788079tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-8872370835540050812019-03-29T22:10:00.016-04:002023-02-05T18:34:31.294-05:00Pope Francis issues new legislation for protection of minors<p><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNp5aBKwhp_XrLrJegwfvgO8kNsCPwk_0tJa4N96b8qXf-WJDOw7UxirNXLWOOc70ruDIrI9rXUqTYtZJu30KtiaWAmHtwDQCrPbYGA5A8Yye0KGrz4jZliATvDIZIYcQmkcaElA1w_pa/s278/Francis-10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCNp5aBKwhp_XrLrJegwfvgO8kNsCPwk_0tJa4N96b8qXf-WJDOw7UxirNXLWOOc70ruDIrI9rXUqTYtZJu30KtiaWAmHtwDQCrPbYGA5A8Yye0KGrz4jZliATvDIZIYcQmkcaElA1w_pa/s0/Francis-10.jpg" /></a></b></div><b><br />Pope Francis issues new
legislation for protection of minors</b> – <span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-francis-legislation-protection-minors-vatiab.html"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">2019.03.29</span></a></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">The Vatican on Friday released three new documents
from Pope Francis concerning the protection of minors and vulnerable persons in
the Vatican City State.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">By Christopher Wells<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">“The protection of minors and
vulnerable persons is an integral part of the Gospel message,” Pope Francis
insists in the very first line of his Apostolic Letter. The Pope says that it
is the duty of all “to generously welcome children and vulnerable persons, and
to create a safe environment for them, giving priority to their interests”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Motu proprio</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Accompanied by new
legislation for the Vatican City State, and new guidelines from the Vicariate
for Vatican City, the Holy Father’s Letter aims at “further strengthening the
institutional and normative framework for preventing and combatting abuse
against children and vulnerable persons” in the Roman Curia and in Vatican
City.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">In particular, the documents
published on Friday focus primarily on the protection of minors and vulnerable
adults, and the prevention of crimes against them; while also providing new
regulations concerning the duty of reporting abuse, caring for victims and
their families, removing offenders from their positions, and prosecuting those
guilty of abuse. In his Letter, the Pope also acknowledges the rights of the
accused to a fair and impartial trial, including the presumption of innocence,
rule of law, and proportionality in sentencing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Further, Pope Francis
provides new norms for training of Vatican officials and employees about “the
risks of exploitation, sexual abuse, and maltreatment of children and
vulnerable persons, as well as the means to identify and prevent such
offences”.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">New Law for Vatican City</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">Specific details of the new
laws promulgated for Vatican City State include a definition of vulnerable
persons as anyone in “a state of infirmity, of physical or mental deficiency,
or of deprivation of personal liberty” which limits their comprehension, or
their ability to resist an offence. Vulnerable persons are considered
equivalent to minors for purposes of the new laws and guidelines.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The legislation also sets out
a statute of limitations of twenty years, which for crimes against a minor
begins when they reach the age of 18.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">New “General Protective
Measures” provide for purported victims to be informed of their rights, and of
the adoption or cessation of measures taken against the liberty of the accused.
Care for the confidentiality of victims and their families is a concern
throughout the new documents; which also call for measures to protect them from
retaliation or intimidation.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">An “Accompanying Service” is
also established, which will offer a “service of listening” as well as
providing medical, psychological, and social services for victims. The service
will also help victims understand and vindicate their rights, and assist them
in going to the authorities.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12pt;">Vicariate issues new
Guidelines</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Guidelines adopted for
the Vicariate of Vatican City are practical means to implement the new laws,
and ensure “best practices” with regard to the care and protection of children
and vulnerable adults. They insist that all laws and canons in this area must
be “scrupulously respected”.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">They also call for the Vicar
General, who has responsibility for pastoral care within Vatican City, to
appoint a <i>Referente</i>, or Contact Person for the Protection of
Minors, whose duties include preventing all forms of abuse; training Vatican
officials and workers; and welcoming those who make claims of exploitation,
sexual abuse, or maltreatment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The Vicariate also provides
definitive guidance for Vatican employees, with norms that require, for instance,
that those working with minors should always be visible to others; must report
any dangerous behavior; keeping parents informed; and using caution in dealing
with minors.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">New regulations also flatly
forbid any corporal punishment; offending a child or engaging in inappropriate
or sexually suggestive conduct; asking children to keep a secret; or filming or
photographing a child without written consent from their parents.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 19.85pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;">The new Law for Vatican City
State will go into force on June 1 of this year; while the new Guidelines for
the Vicariate, which are being implemented <i>ad experimentum </i>for
three years, take effect immediately. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">29
March 2019, 11:56</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="background: white;"><a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-francis-legislation-protection-minors-vatiab.html">https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-03/pope-francis-legislation-protection-minors-vatiab.html</a></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><b>MORE LINKS</b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_letters/documents/papa-francesco_lettera-ap_20160604_come-una-madre-amorevole.html">Apostolic Letter Issued "Motu Proprio" by the Supreme Pontiff FRANCIS "As a Loving Mother"</a></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190326_latutela-deiminori.html">Apostolic Letter Issued "Motu Proprio" by the Supreme Pontiff FRANCIS "On the Protection of Minors and Vulnerable Persons"</a></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190507_vos-estis-lux-mundi.html">Apostolic Letter Issued "Motu Proprio" by the Supreme Pontiff FRANCIS "You are the Light of the World"</a></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Museo Sans Cyrl; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.7px;"><a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2019-04/pope-emeritus-benedict-xvi-letter-sexual-abuse-crisis.html">Pope emeritus Benedict XVI: Return to God to overcome abuse crisis</a> - Pope emeritus Benedict XVI publishes his reflections on the scandal of sexual abuse in the Church, saying it was made possible by a progressive eclipse of faith in God.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Museo Sans Cyrl; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.7px;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/full-text-of-benedict-xvi-the-church-and-the-scandal-of-sexual-abuse-59639">Full text of Benedict XVI essay: 'The Church and the scandal of sexual abuse</a> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #373737; font-family: Museo Sans Cyrl; font-size: medium;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.7px;"><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/letters/2018/documents/papa-francesco_20180820_lettera-popolo-didio.html">LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE PEOPLE OF GOD - "If one member suffers, all suffer together with it”</a> </span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-74004718548849712202019-03-19T12:36:00.010-04:002023-02-05T17:45:18.799-05:00HUMAN RESISTANCE TO GOD'S PLAN & PRINCIPLES - God's motives are entirely selfless and motivated exclusively for our highest good here on Earth and in eternity<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span>There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJji_FFwuaKBYrSb1TcmmkRcoZOjzSwu4RB_GXvBhGqhfvQ6OaaNBIQu1RCCoKQBKGvpj4vcyLZW36a_T8QlLTG_KpzrHcNhc0UGZxq57vFR3JyMGz_Dm-rPSxhqXVKDXriW3V75uXIbRB/s275/God-rejected-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJji_FFwuaKBYrSb1TcmmkRcoZOjzSwu4RB_GXvBhGqhfvQ6OaaNBIQu1RCCoKQBKGvpj4vcyLZW36a_T8QlLTG_KpzrHcNhc0UGZxq57vFR3JyMGz_Dm-rPSxhqXVKDXriW3V75uXIbRB/s0/God-rejected-2.jpg" /></a></b></span></div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b> 1- GOD'S PLAN & PRINCIPLES FOR HAPPINESS OF ALL </b></div></b></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b>SCROLL DOWN 👇 = 2- WE RESIST BY PRIORITIZING OUR OWN PLEASURE </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b>--------------------------</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><i><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><i><b>----------------------</b></i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 <a href="http://testimony-polo.blogspot.com/2009/11/testimony-of-gloria-polo.html">The Testimony of Gloria Polo - </a></span></b><a href="http://testimony-polo.blogspot.com/2009/11/testimony-of-gloria-polo.html"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">“I was at the gates of heaven and of hell”</span></b></a></span><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">If someone might doubt, or think that God does not exist, that life beyond is something from the films, or that with death all ends, do yourself a favor and read this testimony! But read it from the beginning to the end! Even</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the most skeptical</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> opinion, perhaps, will change! We are dealing here with something that really occurred! Gloria Polo is a woman that “died”, she passed to the other world and returned precisely to give her testimony to the incredulous. God gives us many proofs, but we always deny His existence. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Gloria Polo actually lives in Colombia, she continues to exercise the same profession that she had before this event. She remained with enormous scars, but she has a normal life; this difference is that now she is a woman with great faith! She travels a lot, in order to give her testimony to thousands of people, fulfilling the mission that God confided to her (she has the authorization from the part of the Church for this). </span><span style="color: #38761d;">This is a transcription of one of her testimonies, given in a church in Caracas (Venezuela), May 5, 2005, and it is translated from the Spanish original version. It is authentic! IT IS NOT A FAKE! </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Padre Leone Orlando </span><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oow-W4poyu0"><b>Video version with simultaneous translation</b></a><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">- - - - - - - <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">This English version was translated from the Italian translation of Padre Orlando, with the acknowledgement and encouragement of Gloria Polo, by Father Joseph Dwight. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://gloria.tv/post/wjifHW9BQjkf1Fd9kAJX2NtXX">Témoignage de Mme Gloria Polo - "du Paradis à l'Enfer"</a></span></b> <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Une mort clinique - Un jugement - Une seconde chance - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Mme Gloria Polo, dentiste à Bogota, (Colombie), était à Lisbonne et Fatima, la dernière semaine de Février 2007, pour donner son témoignage. Sur son site internet : Dra. Gloria Polo. Testimonio místico. Colombia., apparaît un extrait (en anglais) d'une interview qu'elle a accordée à 'Radio Maria' en Colombie. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Frères et soeurs, c'est merveilleux pour moi de partager avec vous en cet instant, l'ineffable grâce que m'a donnée Notre Seigneur, il y a maintenant plus de dix ans. </span><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYb-q64N3Co"><b>Version vidéo avec traduction simultanée</b></a><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://www.ccbi-utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bioethics-Matters-Vol11-7_Sacramental-Principle_LWalsh.pdf">SACRAMENTAL PRINCIPLE</a></b> <br />By Leo Walsh, CSB - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">God is all perfect, by definition. God created </span><span style="color: #38761d;">all things. So in some way everything that is, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">is an image of God. Therefore, everything </span><span style="color: #38761d;">points to God, gives us an idea of God, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">however imperfect. Everything is a sign of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">God. The heavens proclaim the glory of God. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">All things do. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The signifying of one thing by another is </span><span style="color: #38761d;">something well-known to us. We don't </span><span style="color: #38761d;">always interpret the signs correctly, of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">course, but mostly we do. A face signifies a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">particular person, a genuine smile signifies </span><span style="color: #38761d;">friendship in some way, a false smile points </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to treachery. An older couple holding hands </span><span style="color: #38761d;">as they come to church, a mother pacifying a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">crying child, teenagers' bored body language, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">a young woman in silent prayer.... </span><span style="color: #38761d;">There </span><span style="color: #38761d;">are endless examples of this efficacious </span><span style="color: #38761d;">sacramentality in ordinary life, where the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">sign brings about what it signifies. A gift, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">which is a sign of friendship, deepens the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">friendship; a hug which is a sign of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">togetherness, brings about togetherness. </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://trs.catholic.edu/humanae-vitae/index.html">Affirmation of the Church’s Teaching on the Gift of Sexuality</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">April 4-6, 2018 - We, the undersigned scholars, affirm that the Catholic Church’s teachings on the gift of sexuality, on marriage, and on contraception are true and defensible on many grounds, among them the truths of reason and revelation concerning the dignity of the human person. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Scholarly support for the Church’s teachings on the gift of sexuality, on marriage, and on contraception has burgeoned in recent decades. Moreover, institutes and programs supporting that teaching have been established all over the world. Even some secular feminists and secular programs have begun to acknowledge the harms of contraception. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">These facts, however, seem to have escaped the notice of the authors of “On the Ethics of Using Contraceptives” (hereafter, the Wijngaards Statement) which urges the Catholic Church to change its teaching and issue an “official magisterial document [that] should revoke the absolute ban on the use of ‘artificial’ contraceptives, and allow the use of modern non-abortifacient contraceptives for both prophylactic and family planning purposes.” The Wijngaards Statement, unfortunately, offers nothing new to discussions about the morality of contraception and, in fact, repeats the arguments that the Church has rejected and that numerous scholars have engaged and refuted since 1968.</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae.html">ENCYCLICAL LETTER HUMANAE VITAE OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF PAUL VI</a></b> <br />The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. It has always been a source of great joy to them, even though it sometimes entails many difficulties and hardships. The fulfillment of this duty has always posed problems to the conscience of married people, but the recent course of human society and the concomitant changes have provoked new questions. The Church cannot ignore these questions, for they concern matters intimately connected with the life and happiness of human beings. I. PROBLEM AND COMPETENCY OF THE MAGISTERIUM 2. The changes that have taken place are of considerable importance and varied in nature. In the first place there is the rapid increase in population which has made many fear that world population is going to grow faster than available resources, with the consequence that many families and developing countries would be faced with greater hardships. This can easily induce public authorities to be tempted to take even harsher measures to avert this danger. There is also the fact that not only working and housing conditions but the greater demands made both in the economic and educational field pose a living situation in which it is frequently difficult these days to provide properly for a large family. Also noteworthy is a new understanding of the dignity of woman and her place in society, of the value of conjugal love in marriage and the relationship of conjugal acts to this love. But the most remarkable development of all is to be seen in man's stupendous progress in the domination and rational organization of the forces of nature to the point that he is endeavoring to extend this control over every aspect of his own life—over his body, over his mind and emotions, over his social life, and even over the laws that regulate the transmission of life.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.ncbcenter.org/making-sense-of-bioethics-cms/column-155-consenting-to-sex">Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 155: Consenting to Sex</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">By </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, PhD <span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">MAY 30, 2018 - </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Recent news articles exploring the post-#MeToo world of romance have noted the phenomenon of cell phone “consent apps,” allowing millennials to sign digital contracts before they have sex with their peers, sometimes strangers they have just met. Many of these apps are being refined to include a panic button that can be pressed at any time to withdraw any consent given. Lawyers reviewing the practice, as might be anticipated, have urged caution, noting that consent apps are not able to provide definitive proof of consent, because feelings may “change throughout an evening, and even in the moments before an act.” </span><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;">When we look at modern views about sex, it’s not a stretch to sum them up this way: as long as two consenting adults are involved, the bases are covered. When it comes to “sex in the moment,” consent is touted as key, allowing for almost all mutually-agreed upon behaviors or practices. </span><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"><u>Yet this approach to sex is fundamentally flawed, and it’s often the woman who is the first to notice</u>. Even when consenting unmarried couples scrupulously use contraception, there remains an awareness, particularly on the part of the woman, that a pregnancy could follow, and a concern about who will be left holding the bag if that were to happen. Sex between men and women involves real asymmetries and vulnerabilities, with men oftentimes being, in the words of sociologist Mark Regnerus, “less discriminating” in their sex drives than women, eager to forge ahead as long as there appears to be some semblance of consent. <b><u>Women often sense, rightly, that consent for a particular sexual act ought to be part of something bigger, a wider scope of commitment.</u></b> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2vsA42a8wOkIUXITvaGbe8_zHvTQRNTR9MfMQRf8ZuTbOUJXyTbXn2-f6yZpZ-noycaE2ddUNmXhIQgbB8bfuEz-IstakWACAcBQqC1qVUBiej5PWZeY9zTkUVukbu2ZI88BOMoI-2z-/s226/Emotions-star-full-range-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="226" data-original-width="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh2vsA42a8wOkIUXITvaGbe8_zHvTQRNTR9MfMQRf8ZuTbOUJXyTbXn2-f6yZpZ-noycaE2ddUNmXhIQgbB8bfuEz-IstakWACAcBQqC1qVUBiej5PWZeY9zTkUVukbu2ZI88BOMoI-2z-/s0/Emotions-star-full-range-1.png" /></a></span></b></div><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.6seconds.org/2020/08/11/plutchik-wheel-emotions/">Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions: Exploring the Emotion Wheel</a></span></b> </span></div></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;">Emotions can be confusing! But what if you could explore them in an emotion wheel, and dig deeper with a simply powerful emotions list? The Plutchik Model of Emotions provides a simply logical way to make sense of feelings. Plus! At the bottom of this page you’ll find our top emotions resources, and a form to get your free emotions list with dozens of emotions explained.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxQcBMWUnXJADhWQ?e=nm6buf">Our Father's Gift of Tenderness is a Healing Gift</a></span></b> <br />We </span><span style="color: #38761d;">invite you, the reader, to adopt with us our Church’s teaching that our human sexuality is an integral </span><span style="color: #38761d;">part of the gift of our human life entrusted to us by God, and because He is the giver, He also has a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">plan for our individual and collective happiness that includes instructions on how to make the proper </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and best use of all our gifts and capacities. This includes our capacity for tenderness in a whole host of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">different relationships and varied situations – including all that can be defined as pertaining to our </span><span style="color: #38761d;">human sexuality. This also implies that before God we all have a responsibility to learn everything that </span><span style="color: #38761d;">can be known about his plan for us, to govern our lives and actions in accord with this plan, and then </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to help others to do the same – especially doing all we can to transmit God’s plan to our children – and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to provide them with an apprenticeship into life, that they may come to know and understand their </span><span style="color: #38761d;">sexuality and develop their ability to give and receive tenderness in appropriate and chaste ways.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.godsplanforlife.org/">God's Plan For Life</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">The Scriptures reveal that when God designed a plan for life, he used careful and loving advanced planning. In Jer 1:5, God says <i>“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.” </i>God knew Jeremiah before he was born. It follows that God knows all of us even before we are born. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">God's advanced loving and careful plan is confirmed by Rom 8:29-30 where Paul says: </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><i>“For those he foreknew he also pre-destined to be conformed to the image of His son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”</i> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The same notion of foreknowledge is revealed in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, 1:3-4: </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><i>“Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.”</i> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Love requires advanced planning. God’s plan for life began before the world was made. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://d3uet6ae1sqvww.cloudfront.net/pdf/discovery-series/when-trust-is-lost-healing-for-victims-of-sexual-abuse.pdf">WHEN TRUST IS LOST</a></span></b> <br />By Dan B. Allender - </span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">© </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;">2010 RBC Ministries - Sexual abuse is one of the few crimes that brings more shame to the victim than to the offender. It takes away a person's innocence and self-respect, and usually silences the victim so that help is difficult to find. The wounds and struggles that follow are often as difficult to deal with as the original abuse. Many victims feel alone, confused, depressed, and sometimes as if they are going crazy. If you have been sexually abused, or if you know someone struggling with this problem, the following pages describe a process of recovery that is filled with hope and help. Some of what follows will be difficult to accept. But the pain of understanding and healing is far less than the pain of denial and despair. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxeMsC3C7mOCW230?e=o5g6zC">Sexuality, memories, dreams, evil suffered, forgiveness, and God</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Although we often are inclined to wonder whether we are where we need to be, we believe that the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Father always brings about his will in those who are open; so we can say that we are where He wants </span><span style="color: #38761d;">us to be, whether we like being here or not for the moment. It can be said to be a normal experience </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to have at some point troubling memories or dreams which, though they seem utterly real, may or </span><span style="color: #38761d;">may not be related to actual events. Such things are part of our condition as human beings. Some </span><span style="color: #38761d;">people have more vivid dreams or numerous memories than others, and some are hardly aware of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">any at all; while others are troubled by some of their memories or dreams or images.... </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Are they real? Are potential witnesses denying the reality of what happened to me or am I imagining </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the event? </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/family/documents/rc_pc_family_doc_08121995_human-sexuality_en.html">THE PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR THE FAMILY THE TRUTH AND MEANING OF HUMAN SEXUALITY</a></b> - Guidelines for Education within the Family <br />INTRODUCTION - The Situation and the Problem <br />1. Among the many difficulties parents encounter today, despite different social contexts, one certainly stands out: giving children an adequate preparation for adult life, particularly with regard to education in the true meaning of sexuality. There are many reasons for this difficulty and not all of them are new. In the past, even when the family did not provide specific sexual education, the general culture was permeated by respect for fundamental values and hence served to protect and maintain them. In the greater part of society, both in developed and developing countries, the decline of traditional models has left children deprived of consistent and positive guidance, while parents find themselves unprepared to provide adequate answers. <br />This new context is made worse by what we observe: an eclipse of the truth about man which, among other things, exerts pressure to reduce sex to something commonplace. In this area, society and the mass media most of the time provide depersonalized, recreational and often pessimistic information. Moreover, this information does not take into account the different stages of formation and development of children and young people, and it is influenced by a distorted individualistic concept of freedom, in an ambience lacking the basic values of life, human love and the family. Then the school, making itself available to carry out programmes of sex education, has often done this by taking the place of the family and, most of the time, with the aim of only providing information. Sometimes this really leads to the deformation of consciences. <br />In many cases parents have given up their duty in this field or agreed to delegate it to others, because of the difficulty and their own lack of preparation. In such a situation, many Catholic parents turn to the Church to take up the task of providing guidance and suggestions for educating their children, especially in the phase of childhood and adolescence. At times, parents themselves have brought up their difficulties when they are confronted by teaching given at school and thus brought into the home by their children. The Pontifical Council for the Family has received repeated and pressing requests to provide guidelines in support of parents in this delicate area of education.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>2- WE RESIST BY PRIORITIZING OUR OWN PLEASURE </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/priests_still_suffering_from_effects_of_humanae_vitae_dissenters_vatican_cardinal_says">Priests still suffering from effects of Humanae Vitae dissenters, Vatican cardinal says</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">“Lead us not into temptation” is the sixth petition of the Our Father. Πειρασμός (Peirasmòs), the Greek word used in this passage for ‘temptation’, means a trial or test. Disciples petition God to be protected against the supreme test of ungodly powers. The trial is related to Jesus’s cup in Gethsemane, the same cup which his disciples would also taste (Mk 10: 35-45). The dark side of the interior of the cup is an abyss. It reveals the awful consequences of God’s judgment upon sinful humanity. In August, 1968, the weight of the evangelical Πειρασμός fell on many priests, including myself,” the cardinal began. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/500-catholic-scholars-lash-back-at-humanae-vitae-critics-50088?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">500 Catholic scholars lash back at Humanae Vitae critics</a></span></b> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Washington D.C., Sep 20, 2016 - Nearly 50 years after the “prophetic” papal document Humanae Vitae, the Catholic Church’s longstanding teaching against contraception continues to promote the human good, said a group of Catholic thinkers on Tuesday. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“We hold that Catholic teaching respects the true dignity of the human person and is conducive to happiness,” said hundreds of Catholic scholars in a Sept. 20 document. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“Humanae Vitae speaks against the distorted view of human sexuality and intimate relationships that many in the modern world promote. Humanae Vitae was prophetic when it listed some of the harms that would result from the widespread use of contraception,” they said. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">More than 500 Catholic scholars with doctoral degrees in theology, medicine, law and other fields have signed the document in support of Catholic teaching, titled “Affirmation of the Catholic Church’s Teaching on the Gift of Sexuality.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.ccbi-utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bioethics-Matters-Vol11-6_Maternal-Fetal-Attachment_part-1_BCampion.pdf">Maternal-Fetal Attachment and the Culture of Life - Part One</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By Bridget Campion, PhD - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Pregnancy has always been regarded as a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">time of growth and development for the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">unborn baby. However, since the later part of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the twentieth century, researchers have been </span><span style="color: #38761d;">turning their attention to the pregnant woman </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and the effects that this life-stage holds for </span><span style="color: #38761d;">her. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Far from being a time of simply waiting </span><span style="color: #38761d;">for the baby to be born, pregnancy is now </span><span style="color: #38761d;">regarded as a period with its own tasks, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">during which women undergo deep </span><span style="color: #38761d;">psychological change and development. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">While much of this is preparational insofar as </span><span style="color: #38761d;">it serves the wellbeing of the mother and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">infant in post-natal life, in fact researchers </span><span style="color: #38761d;">are finding that pregnancy is a very </span><span style="color: #38761d;">significant time in itself, with women </span><span style="color: #38761d;">bonding to their unborn children. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.ccbi-utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bioethics-Matters-Vol-12_2_Maternal-Fetal-Attachment_part-2_BCampion.pdf">Maternal-Fetal Attachment and the Culture of Life - Part Two</a></span></b> <br />By Bridget Campion, PhD - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The first article of this two-part series </span><span style="color: #38761d;">provided an examination of maternal-fetal </span><span style="color: #38761d;">attachment, a phenomenon recognized by </span><span style="color: #38761d;">researchers in which the bond between a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">mother and her child begins in pregnancy, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">leading to developmental behaviours that </span><span style="color: #38761d;">protect both mother and child before birth </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and prepare them for life after birth. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Pregnancy, with all of the growth it entails, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">thus becomes an important developmental </span><span style="color: #38761d;">stage for the pregnant woman as well as for </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the baby she carries. What is the importance </span><span style="color: #38761d;">of maternal-fetal attachment within the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">context of a Culture of Life?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/bringing-sanity-to-sex-part-i">Bringing Sanity to Sex: Part I By Karlo Broussard</a></span></b> <br />February 08, 2017 - Sanity is to see what is (reality) and live in accord with it. If your grandfather thinks leprechauns are jumping in his butter dish and he gives them his butter knife to use as a springboard, then his sanity is defective. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">He mistakes a hallucination for what is real and behaves accordingly. As he tells you about this phenomenon at the dinner table, you probably would invite him to become a citizen of the real world and see reality as it is and live in it. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">I use this example to prompt the question, “Is there a real world when it comes to sex and our sexual powers?” In other words, is there a meaning to sex that is independent of what you or I make sex out to be? Is there a reality to sex, and thus to our sexual powers, that we ought to reverence and live in accord with? Is there a real world with regard to sex that we could invite someone to live in? Is there such a thing as sexual sanity?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/bringing-sanity-to-sex-part-2">Bringing Sanity to Sex: Part II By Karlo Broussard</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">In my previous article, we saw that there is such a thing as sexual sanity, an objective reality with which we need to live in accord in order to be sexually sane. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Regardless of someone’s personal motive for engaging in sexual activity, procreation is its natural end. Now, the charge that such a view reduces human sex acts to mere biology might have force if producing children were the end of the story. But it’s not. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">There is another purpose of sex intrinsic to making babies: the physical and emotional drawing together of spouses. Catholic theology calls these the procreative and unitive dimensions of sex. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">There are two ways to see this intrinsic connection. The first sees the spousal friendship as finalizing the procreative dimension inasmuch as it makes sex a human reproductive act. The second sees how the unitive is bound to the procreative for the sake of rearing children.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/watch-a-20-week-baby-in-utero-with-new-groundbreaking-technology-97783?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">Watch a 20-week baby in utero with new groundbreaking technology</a></span></b> <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Abortion, really? - London, England, Jun 6, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">2017 </span><span style="color: #38761d;">When the fetal ultrasound gained popularity in the 1970s, it was hailed as a “window to the womb.” But </span><span style="color: #38761d;">now, new technology could offer a much more in-depth view of babies before birth. Courtesy of a recent </span><span style="color: #38761d;">multimillion dollar project based out of London, some parents are able to see clear scans of every </span><span style="color: #38761d;">movement and organ of their babies in the womb starting as early as 20 weeks, using advanced MRI </span><span style="color: #38761d;">technology. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.ccbi-utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Bioethics-Matters-Vol11-5_Shifts-in-Abortion-Laws_MMcQueen.pdf">Gradual Shifts in Abortion Laws: Will they be effective?</a></span></b> <br />One of the interesting developments in the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">area of abortion is a small but real shift in the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">laws in some States in the US. As we know, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Canada continues without a law regulating </span><span style="color: #38761d;">abortion, meaning that a woman could </span><span style="color: #38761d;">technically obtain an abortion right up until </span><span style="color: #38761d;">delivery. The reason is that the Canadian </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Criminal Code defines “person” as someone </span><span style="color: #38761d;">who has been completely delivered from the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">birth canal of his or her mother. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Until then, a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">child is not deemed to be a person, which </span><span style="color: #38761d;">means that the child has no rights </span><span style="color: #38761d;">whatsoever. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">At the beginning of the journey down the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">birth canal the baby makes it known that it is </span><span style="color: #38761d;">positioning itself to enter the world, and, as </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the mother’s contractions intensify, maternity </span><span style="color: #38761d;">staff prepare to help guide its entrance into </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the world, intervening only when necessary </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to aid the process. The feelings of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">excitement, awe, relief and gratitude that </span><span style="color: #38761d;">occur when the baby finally appears are </span><span style="color: #38761d;">intense. Thank God, we say! Thank God, too, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">for all the personnel involved in safely </span><span style="color: #38761d;">delivering a new human infant. Everyone </span><span style="color: #38761d;">present knows this is a baby, a tiny human </span><span style="color: #38761d;">being, an independent and unique person, yet </span><span style="color: #38761d;">our law insists that he or she is not legally a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">person in Canada until “completely delivered </span><span style="color: #38761d;">from the birth canal.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxYpQNTgLipbE20u?e=fZYyfD">HUMAN DECISION SYSTEM</a></b> <br /></span><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.reclaimsexualhealth.com/">Reclaim God's Plan for Sexual Health</a></b> <span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">You are very familiar with the fact that you have an Immune System and a Digestive System, but did you know that you also have what we call a Human Decision System? This remarkable system is centered in your brain and plays a dominant role in every decision you make—positive or negative. Learning how your Human Decision System works, how to harness and direct it—this is the key to your success in consistently making the choices you desire most. Begin today to “reclaim God’s plan for sexual health”, one day at a time.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/why-sterile-heterosexual-acts-and-homosexual-acts-are-not-the-same">Why Sterile Heterosexual Acts and Homosexual Acts Are Not the Same</a></span></b> <br />Karlo Broussard May 10, 2017 - When a homosexual couple are unable to generate children after four years, no one wonders why. That’s because the nature of their sexual activity is not baby-making—it’s not the type of activity that is naturally ordered toward producing children. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">On the other hand, a heterosexual couple who, due to age or medical condition or some other factor, cannot conceive a child, do engage in baby-making activity. The genital union that they achieve is the kind of activity that nature ordains to produce children. And if it were not for the unintended (accidental) physical defect, the natural end of procreation would be achieved. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">So a heterosexual couple’s inability to generate children involves an impeded natural ability, whereas a homosexual couple’s inability to generate children involves <u>no</u> natural ability. To use an example from my friend and colleague Trent Horn, the former is analogous to a paralyzed man who is unable to walk—an external factor is frustrating the achievement of a natural end. The latter is analogous to a man trying to fly by flapping his arms.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: medium;"><span><span>There are facts and truths that the <b>"<u>Gay Lobby</u>"</b> doesn't want society or public opinion to know, that even IT doesn't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - is that we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To identify oneself on the basis of just the one element of our sexuality is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you.</span><span><br /></span></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicity.com/mccloskey/on-the-importance-of-friendship.html">On the Importance of Friendship</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By Father John McCloskey - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">One of the great impoverishments of contemporary American life is the difficulty of forming and maintaining strong male friendships. (Women, on the whole, seem to do much better in befriending one another.) Virtually the only time I see groups of men meeting together regularly occurs in front of a television – at home or at a bar or restaurant – watching sports. Most of the time, these men are primarily enjoying not each other but the game. Now, there is nothing wrong about enjoying sports together or enjoying other hobbies and social activities. An important aspect of male bonding occurs around the pursuit of vocations or avocations. Still, a deeper dimension of friendship often seems missing. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20190202_maschio-e-femmina_en.pdf">“ MALE AND FEMALE </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20190202_maschio-e-femmina_en.pdf"><b>HE CREATED THEM ”</b></a> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">TOWARDS A PATH OF DIALOGUE </span><span style="color: #38761d;">ON THE QUESTION OF GENDER THEORY </span><span style="color: #38761d;">IN EDUCATION - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">It is becoming increasingly clear that we are now facing with what </span><span style="color: #38761d;">might accurately be called an educational crisis, especially in the field of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">affectivity and sexuality. In many places, curricula are being planned and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">implemented which “allegedly convey a neutral conception of the person </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and of life, yet in fact reflect an anthropology opposed to faith and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to right reason”.1 The disorientation regarding anthropology which is </span><span style="color: #38761d;">a widespread feature of our cultural landscape has undoubtedly helped </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to destabilise the family as an institution, bringing with it a tendency to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">cancel out the differences between men and women, presenting them </span><span style="color: #38761d;">instead as merely the product of historical and cultural conditioning.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute - University of St. Michael's College at University of Toronto - </span></b></span><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.ccbi-utoronto.ca/bioethics-matters/">BIOETHICS MATTERS - List of Articles 2007-20</a> </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/andrew-coyne-the-absurd-logic-of-assisted-suicide">The absurd logic of assisted suicide</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By Andrew Coyne </span><span style="color: #38761d;">If assisted suicide is a right to be released from suffering, how can that be restricted to adults? Are we to condemn children to endless torment? </span><span style="color: #38761d;">This is not some dire prophecy. It is, as the panel reminds us, the logic of assisted suicide. By making it lawful to euthanize children, we would only be following where Belgium and the Netherlands have led; by applying it to the mentally ill, we would be doing no more than Switzerland has already done. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">If that is where we want to go, so be it. But let us at least be clear that that is what is really at stake.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/andrew-coyne-finer-points-of-consent-missing-in-assisted-suicide-bill">Finer points of consent missing in assisted suicide bill</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By Andrew Coyne </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Consent needs to be demonstrated, not assumed. That so many seem willing to take it as given is among the more disturbing aspects of this debate. </span><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;">Throughout the debate on euthanasia and assisted suicide, the trump card for their proponents has been consent. If we were crossing lines few societies in history have been willing to cross, erasing distinctions once considered inviolable — between allowing death to take its course and hastening it, between killing yourself and someone else killing you, between pain relief and poison — it was all right, because it was being done with the consent of the patient. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Yet, far from demanding that the bill be tightened, the majority of the critics seem concerned only that it should be loosened further: to permit the euthanization of children, for example, or to allow those anticipating being mentally incapacitated in future to make provision for their death in advance — not because they are necessarily suffering now, but in dread of the suffering they believe they will find intolerable in future. Will they, in the event? Might they have changed their mind, if not? Who can say? But their “consent” would already have been obtained. Consent is a powerful concept. But it needs to be demonstrated, not assumed. That so many seem willing to take it as given is among the more disturbing aspects of this debate.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-27825232462051596672019-02-17T22:54:00.050-05:002023-02-05T18:45:23.075-05:00HUMAN FERTILITY - Planning VS Suppression <p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div><b><span style="color: #38761d;">In considering abortion as an option, or else before or after trying to understand what might be consequences of having an abortion, it is good to remember that</span> <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/this-pro-life-talk-at-googles-headquarters-was-a-hit-96758">LOVE UNLEASHES LIFE</a>.</b></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://naapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/symphony.pdf"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Courtroom </span></b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">genetics</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></b></a><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://naapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/symphony.pdf">testimony of Dr. Jerome Lejeune</a> on </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">the wonder of </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">human </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">conception </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">in the Circuit Court for Blount County State of tennessee at Maryville, Tennessee on August 10th, 1989. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.sedin.org/propeng/embryos.htm">Second source for this testimony</a></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5QAy2HnoIs1g6QmD_LixbjPfK_guFlvLrdd5JvzSNsKYiD4dJ_IP5bmKNTxG2ONqpVg-qbmEaJtgWPI4EfYpgN_fvmghJJY-fcYen6hpkfPsBPgGcaVjpYtVk2dXCaeSOl4TDjQaHGwt/s233/NFP-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL5QAy2HnoIs1g6QmD_LixbjPfK_guFlvLrdd5JvzSNsKYiD4dJ_IP5bmKNTxG2ONqpVg-qbmEaJtgWPI4EfYpgN_fvmghJJY-fcYen6hpkfPsBPgGcaVjpYtVk2dXCaeSOl4TDjQaHGwt/s0/NFP-1.png" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <b>ARTICLES ON </b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>BIRTH CONTROL -- CONDOMS -- CONTRACEPTION -- PREGNANCY </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="color: red;">WARNING</span></u>: <a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjn08cH17xS5nlH3p?e=7psoeZ">"SAFE SEX" DOES NOT EXIST</a> - THIS EXPRESSION IS A MYTH </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><u><span style="color: red;">AVERTISSEMENT</span></u>: <a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjn6oxwlu89sPXwOD?e=YqesqO">LE "SEXE PROTÉGÉ" N'EXISTE PAS</a> - C'EST UN MYTHE</b></p><p><b>(1) <a href="https://msgrfoy.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/birth-control-is-canada-out-of-step-with-rome-book-2005.pdf">Birth Control in Canada</a> VS Rome? <span> </span></b><b>(2) <a href="http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/campagnequebecvie/mailings/298/attachments/original/Newsletter1v%28July%29GB.pdf?1499883528">Birth Control Kills after Conception</a> <span> </span></b></p><p><b>(3) </b><a href="http://uscl.info/edoc/doc.php?doc_id=34&action=inline" style="font-weight: bold;">Contraception for Population Control ?</a> <span> </span><b>(4) <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/new-study-birth-control-pills-reduce-womens-well-being-45223">Birth Control Pill Reduces Well Being</a> </b></p><p><b>(5) <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/is-your-birth-control-making-you-depressed-18904?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Birth Control Side Effects</a> </b><b><span> </span>(6) <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/are-we-less-free-than-a-1950s-housewife-a-look-at-contraception-54448">Contraception = Slavery for Women ?</a></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span> </span>(7) Contraception - <a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjnwcwua9pO_rqQek?e=9lBlY0">the Effects</a> - <a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjnsk7A4I3PCFIqii?e=uWNXO7">les Effets</a> </b></p><p style="text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><a href="https://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/a-brief-history-of-the-birth-control-pill/480/">A brief history of the birth control pill</a> </span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #666666; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/author/nikolcheva" title="View all posts by Alexandra Nikolchev"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #666666; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Alexandra Nikolchev</span></a><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #666666; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/a-brief-history-of-the-birth-control-pill/480/">May 7, 2010</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3.1pt; mso-outline-level: 1; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: Georgia, serif; padding: 0cm;">Antiquity:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #014a6f; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia, serif;">Ancient
Egyptian women use a combination of cotton, dates, honey and </span><a href="http://www.marieclaire.com/sex-love/relationship-issues/articles/birth-control-ancient" title="acacia"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">acacia</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia, serif;"> as a
suppository, and it turns out fermented acacia really does have a spermicidal
effect. The Bible and the Koran both refer to <i>coitus interruptus</i> (the
withdrawal method).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1914-1921</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Activist </span><a href="http://205.188.238.181/time/time100/leaders/profile/sanger.html" title="Margret Sanger"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Margaret
Sanger</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> coins the term “birth control,”
opens first birth control clinic in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and starts the
American Birth Control League, the precursor to Planned Parenthood.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1934</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Endocrinologist </span><a href="http://www.nndb.com/people/954/000161471/" title="Gregory Pincus"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Gregory Pincus</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> creates
a test tube rabbit — and is vilified as a Frankenstein.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1951</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Sanger
and Pincus meet at a dinner party in New York; she </span><a href="http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1983712-2,00.html" title="pursuades"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">persuades</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> him to
work on a birth control pill.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1951</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Meanwhile, </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/need-to-know/health/a-conversation-with-carl-djerassi/115/" title="Carl Djerassi"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Carl
Djerassi</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, a chemist in Mexico City, creates a
pill by synthesizing hormones from Mexican yams. On a chemical level, the pill
has been invented, but Djerassi isn’t equipped to test, produce or distribute
it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1952</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/timeline/timeline2.html" title="The race is on"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">The
race is on</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">. Pincus tests progesterone in rats and
finds it works. He meets gynecologist John Rock, who has already begun testing
chemical contraception in women. Frank Colton, chief chemist at the
pharmaceutical company Searle, also independently develops synthetic
progesterone.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1953</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> If
Sanger is the activist behind the pill and Pincus the scientist, </span><a href="http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=107" title="Katherine McCormick"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Katherine
McCormick</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> — biologist, women’s rights
activist and heiress to a great fortune — is the money. She writes Pincus a
check for $40,000 to conduct research.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1954</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Rock
and Pincus conduct the first human trials on 50 women in Massachusetts. It
works.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1956</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Large
scale clinical trials are conducted in </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/e_puertorico.html" title="Puerto Rico"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Puerto
Rico</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, where there were no anti-birth control laws on the books. The pill is
deemed 100 percent effective, but some serious side effects are ignored.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1957</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The FDA
approves the pill, but only for severe menstrual disorders, not as a
contraceptive. An unusually large number of women report severe menstrual
disorders.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1960</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The
pill is approved for contraceptive use.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1962</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> It’s an
instant hit. After two years, 1.2 million Americans women are on the pill;
after three years, the number almost doubles, to 2.3 million.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1964</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> But the
pill is still controversial: It remains illegal in eight states. The Pope
convenes the Commission on Population, the Family and Natality; many within the
Catholic Church are in favor.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1965</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/timeline/timeline2.html" title="Five years after"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">Five
years after</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> the FDA approval, 6.5 million
American women are on pill, making it the most popular form of birth control in
the U.S.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1967</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The
controversy over the pill takes on a new dimension when African-American
activists charge that Planned Parenthood, by providing the pill in poor,
minority neighborhoods, is committing genocide.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1968</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Pope
Paul VI ultimately declares his opposition to the pill in the <i><a href="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html" title="Humanae Vitae"><span style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;">Humanae Vitae</span></a> </i>encyclical.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1969</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Barbara
Seaman publishes </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Case-Against-Pill/dp/0897931815" title="The Doctor's Case Against the Pill"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">The Doctor’s Case Against the Pill</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, which
exposes side effects including the risk of blood clots, heart attack, stroke,
depression, weight gain and loss of libido.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1970</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Senate
hearings on the safety of the pill are disrupted by women demanding a voice on
the issue.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1979</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Sales
of the pill drop by 24 percent in four years due to publicity about health
risks.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1988</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The
original high-dose pill is taken off the market; an FDA study shows the heath
benefits of newer pills, including a decreased risk of ovarian cancer, iron
deficiency anemia and pelvic inflammatory disease.</span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Georgia, serif; text-align: center;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tri-Cyclen<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">1997</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Not
just a contraceptive any more — the FDA approves Ortho Pharmaceutical’s
Tri-Cyclen pill as treatment for acne.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">2000</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rules that prescription contraception
must be covered by health insurance offered by employers.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">2003</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The FDA
approves <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3076552/" title="Seasonale"><span style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;">Seasonale</span></a>,
a pill that gives women only four periods a year.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">2007</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> What
could be next? <a href="http://www.lybrel.com/" title="Lybrel"><span style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;">Lybrel</span></a> makes
the annoying period a thing of the past for those willing to try it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 19.55pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #014a6f; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; padding: 0cm;">2010</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #262626; font-family: "Georgia",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Fifty
years after the FDA approval, problems remain: there are currently 1,100
lawsuits pending against Bayer Healthcare Corporation regarding blood clots,
heart attacks and strokes allegedly caused by the popular pills Yaz, Yazmin and
the generic Ocella.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: rgb(233, 233, 233); line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #6f6f6f; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Last modified:</span></b><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #6f6f6f; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> May 7, 2010 at 4:59 pm<o:p></o:p></span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p> --------------------------------------------------</o:p></p><p><b>(1) Birth Control in Canada by Msgr. Vincent Foy - self published: <a href="https://msgrfoy.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/birth-control-is-canada-out-of-step-with-rome-book-2005.pdf">PDF version</a> </b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Paperback edition available <a href="https://www.veritasbookstore.ca/products/birth-control-is-canada-out-of-step-with-rome-by-msgr-vincent-foy">HERE</a> </b></p><p><b>(2) Birth Control Kills after Conception - Did you know? Commonly-Used Birth Control Kills After Conception.... <a href="http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/campagnequebecvie/mailings/298/attachments/original/Newsletter1v%28July%29GB.pdf?1499883528">PDF version</a> published by QLC - Québec Life Coalition </b></p><p><b>(3) <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/new-study-birth-control-pills-reduce-womens-well-being-45223">Birth Control Pill Reduces Well Being</a> - New study: Birth control pills reduce women's well-being - shared by CNA - Catholic News Agency - according to </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="background-color: white;">Professor Angelica Linden Hirschberg, one of the study’s leaders, according to the </span><a href="http://ki.se/en/news/oral-contraceptives-reduce-general-well-being-in-healthy-women" style="background-color: white; color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;">Karolinska Institute</a><span style="background-color: white;">.</span></b></span></p><p><b>(4) <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/is-your-birth-control-making-you-depressed-18904?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Birth Control Side Effects</a> - </b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="noticia_byline">Washington D.C., Sep 29, 2016 / 03:32 pm MT (<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/is-your-birth-control-making-you-depressed-18904?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email" style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self"></a>)</span><span style="background-color: white;">.- For the millions of women using hormonal birth control, side effects are nothing new. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Headaches, mood swings and weight gain are all commonly reported side effects, not to mention more serious problems such as blood clots and migraines. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">But a new, long-term Danish study is now showing a strong connection between hormonal contraception and another adverse effect: the risk of depression, particularly among teens. (Go to the link for full article.)</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: 700;">Quelles sont les conditions pour une contraception efficace ?</span></div><p></p><p><b>(5) Contraception for Population Control ? <a href="http://uscl.info/edoc/doc.php?doc_id=34&action=inline">"International Population-Control Machine and the Pathfinder Fund"</a> by Randy Engel, Human Life Center, Collegeville MN </b></p><p><b>(6) Contraception = Slavery for Women ? <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/are-we-less-free-than-a-1950s-housewife-a-look-at-contraception-54448">"</a></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/are-we-less-free-than-a-1950s-housewife-a-look-at-contraception-54448">Are we less free than a 1950s housewife? A look at contraception"</a> </b></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">By</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/images/writers/103846134624062421016.jpg?rel=author" style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Ann Schneible</a> for </span><b>CNA - Catholic News Agency - </b><span class="noticia_byline" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">Rome, Italy, Jun 8, 2017 / 02:58 am MT (<a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/" style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_self">CNA</a>)</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">.- What started as a means to liberate women seems to have taken an ironic twist.</span></p><p><b>(7) Contraception - the Effects - <a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjnwcwua9pO_rqQek?e=z6NqfN">What are the effects for the couple who employ contraception?</a> <a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjnsk7A4I3PCFIqii?e=uWNXO7">Quels sont les effets pour le couple qui emploi la contraception ?</a> Par </b><strong style="background-color: white; color: #3e3e3e; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;">Vivere Canada <br /></strong></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-80184447147201607662019-01-15T12:46:00.008-05:002023-02-05T18:48:12.346-05:00PORNOGRAPHY - The destructiveness of Porn - Recovery from Porn Addiction <i><b><div style="text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="font-style: normal; font-weight: 400; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-style: normal; font-weight: 400;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GN8ktrjOt2rEMtiglmBNkOqn57XUppXSU_PVvGGFvrYPraahLNFmZkGG8mi7FdMPRk0uHQy6ctGOQVqbrNvA7TRxUM2xnNjtt5aTOz-Zdf0sD1z0uL0BB6M5Umi6bgOsBigUyr7-tzHW/s275/abuse-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8GN8ktrjOt2rEMtiglmBNkOqn57XUppXSU_PVvGGFvrYPraahLNFmZkGG8mi7FdMPRk0uHQy6ctGOQVqbrNvA7TRxUM2xnNjtt5aTOz-Zdf0sD1z0uL0BB6M5Umi6bgOsBigUyr7-tzHW/s0/abuse-4.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">👇</span></i><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"> </span><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;">Please scroll down to find each section. 👇</i></div></b></i><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>1- THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF PORN </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>2- RECOVERY FROM PORN ADDICTION </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>For each, go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------<br /><br /></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><span style="color: #990000; font-size: x-large;"><b>1- THE DESTRUCTIVENESS OF PORN </b></span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://redeeminggod.com/c-s-lewis-on-masturbation/">C. S. Lewis speaks out on Masturbation</a></span></b> <br />By Jeremy Myers - </span><span style="color: #990000;">A while back someone submitted a question to me about masturbation and </span><span style="color: #990000;">whether it was sinful or not. It is a very … touchy … subject to deal with. </span><span style="color: #990000;">So as I was recently reading through the Letters of C. S. Lewis, I was </span><span style="color: #990000;">surprised to learned that <br /></span><span style="color: #990000;">(1) C. S. Lewis struggled with the temptation of masturbation, and <br /></span><span style="color: #990000;">(2) he had a pretty good theological answer for it. </span><span style="color: #990000;">Here is What C. S. Lewis said about Masturbation: <br /></span><span style="color: #990000;">I agree that the stuff about ‘wastage of vital fluids’ is rubbish. For me the real evil of </span><span style="color: #990000;">masturbation would be that it takes an appetite which, in lawful use, leads the individual out of </span><span style="color: #990000;">himself to complete (and correct) his own personality in that of another (and finally in children </span><span style="color: #990000;">and even grandchildren) and turns it back: sending the man back into the prison of himself, there </span><span style="color: #990000;">to keep a harem of imaginary brides.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/314719397/Can-She-Really-Play-That-Game-Too">CAN SHE REALLY ‘PLAY THAT GAME, TOO’?</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><div><span style="color: #990000;"><b>A narrative exploration </b>of women’s relation to hookup culture at Middlebury College By Leah Marie Fessler - For those I don't know: </span><a href="http://hookupmiddlebury.weebly.com/about.html"><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Hi! My name is Leah Fessler</span></a><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #990000;">and I graduated Middlebury College in Spring 2015. At Midd I was an English and American Literatures major, and focused on creative non-fiction writing. For my senior thesis, a long-form non-fiction project, I investigated romantic and sexual culture at Middlebury College. After interviewing almost 100 students, and surveying over 300, I wrote "Can She Really 'Play That Game, Too?", which documents the realities of hookup culture at Middlebury from a female perspective. It's explicit, entertaining, and 100% true.</span></div></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/hook-up-culture-is-making-women-miserable-study-finds-74544">Hook-up culture is making women miserable, study finds</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> <br /></span><span style="color: #990000;">New York City, N.Y., May 20, 2016 - <b>Leah Fessler considers herself</b> a feminist. And the standard feminist narrative is that women can have, and indeed enjoy, casual sex without consequences – physical, emotional, or otherwise. But when her experience with hookup culture (and that of her friends') in college failed to live up to its empowering promises and left her emotionally empty, Fessler decided to look a little deeper. In an article written for Quartz, Fessler explains her quest to examine what it was about the prominent hookup culture, and the ill-defined, non-committal “pseudo-relationships,” at her Middlebury college campus that were making her miserable. “Far more frequent, however, were pseudo-relationships, the mutant children of meaningless sex and loving partnerships. <b>Two students consistently </b>hook up with one another – and typically, only each other – for weeks, months, even years,” Fessler wrote. “Yet per unspoken social code, neither party is permitted emotional involvement, commitment, or vulnerability. To call them exclusive would be 'clingy,' or even 'crazy.'”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://qz.com/685852/hookup-culture/">PLAYING THE GAME</a></span></b> </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span><span style="color: #990000;">A lot of women don’t enjoy hookup culture—so why do we force ourselves to participate? By Leah Fessler - in Quartz - May 17, 2016 - This article is more than 2 years old. <br /><b>At Middlebury College,</b> I lived a double life. On the surface, I was successful. I was surrounded by diverse, intellectual friends. I led a popular student website and was active in the arts and athletics. I loved learning and made Phi Beta Kappa my junior year. I’m also a white, straight, cisgendered female. <b>If you’re thinking, </b>“Please. Your privileged ass has nothing to complain about,” you’re right. But my internal life was characterized by paralyzing anxiety and depression. I judged myself harshly, to the point of disgust. I drove myself to excessive exercising and near-anorexia. I felt this way because of men—or so I thought. While there was a major gulf between my public self and my private one, the one thing that remained consistent were my politics. I told myself that I was a feminist, despite subjecting myself to unfulfilling, emotionally damaging sexual experiences. And I believed it, too.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKywsU5RkZNZS4iKvfu0EABZAMCamoBSkuoLSZ-Zy4DHtR5R-DobDO67ADuTmFEDYpylGJ0EBhkqVBscvfzxM7qqRoKXx53lHjkjPxOYXsVlz-Fl_IHy3zwpVBQVZTaFRDH2wCJdXAJT_B/s760/domestic-abuse-6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKywsU5RkZNZS4iKvfu0EABZAMCamoBSkuoLSZ-Zy4DHtR5R-DobDO67ADuTmFEDYpylGJ0EBhkqVBscvfzxM7qqRoKXx53lHjkjPxOYXsVlz-Fl_IHy3zwpVBQVZTaFRDH2wCJdXAJT_B/s320/domestic-abuse-6.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />👉 </span></b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/14/fashion/sex-on-campus-she-can-play-that-game-too.html">Sex on Campus: She Can Play That Game, Too</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><br /><span style="color: #990000;">By Kate Taylor - July 12, 2013 <b>At 11 on a weeknight</b> earlier this year, her work finished, a slim, pretty junior at the University of Pennsylvania did what she often does when she has a little free time. She texted her regular hookup — the guy she is sleeping with but not dating. What was he up to? He texted back: Come over. So she did. They watched a little TV, had sex and went to sleep. <br /><b>Their relationship,</b> she noted, is not about the meeting of two souls. “We don’t really like each other in person, sober,” she said, adding that “we literally can’t sit down and have coffee.” Ask her why she hasn’t had a relationship at Penn, and she won’t complain about the death of courtship or men who won’t commit. Instead, she’ll talk about “cost-benefit” analyses and the “low risk and low investment costs” of hooking up.</span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxzUCf5iTsG3il3k?e=eXtJ4d">The Brain Science of Porn Addiction: </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxzUCf5iTsG3il3k?e=eXtJ4d"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">How You Got Here</span></b></a> <br /></span><span style="color: #990000;"><b>BY THE RECLAIM TEAM</b> - #R008 - Engaging in unwanted sexual outlets (porn, masturbation, live sex chat, escorts, paid sex) or even streams of short-term, meaningless relationships can create a great deal of shame, despair and self-loathing. Most struggling individuals don't understand that specific brain processes that have developed their behaviors through specific stages over time. If you are struggling with pornography, sex addiction, masturbation, or other unhealthy sexual behaviors, these insights can help you better understand how you got here.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/1874574">Brain Structure and Functional Connectivity Associated With Pornography Consumption</a></span></b> <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> <span> </span></span></span><span style="color: #990000;"><b>Original Investigation -</b> The Brain on Porn - July 2014 - By Simone Kühn, PhD1; Jürgen Gallinat, PhD2,3 <br /><b>Abstract - </b><b>Importance</b> <span> </span>Since pornography appeared on the Internet, the accessibility, affordability, and anonymity of consuming visual sexual stimuli have increased and attracted millions of users. Based on the assumption that pornography consumption bears resemblance with reward-seeking behavior, novelty-seeking behavior, and addictive behavior, we hypothesized alterations of the frontostriatal network in frequent users. <br /><b>Objective</b> To determine whether frequent pornography consumption is associated with the frontostriatal network. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://learn.covenanteyes.com/your-brain-on-porn-1/">5 Proven Ways Pornography Warps Your Mind</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #990000;">The following is an excerpt from Your Brain on Porn: 5 Proven Ways Porn Warps Your Mind and 3 Biblical Ways to Renew It - <a href="https://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/12/prweb9034333.htm"><b>Book Review</b></a> <br /></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/2011/09/12/5-proven-ways-pornography-warps-your-mind/">Introduction: Porn is Everywhere</a></b> - The Great Porn Experiment <br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/2011/09/13/5-proven-ways-pornography-warps-your-mind-2/">Finding #1: Watching Porn Decreases Sexual Satisfaction</a></b> <br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/2011/09/14/5-proven-ways-pornography-warps-your-mind-3/">Finding #2: Watching Porn Disconnects Us from Real Relationships</a></b> <br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/2011/09/15/5-proven-ways-pornography-warps-your-mind-4/">Finding #3: Watching Porn Lowers Our View of Women</a></b> <br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/2011/09/16/5-proven-ways-pornography-warps-your-mind-5/">Finding #4: Watching Porn Desensitizes Us to Cruelty</a></b> <br /></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #990000; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/2011/09/17/5-proven-ways-pornography-warps-your-mind-6/">Finding #5: Watching Porn Makes Us Want to Watch More Porn</a></b> <br /><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/resources/download-the-e-book-your-brain-on-porn/">Temptation Can Be Beaten - Accountability Works</a></b> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.ncregister.com/blog/he-s-not-afraid-of-evil-but-young-people-are-scaring-this-exorcist">He’s Not Afraid of Evil, but Young People are Scaring This Exorcist</a></span></b> <br />Patti Armstrong - </span><span style="color: #990000;">As an exorcist, Father Patrick is sensitive to influences that are brushed off as harmless. </span><span style="color: #990000;">Looking into the faces of teenagers these days, Father Patrick worries. Father Patrick is not his real name, but to </span><span style="color: #990000;">keep his work as a parish priest manageable, his work in exorcism and deliverance is hidden to the general </span><span style="color: #990000;">public. He has been a designated diocesan exorcist for 6 years. The bishop refers cases to Father Patrick if they </span><span style="color: #990000;">are deemed legitimate. Although full-fledged possessions are rare, he said the numbers are increasing with more </span><span style="color: #990000;">and more, people — especially young people — dabbling in the occult. “They often open a door they cannot </span><span style="color: #990000;">close on their own,” he said.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdrQpMOUUeuAj0z9pH9IbpManJzd_1242sBDFZjOKW5FMAWfYd_dde1SThlIATRCgrmkmBAkEmH2qT5HsciGlJbPlK45rFIS5QjRsvjOG0tFeix6Mquoadi4oX__nAvVGdgiB3zuF4lKY/s615/abortion-9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="407" data-original-width="615" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdrQpMOUUeuAj0z9pH9IbpManJzd_1242sBDFZjOKW5FMAWfYd_dde1SThlIATRCgrmkmBAkEmH2qT5HsciGlJbPlK45rFIS5QjRsvjOG0tFeix6Mquoadi4oX__nAvVGdgiB3zuF4lKY/s320/abortion-9.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></div><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />👉 </span></b><b style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/internet-porn-is-the-neon-colosseum-of-the-digital-age-expert-says-98780?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">Internet porn is the 'neon colosseum' of the digital age, expert says</a></span></b><span style="color: #990000;"> </span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;">By Elise Harris - Rome, Italy, Oct 4, 2017 - </span><span style="color: #990000;">It's well-known that in ancient Rome hundreds of thousands of people would pile into </span><span style="color: #990000;">the stacked layers of stone seating in the Colosseum to watch gladiators fight to their </span><span style="color: #990000;">death, cheering on as the warriors met a bloody and often drawn-out end. </span><span style="color: #990000;">However, while being a “gladiator” in modern Rome has mostly become a way pick </span><span style="color: #990000;">up extra cash in photo-ops with tourists, there are some who argue that the gruesome nature of the ancient </span><span style="color: #990000;">battles, in which people would essentially celebrate and take pleasure in the pain of others, hasn't gone away, </span><span style="color: #990000;">but has rather taken on a new, less obvious form in the digital world: pornography. </span><span style="color: #990000;">When it comes to internet pornography, Dr. Donald Hilton Jr. of the University of Texas Health Science Center </span><span style="color: #990000;">said we as a society have to learn to ask the “uncomfortable questions about our culture, why we're so easily </span><span style="color: #990000;">voyeuristic to watch people being harmed.” </span><span style="color: #990000;">While pornography has always been a problem, the new widespread access offered through the digital world </span><span style="color: #990000;">has led to a culture that enjoys “watching women being hurt on screen,” he told CNA. </span><span style="color: #990000;">Hilton recalled that in a tour of the Colosseum, his guide explained that throughout the centuries of its of </span><span style="color: #990000;">operation, the structure “had up to several hundred thousand animals and gladiators dying in the colosseum with </span><span style="color: #990000;">people watching them and enjoying watching their pain.” </span><span style="color: #990000;">Now, “I think we have a neon colosseum, a colosseum of screens where far more, now, are watching people </span><span style="color: #990000;">being harmed. And people are enjoying it,” he said, adding that in his opinion, “we're no better than the ancient </span><span style="color: #990000;">Romans in that.” </span><span style="color: #990000;">“In fact, in some way I think we're worse, because at least they did it openly, but we hide behind our screens at </span><span style="color: #990000;">night and do it, and tell ourselves it's okay.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><b>2- RECOVERY FROM PORN ADDICTION </b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><div><div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjGz_hlPN5HE2WjbF?e=UYLMjY">PORN ADDICTION ONLINE HELPS - A SHORT LIST</a></span></b> <br />While I was service the Diocese as Family Life Chaplain - from 2013 to 2020 - I first put together this short list of Internet services offering to help anyone seeking to be rid of their addiction to pornography use and the related sexual behaviours. I have just now, in early 2021, updated and expanded the list. </div><p><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6u7QTgzOnFbMfRzWZVFtwa4byiHcnO80uMkeBSafHOTOzBr9YOtEP215hHohza5rXCTvMoSo-Ntzf5TFpvMoiFiQuWWC4tlfFIwl52fUdYb5nCyvZ01m5lzcgFBQB-EblxiWhDsd8x3e-/s319/Praying-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="158" data-original-width="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6u7QTgzOnFbMfRzWZVFtwa4byiHcnO80uMkeBSafHOTOzBr9YOtEP215hHohza5rXCTvMoSo-Ntzf5TFpvMoiFiQuWWC4tlfFIwl52fUdYb5nCyvZ01m5lzcgFBQB-EblxiWhDsd8x3e-/s0/Praying-1.jpg" /></a></span></b></span></div><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br />👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/hope-after-porn-how-their-marriages-were-saved/">Free Ebook: Hope After Porn</a></span></b> <br /></span><span>4 women share their heartache...and how their marriages were saved. </span><span>Today, over half of divorce cases involve one party having an obsessive interest in internet porn. More and more men withdraw from real intimacy with their wives and into digital worlds of fantasy. </span><span>In this free ebook, Hope After Porn, you will read stories from four women who have personally known the devastation pornography can cause in a marriage. They give readers a glimpse of the betrayal, the hurt, and the choices they made to try and make a difference. In this book these four women talk about:<br />(1) </span><span>Their husbands’ constant withdrawal into porn, and their deception and unfaithfulness.<br />(2) </span><span>When their husbands reached a breaking point and started to make changes in their lives.<br />(3) </span><span>How they learned to trust their husbands again, in spite of years of betrayal and lies. <br /></span><span style="color: #990000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.covenanteyes.com/2014/11/03/hope-porn-marriage-never/">Hope After Porn: Our Marriage Would Never Be the Same</a></span></b> <br /></span><span>The following is chapter 1 of the book, Hope After Porn: 4 Women’s Tales of Heartbreak and How Their Marriages Were Saved. Download the whole e-book for free right now. </span><p></p><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/not-your-grandpas-porn-has-the-church-caught-up-to-the-problem-60212?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Not your grandpa's porn – Has the Church caught up to the problem?</a></span></b> <br />By Mary Rezac Denver, Colo., Apr 19, 2016 <br /><b>Clay Olsen speaks to thousands</b> of youth about a subject most people would rather not touch: pornography. As the founder and CEO of <b><span>👉 </span></b><a href="https://fightthenewdrug.org/"><b>Fight the New Drug</b></a>, an organization that educates people about pornography addiction, Olsen travels the country giving presentations to young people about how pornography is affecting their brains, their relationships and ultimately the world. Olsen told CNA that after one particular presentation, a young man asked a question that perfectly illustrates how drastically pornography has changed. “He asked me very sincerely whether Playboy was pornography or not,” Olsen recalled. “His definition of pornography had shifted so dramatically...that Playboy doesn’t even make the cut.” Importantly, this young man is the rule of his generation, not the exception, Olsen said. The effects of constant access to the Internet, made possible by the availability of personal laptops, tablets, and smartphones, has drastically changed how young people consume pornography in a way that many adults dangerously underestimate.</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-new-celibacy-how-porn-is-destroying-the-impetus-for-sex-93222">The new celibacy? How porn may be destroying the impetus for sex</a></span></b> <br />By Mary Rezac Denver, Colo., Jun 11, 2017 <br /><b>One of music artist John Mayer's most signature songs</b> is “Daughters,” a sweet and simple tribute to the importance of parents' influence on their little girls. Here's the refrain: “So fathers, be good to your daughters, Daughters will love like you do. Girls become lovers who turn into mothers, So mothers, be good to your daughters too.” <br /><b>But when John Mayer isn't</b> crooning about your beautiful daughters, he's looking at naked pictures of them, sometimes hundreds at a time before he gets out of bed in the morning. In fact, he often prefers that to an actual human being, according to his wildly controversial 2010 interview with Playboy magazine. “You wake up in the morning, open a thumbnail page, and it leads to a Pandora's box of visuals. There have probably been days when I saw 300 (naked women) before I got out of bed,” he told the magazine. Unfortunately, Mayer's morning routine is not unique to him. Studies show that easy access to free internet pornography is having devastating effects on real-life relationships.</div></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjx7eg9wV38TWE0Pg?e=5b0mO3">IS PORNOGRAPHY a “Drug Addiction?”</a></span></b> <br />Written by Dr. Randall F. Hyde & Mark B. Kastleman - #R004 <br /><b>The mountains of clinical data</b> and visual evidence as millions continue their out-of-control porn use despite consequences of divorce, loss of employment, destroyed reputations, prison time, etc., shouts the obvious: “YES, PORNOGRPAHY IS ADDICTIVE!” And just in case there are still a few stubborn hold-outs, research is being conducted by some of the world’s leading experts in the neuroscience and neuropsychology fields that will provide the clinical evidence required to officially enter sex and pornography as “addictions in the DMS (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders).</div><div><b>Some cringe with labeling </b>pornography as “addictive” because they believe doing so affords the porn user an excuse: “I can’t help myself, I’m addicted.” This is a preposterous position. When someone is addicted to alcohol, do we excuse his behavior because “he can’t help it?” Just because someone suffers with an addiction doesn’t mean he doesn’t have a choice. For many years, my colleagues and I (Dr. Hyde) have worked in our clinics helping individuals break free from pornography and many other addictions. There is always a choice when it comes to breaking free from addictive behaviors.</div></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjyFYsw5gT3IeMLGY?e=62JPoY">Your Brain and Masturbation</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By the RECLAIM Team - #R015 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>In the midst of the battle </b>with masturbation, struggling individuals don't usually </span><span style="color: #38761d;">stop to consider the brain science—why is masturbation so powerful, addictive, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and hard to stop? </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Masturbation triggers the brain into releasing a flood of internal chemicals like </span><span style="color: #38761d;">dopamine, endorphins, and serotonin. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>These natural "drugs" </b>can give a quick, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">temporary escape and relief from stress, insomnia, difficult emotions, and other </span><span style="color: #38761d;">struggles. Masturbation rapidly evolves into a "drug of choice" for instant </span><span style="color: #38761d;">pleasure, self-medication, and escape. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Contrary to the false claims of popular culture, masturbation is not a healthy </span><span style="color: #38761d;">outlet. RECLAiM will teach you the truth about masturbation—the brain science, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">underlying causes, and how to break free.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/whats-the-most-convincing-argument-against-porn-science-82029?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">What's the most convincing argument vs porn? Science.</a></span></b> <br />Mary Rezac San Francisco Mar 26, 2017 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>In 2013, Beyonce Knowles </b>topped GQ’s list of “The 100 Hottest Women of the 21st Century.” That same </span><span style="color: #38761d;">year, the “definitive men's magazine” that promises “sexy women” along with style advice, entertainment </span><span style="color: #38761d;">news and more ran a shorter listicle: “10 Reasons Why You Should Quit Watching Porn.” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The list included reasons such as increased sexual impotence in men that regularly viewed pornography, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and a reported lack of control of sexual desires. It was inspired by an interview with <b>NoFap, an online </b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>community </b>of people dedicated to holding each other accountable in abstaining from pornography and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">masturbation.The site clearly states that it is decidedly non-religious. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Matt Fradd, on the other hand, is a Catholic. Fradd has spent much of his adult life urging people to quit </span><span style="color: #38761d;">pornography, and developing websites and resources to help pornography addicts. But even though he’s </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Catholic, Fradd’s new anti-porn book, “The Porn Myth,” won’t quote the saints or the Bible or recommend </span><span style="color: #38761d;">a regimen of rosaries.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjx1zeirllPKYWOhQ?e=X4zKDc">Physical Effects of Masturbation</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">BY THE RECLAIM TEAM MEMBER—Dr. Bernell Christensen, PhD. - #R006 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>With repetition, your brain can learn</b> to prefer sexual fantasy and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">masturbation to real sexual intimacy with a real person. In fact, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">your brain's "arousal circuitry" can become so dominantly wired for </span><span style="color: #38761d;">"self-sex" that physical intimacy with a real person— your spouse—</span><span style="color: #38761d;">can become increasingly difficult and eventually virtually </span><span style="color: #38761d;">impossible. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Sexual Fantasy & Masturbation = Impotence</b> <span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;">In my clinic, I often work with individuals, both men and women, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">who suffer from sexual impotence. A common situation among </span><span style="color: #38761d;">men who engage in compulsive masturbation and sexual fantasy, is </span><span style="color: #38761d;">they have increasing difficulty becoming aroused by their partner.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjyBHArwTMMWNARjK?e=sgt3Pn">You Can Replace Masturbation With Healthy Outlets</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By the RECLAIM Team - #R012 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Through repetition over time, </b>the pleasure center of your brain has learned to escape to masturbation as one of its favorite outlets for self-medication. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Through RECLAIM, you will learn how to recognize your "triggers" early—the people, situations, and emotions that drive you to seek escape through masturbation. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">You will learn how to choose healthy pleasure outlets and literally "retrain" your brain so that masturbation ceases to be a problem in your life.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4qO4r02gsnwwHMHAA72lvLZFFlVt85PNT5Ye-mMWq1y6oDR2tiEFFOStc8XB7YfjgF8wsDG-tZU5L4Z8Nr4IRtXEfIJd74nqzsAebV8AmnRixqKKgAQz5vKwEXCkGqisKpA3x9fqfzln/s275/Married-life-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4qO4r02gsnwwHMHAA72lvLZFFlVt85PNT5Ye-mMWq1y6oDR2tiEFFOStc8XB7YfjgF8wsDG-tZU5L4Z8Nr4IRtXEfIJd74nqzsAebV8AmnRixqKKgAQz5vKwEXCkGqisKpA3x9fqfzln/s0/Married-life-2.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjx-V-Itn-gt61s-n?e=LHwkhd">You Have the Power to Change Your Own Brain</a></span></b> </span></div></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><div style="text-align: center;">By the RECLAIM Team—#R014 </div></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Way back in 1997, </b>Time Magazine published an article titled, "Addicted, Why do People Get Hooked?" It cites some of the "cutting-edge" research in the area of the "brain science" behind addiction. What amazed us is how far we have come in research and understanding since then. Not that what the article discussed has been proven wrong—quite the opposite. The science in the article was dead-on and has been well established and further developed since then.</div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6ennTPJ0kuThSeLLehFahTcg4B6QAGJLMELs43Wj7Gv7prxhhzoNE-7Z77_qdE2vGJqxzHzPY6VmQxnheAvTmpt3BFtPCjz1TzE2PyD9c7_IASBnn5kjUvPKTMdu1OMwkJ2-RO8v3bFV/s243/Daily-moments-14.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="243" data-original-width="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6ennTPJ0kuThSeLLehFahTcg4B6QAGJLMELs43Wj7Gv7prxhhzoNE-7Z77_qdE2vGJqxzHzPY6VmQxnheAvTmpt3BFtPCjz1TzE2PyD9c7_IASBnn5kjUvPKTMdu1OMwkJ2-RO8v3bFV/s0/Daily-moments-14.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.ncregister.com/features/creating-a-safe-haven-from-the-pornography-pandemic">Creating a ‘Safe Haven’ From the Pornography Pandemic</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">CULTURE OF LIFE - JAN. 22, 2018 - By Judy Roberts <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>On Feb. 17-18, </b>the Archdiocese of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">New Orleans will inaugurate a new program to alert parents, educators and clergy about the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">harm posed by explicitly sexual material and arm them with protective tools. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">NEW ORLEANS — When New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond heard within a week three tragic stories about </span><span style="color: #38761d;">pornography’s impact on people in his archdiocese, he knew it was time to seek divine direction. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“As I prayed about it, I said, ‘Okay, Lord, it’s a problem, but if I don’t do anything about it, it’s still a problem.’” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Archbishop Aymond responded by assembling a team that is developing a five-year pastoral plan to educate parents, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">educators and clergy about the threat pornography presents and to give them the tools to protect themselves and their </span><span style="color: #38761d;">families. The plan will be introduced to the faithful Feb. 17-18 with <b>“Safe Haven Sunday,”</b> a weekend set aside to address </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the issue within the context of the liturgy. Homilies and prayer petitions will deal with the pornography problem, and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">parishes will distribute the book Equipped: Smart Catholic Parenting in a Sexualized Culture, which tells about a free sevenday </span><span style="color: #38761d;">email program offering practical tips on creating safe digital environments in the home. Anyone can enroll in the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">program by texting the word “secure” to 66866.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/what-can-priests-practically-do-to-combat-the-porn-epidemic-44881?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">What can priests practically do to combat the porn epidemic?</a></span></b> <br />By Mary Rezac Washington D.C. Jun 14, 2017 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Online pornography </b>is one of the fastest growing addictions in the United States, on par with cocaine and gambling. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Once confined to the pages of a smuggled Playboy magazine, pornography can now be in the hands of anyone with a smartphone, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and is more prolific and anonymous than ever. PornHub, one of the world’s largest sites with porn video streaming, reports that it </span><span style="color: #38761d;">averages 75 million viewers per day, or about 2.4 million visitors per hour. <br /><b>In 2015 alone,</b> the number of hours streamed from the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">site was double the amount of time human beings have populated the Earth, according to TIME Magazine. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">And while pornography used to be a simpler problem for priests to address in the confessional – consecrate yourself to Mary, go to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">weekly adoration – the growing level of addiction makes it a much more complex problem for the Church to address. That’s why Fr. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Sean Kilcawley, the program directory and theological advisor for pornography ministry </span><b style="color: #38761d;"><span>👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://integrityrestored.com/"><b>Integrity Restored</b></a>, has started to put </span><span style="color: #38761d;">on intensive trainings for clergy, providing them resources and practical tips for how to address the growing crisis of pornography </span><span style="color: #38761d;">addiction.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjMNc_u4XT6g7NjW5M8IL10SuMTWSW3TH3WVthYfcG22CHRljqBWFubl7j_N00UfvMPXDQtQ9QCAxL5wSUJM31twD0SxLhL7ctiQGy1YPoV8Em2Bqc725BDsR1TBh2s8wCWKdJ41djU8T/s641/131004+Fr+G+speaking+in+Dom+Flevit.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="641" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXjMNc_u4XT6g7NjW5M8IL10SuMTWSW3TH3WVthYfcG22CHRljqBWFubl7j_N00UfvMPXDQtQ9QCAxL5wSUJM31twD0SxLhL7ctiQGy1YPoV8Em2Bqc725BDsR1TBh2s8wCWKdJ41djU8T/s320/131004+Fr+G+speaking+in+Dom+Flevit.JPG" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-39215807556543483402018-11-15T15:00:00.129-05:002023-02-05T18:55:01.439-05:00THE EFFECTS OF INDUCED ABORTION ON THE PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND RELATIONAL HEALTH OF WOMEN (AND MEN?)<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------<br /><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS16r1JzdmDjseH36GkwsTCfAMw2yEZthWUwP3zWZIGI-2vonwnEWls5RZfQ9PHrMHe-rUZIvi1pkGKD4-SKiOebC8unyvrWratbGNfgF27pTUStA1VyVa76BFgTChXLhZP3yeoEQ2rE7f/s296/Married-life-5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS16r1JzdmDjseH36GkwsTCfAMw2yEZthWUwP3zWZIGI-2vonwnEWls5RZfQ9PHrMHe-rUZIvi1pkGKD4-SKiOebC8unyvrWratbGNfgF27pTUStA1VyVa76BFgTChXLhZP3yeoEQ2rE7f/s0/Married-life-5.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">In considering abortion as an option, it is good to remember that</span> <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/this-pro-life-talk-at-googles-headquarters-was-a-hit-96758">LOVE UNLEASHES LIFE</a>.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <b><span style="color: #674ea7;">THE EFFECTS OF INDUCED ABORTION</span></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">PHYSICAL HEALTH</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">Induced abortion, whether chemical or surgical, is a trauma for the hormonal system, which is all geared for pregnancy, this when hormonal balance is an important basis of global health. The violence required to tear out and dismember the child in no way compares to spontaneous abortion, where the child dies of natural causes, and the link that unites the baby’s body to its mother’s is much weaker, not to say non-existent. The violence of induced abortion can easily cause lesions, scarring, perforations and hemorrhaging, all the way to generalized poisoning. All of the preceding can cause fertility problems, amongst other consequences. </span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">If full-term pregnancy represents too much of a threat to a woman’s life or health, then there will need to be recourse to Cesarean delivery. No need to take the child’s life.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">PSYCHOLOGICAL AND RELATIONAL HEALTH</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">However, even if there are no negative impacts from the abortion on a woman's physical health or fertility and ability to conceive again; the sheer violence of the induced abortion cannot do otherwise than at the very least give a woman pause to reconsider and experience regrets. </span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">One can expect normal feelings of loss and grief over a miscarried or stillborn child; however there would generally be little if any cause to feel guilty or responsible.</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">We cannot say the same for an induced abortion, which is a deliberate choice, decision, and act on the part of a woman and of the man, whether or not he supports her in the decision or abandons her to her own resources to make a decision about her pregnancy all on her own. </span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">The thousands of women registered in post-abortion healing programs throughout the world often report that induced abortion has left them frigid, cold, distant and aggressive, as well as depressed and even suicidal, many attempting in vain to drown their pain through substance abuse. Their couple was not able to resist this post-abortion syndrome. Many had recourse to induced abortion to try to save their relationship, but induced abortion ended up destroying it, as well as their capacity to start a new one.</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">Some have recourse to induced abortion in an attempt to dissimulate an affair. But women attest that keeping secrets, i.e. the affair and the abortion, are a heavy load to bear. They realize that the golden rule for family relations is indeed true: “The more secrets there are in a family, the more dysfunctional it becomes”. A secret is a weed that grows and spreads over time and that always ends up suffocating both the one keeping the secrets and the one secrets are kept from. Whether we like it or not, honesty will always be the best policy. But without secrets, soap operas could not last very long, could they?!</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">Revealing an affair is difficult, but hiding it, is even more difficult. If we do not feel ready to welcome this child as our own, then there will always be open, semi-open or closed adoption. Bringing a pregnancy to term is difficult, but bearing the physical and psychological consequences of induced abortion, is even more difficult. It is an illusion to think that seeking to divest oneself of the consequences of one’s actions can lead to happiness… It is also an illusion to think that going against nature and life is a good strategy for happiness and well-being.</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">An equally debilitating consequence of abortion is likely experienced by the men who were glad to be there for the fertilization - whether intended or not - but who at the first sign of "trouble" upon hearing the news that she is pregnant, "run for the hills" and abandon the woman, leaving her high and dry to face the consequences of her pregnancy alone, on her own, without his support or sympathy. The Creator designed woman, in her natural capacity to give life and nurture it, to be cherished and cared for, accompanied and supported by man. Whenever a man fails to rise to the occasion to "be there" for woman, he is profoundly diminished in his identity and self-worth. We can undoubtedly observe the negative consequences of "denatured men" in relation to many of our society's social ills and troubles. </span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">There do not appear to be many studies, if any, of the consequences experienced or suffered by men who participate actively or passively, by abandoning the woman, in procuring an induced abortion. </span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">Here follow a few glimpses of the kinds of research that has been done and continues to be done on these issues, which are of such importance and consequence for women, men, and society. </span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #674ea7;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </span></p><p><b><span style="color: #674ea7;">Please follow the links to go to the original sources of these published studies. </span></b></p><p><b><span style="color: #674ea7;"><span>Abortions happen in the lives of real people... apparently one in three women in the U.S.A. have had at least one abortion by age 45. Here are a few of the stories these women wanted to publish on the Internet....</span> </span><a href="https://nymag.com/news/features/abortion-stories-2013-11/">https://nymag.com/news/features/abortion-stories-2013-11/</a><br /><br /></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJAUdAQMu3XTjwhMbyljixAww0pQtf2ie9ZvhGA4GI08N958MVDOkOJNoXF_fW9oCr2CXhdA3k_OVLjxaJxJnGDKKR-ai1DldFfwAXNcojHIrjTO9agxcDqIKUjDXz6xoL0gE4o5qVq2p/s612/abortion-8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfJAUdAQMu3XTjwhMbyljixAww0pQtf2ie9ZvhGA4GI08N958MVDOkOJNoXF_fW9oCr2CXhdA3k_OVLjxaJxJnGDKKR-ai1DldFfwAXNcojHIrjTO9agxcDqIKUjDXz6xoL0gE4o5qVq2p/s320/abortion-8.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><p></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </p><p><b>NCBI Resources PMC US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health</b></p><div class="part1" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13.4792px;"><span role="menubar"><a aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6207970/#" role="menuitem" style="color: #642a8f;">SAGE Open Med.</a></span> 2018; 6: 2050312118807624.</div><div class="part2" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13.4792px;"><span class="fm-vol-iss-date">Published online 2018 Oct 29. </span><span class="doi" style="white-space: nowrap;">doi: <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F2050312118807624" ref="reftype=other&article-id=6207970&issue-id=304369&journal-id=2602&FROM=Article%7CFront%20Matter&TO=Content%20Provider%7CCrosslink%7CDOI" style="color: #642a8f;">10.1177/2050312118807624</a></span></div><div class="part2" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13.4792px;"><br /></div><div class="part2" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6207970/">The abortion and mental health controversy: A comprehensive literature review of common ground agreements, disagreements, actionable recommendations, and research opportunities</a></span></b></div><div class="part2" style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="part2" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Reardon%20DC%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=30397472">David C Reardon</a> </b></div><div class="part2" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="part2" style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #783f04;">Conclusion </span></b></div><div class="half_rhythm" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13.4792px; margin: 0.6923em 0px;"><div class="contrib-group fm-author"><p class="p p-first" id="__p273" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: 15.9991px; margin: 0.6923em 0px;">While there will continue to be differences of opinion between AMH minimalists and AMH proponents, there is sufficient common ground upon which to build future efforts to improve research and meaningful re-analyses. Common ground exists regarding the very basic fact that at least some women do have significant mental health issues that are caused, triggered, aggravated, or complicated by their abortion experience. In many cases, this may be due to feeling pressured into an abortion or choosing an abortion without sufficient attention to maternal desires or moral beliefs that may make it difficult to reconcile one’s choice with one’s self-identity.</p><p id="__p274" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: 15.9991px; margin: 0.6923em 0px;">There is also common ground regarding the fact that risk factors identifying women who are at greater risk, including a history of prior mental illness, can be used to identify women who may benefit from more pre-abortion and post-abortion counseling. Additional research regarding risk factors, and indicators identifying when abortion may be most likely to produce the benefits sought by women without negative consequences, can and should be conducted through major longitudinal prospective studies.</p><p class="p p-last" id="__p275" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: 15.9991px; margin: 0.6923em 0px;">Finally, there is common ground on the need for better research. That fact alone is a strong argument for mixed research teams, collaboration in the design of longitudinal studies available for analysis by any researcher (without ideological screenings), data sharing and more responsive cooperation in responding to requests for reanalysis. All of these steps will help to provide healthcare workers with more accurate information for screening, risk–benefits assessments, and for offering better care and information to women both before and after abortion and other reproductive events.</p></div></div><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </p><h1 data-v-2fddd636="" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "noto sans", Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.29em; margin: 0.2rem 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychiatric-bulletin/article/abortion-and-mental-health/33C1F97815738ADFD60A1EA04D5CB725"><span style="font-size: medium;">Abortion and mental health</span></a></h1><div class="row published-date" data-v-2fddd636="" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; font-family: "Noto Sans", sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; max-width: none; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: auto;"><p data-v-2fddd636="" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 1.42857rem; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">Published online by Cambridge University Press: <span data-v-2fddd636="" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">02 January 2018</span></p></div><h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "noto sans", Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="text" data-v-7a9bf6eb="" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #006fca; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="app-link app-link__text app-link--accent" data-v-7a9bf6eb="" data-v-cb5cf70a="" href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/search?filters%5BauthorTerms%5D=David%20M.%20Fergusson%20&eventCode=SE-AU" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #006fca; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.3s ease 0s; vertical-align: baseline;">David M. Fergusson</a></span></h2><h2 style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "noto sans", Helvetica, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: 1.4; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: small;">Summary</span></h2><div class="abstract-content" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="abstract" data-abstract-type="normal" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">A recent Royal College of Psychiatrists' statement concluded that current evidence on abortion and mental health is inconclusive. This contribution examines the background to the Royal College of Psychiatrists' statement and the issues it raises. It is concluded that the best route to resolving such issues is through further and better research.</p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>NCBI Resources PMC US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health</b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><ul class="page-breadcrumbs inline_list small" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6363em; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="journal-list" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8461em; margin-right: 0.3em;"><a class="navlink" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("//static.pubmed.gov/portal/portal3rc.fcgi/4160049/img/3848514") right center no-repeat; color: #642a8f; padding-right: 8px; text-decoration-line: none;">Journal List</a></li><li class="archive" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8461em; margin-right: 0.3em;"><a class="navlink" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/journals/1832/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("//static.pubmed.gov/portal/portal3rc.fcgi/4160049/img/3848514") right center no-repeat; color: #642a8f; padding-right: 8px; text-decoration-line: none;">Iran J Psychiatry</a></li><li class="issue-page" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8461em; margin-right: 0.3em;"><a class="navlink" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/issues/212079/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; background: url("//static.pubmed.gov/portal/portal3rc.fcgi/4160049/img/3848514") right center no-repeat; color: #642a8f; padding-right: 8px; text-decoration-line: none;">v.6(1); Winter 2011</a></li><li class="accid" style="display: inline; font-size: 0.8461em; margin-right: 0.3em;">PMC3395931</li><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; margin-right: 0.3em;"><li class="accid" style="display: inline; margin-right: 0.3em;"></li></span><li><span style="font-size: 11.4542px;"><a aria-expanded="false" aria-haspopup="true" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3395931/#" role="menuitem" style="color: #642a8f;">Iran J Psychiatry.</a><span style="font-size: 13.4792px;"> 2011 Winter; 6(1): 31–36.</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size: 11.4542px;"><span style="font-size: 13.4792px;"><h1 class="content-title" style="font-size: 1.5384em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.35em; margin: 1em 0px 0.5em;"><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3395931/">Psychological Consequences of Abortion among the Post Abortion Care Seeking Women in Tehran</a></h1><div class="half_rhythm" style="font-size: 13.4792px; margin: 0.6923em 0px;"><div class="contrib-group fm-author"><a class="affpopup" co-class="co-affbox" co-rid="_co_idm140596901914256" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Pourreza%20A%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=22952518" style="color: #642a8f; white-space: nowrap;">Abolghasem Pourreza</a>, PhD<span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">1</span> and <a class="affpopup" co-class="co-affbox" co-rid="_co_idm140596907989440" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Batebi%20A%5BAuthor%5D&cauthor=true&cauthor_uid=22952518" style="color: #642a8f; white-space: nowrap;">Aziz Batebi</a>, MD<span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="corresponding author" src="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/corehtml/pmc/pmcgifs/corrauth.gif" style="border: 0px; max-width: 100%;" /></span><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;">2</span></div></div></span></span></li><li><div class="contrib-group fm-author"><span style="font-size: 0.8461em; line-height: 1.6363em; position: relative; top: -0.5em; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 class="head no_bottom_margin ui-helper-clearfix" id="idm140596902644032title" style="border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(151, 176, 200); color: #985735; font-size: 1.125em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.1111em; margin: 1.125em 0px 0px; min-height: 0px;">Abstract</h2><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman", stixgeneral, serif; font-size: 15.9991px;"><div class="sec sec-first" id="st1" style="clear: both;"><h3 id="st1title" style="color: #724128; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.25em; margin: 1.2856em 0px 0.6428em;">Objective</h3><p class="p p-first-last" id="__p1" style="margin: 0.6923em 0px;">Abortion either medical or criminal has distinctive physical, social, and psychological side effects. Detecting types and frequent psychological side effects of abortion among post abortion care seeking women in Tehran was the main objective of the present study.</p></div><div class="sec" id="st2" style="clear: both;"><h3 id="st2title" style="color: #724128; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.25em; margin: 1.2856em 0px 0.6428em;">Method</h3><p class="p p-first-last" id="__p2" style="margin: 0.6923em 0px;">278 women of reproductive age (15-49) interviewed as study population. Response rate was 93/8. Data collected through a questionnaire with 2 parts meeting broad socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and health- related abortion consequences. Tehran hospitals were the site of study.</p></div><div class="sec" id="st3" style="clear: both;"><h3 id="st3title" style="color: #724128; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.25em; margin: 1.2856em 0px 0.6428em;">Results</h3><p class="p p-first-last" id="__p3" style="margin: 0.6923em 0px;">The results revealed that at least one-third of the respondents have experienced psychological side effects. Depression, worrying about not being able to conceive again and abnormal eating behaviors were reported as dominant psychological consequences of abortion among the respondents. Decreased self-esteem, nightmare, guilt, and regret with 43.7%, 39.5%, 37.5%, and 33.3% prevalence rates have been placed in the lower status, respectively.</p></div><div class="sec sec-last" id="st4" style="clear: both;"><h3 id="st4title" style="color: #724128; font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 1em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.25em; margin: 1.2856em 0px 0.6428em;">Conclusion</h3><p class="p p-first-last" id="__p4" style="margin: 0.6923em 0px;">Psychological consequences of abortion have considerably been neglected. Several barriers made findings limited. Different types of psychological side effects, however, experienced by the study population require more intensive attention because of chronic characteristic of psychological disorders, and women's health impact on family and population health.</p></div></div></span></div></li></ul></div><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - <br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></p><h1 class="article-title" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-family: "Gotham SSm A", "Gotham SSm B", "Proxima Nova", sans-serif; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 1.33333rem; text-align: start;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;">GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE</span><br /><a href="https://www.guttmacher.org/gpr/2006/08/abortion-and-mental-health-myths-and-realities#"><span style="font-size: small;">Abortion and Mental Health: Myths and Realities</span></a><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Susan A. Cohen</span></h1><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Gotham Narrow SSm A", "Gotham Narrow SSm B", "Lucinda Grande", sans-serif" style="font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">First published online: </span><span class="date-display-single" content="2006-08-01T16:59:00-04:00" datatype="xsd:dateTime" face=""Gotham Narrow SSm A", "Gotham Narrow SSm B", "Lucinda Grande", sans-serif" property="dc:date" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: start;">August 1, 2006<br /><br /></span></p><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; line-height: 1.125; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: start; text-transform: uppercase;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">HELPING WOMEN COPE AFTER HAVING AN ABORTION</span></h2><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; margin: 0.66667rem 0px 0.83333rem; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To be sure, it is not unusual for a woman to experience a range of often contradictory emotions after having an abortion, just as it would not be unusual for a woman who carried her unintended pregnancy to term. It was not until recently, however, that a specialized organization was formed with the purpose to provide postabortion counseling in a nonjudgmental context. Founded in 2000 in Oakland, California, Exhale operates a national telephone hotline by which trained, volunteer peer counselors help women who have had abortions, as well as their partners and families, talk through their feelings, immediately after an abortion or even years later.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;"><span class="date-display-single" content="2006-08-01T16:59:00-04:00" datatype="xsd:dateTime" property="dc:date" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: start;"></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; margin: 0.83333rem 0px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Exhale “believe[s] there is no ‘right’ way to feel after an abortion. We also know that feelings of happiness, sadness, empowerment, anxiety, grief, relief or guilt are common.” Executive Director Aspen Baker suggests that giving women an outlet for discussing their feelings—whatever they may be—is a healthy part of the process toward emotional well-being. Baker has observed that a woman’s negative emotions after an abortion may be due, at least in part, to the reaction of her partner or to those of family members, who might condemn or exclude her for having an abortion or for becoming pregnant to begin with. Exhale is helping to remove the stigma surrounding having an abortion, so that women and their support networks are better equipped to cope with their feelings—an essential part of the process that until recently may not have received as much attention as it deserves.</span></p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </p><h1 class="c-article-title" data-article-title="" data-test="article-title" itemprop="name headline" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #1b3051; font-family: Europa, "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px 0px 16px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1741-7015-3-18">The course of mental health after miscarriage and induced abortion: a longitudinal, five-year follow-up study</a></span></h1><ul class="c-author-list js-etal-collapsed js-no-scroll" data-component-authors-activator="authors-list" data-etal-small="3" data-etal="25" data-test="authors-list" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; list-style: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; width: 746.469px;"><span><li class="c-author-list__item" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><span itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a aria-expanded="false" data-author-popup="auth-Anne_Nordal-Broen" data-corresp-id="c1" data-test="author-name" data-track-action="open author" data-track-label="link" data-track="click" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #8e2555; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto;">Anne Nordal Broen<svg class="u-icon" height="16" width="16"><use xlink:href="#global-icon-email" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"></use></svg></a></span>, </li><li class="c-author-list__item" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><span itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a aria-expanded="false" data-author-popup="auth-Torbj_rn-Moum" data-test="author-name" data-track-action="open author" data-track-label="link" data-track="click" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #8e2555; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto;">Torbjørn Moum</a></span>, </li><li class="c-author-list__item js-smaller-author-etal" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><span itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a aria-expanded="false" data-author-popup="auth-Anne_Sejersted-B_dtker" data-test="author-name" data-track-action="open author" data-track-label="link" data-track="click" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #8e2555; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto;">Anne Sejersted Bødtker</a></span> & </li><li class="c-author-list__item" itemprop="author" itemscope="itemscope" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" style="box-sizing: inherit; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px;"><span itemprop="name" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><a aria-expanded="false" data-author-popup="auth-_ivind-Ekeberg" data-test="author-name" data-track-action="open author" data-track-label="link" data-track="click" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #8e2555; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto;">Øivind Ekeberg</a></span> </li></span></ul><p class="c-article-info-details" data-container-section="info" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen-Sans, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", sans-serif; margin: 16px 0px 8px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;"><span><a data-test="journal-link" href="https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #8e2555; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto;"><i data-test="journal-title" style="box-sizing: inherit;">BMC Medicine</i></a> <span data-test="journal-volume" style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bolder;"><span class="u-visually-hidden" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: inherit; clip: rect(0px, 0px, 0px, 0px); height: 1px; margin: -1626px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; width: 1px;">volume</span> 3</span>, Article number: <span data-test="article-number" style="box-sizing: inherit;">18</span> (<span data-test="article-publication-year" style="box-sizing: inherit;">2005</span>) <br /><br /></span></p><h2 class="c-article-section__title js-section-title js-c-reading-companion-sections-item" id="Abs1" style="border-bottom: 2px solid rgb(213, 213, 213); box-sizing: inherit; color: #1b3051; font-family: Europa, "Trebuchet MS"; line-height: 1.24; margin-bottom: 0.5em; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Abstract</span></h2><div class="c-article-section__content" id="Abs1-content" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: start;"><h3 class="c-article__sub-heading" data-test="abstract-sub-heading" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; line-height: 1.24; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Background</span></h3><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Miscarriage and induced abortion are life events that can potentially cause mental distress. The objective of this study was to determine whether there are differences in the patterns of normalization of mental health scores after these two pregnancy termination events.</span></p><h3 class="c-article__sub-heading" data-test="abstract-sub-heading" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; line-height: 1.24; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Methods</span></h3><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Forty women who experienced miscarriages and 80 women who underwent abortions at the main hospital of Buskerud County in Norway were interviewed. All subjects completed the following questionnaires 10 days (T1), six months (T2), two years (T3) and five years (T4) after the pregnancy termination: Impact of Event Scale (IES), Quality of Life, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and another addressing their feelings about the pregnancy termination. Differential changes in mean scores were determined by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and inter-group differences were assessed by ordinary least squares methods.</span></p><h3 class="c-article__sub-heading" data-test="abstract-sub-heading" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; line-height: 1.24; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Results</span></h3><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Women who had experienced a miscarriage had more mental distress at 10 days and six months after the pregnancy termination than women who had undergone an abortion. However, women who had had a miscarriage exhibited significantly quicker improvement on IES scores for avoidance, grief, loss, guilt and anger throughout the observation period. Women who experienced induced abortion had significantly greater IES scores for avoidance and for the feelings of guilt, shame and relief than the miscarriage group at two and five years after the pregnancy termination (IES avoidance means: 3.2 vs 9.3 at T3, respectively, p < 0.001; 1.5 vs 8.3 at T4, respectively, p < 0.001). Compared with the general population, women who had undergone induced abortion had significantly higher HADS anxiety scores at all four interviews (p < 0.01 to p < 0.001), while women who had had a miscarriage had significantly higher anxiety scores only at T1 (p < 0.01).</span></p><h3 class="c-article__sub-heading" data-test="abstract-sub-heading" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; line-height: 1.24; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Conclusion</span></h3><p style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 1.5em; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The course of psychological responses to miscarriage and abortion differed during the five-year period after the event. Women who had undergone an abortion exhibited higher scores during the follow-up period for some outcomes. The difference in the courses of responses may partly result from the different characteristics of the two pregnancy termination events.</span></p></div><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </p><p style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;"><b><a href="https://epublications.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3756&context=lnq">The Linacre Quarterly</a> </b>Volume 72 | Number 1 Article <b>9 February 2005</b> Long-Term Physical and Psychological Health Consequences of Induced Abortion: A Review of the Evidence John M. Thorp Katherine E. Hartmann Elizabeth Shadigan</p><p style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Given the central role that abortion has played in the lives of women over the past thirty years, we are distressed by the lack of term-term, welldone research designed to understand the sequelae. A clear and overwhelming need exists for a large epidemiologic, cohort study of women with an unintended or crisis pregnancy. Follow-up across participants' lifetimes with careful measurement of other pertinent exposures would dramatically advance knowledge. Until such an investigation is invested in, women are making important health decisions with incomplete information. A commitment to such research would seem to us to be morally neutral common ground upon which both sides of the abortion/choice debate would agree is critical. </p><p style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; text-rendering: optimizelegibility; vertical-align: baseline;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </p><pre style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 18px; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CHRG-108shrg21303/html/CHRG-108shrg21303.htm"><b>THE IMPACT OF ABORTION ON WOMEN</b></a></pre><pre style="text-align: start;"><pre><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">HEARING before the SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SPACE</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">of the COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION UNITED</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">MARCH 3, 2004
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: start;">
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: start;">21-303 PDF </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; text-align: start;">WASHINGTON : 2016</span></div></span></div><div style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div></pre></pre><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></b><p style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-14250377572631025772018-10-10T18:16:00.012-04:002023-02-05T18:55:45.198-05:00Pope Francis: Abortion is like hiring a hitman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: large;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-abortion-is-like-hiring-a-hitman-89828">Pope Francis: Abortion is like hiring a hitman</a></span></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">
By </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/105251696889537747149?rel=author" target="_blank"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Courtney
Grogan</span></a><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">
Vatican City, </span><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-abortion-is-like-hiring-a-hitman-89828">Oct 10, 2018</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiv8brAbMgz-ZEGZVyvAeVy9_oqFJ1g5uDetXXv7YqoY6XNzGRHBSKN6BmpHSpRG0G_fEmzEp9FOWnThGM9xnX3H5m91pkftDIICJWBoPqn3EM6duu1r25a4KvFbOegZwKFLnuMfgkJ7xp/s760/Pope-Francis-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiv8brAbMgz-ZEGZVyvAeVy9_oqFJ1g5uDetXXv7YqoY6XNzGRHBSKN6BmpHSpRG0G_fEmzEp9FOWnThGM9xnX3H5m91pkftDIICJWBoPqn3EM6duu1r25a4KvFbOegZwKFLnuMfgkJ7xp/s320/Pope-Francis-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><i><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Pope Francis kisses a child at the general
audience on Oct. 10. Credit: Daniel Ibanez.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
his general audience Wednesday, Pope Francis said that abortion “suppresses
innocent and helpless life in its blossoming.”<br />
<br />
“Is it right to take a human life to solve a problem? It's like hiring a
hitman,” Pope Francis said in St. Peter’s Square Oct. 10, in a departure from
his prepared remarks.<br />
<br />
“Violence and the rejection of life are born from fear,” the pope added.<br />
<br />
For this reason, parents who learn that their unborn child will have a
disability need “real closeness, true solidarity to face reality; overcoming
understandable fears,” he explained.<br />
<br />
Pope Francis lamented that parents receiving a difficult prenatal diagnosis
often “receive hasty advice to stop the pregnancy.”<br />
<br />
It is contradictory to suppress “human life in the womb in the name of
safeguarding other rights,” the pope insisted.<br />
<br />
“How can an act that suppresses innocent and helpless life in its blossoming be
therapeutic, civil, or simply human?”<br />
<br />
The pope’s remarks on abortion came during a reflection on the fifth
commandment, “Thou shall not kill.” In recent weeks, the pope has dedicated his
weekly general audiences to a series of lesson and reflections on the Ten
Commandments recorded in the scriptural books of Exodus and Deuteronomy.<br />
<br />
“One could say that all the evil done in the world is summarized in this:
contempt for life,” Pope Francis told the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s
Square.<br />
<br />
“What leads man to reject life? They are the idols of this world: money, power,
success. These are incorrect parameters to evaluate life. The only authentic
measure of life is love, the love with which God loves it!”<br />
<br />
The positive meaning of the fifth commandment is that “God is a lover of life,”
he continued.<br />
<br />
“In every sick child, in every weak old man, in every desperate migrant, in
every fragile and threatened life, Christ is looking for us, he is looking for
our heart, to disclose the joy of love. It is worthwhile to accept every life
because every man is worth the blood of Christ. We can not despise what God so
loved!” Pope Francis said.<br />
<br />
While a sick child or an elderly person who needs assistance can be viewed as a
burden, this can actually be “a gift from God,” explained the pope. This
vulnerable life can “pull me out of self-centeredness and make me grow in
love.”</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-29999357450178460072018-09-30T11:29:00.048-04:002023-02-05T17:51:00.044-05:00L'AVORTEMENT PROVOQUÉ ET LA CONTRACEPTION - LES EFFETS / THE EFFECTS OF ABORTION AND CONTRACEPTION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #242424; font-family: "Dancing Script Bold"; text-align: center; white-space: pre-line;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5Cd5WIFpH0O41j2xUB0xWE5OelB_tl2MORLXG5OO7Jteq6174Z1jimzHeqLh8G9c7p03AGOEC5d3VE7tIupOX9MODwrE7l3eyD807VhyWlf38NyfIod4TpKOhxQ3yOmV2sNdWHW8Hsm7/s1450/NFP-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1338" data-original-width="1450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt5Cd5WIFpH0O41j2xUB0xWE5OelB_tl2MORLXG5OO7Jteq6174Z1jimzHeqLh8G9c7p03AGOEC5d3VE7tIupOX9MODwrE7l3eyD807VhyWlf38NyfIod4TpKOhxQ3yOmV2sNdWHW8Hsm7/s320/NFP-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;">Droit de savoir -<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Dancing Script Bold"; text-align: center; white-space: pre-line;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #674ea7; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Dancing Script Bold"; white-space: pre-line;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Dancing Script Bold"; white-space: pre-line;">Avortement et contraception / </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Dancing Script Bold"; white-space: pre-line;"><span>Abortion and contraception - </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Dancing Script Bold"; white-space: pre-line;"><span>Right to Know</span></span></span></div></span><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">LES EFFETS DE L’AVORTEMENT PROVOQUÉ</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">SANTÉ PHYSIQUE</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">L’avortement provoqué, par voie chimique ou chirurgicale, est un traumatisme pour le système hormonal, qui lui, est tout orienté vers la grossesse. Or, l’équilibre hormonal est un fondement important de la santé globale. La violence requise pour arracher et démembrer le bébé ne se compare aucunement à un avortement spontané, dans lequel cas le bébé meurt de causes naturelles, et le lien qui unit le bébé au corps de sa mère est alors beaucoup plus faible, pour ne pas dire inexistant. La violence de l’avortement provoqué peut facilement causer lésions, cicatrices, perforations, hémorragies et infections, lesquelles peuvent aller jusqu’ à l’empoisonnement généralisé. Voilà qui peut poser problème pour la fécondité ultérieure, entre autres. Si le fait de mener une grossesse à terme pose problème pour la santé d’une femme, il y aura toujours la possibilité de césarienne. Nul besoin d’enlever la vie à l’enfant pour autant.</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">SANTÉ PSYCHOLOGIQUE ET RELATIONNELLE</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">Les milliers de femmes qui ont subi l’avortement provoqué et qui sont inscrites dans les programmes de guérison post-avortement témoignent souvent que l’avortement les a laissées frigides, froides, distantes et agressives, en plus d’être déprimées et même suicidaires, plusieurs tentant en vain de noyer le mal par l’abus de substances de toutes sortes. Leur relation amoureuse n’a pas pu résister à ce syndrome post-traumatique. Elles avaient, pour plusieurs, recouru à l’avortement pour sauver leur relation, mais l’avortement a fini par la détruire, ainsi que leur capacité d’en nouer une nouvelle.</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">Il peut arriver qu’on ait recours à l’avortement pour tenter de dissimuler une liaison extra-conjugale. Mais les femmes témoignent que le secret, tant de la liaison que de l’avortement, est lourd à porter. Elles se rendent compte que la règle d’or en matière de relations familiales est bel et bien exacte : « Plus il y a de secrets dans une famille, plus celle-ci est dysfonctionnelle. » Un secret, c’est une mauvaise herbe qui ne fait que grandir avec le temps et qui finit toujours par étouffer tant ceux qui le cachent que ceux de qui il est caché. Qu’on le veuille ou non, l’honnêteté sera toujours la meilleure option (« Honesty is the best policy »). Mais sans les secrets, les romans savons ne pourraient pas perdurer, n’est-ce pas ?!</span></p><p><span style="color: #674ea7;">Révéler une aventure, c’est difficile, mais la cacher, ça l’est encore plus. Si on ne se sent pas prêt à accueillir cet enfant comme le sien, alors il y aura toujours l’adoption, ouverte, semi-ouverte ou fermée. Mener une grossesse à terme, c’est difficile, mais porter les séquelles physiques et psychologiques de l’avortement provoqué, ça l’est encore plus. Il est illusoire de penser que de chercher à se déresponsabiliser des conséquences de ses actes puisse mener au bonheur… Il est aussi illusoire de penser que le fait d’aller contre la vie et la nature soit une bonne stratégie de bonheur et de bien-être.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-549216263708008622018-09-08T20:37:00.018-04:002023-02-05T18:56:41.016-05:00Archbishop Lépine: No refuge in the Church for sex assault perpetrators & "BREAKING THE SILENCE" - Claude Ryan Lecture, Newman Centre, McGill University<div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div></div><p><b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/archbishop-lepine-no-refuge-in-the-church-for-sex-assault-perpetrators?refcon"></a></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwANjBqsQ5lK0MHX?e=sN4BsW">BREAKING THE SILENCE ABOUT CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE: PROMOTING SAFER PLACES FOR OUR CHILDREN TO GROW </a>- Claude Ryan Lecture at Newman Centre, McGill University, February 12th, 2015 by Dr. Delphine Collin-Vezina, Director, Centre for Research on Children and Families, Tier II Canada Reserach Chair in Child Welfare, Associate Professor, McGill University<br /><b></b></b><div><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Archbishop Lépine: No refuge in the Church for sex assault perpetrators – </b><span lang="EN-US">"Under my leadership, the
Archdiocese of Montreal ... wish to contribute humbly to the process of
justice and healing."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YxVb8D4NqilBVyE1562Rx2q277-5dxk-TWMhan9TN1pkrovrAmoH1-uR-6VsfzWmCKUCMFd7G97z5lVKtv7VX4_N7bdoPURb3AzlWcV5HJ-hwi5JJxnoSehCKOOCOrP83i8QbSGt6zOn/s1038/Christian-Lepine-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="878" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YxVb8D4NqilBVyE1562Rx2q277-5dxk-TWMhan9TN1pkrovrAmoH1-uR-6VsfzWmCKUCMFd7G97z5lVKtv7VX4_N7bdoPURb3AzlWcV5HJ-hwi5JJxnoSehCKOOCOrP83i8QbSGt6zOn/s320/Christian-Lepine-1.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; text-align: left; text-transform: uppercase;"><b>CHRISTIAN LÉPINE, SPECIAL TO MONTREAL GAZETTE </b><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><b> </b> </span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; text-align: left;">Updated: </span><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US; text-align: left;"><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/archbishop-lepine-no-refuge-in-the-church-for-sex-assault-perpetrators?refcon">September 8, 2018</a></span></div><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.45pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No one can
remain indifferent to the turmoil experienced by the victims of sexual abuse at
the hands of some members of the Catholic clergy during past decades. On this
continent and elsewhere, reports related to abuse and cover-ups have
multiplied, hurting us all, irrespective of our faith or our belief.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.45pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As archbishop, the impact of these
scandals weighs heavily upon me, all the more because this abuse was committed
mainly by men in positions of moral authority who pledged to live according to
the high standards set out in the Gospel. Such a situation arising within the
Church understandably undermines the faith of sincere believers and erodes
public trust in this institution.<br />
<br />
In expressing his shame and pain recently, Pope Francis is showing us the way
forward. The Holy Father states that “looking back to the past, no effort to
beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient.” He,
therefore, is calling upon the bishops, the priests and all Catholics to make
every effort to ensure not only that such incidents never happen again, but
also that they are never concealed, by anyone.<br />
<br />
Acknowledging that sexual assault is both a grave moral aberration and a crime,
we must take decisive action to ensure that sexual aggressors do not use the
Church as a refuge where they can operate secretly, thinking they are sheltered
from both civil and Church justice.<br />
<br />
We must, therefore, put words into action, beginning by accompanying victims,
with the utmost care, assisting them both in their personal journey and in
approaching law enforcement authorities. But in addition to the pursuit of
justice, we must unequivocally send out a clear message that we will never
accept that such crimes could be committed and remain concealed.<br />
<br />
It is deeply sad to note that, for far too long, the Church hierarchy had
failed to prevent sexual abuse and to address and rectify the known abuses
quickly and effectively. That is why, more than two decades ago, the Catholic
Church of Canada voted to condemn such reprehensible acts and take concrete
action. National guidelines for the protection of minors were put in place
across the country. And as was announced in a statement Aug. 20 by the Canadian
Conference of Catholic Bishops, “This fall, the Canadian Conference of Catholic
Bishops will launch updated and expanded guidelines promoting the safeguarding
of minors and increasing accountability and transparency within Church
leadership.”<br />
<br />
Throughout Canada, bishops are earnestly dealing with the issue. In
Montreal, we had already established a Department for Responsible Pastoral
Ministry to ensure a safe, responsible and healthy environment within the
archdiocese. This has led us to adopt a strict policy regarding abusive
behaviour, whether physical, psychological or sexual.<br />
<br />
Under my leadership, the Archdiocese of Montreal is determined to get to
the bottom of things in the search for truth, and we renew our commitment to
ensure that each and every person who calls upon us is received with compassion
and respect, and guided, accordingly, to the appropriate authorities. We wish
to contribute humbly to the process of justice and healing.<br />
<br />
In this respect, we will abide by the words of Jesus: “For everyone who asks
receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be
opened.” (Matthew 7:8)<br />
<br />
</span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "inherit",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Christian Lépine is Roman Catholic archbishop of Montreal.</span></i><span face=""Arial",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/archbishop-lepine-no-refuge-in-the-church-for-sex-assault-perpetrators">https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/archbishop-lepine-no-refuge-in-the-church-for-sex-assault-perpetrators</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;">------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;">Abus sexuels dans l'Église catholique – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Lettre
ouverte de l'archevêque de Montréal: Une douleur entendue</span></b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><a href="http://presence-info.ca/auteurs/presence-information-religieuse"><span lang="FR-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;">Présence information religieuse</span></a><span lang="FR-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><a href="http://presence-info.ca/article/eglises/article/lettre-ouverte/lettre-ouverte-de-l-archeveque-de-montreal-une-douleur-entendue"><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2018-09-10</span></i></a><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: #9c9c9c; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
</span></i><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Québec</span></i><span lang="FR-CA" style="mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />
<!--[endif]--></span><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="right" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: right;"><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: black; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">L'archevêque de
Montréal, Christian Lépine, se prononce sur l'actuelle crise entourant les abus
sexuels dans l'Église. (Archives Présence/François Gloutnay)</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 25.7pt;"><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">*Présence publie des documents et
des lettres ouvertes en lien avec l'actualité. Voici une lettre que
l'archevêque de Montréal, Mgr Christian Lépine, a acheminée au quotidien The
Gazette et à lapresse.ca.<br />
</span></i><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-size: 9pt; letter-spacing: 0.35pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Une douleur entendue</b><br />
<br />
</span></i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nul
ne peut être indifférent à l’épreuve qu’ont traversée les victimes de certains
membres du clergé catholique ces dernières décennies. Ici comme ailleurs, des
témoignages d’abus se sont multipliés et nous affligent tous, quelle que soit
notre foi.<br />
<br />
Comme archevêque, j’y vois un scandale d’autant plus grand que les agressions
commises l’ont été principalement par des hommes en position d’autorité morale
qui se devaient de vivre selon les plus hautes vertus évangéliques. On comprend
qu’une telle situation dans l’Église ébranle la foi des croyants sincères et
entache la confiance des citoyens envers notre institution.<br />
<br />
En exprimant récemment sa honte et sa douleur, le pape François nous trace le
chemin à suivre. Le Saint-Père affirme que «considérant le passé, ce que l’on
peut faire pour demander pardon et réparation du dommage causé ne sera jamais
suffisant». Il invite donc les évêques, les prêtres et l’ensemble des fidèles à
tout mettre en œuvre pour que non seulement de telles situations ne se
reproduisent plus jamais, mais aussi pour qu’elles ne puissent être dissimulées
par qui que ce soit.<br />
<br />
</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: #24274c; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Faire la vérité</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Partant du fait que les agressions sexuelles sont des fautes morales très
graves et des crimes, nous devons jouer un rôle actif pour que les agresseurs
ne trouvent pas refuge dans notre Église pour opérer dans le secret et penser
s’y mettre à l’abri de la justice ecclésiale et civile.<br />
<br />
Il faut donc passer de la parole au geste, en commençant par accompagner avec
le plus grand soin une victime, dans son cheminement et ses démarches auprès
des autorités policières. Mais au-delà de cette quête de justice, nous
soutenons le message clair que nous n’accepterons jamais que de tels crimes
soient commis et restent dans l’ombre.<br />
<br />
Il est navrant de constater que, trop souvent, la hiérarchie ecclésiale n’a pas
su prévenir les agressions et en rectifier rapidement et efficacement les dérives.
C’est pourquoi, il y a plus de deux décennies, l’Église canadienne s’est
prononcée pour condamner les actes répréhensibles et prendre des mesures
concrètes. Des lignes directrices nationales pour la protection des personnes
mineures avaient alors été mises en place. «Cet automne, la Conférence des
évêques catholiques du Canada lancera une édition mise à jour et enrichie de
ces lignes directrices afin de promouvoir la protection des personnes mineures
et d’accroître la responsabilisation et la transparence chez les responsables
de l’Église.»<br />
<br />
</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: #24274c; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Prévenir</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Partout au pays, les évêques prennent la question très au sérieux. Ainsi, à
Montréal,, nous avons mis sur pied un service diocésain de pastorale
responsable visant à assurer un environnement sain et sécuritaire au sein de
l’archidiocèse. Cela nous a amenés à nous doter d’une politique stricte en
matière de comportements abusifs de nature physique, psychologique ou sexuelle.<br />
<br />
Sous ma direction, l’archidiocèse de Montréal veut aller au fond des choses
dans la recherche de la vérité et renouvèle son engagement à ce que toute
personne qui fait appel à nous soit accueillie avec compassion et respect puis
guidée vers les autorités compétentes. Nous souhaitons ainsi contribuer
humblement au processus de justice et de guérison.<br />
<br />
En cela, nous nous conformerons aux paroles de Jésus : «Car quiconque demande
reçoit, celui qui cherche trouve, et l'on ouvre à celui qui frappe» (Matthieu
7, 8).<br />
<br />
<b><i>Mgr Christian Lépine<br />
Archevêque de Montréal<br />
<br /></i></b></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><i><a href="http://presence-info.ca/article/eglises/article/lettre-ouverte/lettre-ouverte-de-l-archeveque-de-montreal-une-douleur-entendue" style="font-size: 9pt;">http://presence-info.ca/article/eglises/article/lettre-ouverte/lettre-ouverte-de-l-archeveque-de-montreal-une-douleur-entendue</a></i></b></span></div><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="FR-CA" style="color: black; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><i>
</i></b></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div><p></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-12265017955640058492018-08-16T21:54:00.011-04:002023-02-05T18:57:22.055-05:00Where is Jesus in the midst of the Church's sex abuse crisis?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #2c5164; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">Where
is Jesus in the midst of the Church's sex abuse crisis?</span></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;">
By </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/105251696889537747149?rel=author" target="_blank"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Courtney
Grogan</span></a><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"> Washington D.C., </span><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/where-is-jesus-in-the-midst-of-the-churchs-sex-abuse-crisis-78081">Aug 16, 2018</a> </span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-D8JXKwzfhJoL-8x70GjHgGitKELGLtZdisC3JvZ1tfymPBs02fLeFNTPPT7jsy5Me5uNwqlDrHmvs618yyDdcvxtkXdfbs0Z0Y7OzNzBMLrJOHWa07YPxAtZ85rXxwaott6EP0-9zLp/s760/Crucifix-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-D8JXKwzfhJoL-8x70GjHgGitKELGLtZdisC3JvZ1tfymPBs02fLeFNTPPT7jsy5Me5uNwqlDrHmvs618yyDdcvxtkXdfbs0Z0Y7OzNzBMLrJOHWa07YPxAtZ85rXxwaott6EP0-9zLp/s320/Crucifix-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 9pt;">Crucifix. Credit: Lucia Ballester/CNA.</span></i></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal;"><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fr.
Thomas Berg is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, a former Legionary of
Christ, and professor of moral theology, vice rector, and director of
admissions at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie, NY. He is author
of </span></i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hurting-Church-Forward-Wounded-Catholics/dp/1681920441?tag=firstthings20-20"><b><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Hurting in the Church: A Way Forward
for Wounded Catholics.</span></i></b></a><i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> He spoke recently with CNA’s
Courtney Grogan about the challenges Catholics face amid the Church’s sexual
abuse and misconduct scandals. The interview is below, edited for clarity and
length.</span></i><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">With
everything that has been coming out in the news recently about sexual abuse in
the Church, how do you think that your book, “Hurting in the Church: A Way
Forward for Wounded Catholics,” could be helpful?</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the wake of the
McCarrick scandal and ongoing revelations of priest sexual abuse, a very common
reaction is one of betrayal. That's what I have heard a lot of from persons who
have reached out to me, especially persons who for years have collaborated with
bishops, worked in chanceries, worked for bishops, collaborated in apostolates,
have headed-up bishop’s capital campaigns, have been donors and so on. Part of
the very common experience is this raw emotional wound of betrayal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Much of my book speaks
directly to that experience. That's where I really hope that persons who are
going through that betrayal, profound discouragement, disappointment, the
bewilderment of the moral failures of bishops, who either failed to report what
they should have reported or did not act on what was reported to them. That is
scandalous and that opens up a wound of betrayal really in the whole mystical
body. I very much believe that the book can, hopefully, point to where is the
good news in this -- Where is the hope in this? Where is Jesus in the midst of
this crisis?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Where
is Jesus in the midst of this crisis?</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jesus is the healer of
wounds, and Jesus does not leave the members of his mystical body without
healing when we seek it. We are in the midst of a massive crisis,
notwithstanding some resistance to that idea by some of our prelates. And those
wounds are opened up. This is where not only can Jesus bring healing, but he
can also use that experience of woundedness, whether that is personally or
institutionally or spiritually as the body of Christ. He uses those wounds to
bring greater good, to bring grace and healing to His Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Part of what I do in the
book is just to reflect, often with these individuals [victims of abuse] and
sometimes in their own words, on this mystery that the Jesus who comes into
this experience is Jesus who appeared with his glorious wounds. The wounds were
still there. The wounds are mystically important and we can unite our wounds to
Jesus and allow him to unite those in a mystical way, in a redemptive way to
His redemptive work.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, where is Jesus in
all of this? Jesus is continuing in the midst of our brokenness, in the midst
of the utter moral failures of our pastors, in the midst of our own sinfulness
and brokenness. The risen Good Shepherd comes with his glorious wounds by which
he intends to bring about healing in his Church and to bring about a much
greater good and a much more glorious future precisely in and through the
tragedies that we are experiencing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We will also experience
this in a much more glorious and beautiful day for the Church in the future,
and certainly for the Church when all time has been consummated and we are all,
by God's grace, caught up in the glory of the heavenly kingdom.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You
discuss in the book how uprooting a betrayal of trust can be and how we really
need to be grounded in Christ's love. What are some concrete ways that
Catholics can really root themselves in Christ's love and find that grounding
in a time when they might feel destabilized in the Church?</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First, very practical
immediate answer: Eucharistic adoration. No doubt about it. That was
essentially my homily when we were talking two weeks ago about the McCarrick
thing from the pulpit. It means, as always in crisis, we need to be earnestly
and deeply seeking the Lord by frequenting Eucharistic adoration and
intensifying one's life of prayer. In my own story, I had to go on retreat. I
had to just go take some time to just be by myself to get that down to the
solid foundation of what did I stand on. What was the foundation that
everything that I believed stood on?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What one can come to in
those experiences is that experience of Jesus -- the experience that our risen
and glorious Lord still stands present in the midst of our lives. He is there. When
we are hurting, we need to do whatever it takes: adoration, retreat, increased
prayer, asceticism, solid spiritual reading, all of the things that we can
avail ourselves of God's grace to re-experience ourselves as rooted and
grounded in His love. God has a very big safety net for us and it is that
reality of being truly rooted and grounded in Him and in His love that
encompasses us.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is just that when we
are hurting, when we are scandalized, when we are angry, when we are
experiencing all of this emotional turbulence, it is just -- it takes time and
prayer and I think a lot of coming to silence and coming to quiet to get
through that and to realize that our Lord is still there. Our Lord is still
holding his hands out to us. Our Lord is still there to embrace us and pick us
up and guide us and help us to move forward.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
would you say to the priest who just doesn't know how to address this from the
pulpit, who is dealing with his own feelings of hurt and confusion, and maybe
is on the fence about whether he should address it in a homily?</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think that the best
thing that priest can do is to talk about that in his homily. It is emotionally
exhausting for most of us. It is heartbreaking. When I preached a couple of
weekends ago, I got emotional. I think it is very healing and good if priests
allow themselves to feel and show that emotion. Feel and show how personally
upsetting it is. If a priest is angry, tell your people, 'Yeah, I'm angry too,
and you should be angry.' It should start there.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It is absolutely
essential that this is addressed. No priest should be waiting for some
directive from his bishop. I would hope that across the country most priests
have already addressed this from the pulpit. If not, it absolutely has to
happen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">People
are very angry right now, and I do not think that they are identifying that
anger as a hurt. Many people are channeling their anger into what needs to
change in the Church. Some channel it at specific people in the Church.</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You
address healthy anger in the book, and I want to hear your thoughts on it in
this context. What would you say to people who are very angry?</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is certainly such
a thing as just anger. I would hope that most of the anger that what most
committed Catholics are experiencing right now is precisely that -- “just
anger.” I have experienced a good deal of bit of it in the past few weeks. Hopefully
that anger does get channelled into good positive, action steps that I think
Catholics are taking. But people should also be very honest with themselves:
This hurts. I think that our brothers and sisters who are going through this
right now, and they are many, need to own up to that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That is a very healthy
starting point to getting to a better place. In this context, it is an
important part of rightly channeling our energies and our reactions prayerfully
and in docility to the Holy Spirit. We have to allow the Holy Spirit to come
fully into that experience of hurt in this ecclesial context.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The immediate victims of
McCarrick, those who have suffered sexual exploitation, they are hurt in a very
unique way, but in some sense this has inflicted a hurt on all of us. And those
who failed, those who enabled him, those who pulled him up the ecclesiastical
ladder, if they did so with knowledge of his sexual predation, that inflicts a
real emotional hurt on all of us, and we should just admit that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Many
Catholics first faced these initial feelings of betrayal, shock, bewilderment
in 2002. After positive steps forward like the Dallas Charter, these Catholics
found some consolation in the fact that the Church had made positive changes.
Now there are layers of hurt there, particularly the hurt of thinking that
things were better and then discovering that they are not.</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Church might not change in our lifetimes. Reform in the Church takes so long.
The Church is very good at reforming herself, but it can take centuries
sometimes. I'm worried for people who are looking for a quick fix.</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think that you are
hitting at the heart of the problem. One thing that we are being faced with in
this crisis is the reality that effective change within the Church takes a
very, very long time. Even within organizations, people talk about changing the
internal culture of a business, even that in itself can take a long time.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First of all, there is
no reason why we cannot continue to take genuine pride in the programs that
have been set in place with the sacrifice and dedication by the way of hundreds
of lay Catholic men and women who have jumped into this breach and who have
instituted requirements for background checks, safe environment training, safe
environment programs, who serve the Church as sexual abuse assistance
coordinators in dioceses (these are people who deal one on one especially with
victims of clergy sexual abuse.) So we have every reason frankly to be
confident that we are in a much better place then we were 15 years ago to
protect our children. There is no reason to doubt that.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What people are still
reeling from, and this has been the real revelation, is that there has been,
especially within the episcopacy, there has been an internal culture which
allowed -- and I am not faulting all bishops here, but McCarrick is the child
of an old boys school mentality, a culture where bishops too often understood
themselves as members of this kind of privileged caste who used power and
authority to manipulate and frankly to bring about all kind of harms and hurts
in people's lives. Bishops have sadly often been the perpetrators of much of
the hurt that has been experienced on many levels and in many forms in the
Church. And that is a sickly culture and it has to change.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Church desperately
needs a healing in its episcopacy. This is very much a crisis of the episcopacy.
The current ethos is in so many ways it is failing us. It is failing the
Church. What we have is, in far too many cases, a kind of managerial approach.
Bishops simply seek to manage, to contain, to bureaucratize our apostolates,
and that is not a culture where the Church is going to thrive.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Is that going to change
anytime soon? No, but I think that we have an opportunity. This crisis is
putting a spotlight on that problematic culture within the episcopate. I think
that we can be hopeful for some kind of change, maybe even sea change. There
are good and holy bishops out there who are as incensed about this as you or I
or any of us are. It is my prayer and hope that they will begin to exercise
some very kind of unprecedented leadership within the body of bishops and
certainly within their own dioceses.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So what do Catholics do
meanwhile? Well, we are challenged to exercise the supernatural virtue of hope.
We are challenged to believe that that kind of change, if it is meant to be,
will take time, but we have to support every bishop who shows signs that they
are getting it. We have to support every bishop who shows signs that they
understand and that they are taking unprecedented steps towards transparency,
toward addressing even the faults of their own brother bishops.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We need to be supportive
and helpful, and I guess that is a long way of saying that we need to hang in
there and trust in the Holy Spirit. Change does take a long time in the Church.
We are called to continue to exercise hope and it is by sustaining hope and
sustaining a healthy pressure on the bishops that can bring about some really
positive change here, maybe faster than we think.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
outrageous as it is, I can imagine the temptation a leader might feel to keep
something so scandalous secret, to think that they were protecting Catholics
from scandal by a sort of false charity, if you will. How does a leader find
the courage or strength to come forward with the truth after they have covered
up?</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the context of the
Church, bishops who get it have come to understand that the scandal has been
the supposed effort to “avoid scandal.” The scandal has been covering this
stuff up. The scandal has been keeping this stuff quiet.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This is what I always
tell our seminarians. Transparency is your friend. Light and truth are our
friends. Institutionally, I think that we are understanding that. In the
context of seminary formation, I really believe earnestly that the vast
majority of our men understand that. And I think understanding that also makes
it easier to come clean when there has been a failure of any sort. In a sense,
it all boils down to the old adage, 'Honesty is the best policy.'<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Obviously, when you are
talking about something as complex as sexual abuse and exploitation, that is
obviously much more complex because sometimes you are dealing with victims who
desire to remain anonymous.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It takes an enormous
amount of courage for victims of abuse to come forward and go public. That's
been 1 sad part of this whole tragedy. It is so difficult. The courage there is
just amazing sometimes. I think the message of what we are learning in the
sexual abuse crisis is that transparency is the only way to go. Honestly trying
to protect the requirements of justice and people's reputations is a difficult
balance and it definitely requires that transparency.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What
do you recommend for those who are specifically dealing with disillusionment?
How do Catholics keep their eyes open to the truth without totally succumbing
to cynicism?</span></b><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I think that the level
of cynicism and disillusionment right now is off the charts. You know people
often use that image of having a bandage ripped off a wound. I don't think that
we have yet healed from -- I know we haven't healed from 2002. This isn't
having a bandage ripped off. This is having that wound ripped open and stamped
on.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I'm fully expecting that
the level of disillusionment and just shear kind of numb confusion is going to
be a very common experience. I think that there will be different outcomes. I
hope that Catholics can believe that there is a way forward here, especially
committed Catholics. It leads you to question your faith. I have been there. I
have had that experience. The more you expose yourself to this, the more faith
is going to be severely challenged.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I would just hope though
that Catholics can understand that Jesus can lead them through that fire. He
can lead us through this fire and make it a purifying fire, so that we can
emerge from this really sad and really critical chapter of crisis in the
Church, that we can emerge from this as stronger disciples and more committed
Catholic Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What transformation the
Holy Spirit brings about, I hope we could no matter how hard this is, I hope we
could kind of look forward to that with a sense of hope and expectation and
maybe even the sense that as bad as it is, I want to be a part of what happens
now. I want to be a part of the renewal that the Holy Spirit is going to
necessarily going to bring about. I want to be a part of the action here. I
want to be a part of what the Holy Spirit is going to do now in the Church. I
am absolutely convinced that the Holy Spirit is working in and through this
crisis in a very real way. I have experienced it myself. I have seen it and I
have heard it from others.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.2pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.05pt; margin: 5.05pt 0cm 15.2pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have to allow the
Holy Spirit to bring us beyond this very profound disillusionment. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-34047919938187686092018-06-01T20:53:00.041-04:002023-02-05T19:06:20.709-05:00Worldwide Sexual Revolution - originally sparked by criminal manipulation of facts - but still seeking to be free of morality, meaning, or purpose <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #cc0000;"></b></span></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------<br /><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq98sxkUw7lgcsCaX2EDZ_Pm8P6O6eWFSLclP2Q_2e6l6Onb2nGfCJmzZV9rQcDwgoiu-doh5SRLzLICUdvbWCmHebe-tzplq3tiX4K6QJyCBC72ME-OM7D5ZU8HeD3pxdBOXlzpKvLHFl/s268/Adam-Eve-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="188" data-original-width="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq98sxkUw7lgcsCaX2EDZ_Pm8P6O6eWFSLclP2Q_2e6l6Onb2nGfCJmzZV9rQcDwgoiu-doh5SRLzLICUdvbWCmHebe-tzplq3tiX4K6QJyCBC72ME-OM7D5ZU8HeD3pxdBOXlzpKvLHFl/s0/Adam-Eve-1.jpg" /></a></b></span></b></span></div><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span><b style="color: #cc0000;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span><b style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;">WARNING : GRAPHIC IMAGES AT TIMES EVOKED BY SOME TEXTS DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE REALITY BEING REPORTED</span></b></span></b></div></b></span></b></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #cc0000;">---------------------</b></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">SCROLL DOWN TO SEE BELOW: </span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 SOME <u>PERSPECTIVE</u> ON HUMAN SEXUALITY </span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b>GLIMPSE OF <u>SEX ED</u> IN CANADA & USA</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: medium;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><u>COMPREHENSIVE</u> SEXUAL EDUCATION - A HIDDEN AGENDA </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>WORLDWIDE SEXUAL REVOLUTION - <u>SOME FACTS</u> </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/in-an-age-of-metoo-women-take-a-second-look-at-the-sexual-revolution-13533?platform=hootsuite"><span style="font-size: large;">In an age of #MeToo, women take a ‘second look’</span><br />at the sexual revolution</a></b> By Courtney Grogan Washington - D.C., Jun 1, 2018</span><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">“Unlike our forerunners in 1968, those of us living today now have access to something they didn't -- 50 years of sociological, psychological, medical, and other evidence about the revolution's fallout,” said author and scholar Mary Eberstadt in the opening speech at a conference entitled, “The #MeToo Moment: Second Thoughts on the Sexual Revolution.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><b style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><a href="http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/engel">Randy Engel column</a></b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"> </span><br /><span style="color: #800180;">Meticulous documentation and references and easy readability are the hallmarks of Randy Engel's investigative writings. She has received numerous awards for excellence in investigative journalism including the Linacre Quarterly Award for Distinguished Writing by the Catholic Medical Association.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.academia.edu/9794099/Gabriel_Kuby_The_Global_Sexual_Revolution">The Global Sexual Revolution</a></b> </span><br /><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Global-Sexual-Revolution-Destruction-Freedom/dp/1621381544"><b>Print Editions</b></a> <br />The core of the global cultural revolution is the deliberate confusion of sexual norms. It is the culmination of a metaphysical revolution as well—a shifting of the fundamental ground upon which we stand and build a culture, even a civilization. Instead of desire being subjected to natural, social, moral, and transcendent orders, the identity of man and woman is dissolved, and free rein given to the maximum fulfillment of polymorphous urges, with no ultimate purpose or meaning.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2014/09/08/the-global-sexual-revolution-and-the-assault-on-freedom-and-family/">Global Sexual Revolution and Assault on Freedom and Family</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #800180;">German author and sociologist Gabriele Kuby discusses “gender mainstreaming”, the new totalitarianism, and being called a “homohater” </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: medium;"><span><span>There are facts and truths that the <b>"<u>Gay Lobby</u>"</b> doesn't want society or public opinion to know, that even IT doesn't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - is that we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To identify oneself on the basis of just the one element of our sexuality is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you.</span><span><br /></span></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwgaOzJFtJwZ5jfw?e=di788F">What Are the Kinsey Reports?</a></span></b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;"> Strategy in defense of youth and their innocence - May 24, 2017</span><br /><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Kinsey Reports are two books on human sexual behavior: Sexual Behavior in the Human Male (1948) and Sexual Behavior in the Human Female (1953), written by Alfred Kinsey. It is now verified that Kinsey fabricated the data he presented, taking data from incarcerated sexual criminals and from boys who were experimented upon by pedophiles, and then extrapolating that data to create the impression it was data relating the behavior of normal people in the general population. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="http://www.drjudithreisman.com/the_kinsey_coverup.html">The Kinsey Coverup</a></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Kinsey Coverup refers to the paid efforts of the mass media and the Kinsey Institute scientific establishment lobby to hide the facts of child sex abuse and fraud as the basis of Kinsey's alleged "scientific data" on human sexuality. Spiking legislative investigations into these barbaric “scientific” crimes and Liam Neeson’s glossy portrayal of Kinsey in the 2004 Kinsey feature film, qualify as part of this 60 year plus cover-up. </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">At this link (above) you'll find a brief history of various legal actions on this matter, links to actual sex crimes in the Kinsey Reports, The Kinsey Institute's responses, articles about the Kinsey movie and other related documents. We hope this information will pique your interest. If so, we will add more information on this revolutionary change agent over time.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="http://stopthekinseyinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/BRIEF_The-Kinsey-Institute-Exposed_A-Warning-to-Parents-and-Governments_52014.pdf"><span style="font-size: large;">The Kinsey Institute Exposed: </span><br />A Warning to Parents & Governments </a></b><a href="http://stopthekinseyinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/BRIEF_The-Kinsey-Institute-Exposed_A-Warning-to-Parents-and-Governments_52014.pdf"><b>Throughout the World</b></a> PDF FILE <br /></span><span style="color: #cc0000;">On April 23, 2014 the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction was granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). This decision was based in </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">part on misleading testimony regarding the nature of their work provided by a Kinsey Institute representative to </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">the United Nations Committee on Nongovernmental Organizations. </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">From their fraudulent sex research, to their collaboration with pedophiles to publish their sex experiments on children, to their promotion of risky sexual behaviors as healthy and normal, which has formed the basis of dangerous sexuality education programs worldwide, the Kinsey Institute has caused incalculable harm to children, adults </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">and families. For this reason the UN’s decision to grant ECOSOC status to the Kinsey Institute has outraged parents, government and civic leaders, lawmakers, researchers, and victims of sexual crimes around the world who </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">understand how harmful the Kinsey Institute’s work has been, especially for the world’s children. </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">This brief will show how the past and present actions, goals and aims of the Kinsey Institute merit condemnation </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">and censure rather than the legitimacy, prestige and access that UN consultative status affords them and which </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">enables them to perpetuate their harmful work on a much larger world stage.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://stream.org/margaret-sanger-eugenics-and-the-racist-roots-of-planned-parenthood/">The Line Running from Charles Darwin through Margaret Sanger to Planned Parenthood</a> <br /></b></span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger was a racist and a proponent of eugenics, to breed a </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">superior human race in the name of Darwinian biology. By John West Published September 7, 2015</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/125894468/THE-RITE-OF-SODOMY-Homosexuality-and-the-Roman-Catholic-Church-Author-Randy-Engel">The Rite of Sodomy:</a></b><b style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/125894468/THE-RITE-OF-SODOMY-Homosexuality-and-the-Roman-Catholic-Church-Author-Randy-Engel">Homosexuality and the Roman Catholic Church</a></b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0795B3BYC?ref_=dbs_p_mng_rwt_ser_shvlr&storeType=ebooks"><b>Kindle Edition</b></a><span style="color: #cc0000;"> (4 book series) <br />"Author Randy Engel in The Rite of Sodomy has given readers a thoughtful, detailed, and very comprehensive overview of the history and ramifications of homosexuality and pederasty, and this provides a broad base for the detailed, exact, and well researched facts concerning the present ever expanding apparent social and political 'power" of the "Homosexual Collective" within and without the Roman Catholic Church," "The entire volume is a definite, carefully chronicled documentation of facts - naming names - and reinforced by the thousands of endnotes (footnotes) and covers entire historical periods," states Cillis. "The author has covered her subject from ancient times, throughout all the periods of human history, up to the present."</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.mamaneedscoffee.com/2015/07/boiling-frogs-and-silent-lambs">Boiling frogs and silent lambs</a></b> </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">- July 15, 2015 <br /></span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Planned Parenthood selling baby parts - Why are we not upset? A mother's perspective. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/01/us/the-unrealized-horrors-of-population-explosion.html?_r=0">The Unrealized Horrors of Population Explosion</a></b> </span><br /><span style="color: #800180;">Retro Report on "The Population Bomb" (1968) By CLYDE HABERMAN - MAY 31, 2015<br /></span></span><span style="color: #800180;"><span>The second half of the 1960s was a boom time for nightmarish visions of what lay ahead for humankind. In 1966, for example, a writer named Harry Harrison came out with a science fiction novel titled “Make Room! Make Room!” Sketching a dystopian world in which too many people scrambled for too few resources, the book became the basis for a 1973 film about a hellish future, “Soylent Green.” In 1969, the pop duo Zager and Evans reached the top of the charts with a number called “In the Year 2525,” which postulated that humans were on a clear path to doom. </span><span>No one was more influential — or more terrifying, some would say — than Paul R. Ehrlich, a Stanford University biologist. His 1968 book, “The Population Bomb,” sold in the millions with a jeremiad that humankind stood on the brink of apocalypse because there were simply too many of us. Dr. Ehrlich’s opening statement was the verbal equivalent of a punch to the gut: “The battle to feed all of humanity is over.” He later went on to forecast that hundreds of millions would starve to death in the 1970s, that 65 million of them would be Americans, that crowded India was essentially doomed, that odds were fair “England will not exist in the year 2000.” Dr. Ehrlich was so sure of himself that he warned in 1970 that “sometime in the next 15 years, the end will come.” By “the end,” he meant “an utter breakdown of the capacity of the planet to support humanity.”</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/thinking-it-through-the-consequences-of-polygamy">Thinking It Through: The Consequences of Polygamy</a></b> </span><br /><span style="color: #674ea7;">Karlo Broussard - April 11, 2017 - </span></span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><span>Defenders of traditional marriage argue that redefining marriage to include same-sex unions undermines marital permanency (lifelong union) and exclusivity (only one spouse). If biological sex doesn’t matter, they argue, then why should duration and number? </span><span>This is called a reductio ad absurdum argument. It attempts to show the absurd conclusions that legal recognition of same-sex marriage logically leads to—namely, the legal recognition of “temporary marriage” as well as multiple-partner marriage. </span><span style="text-align: left;"><span>Since we can no longer assume that the culture views the above unions as absurd, defenders of traditional marriage must mount a different defense of permanency and exclusivity. And the way to do this is the same way we defend sexual complementarity in marriage: we look to nature’s design for human sexuality.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/what-you-think-you-know-about-human-trafficking-is-probably-wrong-56922">What you think you know about human trafficking is probably wrong</a></span></b> <span> </span></span></span><span style="color: #674ea7;"><span>Washington D.C., Feb 11, 2016 - </span><span>Human trafficking. </span><span>It’s been called </span><span style="text-align: left;">“modern-day slavery” and a “silent epidemic.” It affects tens of millions every </span><span style="text-align: left;">year and yet remains largely in the shadows – even within the United States. </span><span style="text-align: left;">Much remains to be done in fighting the scourge of human trafficking, say </span><span style="text-align: left;">experts and survivors. And that starts with a better understanding of what trafficking really looks like. But while </span><span style="text-align: left;">initiatives based on awareness, prevention and recovery are taking place at different levels throughout the </span><span style="text-align: left;">country, a key part of efforts to combat the practice may be at risk.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">SOME <u>PERSPECTIVE</u> ON HUMAN SEXUALITY </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👇 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>"I want my sexuality to be </b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">fulfilling!"</span></b> <b><span style="font-size: medium;">👇</span></b><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><br /><b><a href="https://vocationnetwork.org/en/articles/show/559-the-surprisingly-positive-catholic-view-of-sex-and-love">The surprisingly positive Catholic view of sex and love</a> </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://foundation.mycatholicdoctor.com/human-sexuality-what-does-the-catholic-church-teach/">As Catholics, how do we approach sexuality?</a> </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b>Knights of Columbus - <a href="https://www.kofc.org/un/en/resources/cis/cis314.pdf">Catholic Sexual Ethics</a> </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.academia.edu/4078789/Sex_Sin_and_Salvation_What_Augustine_Really_Said_lecture_text">Sex, Sin and Salvation: What Augustine Really Said</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">David G. Hunter, PhD - July 2, 2013 <br />A more careful examination of what Augustine actually said and preached discloses that he did not at all hate sex and pleasure; as many of his critics have claimed, especially in modern times. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/declaration-on-certain-questions-of-sexual-ethics">Declaration on Certain Questions of Sexual Ethics</a></span></b> <br />Published by Scepter - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">By <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19751229_persona-humana_en.html">The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith</a> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"> At the Audience granted on 7 November 1975 to the undersigned Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Sovereign Pontiff by divine providence Pope Paul VI approved this Declaration "On certain questions concerning sexual ethics," confirmed it, and ordered its publication. Given in Rome, at the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, on 29 December 1975.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwnzgfORMf1bkwPX?e=1057Re">Sexuality and Human Development</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">There are a number of discourses touching on human sexuality. Many of these discourses carry agendas </span><span style="color: #38761d;">held and promoted by various interests, but all too often they treat human sexuality as something rigid, closed </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and determined for all time. In adopting such materialistic perspectives, they leave out any consideration of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the very complex and dynamic process of human development. It has been established in psychology and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">psychotherapy that the human developmental process does not come “full circle” until the early twenties. In </span><span style="color: #38761d;">other words, human beings – from the moment of conception until they arrive at the threshold of adulthood – </span><span style="color: #38761d;">go through a number of developmental stages. At each stage, something new develops and is added to the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">overall character and personality of each unique human individual. By the age of 18 or so, all the elements of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">humanity are “in place”; from that point on, it becomes a question of ongoing experience and development.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://issuu.com/columbia-magazine/docs/columbiajan11en">God's Plan for Life and Love</a></span></b> <br />KofC Magazine Columbia - January 2011 - <b>Promoting Human Dignity</b> - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">AS EVERY good medical student </span><span style="color: #38761d;">knows, “do good” and “do no harm” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">are basic principles of medical ethics. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Like the Hippocratic Oath, they not </span><span style="color: #38761d;">only embody the purpose of health </span><span style="color: #38761d;">care but also reflect a practical understanding </span><span style="color: #38761d;">of human nature. They imply </span><span style="color: #38761d;">that human beings possess dignity that </span><span style="color: #38761d;">should be respected and promoted and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">that our actions toward others are objectively </span><span style="color: #38761d;">good or harmful. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwqPAlxu473Xe-p6?e=ZIuPCT">No Sex, please</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">A growing number of young people are identifying themselves as </span><span style="color: #38761d;">asexual - not interested in physical relationships - even though the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">world around them is charged with sexual imagery. By </span><span style="color: #38761d;">DONNA NEBENZAHL</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> - published by The Gazette, Montreal QC Canada - May 9, 2005 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwu4_wu7jo2zig4a?e=bsdC2h">Towards a true sexual liberation</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">I want to be happy … </span><span style="color: #38761d;">You want to be happy … </span><span style="color: #38761d;">They want to be happy … </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Yes, everyone is looking for happiness. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Everyone wants to be happy! U</span><span style="color: #38761d;">sually, as we look for happiness, we intuitively </span><span style="color: #38761d;">seek it in love. Why should this be a surprise? </span><span style="color: #38761d;">We were made by Love personified, and for </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Love with a capital “L”! We are made to love </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and to be loved. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwwV1FE_ua0Ct4WY?e=AYDbB5">How the GLS Inspired a Pastor to Care for Victims of Human Trafficking in York Region</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Garry James is the pastor at Valley View Alliance Church in Newmarket, Ontario. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Before August of 2010, Garry James was a comfortable pastor in a suburban church in Newmarket, Ontario. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">According to Garry, Global Leadership Summit speaker Christine Caine wrecked his comfortable life that August </span><span style="color: #38761d;">as he watched her speak at the 2010 GLS. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Caine, the founder of the international organization Abolishing Human Trafficking in the 21st Century (A21), told </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the story of a girl who was shipped overseas from North America to Greece with 60 other girls in a shipping </span><span style="color: #38761d;">container. 30 of the girls with her died due to an oxygen supply malfunction in the container, 20 drowned after </span><span style="color: #38761d;">being thrown overboard, and the rest were sent to a brothel in Athens. “In my generation?” Garry thought. “On </span><span style="color: #38761d;">my watch as a pastor? This is actually happening in my world?”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/how-a-nuns-home-is-helping-women-freed-from-sex-trafficking-57471?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">How a nuns' home is helping girls freed from sex trafficking</a></span></b> <br />By Kevin Jones - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Baton Rouge, La., Jan 11, 2018 - The numbers are staggering. Each year in the U.S. alone, some 300,000 minors are victims of sex trafficking. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">In Louisiana, state estimates indicate that about 40 percent of juvenile victims are being trafficked by their primary care giver: a mother, father, foster parent, uncle, a mother’s boyfriend. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Father Jeff Bayhi has heard unspeakable stories of sex trafficking victims over the years. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">That’s why the pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Zachary, La. has worked to open Metanoia Home, a Baton Rouge-area shelter for sixteen women under age 21. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Caring for the victims are four Hospitaler Sisters of Mercy from India, Nigeria, the Philippines and Madagascar.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>GLIMPSE OF <u>SEX ED</u> IN CANADA & USA</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01DOCWKO4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">Sex Education: The Final Plague</a> by Randy Engel<br /></span></b>Proves why classroom sex education is always wrong and always harmful; that it destroys modesty; awakens the passions; promotes sexual activity and fosters acceptance of sexual sins. Shows where it comes from; who promotes it; that it is all-pervasive. Gives the Church's position; that sex education is the right and duty of parents only; which may be delegated to others; but never usurped! A must for parents; teachers and priests.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.education.gouv.qc.ca/fileadmin/site_web/documents/dpse/adaptation_serv_compl/Apprentissages_prescolaire-primaire_EN.pdf">Learning Content in Sexuality Education</a></span></b> <br />Québec Kindergarten and Elementary School </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjw4pgHROZLY1b6YD?e=Sr7se1">ÉDUCATION À LA SEXUALITÉ</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #cc0000;">Aperçu du programme du ministère de l’Éducation du Québec </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjw08mSU79ryfgmBT?e=HWe9xu">SEXUALITY EDUCATION</a></span></b> <br />Reflecting on the New Sexuality Education Program in Quebec </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjw_Y2YpyFDvpoG1q?e=Ll2MFV">ESCC Letter to the Québec Minister of Education</a></span></b> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/105678791402300102">A History of Sex Education in </a></b></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/105678791402300102"><b><span style="font-size: large;">the United States Since 1900</span></b></a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/2019-health-physical-education-grades-1to8.pdf">Grades 1-8 Health and </a></span></b><a href="http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/curriculum/elementary/2019-health-physical-education-grades-1to8.pdf"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Physical Education</span></b></a> <br /></span><span style="color: #cc0000;">2 0 1 5 </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">REVISED </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">The Ontario Curriculum </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180; font-size: x-large;"><b><u>COMPREHENSIVE</u> SEXUAL EDUCATION - A HIDDEN AGENDA </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180; font-size: medium;"><b>It is true that in many countries universal health care is not yet fully available or completely effective. Women often suffer - especially poor women - and even die when simply health care would have saved them. Comprehensive Sexual Education is being widely promoted, pressured, or imposed by various international NGO's with a vested interest in liberal sexual values. The hidden agenda is the promotion or imposition of widely available abortion services and contraceptive services, which ironically go hand in hand. Human and traditional values are deliberately or inadvertently ridiculed and CSE is touted as primarily to extend universal health services and care to women. So the hidden agenda of amplifying contraception and abortion is buried within the more humanitarian language of extending proper health care to women and girls. </b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/about_us/hrp/partners/en/">U.N. organizations and NGO's involved in "Sexual and reproductive health"</a></span></b> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/175556/9789241564984_eng.pdf;jsessionid=FEC4893764F0527ADFF8E8980C12741C?sequence=1">Sexual health, human rights and the law - document</a></span></b> <br />NOTE: The following excerpts were taken directly from this publication. The excerpts clearly show that UNICEF, the World Health Organization and other partners in the Human Reproduction Program—including the UNDP, UNFPA, the World Bank, UNAIDS and International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF)—are pushing a radical abortion and sexual rights agenda under the guise of “sexual health.” Here is a critical reading of the above U.N. document by STOP CSE:<br /><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/WHO-Sexual-Health-Human-Rights-and-the-Law_UNICEF_withcover.pdf">Sexual health, human rights and the law - critique</a></span></b> <br /><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/FWI-CongressionalPacket-Pgs-6-7.pdf" style="font-size: x-large;">COMPREHENSIVE SEX EDUCATION:12 HARMFUL EFFECTS ON CHILDREN</a><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><br /></b>1. SEXUALIZES CHILDREN 2. TEACHES CHILDREN TO CONSENT TO SEX 3. NORMALIZES ANAL & ORAL SEX 4. PROMOTES HOMOSEXUAL / BISEXUAL BEHAVIOR 5. TEACHES CHILDREN ABOUT SEXUAL PLEASURE 6. PROMOTES SOLO & MUTUAL MASTURBATION 7. EROTICIZES CONDOM USE 8. PROMOTES UNSCIENTIFIC TRANSGENDER IDEOLOGY 9. PROMOTES CONTRACEPTION / ABORTION TO CHILDREN 10. PROMOTES PEER-TO-PEER SEX ED / SEXUAL RIGHTS ADVOCACY 11. REFERS KIDS TO HARMFUL RESOURCES, LIKE PLANNED PARENTHOOD 12. UNDERMINES OR VIOLATES PARENTAL RIGHTS </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/curricula-tool/#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9CCSE%20Harmful%20Elements%20Analysis,evaluation%20tools%20and%20other%20materials">CSE Harmful Elements Analysis Tool</a></span></b> <br />The CSE Harmful Elements Analysis Tool was created to help parents, school administrators, educators, and other concerned citizens assess, evaluate, and expose harmful elements within comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) curricula and materials. For more information, visit www.stopcse.org.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.concernedparentsoftexas.com/uploads/1/0/9/2/109251247/15_cse_harmful_elements_rrr_2_5_18.pdf">Evaluation of Rights, Respect, Responsibility (3Rs) Based on 15 Harmful CSE Elements</a></span></b> <br /><b>Rights, Respect, Responsibility</b> contains 15 out of 15 of the harmful elements typically found in CSE curricula. Since each of these 15 harmful elements has the potential of causing long-term negative effects on the health and well-being of children, having even one of these elements should be reason enough to disqualify a program from being taught to children. A program containing several of these elements should be banned from use in any school or community setting.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/cse-facts/the-history-agenda-behind-cse/">The History & Agenda Behind CSE</a></span></b> <br />One of the main goals of comprehensive sexuality education is to radically change the gender and sexual norms of society and to establish rights for children as sexually autonomous beings. In order to fulfill these alleged sexual rights, activists claim that children must have unfettered access to “comprehensive” sexual information that leaves no sexual knowledge behind. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/cse-facts/how-cse-is-disguised/">How CSE is Disguised </a></b></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/cse-facts/how-cse-is-disguised/">Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) comes in many forms and can be disguised under the banners of:</a> </span></b><br />(this is not an exhaustive list) - </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“comprehensive sex education” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“sexual education” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“sexuality education” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“education, information or counseling on human sexuality” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“comprehensive sexual health education, information or services” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“ sexual and reproductive health training, education or information” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“sexual health education or services” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“HIV/AIDS prevention education” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“life skills programs” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“comprehensive education on human sexuality” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“health and human rights education” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;">“rights-based sexuality education” </span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/FWI_Glossary_of_Terms_1-20.pdf"><b>See complete list</b></a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.comprehensivesexualityeducation.org/unicef/">UNICEF / Planned Parenthood Partnership Promotes Radical Sexual Rights for Children</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">UNICEF and other UN agencies partner with Planned Parenthood through their Human Reproduction Programme (HRP). In their HRP publication, Sexual Health, Human Rights, and the Law, UNICEF and Planned Parenthood, along with their other partners are promoting abortion, sexual rights for children, the decriminalization of prostitution, the weakening of parental rights, health services for transgender sex changes, and much more.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-26718943843170311112018-04-03T17:15:00.119-04:002023-02-05T19:11:25.749-05:00Gay Lobby / Revolution - Woman - Gender Issues - Pastoral Care of Persons in Various Situations <p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b></b></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="font-style: normal;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="color: black; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="font-style: normal; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-style: normal;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8r-Ax4vjh8Lrw7mPZhWjF8qUfDDuFMc_Eabks8KACI3Dx_WzAGm-CDn25t2xRbKAkqnXsMjgJi_6i9CBrbJd0Thj51JJ817VUlnYlr6a5awZCTDAn-5lh8QWshqSZJi4doC8nGeu9noN/s246/Jesus-sinners-9.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8r-Ax4vjh8Lrw7mPZhWjF8qUfDDuFMc_Eabks8KACI3Dx_WzAGm-CDn25t2xRbKAkqnXsMjgJi_6i9CBrbJd0Thj51JJ817VUlnYlr6a5awZCTDAn-5lh8QWshqSZJi4doC8nGeu9noN/s0/Jesus-sinners-9.jpg" /></a></b></i></div><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>👇</b></i> <i><b>Please scroll down to find each section. 👇</b></i></div></b></i><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-size: medium;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: medium;"><span><span>There are facts and truths that the <b>"<u>Gay Lobby</u>"</b> doesn't want society or public opinion to know, that even IT doesn't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - is that we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To identify oneself on the basis of just the one element of our sexuality is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you.</span><span><br /></span></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black; font-size: medium;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>1- GAY LOBBY / REVOLUTION </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>2- RESPECT FOR PERSONS IDENTIFYING AS L.G.B.T. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>3- WOMAN </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>4- GENDER ISSUES </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>5- PASTORAL CARE OF PERSONS - L.G.B.T. </b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>For each, go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------<br /><br /></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>1- GAY LOBBY / REVOLUTION </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div><div><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/where-the-revolution-has-led-an-interview-with-mary-eberstadt-70476?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">Where the revolution has led: an interview with Mary Eberstadt</a></span></b> <br />JD Flynn Washington D.C., Nov 20, 2017 <span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Catholic author Mary Eberstadt</b> is a senior fellow of the Faith & Reason </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Institute, and the author of several best-selling books, including Adam and Eve </span><span style="color: #38761d;">After the Pill and How the West Really Lost God. <br /><b>In the Nov. 6 issue</b> of The </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Weekly Standard, Eberstadt published “The Primal Scream of Identity </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Politics,” an essay exploring the contours of contemporary American politics, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">our search for identity, and the importance of the family. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">In an interview with CNA editor-in-chief JD Flynn, Eberstadt offers important insights for all Catholic </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Americans.</span></div><div><i><b><span style="color: #a64d79;"><br /></span></b></i></div><div><i><b><span style="color: #a64d79;">MASS RESISTANCE </span></b></i><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i>Had enough? Citizens, take back your government! </i></b></span></div><div style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://www.marriage-ecosystem.org/support-files/theoverhaulingofstraightamerica.pdf">STRATEGIES OF THE HOMOSEXUAL MOVEMENT: "The Overhauling of Straight America"</a></span></b> </div><div style="color: #38761d;"><b>The following article</b> titled "The Overhauling of Straight America'' was written by Marshall K. Kirk</div><div style="color: #38761d;">and Erastes Pill and appeared in Guide Magazine, a homosexual publication, in November 1987.</div><div style="color: #38761d;">This landmark article has become a "bible" of the homosexual movement, and has since been widely</div><div style="color: #38761d;">re-published on the Internet and elsewhere. <br /><b>It outlines strategies</b> and techniques for a successful widespread propaganda campaign to confuse and deceive the American people and demonize opponents. Like all propaganda, their methods are based not on solid intellectual arguments, but instead upon emotional manipulation of the public in an attempt to gain widespread sympathy and approval for homosexual behavior.</div><div style="color: #38761d;"><b>As you read this,</b> keep in mind that it was written in 1987 -- less than two decades ago -- and look</div><div style="color: #38761d;">around to see how far the homosexual movement has gotten using these techniques.</div><div style="color: #38761d; font-weight: bold;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/a-new-devastating-critique-of-the-global-sexual-revolution">A New Devastating Critique of the Global Sexual Revolution</a></span></b> <br />Austin Ruse May 6, 2016 <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;">It is quite remarkable that we are fighting the same battle from before the French Revolution, the fight </span><span style="color: #38761d;">between sexual license and sexual morality. The fight has been non-stop. Sometimes we are winning, other </span><span style="color: #38761d;">times, like now, we are losing. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">On the one side are the radicals who genuinely believe traditional morality as espoused by the Catholic Church </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and expressed in a monogamous man-woman marriage open to life is a prison where freedom goes to die. It is</span></div><div><span style="color: #38761d;">more complicated than that because many of these sexual revolutionaries additionally understood sexual license </span><span style="color: #38761d;">as a means to control and move the masses. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">On the other side are those who know that true freedom is freedom to choose the good and that sexual license is </span><span style="color: #38761d;">nothing more than slavery and chaos. They also understand that the sexual drive ordered to the good can be the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">font of social and familial strength and flourishing and a bulwark against the predictable chaos and death</span></div><div><span style="color: #38761d;">inevitably dealt by the revolution. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Add the name Gabriele Kuby to the pantheon of clear-eyed and fearless thinkers and writers striving to wake </span><span style="color: #38761d;">people up to the ongoing assault on family and Church through this sexual manipulation.</span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://s3.amazonaws.com/lifesite/files/PDFs/Mexico_City_editorial.pdf">“Homosexuality ... provokes, in those who suffer it, physical, psychological, moral, and spiritual damage.”</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Editorial published Sunday, Mary 29, 2016, in the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Mexico City, Desde la Fe - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Translation by Matthew Cullinan Hoffman of LifeSiteNews.com <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Years ago, people with homosexual preferences were regarded as mentally ill. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Today, there are “gay pride” marches. How did things pass from one extreme to another? It’s owing to a plan that was carefully studied, elaborated, and financed by international lobbies that seek to destroy the family because they see it as an archaic and repressive institution. That’s how they induced the World Health Organization to take homosexuality off the list of psychiatric illnesses. They then promoted the idea that it was very normal to be attracted to the same sex: on television and in the movies “gay” characters appeared who provoked sympathy, and little by little people were becoming accustomed to see them as normal, and to tar-brush those who wouldn’t accept it as “homophobic.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxtwgzDLKT3lbWLW?e=a6NahH">IN CANADA, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IS DESTROYING ALL OTHER RIGHTS</a></b> </span><br />Marriage Alliance Australia <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>To see the real effects</b> of redefining marriage, look no further than </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Canada. Regardless of whether one is for or against redefining the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">traditional definition of marriage in Australia, it is impossible to deny </span><span style="color: #38761d;">that the majority of Canadians have lost their fundamental rights as a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">result marriage being redefined. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">According to an online post featured in The Chronicle: In Canada, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">freedoms of speech, press and religion have suffered greatly. If one </span><span style="color: #38761d;">says or writes anything considered "homophobic", anything questioning same sex marriage, one could face discipline, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">termination of employment, and/or prosecution by the government. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>First and foremost,</b> it drastically changed the way in which parenthood was defined, and tacitly states that children have no right </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to their biological roots: Canada's gay marriage law, Bill C-38, included a provision to erase the term "natural parent" and replace </span><span style="color: #38761d;">it across the board with gender-neutral "legal parent" in federal law. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Now all children only have "legal parents", as defined by the state. <br /><b>In effect, </b>same-sex marriage not only deprives children of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">their own rights to natural parentage, it gives the state the power to override the autonomy of biological parents, which means </span><span style="color: #38761d;">parental rights are usurped by the government. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Second, </b>fair business is all but obliterated, as companies and organizations which refuse to side with the LGBTI lobby continue to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">being taken to court for ‘discrimination’. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1079&context=lu_law_review"><span style="font-size: medium;">HOW THE CONCEPT OF /SEXUAL ORIENTATION </span></a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1079&context=lu_law_review"><b>THREATENS RELIGIOUS LIBERTY</b></a> </span><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Robert H. Knight - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Liberty </span><span style="color: #38761d;">University Law Review: Vol. 4 : Iss. 3 , Article 5. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Available at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/lu_law_review/vol4/iss3/5 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">I. INTRODUCTION <span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Sexual orientation laws</b> are not about the preservation of civil rights or </span><span style="color: #38761d;">even the creation of civil protections that are necessary to ensure the liberty </span><span style="color: #38761d;">of all citizens. Instead, they are about hijacking civil rights in order to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">empower homosexual groups with the ability to threaten lawsuits against </span><span style="color: #38761d;">any institution that will not go along with the idea that homosexuality is </span><span style="color: #38761d;">normal, healthy, and should be promoted. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">It is important to understand that people who engage in homosexual </span><span style="color: #38761d;">behavior have the same basic rights as other citizens, no more, no less. But </span><span style="color: #38761d;">they should not be given additional rights based on their willingness to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">perform peculiar and often medically dangerous sex acts. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://ia601303.us.archive.org/7/items/TheHomosexualAgenda-ExposingThePrincipalThreatToReligiousFreedomToday/The-Homosexual-Agenda-Exposing-the-Principle-Threat-Alan-Sears.pdf">The Homosexual Agenda: Exposing the Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">“The homosexual rights movement is built on a foundation of lies, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">deception, and factual disinformation. In spite of the flood of data </span><span style="color: #38761d;">on the destructive nature of homosexual practices, homosexuality is </span><span style="color: #38761d;">being normalized and promoted in movies, television, music, and to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">children and young people in our public schools and universities. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Contrary to the common wisdom, we do not exhibit true </span><span style="color: #38761d;">compassion when we remain silent about the true nature of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">homosexuality. Genuine compassion requires cold honesty and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">brutal frankness about the popular mythologies that surround the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">gay and lesbian lifestyle. It is this structure of lies, deception, and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">factual disinformation that Americans must understand if we are to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">save our civilization. I commend Alan Sears and Craig Osten for </span><span style="color: #38761d;">having the courage to tell the truth about this highly destructive </span><span style="color: #38761d;">movement.” <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">—Marlin Maddoux, USA Radio</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/667972/posts">We Told You So: The Homosexual Network Twenty Years Later</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Free Congress Foundation | February 8, 2002 | Connie Marshner - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Posted on 4/17/2002, by Slyfox <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Don't you hate</b> people who say "I told you so"? </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Well, with apologies in advance, hold your horses. Here at Free Congress Foundation, we told you so. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The year was 1982; the book was The Homosexual Network: Private Lives and Public Policy. The author </span><span style="color: #38761d;">was Enrique Rueda, a Catholic priest then in the diocese of Rochester, New York. The book had 522 footnoted </span><span style="color: #38761d;">pages of text, with another 160 pages of appendices and indexes. It not only analyzed the ideology of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">homosexuality, but it documented the spread of that ideology through religious organizations, including the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Catholic Church, and traced the funding of it.</span></p><div><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>2- RESPECT FOR PERSONS IDENTIFYING AS L.G.B.T. </b></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/05/18/us-church-wrestles-changing-attitudes-pastoral-practice-toward-lgbt-catholics">U.S. church wrestles with changing attitudes, pastoral practice toward L.G.B.T. Catholics</a></span></b> - By Michael J. O'Loughlin May 18, 2017 <br /><b>Last month, the bishop</b> of Lexington, Ky., addressed hundreds of L.G.B.T. Catholics and their supporters who were meeting in Chicago at a New Ways Ministry national symposium, telling them, “Your presence and your persistence in the church is an inspiration for me and for many.” Bishop John Stowe, O.F.M.Conv., told America that he accepted the group’s invitation because of a desire to engage in dialogue with Catholics who do not always feel welcome in the church. “Pope Francis talks about a culture of encounter, and that requires a lot of listening,” he said. “What I’ve seen among gay Catholics in my own diocese is a real desire to live their faith and the challenge to do so within a church that is not always accepting or labels them as disordered.” <br /><b>Bishop Stowe is certainly not </b>the first bishop to address a gathering of gay and lesbian Catholics, but his insights are emblematic of recent shifts in the relationship between the church and the L.G.B.T. community. Support for pro-L.G.B.T. causes, including same-sex marriage, has risen sharply among lay Catholics in recent years. Support for same-sex marriage among U.S. Catholics closely tracks support among the country at large. Part of that support, several L.G.B.T. advocates said, stems from the increased visibility of gay and lesbian Americans. More people know a family member or friend who identifies as gay or lesbian and are thus more sympathetic to causes they support.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-catholics-can-welcome-lgbt-believers-1504221027">How Catholics Can Welcome LGBT Believers</a></span></b> <br />By Cardinal Robert Sarah Aug. 31, 2017 <span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>It’s possible to stay faithful</b> to the church’s teachings without turning away millions. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The Catholic Church has been criticized by many, including some of its own followers, for its pastoral response to the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">LGBT community. This criticism deserves a reply—not to defend the Church’s practices reflexively, but to determine </span><span style="color: #38761d;">whether we, as the Lord’s disciples, are reaching out effectively to a group in need. Christians must always strive to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">follow the new commandment Jesus gave at the Last Supper: “Love one another, even as I have loved you.” <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>To love someone as Christ loves us</b> means to love that person in the truth. “For this I was born,” Jesus told Pontius Pilate, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“to bear witness to the truth.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church reflects this insistence on honesty, stating that the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">church’s message to the world must “reveal in all clarity the joy and demands of the way of Christ.” <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Those who speak on behalf of the church </b>must be faithful to the unchanging teachings of Christ, because only through </span><span style="color: #38761d;">living in harmony with God’s creative design do people find deep and lasting fulfillment. Jesus described his own </span><span style="color: #38761d;">message in these terms, saying in the Gospel of John: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">that your joy may be full.” Catholics believe that, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church draws its teachings </span><span style="color: #38761d;">upon the truths of Christ’s message.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2017/06/father-james-martin-respect-compassion-sensitivity-gay-catholics/">Fr James Martin: “Respect, compassion & sensitivity” for gay Catholics</a></span></b> <br />Christopher White June 7, 2017 <span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>In his much anticipated new book,</b> <i>Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity</i>, Father James Martin, SJ, seeks to end the “us” versus “them” mentality that has long divided LGBT Catholics and the institutional Church. Martin, a popular spiritual writer and editor-at-large of America, has long been engaged in ministry with LGBT Catholics, however, last year’s Orlando nightclub massacre prompted him to want to do and say more. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2016/10/30/james-martin-sj-we-need-build-bridge-between-lgbt-community-and-catholic-church">We need a bridge between LGBT community & the Catholic Church</a></span></b> <br />James Martin, SJ October 30, 2016 <span> </span><span> </span><b>Demonstrators take part</b> in a protest for gay rights in late February outside Italy's Milan Cathedral. The Italian government's approval of a controversial bill that grants legal recognition to non-married heterosexual and homosexual couples is a defeat for democracy and family life, an Italian bishop said. (CNS photo/Matteo Bazzi, EPA) The relationship between the L.G.B.T. Catholic community and the Catholic Church in the United States has been at times contentious and combative, and at times warm and welcoming. Much of the tension characterizing this complicated relationship results from a lack of communication and, sadly, a good deal of mistrust, between L.G.B.T. Catholics and the hierarchy.<br /><b>What is needed is a bridge</b> between that community and the church. I invite you to walk with me on that important bridge. To that end, I would like to reflect on both the church’s outreach to the L.G.B.T. community and the L.G.B.T. community’s outreach to the church. Because good bridges take people in both directions. As you know, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that Catholics are called to treat the homosexual person with “respect, compassion and sensitivity” (No. 2358). What might that mean? Let’s meditate on that, and on a second question as well:<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>What might it mean</b> for the L.G.B.T. community to treat the church with “respect, sensitivity and compassion”? Of course, L.G.B.T. Catholics are part of the church, so, in a sense, those questions imply a false dichotomy. The church is the entire people of God, and it is strange to discuss how the people of God can relate to a part of the people of God. So, in good Jesuit fashion, let me refine our terms. When I refer to the church in this discussion I mean the institutional church—that is, the Vatican, the hierarchy, church officials and the clergy.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #38761d;">CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH - </span><b style="color: #38761d;"><span>👉 </span></b><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html"><b>CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION TO UNIONS </b></a><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html"><b>BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS</b></a> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">- </span><span style="color: #38761d;">INTRODUCTION </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>1. In recent years, </b>various questions relating to homosexuality have been addressed with some frequency by </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Pope John Paul II and by the relevant Dicasteries of the Holy See.(1) Homosexuality is a troubling moral and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">social phenomenon, even in those countries where it does not present significant legal issues. It gives rise to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">greater concern in those countries that have granted or intend to grant – legal recognition to homosexual unions, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">which may include the possibility of adopting children.<br /><b>The present Considerations</b> do not contain new doctrinal </span><span style="color: #38761d;">elements; they seek rather to reiterate the essential points on this question and provide arguments drawn from </span><span style="color: #38761d;">reason which could be used by Bishops in preparing more specific interventions, appropriate to the different </span><span style="color: #38761d;">situations throughout the world, aimed at protecting and promoting the dignity of marriage, the foundation of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the family, and the stability of society, of which this institution is a constitutive element.<br /><b>The present </b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Considerations</b> are also intended to give direction to Catholic politicians by indicating the approaches to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">proposed legislation in this area which would be consistent with Christian conscience.(2) Since this question </span><span style="color: #38761d;">relates to the natural moral law, the arguments that follow are addressed not only to those who believe in Christ, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">but to all persons committed to promoting and defending the common good of society.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.focusonthefamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/homosexuality_resources.pdf">Resource List: </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.focusonthefamily.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/homosexuality_resources.pdf"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Homosexuality</span></b></a> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>The resources listed</b> below align with Focus on the Family’s philosophy and mission. We trust you will find them </span><span style="color: #38761d;">helpful. If you would like to obtain any of these items, call us toll free at 1-800-A-FAMILY, or visit our online </span><span style="color: #38761d;">store at store.focusonthefamily.com. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>(The information is regularly updated,</b> but there is still the possibility that an </span><span style="color: #38761d;">item originally available from Focus on the Family might now be unavailable.) You may also be interested in the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">content posted on our website at focusonthefamily.com. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">REVISED 11-2-2017 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Focus on the Family</b> is committed to upholding God’s design for the expression of human sexuality: a husband and wife in a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">marriage relationship. We also hold to the scriptural truth that a relationship with God through Jesus Christ brings transformation </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and power over sin. We reach out with compassion and respect to individuals, families, and churches affected by homosexuality. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">With that in mind, the following resources may be helpful as a starting point for those looking for hope and healing.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjKo8KIyUNfuNRLy3r79b-Or6ClXqSG7kyZE6Tmq7j5YfTsLCdXZ02ZErQQLvbTduqORU2b2W-TexIOckuB3uOHGz4AYVos7lIWHIoHzE8DalxRLPf_Q22LOtiFrEXvH0UiKEEKvKD8Qf/s940/Called-by-name.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEjKo8KIyUNfuNRLy3r79b-Or6ClXqSG7kyZE6Tmq7j5YfTsLCdXZ02ZErQQLvbTduqORU2b2W-TexIOckuB3uOHGz4AYVos7lIWHIoHzE8DalxRLPf_Q22LOtiFrEXvH0UiKEEKvKD8Qf/s320/Called-by-name.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />3- WOMAN </b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://studylib.net/doc/8027688/modesty-and-how-catholics-must-dress-for-mass">A thought for the Christian Woman’s conscience</a></span></b> - page 81 </span>of 207 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By Nancy Dias - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">August 12, 2008 <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>I would love to share</b> with you my thoughts on modesty in view of the Christian faith. Born and brought up as a Catholic and a mother of two lovely sons, I'm not ashamed of the Gospel, it is therefore imperative for me to witness to you.To the secular liberalist or to the Christian liberalist,or to the immodest, this may sound legalistic. But the Word of God calls it VIRTUE!I was a regular Church attendee and everything was going on well and yet I did not discover the nakedness within me. I must thank my Lord Jesus for not giving up on me for living a “double standard” Christian life by being a slave to the worldly desires.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://studylib.net/doc/8027688/modesty-and-how-catholics-must-dress-for-mass">Mod – Modern or Modest? (Part I & II)</a></span></b> - page 82-85 of 207 <br />By Flavia Fernandes, Mumbai, July 2009 <span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><b>Scandals can come</b> through various sources, e.g. profane paintings and sculptures, immodest dresses, loose lifestyles and even toys. All these may cause the loss of many souls. Immodesty in dress, apparent in everyday life, is the most common source of scandal. It is not only a major problem in our own times, but it is also one of the greatest stumbling blocks to our own salvation and to the salvation of others. Though modesty or immodesty is usually attributed to women, this is not entirely true, for even men may dress immodestly.The heart of a person can be seen by how he/she attires his/her body. We have only to go back in time and reflect on how Satan duped our First Parents Adam & Eve, to see where we stand today.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://scepterpublishers.org/products/womens-liberation-and-feminism">Women's Liberation and Feminism</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">By Jutta Burggraf - October 30, 1991 <span> </span><span> </span></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Women are playing more</b> and more active roles in the political, economic, and cultural life of our times. Their voices are being listened to with greater respect, and they are making important decisions affecting major portions of society. Inferior intellect and dependency have largely ceased to be diagnosed as deficiencies of their nature. It hasn’t always been so. Women in the past have too often been looked down upon. Today this may tend to be exaggerated for ideological reasons, but history shows us it is true enough.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://fr.aleteia.org/2018/06/30/le-temps-de-la-femme-pas-sans-les-hommes/?utm_campaign=Web_Notifications&utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=notifications">Le temps de la femme : pas sans les hommes !</a></span></b> <br />Marie Brintet | 30 juin 2018 - </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Est-ce le temps de la femme ? </b>Durant trois jours, philosophes, théologiens, médecins et historiens réunis par l’Institut catholique de Toulouse ont exploré le mystère de la femme dans le temps de l’humanité. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Que dire de la relation de la femme au temps ? Le temps a une dimension finie, la femme est dans l’immortalité. Pourtant, un rythme est inscrit dans le corps de la femme, pendant le temps de la fertilité, sur celui de la lune et sans doute de bien d’autres lunes. <b>Quelque chose en elle</b> lui rappelle qu’elle est partie de l’univers et qu’elle lui donne son sens. Dieu a créé la terre pour la donner aux hommes et non le contraire. Cette dimension cosmique est à étudier pour entrer dans le mystère de la femme, ce cosmos qui commence tout juste à être compris des physiciens. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Cette réflexion autour de la femme (et non de la féminité), autour de sa vocation si particulière de gardienne de la vie, sentinelle de l’invisible, est centrale dans un monde qui ne sait plus où il va. À force de combattre l’indétermination, il n’y a plus de place pour la liberté et la responsabilité. Le transhumanisme et le post-humanisme sont des domaines exclusivement masculins. Le génie féminin doit retrouver sa place.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>4- GENDER ISSUES </b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2017/06/19512/?utm_source=The+Witherspoon+Institute&utm_campaign=0078e19ec7-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_15ce6af37b-0078e19ec7-84176997">The Experiment on Our Children: Doctors Don’t Know Who the Real Trans Kids Are</a></span></b> <br />By Walt Heyer - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">within Healthcare, Science, Sexuality June 12th, 2017 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Doctors currently</b> have no way of predicting which gender dysphoric children will persist in their gender dysphoria, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and yet they are pushing the minimum age for irreversible hormone therapy and surgery as low as possible. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">According to the wisdom of the day, kids experiencing gender dysphoria need to be treated affirmingly as early—and as </span><span style="color: #38761d;">radically—as possible. For the time being, surgery and hormone therapy have to wait until age sixteen. But before that, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">adolescents can be prescribed puberty blockers, and even younger children are encouraged to transition “socially,” by </span><span style="color: #38761d;">adopting the name, dress, and mannerisms of their preferred gender. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>All of this</b> is in spite of the fact that gender dysphoria in children sees very low rates of persistence—ranging from 2.2% to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">30% in males and from 12% to 50% in females, according to the DSM-5. As Dr. Kristina Olson, a research psychologist at </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the University of Washington, put it, “We just don’t have definitive data one way or another.” The truth is that no one can </span><span style="color: #38761d;">predict whether a gender dysphoric kid will feel the same way years later. That’s why Olson is leading a study of 300 trans </span><span style="color: #38761d;">kids that will track outcomes over twenty years. “To be able to, hopefully, answer which children should or should not </span><span style="color: #38761d;">transition,” she said. In the meantime, many of those children will be encouraged to go ahead and make life-altering </span><span style="color: #38761d;">medical decisions in light of scientific ignorance.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/johns-hopkins-psychiatrist-support-transgenderism-and-sex-change-surgery?utm_source=email+marketing+Mailigen&utm_campaign=News+6.8.16&utm_medium=email">Johns Hopkins Psychiatrist: Support of Transgenderism and Sex-Change Surgery Is ‘Collaborating With </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/johns-hopkins-psychiatrist-support-transgenderism-and-sex-change-surgery?utm_source=email+marketing+Mailigen&utm_campaign=News+6.8.16&utm_medium=email"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Madness’</span></b></a> <br />By Michael W. Chapman | June 2, 2016 - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Dr. Paul R. McHugh, the Distinguished Service Professor of <b>Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins</b> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">University, and former psychiatrist-in-chief at Johns Hopkins Hospital who has studied </span><span style="color: #38761d;">transgenderism and sex-reassignment surgery for 40 years, said the condition is a “mental </span><span style="color: #38761d;">illness” and to enable it is equal to “collaborating with madness.” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">A transgender person is someone whose biological sex at birth is different than who they think they are sexually </span><span style="color: #38761d;">on the inside; for example, an anatomical male who believes he is a woman. <br /><b>Sex-reassignment surgery</b> is an </span><span style="color: #38761d;">operation where a person’s genitalia is changed from what it was biologically at birth; for example, a man’s </span><span style="color: #38761d;">penis and testes are removed and a faux-vagina is created by surgeons. The man may also receive breast </span><span style="color: #38761d;">implants and hormone treatments. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The gay-rights activist group Human Rights Campaign includes sexually reassigned people in its definition of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">transgender, as well as those who have not undergone the operation. The HRC defines “gender identity” as </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“one’s internal concept of self as male, female, a blend of both, or neither,” regardless of one’s anatomy and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">chromosomal makeup – XX female, XY male. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>But as Dr. McHugh explains </b>in the chapter “Surgical Sex” in his book The Mind Has Mountains: Reflections on </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Society and Psychiatry (Johns Hopkins University Press), transgender is a “mental illness,” and to surgically </span><span style="color: #38761d;">alter someone’s genitalia is to enable a disorder. “I have witnessed a great deal of damage from sex </span><span style="color: #38761d;">reassignment,” states Dr. McHugh in his book. “The children transformed from their male constitution into </span><span style="color: #38761d;">female roles suffered prolonged distress and misery as they sensed their natural attitudes” as males develop.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://c-fam.org/friday_fax/transgender-health-experts-contradict-new-publication/">Transgender Health Experts Contradict Themselves in New Publication</a></span></b> <br />By Rebecca Oas, Ph.D June 23, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">2016 NEW YORK, June 24 (C-Fam) <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>A leading</b> medical journal published its first series on </span><span style="color: #38761d;">transgender health and reveals what appear to be major </span><span style="color: #38761d;">contradictions. On the one hand the journal argues </span><span style="color: #38761d;">there is nothing medically wrong with transgenderism. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">On the other hand, it argues transgenderism is a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">condition that requires medical attention, setting up </span><span style="color: #38761d;">transgenderism as the first non-medical condition that requires a medical intervention. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The World Health Organization (WHO) will likely revisit its diagnostic manual in 2018, moving gender identity </span><span style="color: #38761d;">issues from the chapter on “mental and behavioral disorders” to a new chapter on “conditions related to sexual </span><span style="color: #38761d;">health” using the term “gender incongruence.” <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>The revision</b> would be the latest step in a series of changes in how the mental health field views gender identity. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">In 2013, the latest edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s diagnostic manual (DSM-5) reclassified </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“gender identity disorder” as “gender dysphoria.” This was seen as normalizing transgender identity by shifting </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the focus from gender identity to the distress associated with living in a body that does not match one’s </span><span style="color: #38761d;">perceived gender. <br /><b>But, according to</b> the authors of one of the articles published in The Lancet, “gender </span><span style="color: #38761d;">dysphoria” still imparts stigma since “the diagnosis remains one of mental disorder.” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">In an interview with Mother Jones, the article’s lead author and sexology professor Sam Winter pointed out that </span><span style="color: #38761d;">diagnoses enable transgender persons to access drugs and other therapies. The article raised but did not answer </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the question about why, if being transgender is not a disorder, it requires so much therapy.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/exposing-the-hypocrisy-in-the-transgender-movement">Exposing the Hypocrisy in the Transgender Movement</a></span></b> <br />Trent Horn March 07, 2017 - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">There have been a lot of stories in the news recently about transgender issues. This includes the Trump administration’s </span><span style="color: #38761d;">roll back of transgender guidelines that were issued under President Obama as well as the transgender boy who won a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Texas girls wrestling championship (which is not surprising, given that this biological female takes testosterone in order to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">give her a more masculine appearance). But another story caught my eye that, at first, seems unrelated but is actually </span><span style="color: #38761d;">quite pertinent to the discussion over transgender identity.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2016/05/17033/">Rendering the Sexed Body Legally Invisible: How Transgender Law Hurts Women</a></span></b> <br />By Erika Bachiochi </span><span style="color: #38761d;">within Sexuality May 26th, 2016 - The Witherspoon Institute Public Discourse<br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>The gross misappropriation</b> of executive power to utterly remake the meaning of very basic legal terms </span><span style="color: #38761d;">threatens not only the structure of our government. It threatens the rule of law itself. This distortion of legal </span><span style="color: #38761d;">language is a particular threat to laws concerning women. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Whether she knew it</b> or not, when Vanita Gupta, the acting head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department </span><span style="color: #38761d;">of Justice, stated earlier this month that trans women are women and trans men are men, she was making a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">metaphysical claim. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Her claim is that men and women are not most fundamentally human persons. Rather, they are minds unmoored </span><span style="color: #38761d;">from human bodies. But the law does not govern human minds; indeed, it cannot. The law governs human </span><span style="color: #38761d;">persons, who are always and everywhere embodied. And human bodies are always and everywhere sexed.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.medicinaepersona.ch/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/1.30.17b-Gender-Ideology-Harms-Children-updated.pdf">Gender Ideology Harms Children</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">The American College of Pediatricians urges educators and legislators to reject all policies that </span><span style="color: #38761d;">condition children to accept as normal a life of chemical and surgical impersonation of the opposite </span><span style="color: #38761d;">sex. Facts – not ideology – determine reality.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-what-does-the-science-say-58293?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"></span></b></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxmzDnjMBRvzoKsBumqCDHOC4P9OPNgK0F6fLKHhpFwoM0Ib24IH99PU99ztBU1KBTSdjPYfQIGcGNypXHhJV3Ct9R6CgkMKhXSklL5DYlQlRCer1Mv57Kni-l-MZO-Eda7F-cPPj7yUe/s760/Gender-ID-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxmzDnjMBRvzoKsBumqCDHOC4P9OPNgK0F6fLKHhpFwoM0Ib24IH99PU99ztBU1KBTSdjPYfQIGcGNypXHhJV3Ct9R6CgkMKhXSklL5DYlQlRCer1Mv57Kni-l-MZO-Eda7F-cPPj7yUe/s320/Gender-ID-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></b></span></div><span style="color: #38761d;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Credit: fieldwork via Shutterstock.</i></div></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-what-does-the-science-say-58293?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/sexual-orientation-and-gender-identity-what-does-the-science-say-58293?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Sexual orientation and gender identity: what does the science say?</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></div></span></b><div style="text-align: center;">Washington D.C., Aug 27, 2016</div></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>For most young people</b> who experience feelings of gender dysphoria, the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">experience is in fact temporary, and a non-heterosexual orientation is not as fixed </span><span style="color: #38761d;">as sometimes claimed, a new overview of the relevant research says. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“Only a minority of children who experience cross-gender identification will </span><span style="color: #38761d;">continue to do so into adolescence or adulthood,” said the report, published in The New Atlantis Journal. </span></div></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>As many as</b> 80 percent of men who reported same-sex attraction as adolescents no longer do so as adults. There </span><span style="color: #38761d;">were “similar but less striking” results for women. The idea of innate sexual orientation is “not supported by </span><span style="color: #38761d;">scientific evidence,” the report said. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Titled “Sexuality and Gender: Findings from the Biological, Psychological, and Social Sciences,” the report </span><span style="color: #38761d;">reviews various research studies to examine claims about sexuality and gender.</span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd69nIKf3AgMIY9xyz_ccqWlN8x28u0ZiXiAJjI-FMFMkHYWffQarzgLMim0SxBWeO9QXVXsz9214QxVcVP0I8Y-BbDRf83-ZDfGbgt4H9BUOqULHw6O0VmlYU_KbYoa0UWDYMGp3tv7CS/s600/Gender-ID-2-bathroom-sign.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd69nIKf3AgMIY9xyz_ccqWlN8x28u0ZiXiAJjI-FMFMkHYWffQarzgLMim0SxBWeO9QXVXsz9214QxVcVP0I8Y-BbDRf83-ZDfGbgt4H9BUOqULHw6O0VmlYU_KbYoa0UWDYMGp3tv7CS/s320/Gender-ID-2-bathroom-sign.png" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b> </b></span><b style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://pelicansbreast.com/2016/05/18/squatters-rights-and-lgbt-movements-how-we-allowed-adverse-possession-and-what-we-can-do-about-it/">Squatter’s Rights and LGBT Movements: How We Allowed Adverse Possession and What We Can do </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://pelicansbreast.com/2016/05/18/squatters-rights-and-lgbt-movements-how-we-allowed-adverse-possession-and-what-we-can-do-about-it/"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">About it</span></b></a> - by Vicki Burbach - 160518 </span></div></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Americans are livid. </b>The Obama administration has taken the transgender bathroom issue by storm, issuing a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">directive via the Departments of Justice and Education to all public school districts across the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">country, warning officials that transgender students should be allowed to use the restroom or </span><span style="color: #38761d;">locker room of the gender with which they identify, as opposed to their “sex assigned at birth” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">(their language, not mine) – or risk having the federal government withhold school funding. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">And by the way, making separate facilities available doesn’t count. </span></div></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>This is what happens, </b>ladies and gentlemen, when we fail to stand up and declare the truth. When we sit back in </span><span style="color: #38761d;">fear of confrontation and refuse to speak the truth in love, we risk being violently overtaken in the public </span><span style="color: #38761d;">square. In the world of pubic opinion, the faithful have completely lost the argument. But worse, when it </span><span style="color: #38761d;">counted, few of us showed up. Do you know what we have done? We have allowed something that in the real </span><span style="color: #38761d;">estate business is called adverse possession, otherwise known by the somewhat crass if visually descriptive </span><span style="color: #38761d;">term, squatter’s rights.</span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20190202_maschio-e-femmina_en.pdf">“ MALE AND FEMALE </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20190202_maschio-e-femmina_en.pdf"><b>HE CREATED THEM ”</b></a> </span><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">TOWARDS A PATH OF DIALOGUE </span><span style="color: #38761d;">ON THE QUESTION OF GENDER THEORY </span><span style="color: #38761d;">IN EDUCATION - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">It is becoming increasingly clear that we are now facing with what </span><span style="color: #38761d;">might accurately be called an educational crisis, especially in the field of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">affectivity and sexuality. In many places, curricula are being planned and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">implemented which “allegedly convey a neutral conception of the person </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and of life, yet in fact reflect an anthropology opposed to faith and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to right reason”.1 The disorientation regarding anthropology which is </span><span style="color: #38761d;">a widespread feature of our cultural landscape has undoubtedly helped </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to destabilise the family as an institution, bringing with it a tendency to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">cancel out the differences between men and women, presenting them </span><span style="color: #38761d;">instead as merely the product of historical and cultural conditioning.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-church-needs-a-unified-strategy-to-counter-gender-ideology-expert-says-53614?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">The Church needs a unified strategy to counter gender ideology, </a></b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/the-church-needs-a-unified-strategy-to-counter-gender-ideology-expert-says-53614?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">expert says</span></b></a> <br />By Elise Harris Rome, Italy, May 19, 2017 <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Apostolic nuncios attended</b> a crash course last year on gender from an </span><span style="color: #38761d;">expert in the field, who stressed the need for the Church to develop a </span><span style="color: #38761d;">unified strategy, based on the faith's basic principles, in fighting gender </span><span style="color: #38761d;">ideology. </span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>First, </b>“we Christians, and certainly our bishops and nuncios, need to be convinced about our principles, the principles of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">our faith,” Fr. Robert Gahl told CNA May 16. “We also need to have a thought-through understanding of those principles, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">also regarding the human body.” <br /><b>He stressed the importance</b> of remembering that “humanity has been saved fully, that </span><span style="color: #38761d;">we are redeemed also in our sexuality.” This implies a daily struggle and fight with original sin, he said, explaining that “the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">redemption of our own embodiment and therefore of our own sexuality and complementarity” is a task each person must </span><span style="color: #38761d;">carry out daily. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Secondly,</b> he said, “the Church needs to act together, so that it be in concert, because we’re more powerful when we act </span><span style="color: #38761d;">together.” Acting together doesn’t mean that everyone has to do the same thing, but rather that by seeking guidance </span><span style="color: #38761d;">from the Church on how to handle modern issues such as gender, individuals will be able “to act in a way that will be more </span><span style="color: #38761d;">effective in the public square.” Fr. Gahl emphasized that the present time “is a crucial moment for the bishops to help to </span><span style="color: #38761d;">intervene and to help coordinate so the market can produce sound alternatives that also agree with our conscience and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">our religious belief.” <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Both individuals and institutions</b> “need to have instruction and guidance” from bishops, he said, noting that “many people </span><span style="color: #38761d;">are waiting for that and at times, unfortunately, it’s missing, because the bishops aren’t sure what to do because things are </span><span style="color: #38761d;">changing too rapidly.” Fr. Gahl, a priest of Opus Dei, is an associate professor of ethics at the Pontifical University of the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Holy Cross who has authored numerous publications on sexual ethics and moral action, among other topics.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-blasts-gender-theory-as-the-great-enemy-of-marriage-89369?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Pope in Georgia blasts gender theory as the 'great enemy' of marriage</a></span></b> <br />By Elise Harris - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Vatican City, Oct 1, 2016 - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">In a lengthy, off-the-cuff speech in Georgia, Pope Francis said the world today is at war with marriage, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">and urged couples to fight against modern threats to the sacrament such as gender theory. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Speaking to Irina, a Georgian wife and mother who gave her testimony in front of Pope Francis and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">hundreds of priests, seminarians and religious Oct. 1, the Pope said “you mentioned a great enemy of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">marriage today: gender theory.” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“Today the whole world is at war trying to destroy marriage,” he said, noting that this war isn’t being </span><span style="color: #38761d;">fought with arms “but with ideas.” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">There are “certain ideologies that destroy marriage,” he said. “So we need to defend ourselves from </span><span style="color: #38761d;">ideological colonization.”</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>5- PASTORAL CARE OF PERSONS - L.G.B.T. </b></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/library/commentary-on-the-relationship-between-men-and-women-2646">Commentary on the Relationship Between Men and Women</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">Author: Prof. Jutta Burggraf, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">University of Navarre <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"> <i><b>Man and woman are created to be like eagles, not hens </b></i><br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>It has unfortunately</b> become normal to watch the most dramatic and scandalous events that the media daily show us and often parade to satisfy the morbid curiosity of a broad section of the public: a husband grabs a weapon and kills his wife in a fit of anger, another pushes his wife out the window, a third seriously injures his partner with a knife. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">These scenes may occur in any quiet and peaceful town where neighbours waste no time in joining together to express their amazement and dismay. And after having heard more or less coherent complaints, we switch to another item of news, thinking that society should provide women with better protection. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Without denying</b> that this protection is indeed urgently necessary, it must be said that the results of certain recent inquiries give food for thought. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">As a German psychological journal (cf. Psychologie heute, July 2004) claims, it is men, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">not women, who suffer most from domestic violence. Women are also showing a growing inclination for physical aggression, whereas their husbands prefer to keep quiet about the abuse they suffer. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">"I have always been careful only to slap educated, gentle men who would not have slapped me back", an active feminist declared (cf. Die Welt, 11 June 2004). <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Apart from this</b> revealing confession, it is known that women are capable of [...] damage by means of psychological torture, embittering the lives of their families by more subtle and "indemonstrable" means, such as coercion, humiliation or constant bad temper. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">In such a situation, it is not surprising the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has addressed its Letter to both men and women. Its intention is not only to defend the dignity of women, as Pope John Paul II did with fine sensitivity 16 years ago in his Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, a Document that even gave rise to admiration in certain radical feminist circles. For example, Gertrude Mongella, President of the International Conference on Women in Beijing said: "I would like all the fanatics in the world to reason in the same balanced way as the Pope" (cf. Kirche heute, December 1996, 26). <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Instead, today, </b>in addition to clearly indicating the legitimate rights of women and working to make them respected on the five continents, it is also necessary to speak of the duties of both sexes. To use a more attractive metaphor: the time has come to remind people of their important mission in this world. We have all been created to be "eagles" that can soar toward the sun, and we must not diminish ourselves by behaving like "hens" that do nothing but peck at grain scattered on the ground.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">👉 </b><a href="http://homosexuality101.com" style="font-size: large; font-weight: bold;">HOMOSEXUALITY 101</a><b style="font-size: large;"> </b><span style="font-size: medium;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: medium;">Contrary to widespread misinformation, scientists have not discovered a biological cause for homosexuality. Instead, many researchers believe a homosexual orientation results from a combination of factors. Not every homosexual will have all the factors listed below but may have some combination of them. This presentation highlights the primary role of environmental factors.</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2tK2A6Yw2T18v3Qq_CjDwck59SZAV0xXo4hPCe5ato_QCx4I9ziVJPY0eqQsZi_HhtoehsBUInlAq_mqsTHDr_1i6fUXH5e6uCn6gyQaWjsGaBfhNXXB2mkToxK0RL06LO_M2AWv7nc5/s1233/Homosexuality+101+181207.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="1233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2tK2A6Yw2T18v3Qq_CjDwck59SZAV0xXo4hPCe5ato_QCx4I9ziVJPY0eqQsZi_HhtoehsBUInlAq_mqsTHDr_1i6fUXH5e6uCn6gyQaWjsGaBfhNXXB2mkToxK0RL06LO_M2AWv7nc5/s320/Homosexuality+101+181207.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C54CIxm-w44">Homosexuality 101 - Dr. Julie Harren Hamilton</a></span></b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>People who are attracted</b> to members of their own gender, do they come to it for biological reasons or is it something that they choose? Watch Dr. Julie Hamilton </span><span style="color: #38761d;">explain</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> how science </span><span style="color: #38761d;">shows </span><span style="color: #38761d;">it is <u>neither</u>. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">YOUTUBE - Nov 14, 2015 <b>Dr. Julie Hamilton's session</b> is full of insights, truth and compassion regarding the topic of homosexuality and what the research actually says. She begins with audience assessment questions and dispelling the myths and misinformation regarding homosexuality with questions like, "Is someone born gay or do they choose homosexuality?" <br /><b>She then covers developmental factors</b> that can contribute to setting the stage for homosexual desire and then what to do about it all for the Christian. Her expertise is matched with her compassionate approach which is so incredibly refreshing on the current cultural stage. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Dr. Julie Harren Hamilton</b> is a licensed marriage and family therapist with a private practice in south Florida. She is also former President of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality and speaks in a variety of contexts on issues related to marriage, family life, spiritual growth, and homosexuality. <br /><b>She is co-editor </b>of The Handbook for Unwanted Homosexual Attractions: A Guide to Treatment. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">©RestoredHopeNetwork.org. Permissions: videos and screenshots may be used for private consumption without written permission. Any media usage must obtain written permission from the Restored Hope Network Board of Directors.</span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: left;"></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://scholar.google.ca/scholar?q=National+Association+for+Research+and+Therapy+of+Homosexuality&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart">National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality</a></span></b> <br />The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality, also known as the NARTH Institute, is a US organization that promotes conversion therapy, a harmful and pseudoscientific practice used in attempts to change the sexual orientation of people with same-sex attraction. </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><p style="color: black;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/bringing-sanity-to-sex-part-i">Bringing Sanity to Sex: Part I By Karlo Broussard</a></span></b> <br />February 08, 2017 - Sanity is to see what is (reality) and live in accord with it. If your grandfather thinks leprechauns are jumping in his butter dish and he gives them his butter knife to use as a springboard, then his sanity is defective. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">He mistakes a hallucination for what is real and behaves accordingly. As he tells you about this phenomenon at the dinner table, you probably would invite him to become a citizen of the real world and see reality as it is and live in it. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">I use this example to prompt the question, “Is there a real world when it comes to sex and our sexual powers?” In other words, is there a meaning to sex that is independent of what you or I make sex out to be? Is there a reality to sex, and thus to our sexual powers, that we ought to reverence and live in accord with? Is there a real world with regard to sex that we could invite someone to live in? Is there such a thing as sexual sanity?</span></p><p style="color: black;"><b style="color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/bringing-sanity-to-sex-part-2">Bringing Sanity to Sex: Part II By Karlo Broussard</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">In my previous article, we saw that there is such a thing as sexual sanity, an objective reality with which we need to live in accord in order to be sexually sane. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Regardless of someone’s personal motive for engaging in sexual activity, procreation is its natural end. Now, the charge that such a view reduces human sex acts to mere biology might have force if producing children were the end of the story. But it’s not. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">There is another purpose of sex intrinsic to making babies: the physical and emotional drawing together of spouses. Catholic theology calls these the procreative and unitive dimensions of sex. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">There are two ways to see this intrinsic connection. The first sees the spousal friendship as finalizing the procreative dimension inasmuch as it makes sex a human reproductive act. The second sees how the unitive is bound to the procreative for the sake of rearing children.</span></p><div><span style="font-size: medium;">CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH <b><span>👉 </span></b><a href="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia//congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19861001_homosexual-persons_en.html"><b>ON THE PASTORAL CARE OF HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS</b></a> </span></div><div><b>1. The issue of homosexuality</b> and the moral evaluation of homosexual acts have increasingly become a matter of public debate, even in Catholic circles. Since this debate often advances arguments and makes assertions inconsistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church, it is quite rightly a cause for concern to all engaged in the pastoral ministry, and this Congregation has judged it to be of sufficiently grave and widespread importance to address to the Bishops of the Catholic Church this Letter on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons. <br /><b>2. Naturally, an exhaustive treatment</b> of this complex issue cannot be attempted here, but we will focus our reflection within the distinctive context of the Catholic moral perspective. It is a perspective which finds support in the more secure findings of the natural sciences, which have their own legitimate and proper methodology and field of inquiry. <br /><b>However, the Catholic moral viewpoint </b>is founded on human reason illumined by faith and is consciously motivated by the desire to do the will of God our Father. The Church is thus in a position to learn from scientific <span style="color: #38761d;">discovery but also to transcend the horizons of science and to be confident that her more global vision does </span>greater justice to the rich reality of the human person in his spiritual and physical dimensions, created by God and heir, by grace, to eternal life.</div></span></div><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjxrU75AGNASfX_mu?e=6fGf6Z">Pastoral Charity Does Not Excuse Us From Seeking the Truth</a></span></b> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><i><b>The Quest for Same-Sex Unions Touches Us Deeply</b></i> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>People who not only claim</b> to be Christians but also live the Christian life have accepted to be bound by Jesus’ commandment to love their neighbor as themselves, in addition to loving God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. Like Jesus, they must be devoted to each other and kind to every person; while they also cling firmly to the truth about both God and man. Those engaged in ministry to others are bound, after the example of Jesus, to practice pastoral charity, the dedicated love, service, and concern of the shepherd. <br /><b>Pastoral charity,</b> as we see it in Jesus himself, includes compassion to individual persons in their weakness combined with firm and unequivocal teaching of the truth. Jesus never said to a sinner, “Your inclination or attraction is so strong and you’ve had it from so young, that it’s your orientation; so it’s God’s plan for you. I bless you and your condition – go and be happy.” <br /><b>With Jesus, it was always,</b> “Your faith has saved you. Go, and sin no more.” Sometimes, He even added, “or something worse may happen to you.” Pastoral charity consists of a two-pronged approach: show compassion and understanding to the person, but be uncompromising with the truth of the situation and of what God expects of us all.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.kofc.org/un/en/resources/cis/cis385.pdf">Same Sex Attraction: Catholic Teaching and </a></span></b><a href="https://www.kofc.org/un/en/resources/cis/cis385.pdf"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Pastoral Practice</span></b></a> <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;">BY </span><span style="color: #38761d;">FATHER JOHN F. HARVEY, O.S.F.S. in KofC Resources <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>SAME SEX ATTRACTION: WHAT AND WHY?</b> - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Introduction <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>It becomes increasingly difficult</b> to pick up a newspaper or watch </span><span style="color: #38761d;">television without being faced with the fact of homosexuality. Yet as the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“gay” lifestyle and the demand for “gay rights” become more prominent, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">intelligent discussions of the relevant moral and psychological issues seem </span><span style="color: #38761d;">to be growing scarce—as if no decent person could possibly see anything </span><span style="color: #38761d;">wrong with homosexual acts or anything distorted in the phenomenon of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">same-sex attraction. <br /></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Amid gay advocacy</b> and political claims about science and ethics, </span><span style="color: #38761d;">confusion about the nature, origins, dynamics, and morality of </span><span style="color: #38761d;">homosexual activity is widespread. For this reason I should like to present </span><span style="color: #38761d;">some basic notions of a psychological and moral nature in this booklet. I </span><span style="color: #38761d;">shall conclude with a spiritual plan of life for those who deal with samesex </span><span style="color: #38761d;">attractions and wish to live chastely.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/what-does-it-look-like-to-be-gay-and-a-practicing-catholic-97169">What does it look like to be gay – and a practicing Catholic?</a></span></b> <br />By Kerri Lenartowick - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Rome, Italy, Jun 30 <span> </span><span> </span><b>More than 10 years ago,</b> Joseph Prever found himself scouring the internet for anything that might help him: he was gay, Catholic, and confused. Resources were scarce for a man struggling with homosexuality and trying to remain faithful to the Church’s teaching. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">In the intervening years, Catholics experiencing same-sex attraction have become a more vocal presence in the Church. <br /><b>Google the words “gay Catholic”</b> and one of the top sites to appear will be Prever’s own blog, a blog with the tagline: “Catholic, Gay, and Feeling Fine.” There, the 32-year-old writer considers his own experiences as a man struggling with same-sex attraction and trying to live out the virtue of chastity. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">What follows is an edited version of a conversation about everything from homosexuality and Batman to poetry and football. The interview is published in two parts.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">👉 </span></b><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/why-this-catholic-takes-issue-with-gay-and-straight-labels-24690">Why this Catholic takes issue with 'gay' and 'straight' labels</a></span></b> <br />By Perry West Denver, Colo., Jun 3, 2018 </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Chastity actually means fulfillment, not suffering – and labeling </span><span style="color: #38761d;">people in terms of their sexual inclinations or attractions first is </span><span style="color: #38761d;">ultimately a reduction of their human dignity. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">These ideas form the basis of a provocative book by Daniel </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Mattson, a Catholic who finds identifying as “gay” unhelpful in </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the dialogue on the issue, and who also believes that living the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">Church's teaching on sexuality leads to the most profound </span><span style="color: #38761d;">experience of peace and freedom. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“The Church must truly have a missionary zeal in proclaiming </span><span style="color: #38761d;">chastity as an invitation to a more fulfilling life for all men and </span><span style="color: #38761d;">women,” Mattson told CNA. </span><span style="color: #38761d;">He said that Catholics need to reach out “to those who identify as LGBT to truly 'come out,' and let the masks of the </span><span style="color: #38761d;">world's sexual identity labels fall from them, and see themselves as God sees them: solely as men and women, beloved </span><span style="color: #38761d;">children of God.” </span><span style="color: #38761d;">“The dividing line of human sexuality is not between gay and straight, but rather between male and female, as we see in </span><span style="color: #38761d;">the Creation account of Genesis,” said Mattson.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-61691729003086766892017-11-20T00:45:00.012-05:002023-02-05T19:12:07.587-05:00Understanding, compassion, help, and support for victims and survivors of sexual abuse - two articles <p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGm_NWVcaqC0Uam_Ho2kgGN91CLz8yn9wmXvL5SnxW2Or8IE7oHO43HD2PxCafgdcE3wCYhosq-xK3amLKaT9DuvKjZc7fH44oOYU0XM5WZTPiuZH0Pl55kszXDKNDA03BiUO6De6mD30X/s612/clergy-sexual-abuse-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGm_NWVcaqC0Uam_Ho2kgGN91CLz8yn9wmXvL5SnxW2Or8IE7oHO43HD2PxCafgdcE3wCYhosq-xK3amLKaT9DuvKjZc7fH44oOYU0XM5WZTPiuZH0Pl55kszXDKNDA03BiUO6De6mD30X/s320/clergy-sexual-abuse-4.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></div><b><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">(1) </span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: medium; letter-spacing: -0.3pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">The church must build ‘spiritual ramps’ to sex abuse survivors</span></b><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">(2) 'A long and tortuous road':
Catholic brother's guilty plea brings relief for victim, but not closure</span></b></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: middle;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #3f0d12; letter-spacing: -0.3pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/05/12/church-must-build-spiritual-ramps-sex-abuse-survivors">The church must build ‘spiritual ramps’ to sex abusesurvivors</a><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.americamagazine.org/voices/lea-karen-kivi"><span style="color: #eb4511; letter-spacing: 0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Lea Karen Kivi</span></a></span><span lang="EN-US" style="letter-spacing: 0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.75pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">May 12, 2017</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">In recent years, the church has made
great progress opening its doors to people with disabilities. Most churches now
have physical ramps that give people with limited mobility access to the
spiritual nourishment of the church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">But what about the Catholic faithful who
are inhibited from entering the church, not by a physical disability but a
sacramental one? When survivors of sexual abuse by members of the clergy
encounter the symbols of Christianity through which they were abused, they may
experience feelings ranging from severe discomfort to panic attacks. I consider
these “sacramental disabilities.” One young girl, for example, was told by the
priest who sexually abused her that if she ever told anyone about what he did
to her, Jesus would come down from the cross and kill her. One young boy was
sexually molested by a priest at the altar. Unless their trauma is addressed,
survivors like this young boy and girl might never be able to walk through the
doors of the church or participate fully in the sacramental life of the church.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #3f0d12;">Unless their
trauma is addressed, survivors might never be able to walk through the
doors of the church.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">What might be a charitable response to
those suffering from a sacramental disability? Wheelchair ramps help disabled
persons enter into a church building. There is a need for spiritual ramps to
enable Mother Church to go in the other direction: to come down and seek out
those who have been sacramentally disabled, knowing that it is extraordinarily
difficult for survivors to speak of their abuse to anyone, let alone ask for
sacramental modifications.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">The sad reality is that victim-blaming
is likely to be the response of some parishioners to survivors of clergy abuse.
Learning to speak about very sensitive issues in a caring way requires
practice. Some parishes have shown leadership in this regard. The Newman Centre
at the University of Toronto offered discussions about <a href="http://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/why-director-spotlight-has-hope-catholic-church-interview-tom-mccarthy"><span style="color: #5534a6; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">the movie
“Spotlight”</span></a> to help parishioners and students process their
strong reactions to this movie. St. Anthony’s Shrine in Boston has hosted
several meetings for persons wishing to share with others how they have been
affected by the clergy sexual abuse scandal.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #3f0d12;">What might be a
charitable response to those suffering from a sacramental disability?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Once a parish community breaks the ice
with such an event, offering workshops led by qualified healing professionals
specifically on how to respond compassionately to survivors of any form of
sexual abuse might minimize the risk of survivors being further traumatized by
how members of faith communities respond to them. Similarly, inviting survivors
of clergy sexual abuse who wish to assist the church in healing and
reconciliation efforts to speak of their experiences provides firsthand
knowledge of the sensitivities involved. Identifying caring church members
willing to bring the love of Mother Church to survivors of clergy abuse would
be a good next step. Once such individuals are identified and trained in
communicating with traumatized individuals, perhaps in collaboration with a
local sexual assault center and psychologists specializing in healing from
trauma, engaging in outreach activities could begin.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Compiling a list of referrals to
qualified, competent and survivor-sensitive health professionals, priests,
women religious and spiritual directors in a diocese would be very helpful to
outreach efforts. Because many survivors of abuse have left their parishes,
advertising in local and social media that a parish cares about those wounded
in the church, and offers to help them meet their specific needs, is an
important work in building a spiritual ramp. Then, a parish might provide a way
for a survivor to contact a trained parishioner by telephone or email to be a
listening ear, prayer partner, referral provider or supporter who might agree,
for example, to meet at the church door and sit with the survivor at Mass.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Finally, no matter one’s role in church
life, prayers for the healing and reconciliation of clergy abuse survivors with
the church constitute the most important nails in the construction of any
spiritual ramp.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">The media reports of abuse in the church
may have overwhelmed and tired the faithful to the point of not wanting to hear
any more about clergy sexual abuse. But ignoring the cross does not mean that
it is not still there. By embracing this cross, the church has an opportunity
to grow into its full maturity as Mother Church to a hurting world.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: center;">---------------------------------------- </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><b>Victim and Abuser Insight</b></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.9pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13pt;"><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/a-long-and-tortuous-road-catholic-brothers-guilty-plea-brings-relief-for-victim-but-not-closure">'A long and tortuous road': Catholic brother's guilty plea brings relief for victim, but not closure</a><span> </span></span></b><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Following the guilty plea of a
Catholic brother who sexually abused a minor at Collège Notre-Dame decades ago,
the victim looks back at his life and what might need to come next.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 2.1pt; text-decoration-line: none; text-transform: uppercase;">JESSE FEITH, MONTREAL
GAZETTE</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: none; text-transform: uppercase;"> </span><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #555555; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">More from Jesse Feith,
Montreal Gazette</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #555555; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Published on: November 20, 2017 | Last
Updated: November 20, 2017 9:09 AM EST</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.9pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After waiting seven years for the moment
to come, he was anxious the night before. He kept his phone close and waited for
the prosecutor’s call: surely, as had already happened so many times, there
would be another delay. But the call never came. So the next morning, he woke
early and left for the Montreal courthouse.<br />
<br />
He had barely slept and now his brain was racing throughout the hour-long
drive. Was he wasting his time? He had gotten his hopes up before only to have
them dashed by procedural delays and setbacks. Last spring, he was told it
would all be over by September. Now it was November.<br />
<br />
It was only once he was sitting in a cubicle at the Montreal courthouse last
Tuesday that he realized the wait was finally over. First, there was a warning:
the man who abused him so many years ago was in the courtroom next to him.
Then, the Crown prosecutor opened the door. “It’s time,” she told the
victim. <br />
<br />
On the morning of Nov. 14, Brother Olivain Leblanc, 75, of the Congrégation de
Ste. Croix sat before a judge — his health too poor for him to stand — and
pleaded guilty to one count of gross indecency for sexually abusing a 13-year-old
student at Montreal’s Collège Notre-Dame. The acts, which included oral sex and
sexual touching, occurred repeatedly between 1979 and 1981, it was said.<br />
<br />
“It’s been a long and tortuous road,” the victim, a man in his early 50s whose
name is covered under a publication ban, said a few days later, sipping a
coffee while walking along a river.<br />
<br />
For decades, he had tried to repress memories of what was done to him. But for
the last seven years — the time that elapsed between his complaint to police
and Leblanc’s guilty plea — he needed to keep them at surface level, knowing he
could be called to testify at any given moment. The stress of it all could be
debilitating.<br />
<br />
“I was living in this void with no sense of direction,” he said. “I sacrificed
seven years of my life because I knew what I was getting myself into. I knew,
psychologically, it would be a war of attrition.”<br />
<br />
After being expelled from the college during his last year of high school, he
went on to live a solitary lifestyle, struggling to find his footing in life
while dealing with the psychological after-effects. For years he said nothing
of what was done to him. To cope, he would tell himself it didn’t affect him
and wouldn’t stop him from leading a normal life. But it always came back to
haunt him, he said.<br />
<br />
“My soul was dead,” he explained. “The flame that lives inside of you and
guides you through life? That’s what was killed.” He continued: “You don’t
live, you survive. You’re always grabbing on to one buoy here, another buoy
there, anything you can hold on to so you can keep your head above water.”<br />
<br />
In 1991, he broke his silence and contacted the college’s director about the
abuse. Two years later, he received $250,000 — a significant chunk of which
went toward his legal fees — and was made to sign a confidentiality agreement. In
2010, after learning of other victims who attended the college, he contacted
the police. In early 2013, Leblanc was charged in criminal court. Later the
same year, following many delays, the Congrégation de Ste. Croix finalized a
settlement to hand out $18 million to more than 200 victims from three schools,
including Collège Notre-Dame.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.9pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of all the years since his abuse, he said,
it was the most recent years, filled with uncertainty about the court
proceedings and an urge to get it over with, that were the hardest. Now he’s
focused on what comes next and feels as though he’s on the cusp of a second
life. <br />
<br />
About a month before his day in court, he started writing down what he would
say when given the chance to address not only the judge but also Leblanc. He
struggled to find the right words, but knew them by the time he entered the
courtroom last week.<br />
<br />
He scanned the room as he opened the door. He saw Leblanc sitting by the aisle.
He couldn’t believe the state he was in. He had aged and gained so much weight,
he thought. He noticed the walker next to him.<br />
<br />
During the proceedings, Leblanc apologized to both the victim and the
victim’s deceased mother, who he said he knew.<br />
<br />
The emotions the victim felt from then on are difficult to explain, he said.<br />
<br />
To him, Leblanc’s apology seemed sincere. For the first time, he said, he felt
he was dealing with an individual and not the congregation.<br />
<br />
“I know he’s a seasoned manipulator, but the man I saw there … I felt it.
He was humbled,” he said.<br />
<br />
“It might sound strange, but it did me good to see him again,” he added,
pausing to carefully choose his next words.<br />
<br />
“For all these years, I had built up this image of him as a monster in my mind.
That leaves a mark on you. It weighs on you. With his apology, he showed me
that in the end, he’s capable of being human. And that’s important to me.”<br />
<br />
On his way to the stand, he said Leblanc whispered to him: “It’s OK. Go ahead.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.9pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">After being expelled from Collège
Notre-Dame, the victim explained in his statement, he had gone to see Leblanc. If
there was anyone in the school who could help him, he figured, it was him. But
Leblanc told him there was nothing he could do for him.<br />
<br />
He never forgot about that moment. And so in court, he repeated it: “Now it’s
my turn to tell him that there’s nothing I can do for him,” he told the judge.<br />
<br />
Leblanc was sentenced to 15 months of house arrest, a joint recommendation from
Crown prosecutors and the defence team. He will also be on Canada’s sex
offender registry for 20 years.<br />
<br />
There’s one thing left, the victim said, that he knows he needs to do, even
though he’s aware some might not understand it. Religion no longer plays any
role in his life, he said. His faith was stolen from him at the college. But he
still believes in the process of reconciliation.<br />
<br />
“I know I will need to forgive him,” he said. “He killed me, but I need to
forgive him, eventually. Maybe after his sentence. I’ll need to do it for
myself. Not for him. As long as I don’t, I won’t be able to let go.”<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div><p></p>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-15412697720608962912017-10-21T11:13:00.011-04:002023-02-05T19:12:53.465-05:00HARCÈLEMENT SEXUEL – OPINION -- Se Faire Pendre Par La Queue -- par Boucar Diouf – humoriste, conteur, biologiste et animateur<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTWbp8w_JuOK7hXi-lqbdXeJbHtglJH4pKnsmfRkRTQO948VTfMkR0nDRvC_zIsqjhzOEQQ3S0kgcX08In8p6knwyx9ff9bebqLkBfDOsQ_JzP25uvEcBPJBPyGVYKRkKokivm8uWYPBn/s612/sexual-abuse-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHTWbp8w_JuOK7hXi-lqbdXeJbHtglJH4pKnsmfRkRTQO948VTfMkR0nDRvC_zIsqjhzOEQQ3S0kgcX08In8p6knwyx9ff9bebqLkBfDOsQ_JzP25uvEcBPJBPyGVYKRkKokivm8uWYPBn/s320/sexual-abuse-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">OPINION HARCÈLEMENT SEXUEL – <b><span style="color: #333333; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><a href="https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/a35f385e-5d5a-4269-a99c-ecb0d78b226b%7C_0.html">Se Faire Pendre Par La Queue</a> </span></b></span><a href="http://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/a35f385e-5d5a-4269-a99c-ecb0d78b226b%7C_0.html"><b><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">171021</span></b></a><p></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;">Boucar Diouf – humoriste,
conteur, biologiste et animateur</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 20.3pt;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mon
père, que je ne cite pas souvent, disait que le plus grand danger qui guette un
homme pendouille entre ses jambes. Et il avait totalement raison. Ne pas
comprendre ce principe fondamental, c’est courir le risque d’une spectaculaire
dégringolade comme le subissent présentement Éric Salvail et Gilbert Rozon. À
force de vouloir semer à tout vent une graine non sollicitée, ils récoltent une
tempête médiatique et une pendaison par le pénis bien méritées. <b>Le pouvoir
et l’argent peuvent former un cocktail bien explosif pour celui qui n’arrive
pas à dompter ce monstre capricieux et insatiable qui sommeille en nous et qui
s’appelle l’ego.</b><br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Si
l’argent peut mener au pouvoir, le pouvoir peut engendrer chez les autres la
peur de perdre son emploi et les installer dans une certaine vulnérabilité face
à leur patron. Cette peur les empêche ensuite d’affirmer que le roi est nu, et
ce, même s’il décide de mettre son engin à l’ordre du jour en plein milieu
d’une réunion qui se termine malheureusement sans procès-verbal.<br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">C’est
dans cette insécurité existentielle que s’épanouissent très souvent les hommes
qui ne comprennent pas que se sentir intouchable ne rend pas leurs touchers
plus acceptables. Si pour les jeunes, les cours d’éducation sexuelle peuvent
faire une différence, pour les adultes qui ne sont plus sur les bancs d’école,
sévir fortement reste la seule option. Malheureusement pour que le prix à payer
soit gros, il faut que la preuve soit béton. Ce qui constitue depuis toujours
une échappatoire pour ces prédateurs sexuels. Pour cause, quand il ne reste
plus que la parole de la victime contre celle du présumé bourreau, la victoire
est très souvent au plus fort de la poche qui travaille avec ses avocats à
décrédibiliser sa proie.<br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sacrifier
le futur de l’autre pour agrémenter son moment présent, ensuite fouiller dans
les pans sombres de son histoire de vie pour la discréditer devant la justice.
Telle est la méthode qui permet à ces cyniques maquereaux de passer entre les
mailles du filet.<br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><b><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cette
fois-ci, la solidarité et les mouvements de masse ont eu raison de ceux qui se
croyaient à l’abri. Je salue le courage de ceux et celles qui ont osé
s’attaquer à ces gros trolls qui se croyaient inatteignables pour mieux les
exposer à la lumière.</span></b><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Le
mensonge peut faire deux semaines de route, la vérité finit par le rattraper en
une journée, disait mon grand-père. Quand une dizaine de personnes vous
accusent de la même chose, il est beaucoup plus difficile de plaider un
sabotage en bande organisée. Chacun de nous a une responsabilité dans ces
dérives. Lorsque Salomé Corbeau criait très fort dans un <i>party</i> de
Juste pour rire pour demander à Gilbert Rozon de lâcher l’enfant de 14 ans
qu’elle était, il y avait certainement dans la salle des gens qui ont
égoïstement manqué à leur devoir citoyen en choisissant de fermer les yeux,
boucher leur oreille et détourner le regard.<br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">C’est
la conscience de son animalité et la capacité d’anticiper les conséquences de
ses actions sur les autres qui séparent l’humanité du reste de la création. La
nature a équipé notre cerveau de neurones miroirs pour nous permettre de mieux
connecter avec les drames des autres et ainsi éviter de leur faire ce qu’on
n’aimerait pas qu’on fasse à notre propre personne ou à ceux qu’on aime. Quand
quelqu’un commence à ne voir que son ego dans ces miroirs neuronaux, c’est que
la satisfaction de ses désirs passe avant les souffrances de l’être humain
devant lui qui pourrait être sa fille, sa sœur ou son frère. Ce qui mérite une
restriction sévère de liberté à l’intérieur des murs de la cité des animaux sociaux
que nous sommes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 20.3pt;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">---------------------------------------------------------</span></div><span lang="FR-CA">
<br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">
Ce texte provenant de La Presse+ est une copie en format web. Consultez-le
gratuitement en version interactive dans l’application La Presse+.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0000ee; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; text-decoration-line: underline;">https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/a35f385e-5d5a-4269-a99c-ecb0d78b226b%7C_0.html</span></div></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 20.3pt;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;">171208 De Gilles Surprenant à écrit à La Presse par
courriel :<br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;"><br />
</span><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: FR-CA;">Cette pièce de Boucar Diouf du 21 octobre, 2017
section Débats, écran 5 - Opinion harcèlement sexuel - "Se faire pendre
par la queue" est magistrale. Enfin la vérité au grand jour pour le bien
commun. Félicitations... bravo! Bonne continuité.</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-84944572686894615082017-06-08T02:16:00.085-04:002023-02-05T19:14:29.561-05:00Sexual Addiction - You probably can't get free on your own, but there is help - six articles <p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /></span></i></div></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWW6x38N6Pir6YIaBTRca3twSimB7LYrmEGDyESrdlkmgF6w3Ryi1asWBmVD_tKOBQ9yorV92zMzVC3wDVXPNduqhA2TtFf_ECqLE4so0rqLAfHR-mqTRRCOSuaRF1GFOSk3fxq103xKAf/s760/drug-addiction-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="507" data-original-width="760" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWW6x38N6Pir6YIaBTRca3twSimB7LYrmEGDyESrdlkmgF6w3Ryi1asWBmVD_tKOBQ9yorV92zMzVC3wDVXPNduqhA2TtFf_ECqLE4so0rqLAfHR-mqTRRCOSuaRF1GFOSk3fxq103xKAf/s320/drug-addiction-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br />(1) </b><b style="background-color: white;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #2c5164;">Can the Catholic Church help an addicted generation?</span></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="background-color: white;"> </span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>(2) </b><b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #2c5164;">Young, white Americans are addicted to this (what RCs should do about it)</span></b></span></p><p><b>(3) </b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;">Trapped? Use the Right Timing to Break Free</b></p><p><b>(4) </b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;">Does More Sex Cure Sex Addiction?</b></p><p><b>(5) </b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;">WILLPOWER IS NOT ENOUGH</b></p><p><b>(6) </b><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;">You Don't Have to Be A Hermit to Break Free</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: "Open Sans", sans-serif;">-------------------------------------------------</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 9.75pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #2c5164;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/can-the-catholic-church-help-an-addicted-generation-14821?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">Can the Catholic Church help an addicted generation?</a></span></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">
By </span><a href="https://plus.google.com/112632115544901082873/?rel=author" target="_blank"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration: none;">Mary Rezac</span></a><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">
Greenwich, Connecticut, </span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/can-the-catholic-church-help-an-addicted-generation-14821/?utm_source=CNA&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_newsletter">Jun 8, 2017</a></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Young Americans are
dying at a rate not seen since the Vietnam War. But they are not dying in
combat - they’re dying of the effects of drug overdoses, alcoholism, mental
illness and suicide, at a rate 200 percent higher than the 1980s in much of the
United States. A recent report from the U.S. surgeon general estimates
that more than 27 million Americans have problems with prescription drugs,
illegal drugs or alcohol. But just a fraction of those people, only 10 percent,
get meaningful help.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">And it’s not just substance
addictions that are on the rise. Process addictions, related to behaviors, have
also seen recent spikes. Pornography addiction in particular has reached what
some view as crisis levels. A 2011 study by the National Center for
Biotechnology Information estimated that roughly </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134413/"><b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration: none;">47 percent</span></b></a><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"> of
all American adults struggle with at least one of the 11 most common forms of
process or substance addictions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The prevalence of all
kinds of addiction likely mean that most people in the pews of a Catholic
Church on any given Sunday have experienced addiction in themselves or in a
loved one. So what is the Church doing to address the problem?<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><b><i><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Understanding
addiction</span></i></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Dr. Gregory Bottaro is a
clinical psychologist and the founder and director of </span><a href="http://catholicpsych.com/"><b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration: none;">Catholic
Psych</span></b></a><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"> Institute
in Connecticut. He frequently sees clients who are dealing with either
substance or process addictions. Part of the problem of addiction is a
widespread misunderstanding of addiction as a lack of intellectual or spiritual
willpower, Dr. Bottaro said. “You have to recognize that there is an actual
brain disease in effect,” he told CNA.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“So as much as you can
sit and talk through the issues, you’re dealing with real brain chemicals that
are out of balance, and a real disease that has occurred in the brain, so
approaching it from a number of different angles is very important.” Behaviors
or substance abuse have to reach certain diagnostic marks to be considered
addictions, Dr. Bottaro said. Generally, an addiction is occurring when a
person is compulsively dependent on a substance or behavior, and continues to
do it despite negative consequences and a desire to stop.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">And just like addicted
individuals can build up tolerances to substances and require more to achieve
the same effect, process addictions also show tolerance buildups, such as when
a pornography addict requires more hardcore viewing to achieve the same
release. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Erik Vagenius is the
founder of Substance Abuse Ministry Scripts, or SAM Scripts, a faith and
scripture based ministry designed to help ease the process from recognition of
addiction to seeking professional help. Vagenius, who has been involved in
addiction ministry for decades and is a recovered alcoholic himself, said that
the first step to solving the problem is recognizing that there is one.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“I firmly believe so
much for this (ministry) to be part of the church,” he told CNA. “(T)o have a
church community that recognizes that they’re behind you, just as they would be
if somebody had cancer, helps to destigmatize this thing.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“Unfortunately the
reactions I sometimes get are well, this isn’t really a Catholic problem. But
I’ll bet everybody in the pew on any given day has had some relationship with
the disease of addiction,” he added. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><b><i><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">What
does faith have to do with it?</span></i></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Faith has long been a
tenet of many addiction recovery programs. One of the most popular, Alcoholics
Anonymous has strong Christian roots because it’s co-founder, Bill Wilson, had
a spiritual awakening after he was hospitalized for his drinking in 1934. He
joined the Oxford Group, a nondenominational Christian movement popular in the
U.S. and Europe at the time, and helped found AA in 1935.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The AA tenets of
self-examination, acknowledgment of character defects and restitution for harm
done to others grew out of Oxford Group teachings. Today, allegiance to a
specific creed is not required for membership, though the group still considers
itself a spiritual, albeit denominationally non-preferential group. Four of the
12 steps in the AA program mention God directly, and the 12th calls for a
"spiritual awakening as a result of these steps." Vagenius also
considers addiction a spiritual battle.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“We’re dealing with a
spiritual disease, and that’s why the Church needs to be involved with it,” he
said. The </span><a href="http://www.samscripts.org/"><b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration: none;">website for SAM Scripts</span></b></a><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"> recognizes that
“addiction is a spiritual illness that disconnects a person: from self, loved
ones, and God. SAM's mission is to help these individuals reconnect through
education, prevention, referral, and family support.” Dr. Bottaro said he also
incorporates faith in his recovery programs for addicts. He said he was
especially inspired after hearing a talk by Catholic speaker Christopher West,
who specializes in Theology of the Body. “He said basically we have this
desire, and our desires are insatiable. So God made us with this desire for
more more more, and with that desire we can do one of three things...we can
become a stoic, and addict or a mystic.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">A stoic ignores the
desire or tries to repress it and pretend it doesn’t exist. An addict tries to
fulfill their desires with the things of this world, and a mystic “directs
their desires towards God, and that’s where we enter into that mysticism by
transcending the finitude of this life,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">That’s still an abstract
way of looking at a very real disease, Dr. Bottaro said. However, there are
several Catholic programs that offer concrete assistance to struggling addicts
of all levels.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><b><i><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Catholic
recovery programs</span></i></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">On the less intensive
side, Dr. Bottaro has developed an 8-week online program that anyone can access
from home called </span><a href="http://catholicmindfulness.teachable.com/p/catholic-mindfulness"><b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration: none;">Catholic Mindfulness</span></b></a><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">.
It adds the Catholic understanding of abandonment to Divine Providence to a
traditional mindfulness approach to healing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“If you look into what
mindfulness is, you’re basically training your brain to know that you’re safe,
because the anxiety response is how God made us to react to danger,” he said.
“The problem is we overuse that...we activate our anxiety response, but most of
the time we’re not actually in danger. So mindfulness is basically paying
attention to what’s actually real right now to convince your brain that you’re
safe, and that corrects the brain chemistry.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“The Catholic
perspective as to why we’re safe is that we have a Father who loves us and who
always keeps us in his hands, and we have a reason to trust that everything is
going to be ok.” Vagenius refers to those in his ministry as “SAM teams” who
share their time and talent, typically through talks and meetings, to offering
hope, healing and reconciliation to those touched by addiction. SAM teams provide
a safe, confidential place for people to seek help and referral at the parish
level.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Team members do not have
to be in recovery but need to be acquainted with addiction, and must be
approved by their pastor. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The ministry’s exact
format varies from parish to parish, depending on those involved and the needs
of the faith community. Vagenius’ trainings provide a basic format, and the
parish SAM team develops its own dynamic from that outline based on specific
needs. Depending on the person, more intensive work may be necessary, including
outpatient psychotherapy and group counseling, or even residential programs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">St. Gregory Retreat
Center is a Catholic residential program for adults struggling with substance
abuse located in Adair, Iowa.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The program offers
separate residential facilities for men and women and offers a “holistic
approach that combines the very best research in psychology, health, social
support, and other methodologies.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The program targets
addiction behavior in four different aspects of life: biological,
psychological, social, and spiritual.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Besides counseling,
social activities and physical exercise, daily Mass and regular access to the
sacraments are part of the residents’ normal routine. Natalie Cataldo, Director
of Admissions at St. Gregory, told CNA that incorporating spirituality in the
recovery process has proven to be very effective. “Research shows that people
are more successful in overcoming addiction when they have an active
spirituality in their lives,” she told CNA in an e-mail interview.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“Most people who come to
us have had not a great past. With the sacrament of reconciliation, our guests
are able to ask for forgiveness... Allowing them to feel like they are getting
rid of the past, making new good habits for the future that they can start
using and making better choices. It also allows for self reflection and
self evaluation.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">For those in
post-recovery, there are programs available to help ease people back into their
normal routine.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">Dr. Bottaro works at one
such facility, Ender’s Island in Connecticut, a residential program for young
men “with or without faith” who are recently out of recovery. The program
provides a community in which to practice the 12 steps and support for a better
transition into regular life, as well as daily Mass and regular access to the
sacraments.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">The biggest barriers to
seeking help for addiction can be denial on the part of the individual and a
perceived stigma in seeking help. Increased education and understanding from
everyone in the Church can help break these barriers, Dr. Bottaro said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“It’s important to have
support and understanding that there are other ways to fight these battles than
just prayer, or just kind of sucking it up and hanging in there and seeing how
far you can go before you get help,” he said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">“Once you’re looking for
help, there’s a wide spectrum.”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><i><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">This
article was originally published on CNA Dec. 16, 2016. </span></i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt; text-align: center;"><i><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">--------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 1;"><b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #2c5164;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/young-white-kids-are-addicted-to-this-and-what-catholics-should-do-about-it-91722">Young, white Americans are addicted to this (what RCs should do about it)</a> </span></b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="display: none;">Bottom of Form<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Joan
Frawley Desmond Providence, R.I., </span><a href="http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/young-white-kids-are-addicted-to-this-and-what-catholics-should-do-about-it-91722/"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Feb 9, 2016</span></a><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 16.35pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.45pt; margin: 5.45pt 0cm 16.35pt;"><b style="background-color: transparent;"><span lang="EN-US">New Guidelines</span></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">When </span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;">recent headlines</span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US"> marked
a spike in drug overdoses for white, middle-class Americans, the news saddened
but did not surprise Deacon Timothy Flanigan, an HIV specialist at Brown
University medical school in Providence, R.I. Beyond the classroom, Flanigan
has directed the HIV care program at the Rhode Island state prison for two
decades. He knows better than most Americans that no group is immune from the
ravages of drug addiction and that controversial medical protocols for treating
pain have brought this scourge to bedrock communities as well as inner-city
neighborhoods.<br />
<br />
“Many of my old patients have died of drug overdoses,” said Deacon Flanigan, a
physician and a professor of medicine and of health services, policy and
practice at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School. “Opioid addiction is very
common in Rhode Island, where more young persons die of opioid addiction than
car accidents,” Dr. Flanigan told the Register, as he somberly recounted a
story of one patient who was slated to speak at an international AIDS
conference but was found dead in a dumpster a week before the event. “She died
of a drug overdose, like so many other people who are abandoned in alleyways to
die alone. It is so tragic for the patients and their families.” That haunting
story is hardly an isolated case. The nation is struggling with a new wave of
drug addiction that is hitting all sectors of society, but especially young
whites.<br />
<br />
While drug abuse has plagued poor urban areas for decades, this new development
has been partly fueled by prescription painkillers, like OxyContin, that pack
highly addictive opioids. The prescription drugs are used to treat acute and
chronic pain, and when patients become addicted, they may eventually switch to
street heroin, which is less expensive and easier to secure, at least for the
young. Deacon Flanigan confirmed that the recent surge in overdoses among young
whites have been linked to controversial medical guidelines that called for a
more aggressive approach to treating both acute and chronic pain.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 16.35pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.45pt; margin: 5.45pt 0cm 16.35pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">In 2013, the Food and
Drug Administration reacted to the increase in deaths from drug overdoses by
announcing new guidelines that restricted prescriptions for OxyContin and
similar drugs. While these drugs had been recommended for patients with
“moderate to severe” pain, the FDA now stipulates that they should be
“reserved” for patients “for whom alternative treatment options are
ineffective, not tolerated or would be otherwise inadequate to provide
sufficient management of pain.”<br />
<br />
The news of the spate of drug overdoses among the middle class has helped to
spark a reassessment of federal policies that sent many drug offenders to
prison, rather than into treatment programs. Meanwhile, proposed federal
legislation, like the </span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;">Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery
Act</span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">,
seeks to broaden and promote access to drug-treatment services It may be too
soon to say whether the FDA’s tougher guidelines will have an impact on medical
practices, but the surge of white deaths caused by drug overdoses has yet to
abate.<br />
<br />
“Death rates for black and Hispanic adults have fallen since 1999, but have
increased for whites, particularly women and young adults. The rise in deaths
has been largely driven by drug overdoses,” stated a </span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;">Jan. 16 article</span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US"> in
The New York Times that summarized the paper’s analysis of 60 million death
certificates collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
between 1999 and 2014. “For young non-Hispanic whites, the death rate from
accidental poisoning — which is mostly drug overdoses — rose to 30 per 100,000
from six over the years 1999 to 2014, and the suicide rate rose to 19.5 per
100,000 from 15,” the article also noted.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US">Different From the ’70s<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 16.35pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.45pt; margin: 5.45pt 0cm 16.35pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Andrew Kolodny, a senior
scientist at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis
University, contrasted the heroin epidemic of the 1970s with the present
crisis. “The previous crisis affected poor, non-white communities,” Kolodny
told the Register. “Users started very young and put a needle in their arms to
inject the drug. Typically, they were juvenile delin-quents, and it was part of
the culture.” Kolodny also serves as the chief medical officer for Phoenix
House Foundation, which offers a therapeutic community model for treating drug
and alcohol addiction. And he noted that decades earlier Phoenix House was
“focused on working with folks who had no structure in their lives” and
suffered from the failing schools in their community. <br />
<br />
“Today, when you look at young people who are heroin users, they [did not start
off as] juvenile delinquents. They were the star of the sports team; they were
headed to college.” Kolodny places much of blame for the present surge in drug
addiction on physicians overprescribing painkillers like OxyContin, a practice
that began more than a decade ago. Many patients who are prescribed OxyContin
don’t realize the drug is an opioid. And that means, according to Kolodny, its
effect on the brain is virtually indistinguishable from heroin. “If you
repeatedly use a highly addictive drug, you can easily get addicted, especially
if you are young,” he said. Asked to explain why prescription painkillers have
had a greater impact on young whites, Kolodny argued that many physicians had
accepted societal stereotypes that presented minority groups as more likely to
become drug addicted, so the medical community was more cautious about
prescribing such drugs to black and Hispanic patients.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 16.35pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.45pt; margin: 5.45pt 0cm 16.35pt;"><b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">Cheryl’s
Story</span></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US"><br />
<br />
But while some patients get hooked on drugs prescribed to address legitimate
medical needs, others develop an addiction by experimenting with painkillers
shared by their friends or bought on the black market. Cheryl Chou, 31, a
graduate of a small Jesuit college, was given painkillers by her roommate.
Struggling with unresolved issues of childhood abandonment and abuse, the
high-achieving student found the medication helped to anesthetize her emotions.<br />
<br />
“I had broken up with a boyfriend because he was using weed. But my roommate
told me, ‘OxyContin is not illegal — doctors give it to you when you get your
teeth pulled,’” Chou told the Register. Within three months, Chou was stealing
from her roommate’s stash of painkillers. “The moment I found my drug of choice
I felt instant relief. I was no longer terrified all the time and didn’t worry
about what people thought of me.<br />
<br />
“I checked out: No problems were running through my head.” The drug use
continued after Chou started her accounting job, and, over time, she headed on
a downward spiral, as she began experimenting with other drugs. Visits to
emergency rooms, stints in drug-rehabilitation programs, job loss, suicide
attempts and homelessness followed. The lowest point came when the young woman
found herself “sitting outside of the police department, hoping God would have
someone arrest me. “I realized this would be the rest of my life — burning
bridges every day and starting over the following day.” Her prayer was
answered: Chou was arrested and eventually served time in Marin County Jail
north of San Francisco.<br />
<br />
In 2014, she got her life back on track after she was released from Marin
County Jail and was accepted to </span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;">Catherine Center</span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">, a restorative-justice
program for women like her who have served time for drug convictions and
related offenses. Sponsored by St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Mateo,
Calif., in alliance with the Sisters of Mercy West Midwest, Catherine Center
takes no government funds so it can provide a comprehensive faith-based program
for women who face daunting challenges as they prepare to re-enter society and
commit to staying clean and sober.<br />
<br />
Over the past year and a half, Chou has participated in a 12-step program, made
restitution, received counseling and taken part in structured spiritual
reflection and prayer. More recently, she has mentored new arrivals to the
program, as she holds a job and hones the skills she will need this fall, when
she begins a program to earn a master's degree in business administration. But
she believes the spiritual transformation she has undergone at Catherine
Center, where she learned to hand over to God all the anxieties that have
shadowed her life, is equally important. People dealing with addiction need
“constant help and accompaniment to help them remember that God loves them.
They will encounter suffering, but they don’t walk alone,” Lorraine Moriarty,
the executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Society of San Mateo, told the
Register.<br />
<br />
<b>Other Factors</b><br />
<br />
As Moriarty sees it, the recent epidemic of drug addiction can only be partly
explained by the overuse of addictive painkillers. Other factors include a
plague of loneliness and social isolation and the furious “pace” of modern life
that fosters deep anxiety and leads some to treat emotional wounds with drugs.
Sociologists who have researched the broader social context of the nation’s new
drug crisis confirm Moriarty’s judgment. “Stressors such as poverty, divorce
and economic insecurity are playing a role in people’s response” to the seductive
appeal of drug use, Mark Hayward, a professor of sociology at the University of
Texas at Austin, told the Register.<br />
<br />
As economic changes erode manufacturing jobs that once supported an entire
family, the sharp rise in mortality rates for whites underscore the fact that
in recent years “this group has lost more than other groups in society,” said
Haywood, yet their struggles have received little attention. Whites who do not
finish high school are much more likely to die from a drug overdose than college
graduates, according to data published in this month’s New York Times story.
But this same demographic, the influential sociologist and best-selling author
Charles Murray </span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #006699; text-decoration-line: none;">has pointed out earlier</span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">,
is also less likely to marry, attend church or take part in other forms of
civic engagement, and that leaves them more vulnerable to the ravages of drug
addiction.<br />
<br />
“The breakdown of the family and declining rates of marriage today
disproportionately impacts lower-income individuals and those with less
education,” agreed Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, a psychiatrist at the University of
California-Irvine Medical Center, who noted the intertwined rise in drug
overdoses and suicides. Kheriaty is a Catholic and has worked closely with the
Diocese of Orange on mental-health initiatives. So when asked for suggestions
on how local parishes should respond to the crisis, he pointed to “the corporal
and spiritual works of mercy that have always had a central place in Catholic
life.”<br />
<br />
<b>A Catholic Response</b><br />
<br />
Back in Providence, Deacon Flanigan identifies another factor that breeds drug
dependency in 21st-century America: a culture of consumerism that encourages
people to believe they have a right to “feel good.” “There is an existential
crisis in our culture: We see this more clearly among our youth, but it affects
all ages. I am speaking as a doctor and a deacon,” he said. “Society is so good
at promoting consumerism, and we are told, ‘Do what makes you feel good.’ And
it really does feel good to go shopping and get a hotshot car and have a really
great alcoholic drink.” Yet the “false promise” of consumerism, he noted, leads
people away from the path of a challenging, but ultimately fulfilling, life
rooted in self-sacrifice for the sake of loved ones and to sustain the common
good. His words echo Pope Francis’ critique of the West’s “throwaway culture”
and his call for the Church to be a “field hospital” for sinners. Thus, while
experts seek further restrictions on the use of drugs like OxyContin, and
Catholic agencies work to expand access to treatment programs, Flanigan also
wants to see more parishes acknowledge the reality of drug abuse and offer
12-step programs for Catholics and others in the community. If the Church
admits there is a problem, he suggested, it will encourage individuals and
families who often struggle alone, too filled with shame to ask for help.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 16.35pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 5.45pt; margin: 5.45pt 0cm 16.35pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US">“The clientele for your
12-step meeting may not be the same as the clientele for your parish finance
committee — though there may be overlap, and you don’t know it,” he said. “We
need to address the reality of drug addiction and tell those who are dealing
with it that we are there to help them get the help they need.”</span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt; text-align: center;"><i><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black;">--------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><b>RESOURCES AT: <a href="https://www.reclaimsexualhealth.com">Reclaim God's Plan for Sexual Health</a> </b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><b>Trapped? Use the Right Timing to Break Free</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>BY THE RECLAIM SEXUAL HEALTH TEAM - #R010</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Sexuality is an important part of our lives. Throughout the world, individuals choose to express their sexual energies in a variety of ways. For many people, the sexual outlets they pursue can become a major disruption in their lives and get in the way of enjoying committed, fulfilling relationships.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>These sexual outlets can include things like hooking up and one-night-stands; phone sex, sexual chat rooms, masturbation, prostitutes, many different forms of pornography; strip clubs, massage parlors and many more. Frustrated and unhappy with the results of their sexual behaviors, many get to the place where they realize, "This just isn't working for me any more." So, they try to stop the behavior, but too often discover that they can't. No matter how hard they try, they keep going back to the same sexual outlets, even though doing so is messing up their lives and their relationships.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Why is it so hard to break out of unwanted sexual behaviors and outlets? Shouldn't it just be a matter of deciding, "I'm not going to do that any more" and stop? Unfortunately, it's rarely that simple. Dr. Page Bailey's illustration of "The Funnel of Sexual Process" helps explain why breaking out of negative sexual habits can be so difficult.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Imagine in your mind an hourglass, wide at the top and slowly narrowing down to a very small passage- way in the center and then back to a wide opening at the bottom. This is a perfect illustration of how the brain behaves in sexual process. As people go along in everyday life, their brains have a relatively wide perspective taking in all of the people and things around them. Once an individual becomes sexually aroused, however, the brain immediately begins to narrow its focus as it releases a tidal wave of endorphins and other neurochemicals.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>The word endorphin is derived from two words—"Endogenous" meaning produced from within, and "morphine" a powerful pain-killer. So, in the funnel of sexual process, thebrain and nervous system release its own natural pain killers.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>In addition, it also releases other powerful neuro-chemicals like dopamine—the body's pleasure chemical. In the funnel, stress and pain are blocked out and at the same time, the individual feels enormous pleasure. The further the person heads down into the funnel, the more narrow their focus. The logic centers of the brain shut down and the pleasure centers take over. And the pleasure center of the brain has only one absolute goal—climax. On the way there, the person blocks out the world and all distractions.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>In a healthy relationship, this narrowing process causes the couple to narrowly focus on each other and enjoy the pleasure together. However, when we enter the funnel is entered through any number of sexual outlets outside a one man/one woman marriage relationship, the narrow focus is on self and getting one’s own rush or high as a pleasure outlet or on escaping from the stresses of life—just like any other drug. The trouble is, because the pleasure center of the brain is in complete control, all thoughts of logic, values, consequences, self-control, and future goals are blocked out.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>After climax, the individual emerge from the narrowest part of the funnel. The Logic center of the brain regains control, and the struggling person often realizes that they have given in yet again, and experience powerful feelings of frustration, loneliness, and depression. At this point the person often feels the greatest motivation to get the help they need to break out of their unwanted sexual behaviors. However, the negative feelings can soon dissipate along with the determination to get help as the person gets back into the routine of life, and they can miss the chance to get on the path to breaking free.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Another way to look at this cycle . . . The Avoidance Cycle</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>When it comes to bad habits and addictions, people typically use one primary strategy in their attempt to break free—avoidance through willpower. When they feel an urge to indulge in unwanted sexual outlets, most individuals who are trying to break free of the behavior, attempt to force the thought or urge out of their mind and avoid the situation. All of us have heard the traditional advice, "You just need to try harder." This is the worst advice there is because it usually plunges the struggling individual into what we call the Avoidance Cycle.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>What happens when you try to force a thought out of your mind? For instance, right now I don't want you to think about a big, bright, yellow school bus. No matter what, DO NOT think about that bus! Of course, the more you try to fight and keep the image out of your mind, the more it forces its way in. In psychology we call this an intrusive thought. Continually attempting to force the same intrusive thoughts, urges, or feelings out of one’s mind can hopelessly plunge individual into the Avoidance Cycle.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>In the Avoidance Cycle, the struggling individual fights the sexual thoughts and urges and does everything to resist them. But they just continue nagging at the person and trying to force their way in. Often, worn out from the constant battle, the individual gives in and indulges in the same old sexual outlets. Temporarily, they feel relief because they don’t have to fight the urges anymore. But once the rush is over, all of the negative emotions set in. The person often thn makes a new vow—"That's the last time I will ever do that!" but heads into the Avoidance Cycle again! After years of being trapped in this cycle, many people simply resolve themselves to their sexual habits— "Why bother trying. I'm never going to get past this. I might as well just give in and stop fighting."</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>However, the best time to take action and get help with your unwanted sexual behaviors is after you have indulged and you're feeling the emotional fallout. Use these negative emotions to your advantage—use them to motivate you to get the help you need and start changing your life and relationships for the better!</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>SIGN UP FOR THE RECLAIM SEXUAL HEALTH ONLINE RECOVERY PROGRAM! www.ReclaimSexualHealth.com</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i><span lang="EN-US"></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>#R010</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>-------------------------------------------</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><b>Does More Sex Cure Sex Addiction?</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><b>BY RECLAIM TEAM - #R001</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Many believe that fantastic, unlimited sex with their spouse would cure their sexual addiction. These individuals are often confused and deeply disappointed when they learn that this approach doesn't work.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Sex addiction is about much more than physical intimacy. Illicit sexual outlets trigger a literal chemical dependency in the brain. Sexual pursuits become a drug-of-choice for self-medication and escape from the stress, pressures, and challenges of life. Just as more sex will not cure a substance abuse addiction, it's not going to heal the chemical dependency created by sexual addiction.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>You can regain a close, committed, joyful relationship with your spouse, and break free from unhealthy sexual behaviors.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Many individuals who are struggling with the following statements are also struggling in their own personal relationships. They are finding that sex addiction is creating a divisive wedge in their intimate, committed relationships with destructive consequences. They thought that fantastic, unlimited sex with their spouse would cure their sexual addiction, and are often confused and deeply disappointed when this approach doesn't work.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>"Once I get married I won't have a sex addiction problem anymore!"</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>"Now that I am having sex with the one I love I won't need my old sexual outlets."</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>"Why do I still look at pornography? I'm getting all the sex I need."</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>“The sex in my relationship isn't enough, nor what I thought it would be. I still have to seek other ways to have my sexual needs met. I thought this would stop."</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>"I'm not good enough, is that it? Why does he have to look at pornography anyway? Why?"</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>"Sex is never good enough for him. He always wants more or something different—what more can I do?"</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>"When we make love is he thinking about them or me? Who is he having sex with anyway?"</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Many men are introduced to pornography and other sexual outlets at an early age. Some had their first exposure as young as age two or three! Unfortunately, when these powerful images and practices enter the highly impressionable, developing brain of a child or teenager, addiction is often the result. They grow up with mistaken beliefs that once they enter adulthood and a committed relationship, their fascination with various sexual outlets will cease. What they fail to understand is that sex addiction is literally a "brain chemical" addiction, in many ways identical to a street drug addiction. Someone hooked on cocaine as a teenager, would not reasonably expect to automatically lose that desire or dependency simply because they reach legal age. Likewise, sex addiction does not magically disappear with adulthood.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Sex Addiction Is Not About Sex</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>But what about sex? Why would someone continue seeking out pornography, masturbation, and other sexual outlets when they can have sex with their partner? Why would they still have the need? Think of it this way—would having sex eliminate a cocaine addict's desire for their drug? Of course not, because cocaine addiction is not about sex. The same principle applies to sexual addiction. Most people are completely unaware that "sex addiction is NOT about sex." Porn, masturbation, and many other sexual outlets and pursuits create a literal chemical dependency in the brain. The individual uses these outlets as a "drug-of-choice" to escape and "self-medicate" in response to any number of pressures, difficulties, needs, or situations in his life. Having sex is not going to heal a chemical addiction. Sex addiction is about the chemical dependency.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>You Can Fool Yourself, But You Can't Fool Your Spouse</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>It is true that sex can sometimes temporarily reduce the perceived need for pornography and other sexual outlets. However, when one's partner is simply a replacement for addiction, she can usually sense the façade. As the wife of one of the RECLAiM Online Recovery Program students said: "I feel he's just using me to masturbate.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>We're not connected." Sexual intimacy doesn't replace or stop sexual addiction. The sex addiction behaviors will create problems in the relationship. And soon, sex with one partner isn't sufficient to meet</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>the "brain chemical" needs of the addict.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>If you're struggling under the burden of porn, masturbation, and other sexual addiction behaviors, be careful not to fool yourself into thinking that if your partner were more sexually exciting and responsive, your problem would be solved. This makes about as much sense as believing sex would eliminate a drinking problem. You have to do the work of treating your addiction—get on the recovery path and put in the time and effort to address the "real" underlying issues and causes of your sexual addiction.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Sex Addiction Can Be Healed</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>The RECLAiM online recovery program can help you learn about the true nature of your addiction and the steps you must take to start moving toward your freedom. You can break free and you can have a close, committed, wonderful relationship with your spouse. But you can't expect that person to rescue you from the work of recovery, or magically make your struggles go away. They can encourage, support, and walk with you, but only you can make the commitment and get started.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Get Anonymous Help Today</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Many who struggle with pornography use don’t get help because they fear the consequences of those close to them finding out their “secret.” We have purposely designed the RECLAIM online recovery program to be completely private and anonymous.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>When you're ready, the RECLAiM Online Recovery Program has the training, tools, coaching, and support you need. Sign up today at www.ReclaimSexualHealth.com and begin recovery now!</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>SIGN UP FOR THE RECLAIM SEXUAL HEALTH ONLINE RECOVERY PROGRAM! www.ReclaimSexualHealth.com</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>#R001</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>--------------------------------------------------</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><b>WILLPOWER IS NOT ENOUGH</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><b>BY THE RECLAIM TEAM - #R011</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Common advice to those struggling with pornography use, masturbation, or other unhealthy sexual behaviors is, "You just need to try harder!" Those who struggle with pornography use and other unwanted sexual behaviors, have often tried hard to overcome their addiction countless times, only to fall right back into it each time.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Why does this happen over and over again? It's not because those with these struggles are weak, evil, or a lost cause. It's because these specific ways of thinking and behaving that have developed over time through repetition and have become habit.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>An Addiction is a Habit on Steroids</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Pornography use and masturbation often begin as a simple experience of stimulation and reward. But through repetition and the rewiring of the brain that happens, the reward circuits of the brain can become habitual to this behavior. Once it has become a habit, it can escalate into problematic behavior quite quickly and it can end up with what our culture calls an “addiction.”</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Habit formation is the brain's number one priority. Why? Because the brain's watchword is efficiency, and the most effective way to be efficient is through the formation of habits. This is what the brain seeks—to focus its energy and attention on mastering a skill and, as quickly as possible, make it automatic—a habit. The brain can then move on to direct its efforts at learning and mastering the next skill.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>While the brain's habit-formation power is a remarkable gift, it can also make it incredibly difficult to break out of old habits—especially highly advanced habits like "addictions." Once a person’s brain expends the time and energy to develop a habit, whether it's good or bad, it doesn't want to give it up!</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>If, hundreds or thousands of times, an individual has "practiced" turning to pornography and other sexual behaviors as the most convenient, powerful, and efficient way of instantly escaping boredom, stress, loneliness, and the pressures of life, these outlets become the person’s automatic, dominant "drug of choice." Consistently practicing turning to a particular drug of choice makes that choice automatic—an addiction.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Over time, pornography viewing rewires the brain circuitry and shackles a person in addiction. However, there is great hope! The brain is "neuroplastic" which means it can be shaped, molded, and changed. You do not have to be stuck with your old addiction circuitry! A deliberate action will be needed to break the habit, as well as ongoing practice to retrain the brain will be needed if you are to change. Eventually the brain can rewire itself and create a new, healthier automatic response. It isn’t easy, but it can be done. Have hope in the fact that the brain is highly adaptable. To change your behavior, you need to change your brain. If you work with it rather than against it you will have a better chance of breaking the habitual behaviors. The brain is very adaptable, so the phrase “once an addict, always an addict” simply is NOT TRUE!</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Stop Fighting What Your Brain Does Naturally!</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>If you've tried:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>• sheer willpower,</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>• hyper-avoidance</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>• complete abstinence,</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>• running away in fear,</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>• giving in or</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>• a host of other techniques</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>and none of them have worked, you've likely been fighting against the natural current of your brain. Instead, why not "go with the flow" and harness the power of your brain's marvelous habit-formation abilities?</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Everything you need to break free is already built into the very structure of your brain. Harnessing and redirecting the brain's natural habit-creating tendencies using RECLAiM's specific tools and exercises can help you break free.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Remember, porn addiction is a specific way of thinking and behaving that has developed over time through repetition. Fighting your addiction only makes it worse because your brain is designed to hold on to what it has already learned. Instead of going to war with your thoughts and urges, you can learn to work with your brain's natural built-in mechanisms for positive change. The RECLAiM resources and the RECLAiM Online Recovery Program can show you how!</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>TESTIMONIES — Participants wrote these messages to their program’s personal coach:</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>“Your program really works and it’s been a life-saver!”</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Coach-</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>I have wanted to change for many years. In the past I have gone over the plan in my head to get this accomplished. I slipped up over and over again because I used denial and forced restraint. FRC has been the missing tool I needed. So far, all has gone extremely well. I have not been porn and masturbation free for this long ever (at least 45 years). I am so happy I found this online program before things got totally out of hand and before those close to me were hurt more. I feel I am back on the road to a “normal” life. I understand that I need to talk to someone about my dark side if for no other reason than to get it into the light and expose the ugliness and thus diminish the allure. I have confessed to priests in the past and will continue to do so. Also, I have a very close friend who knows but not to the extent it was controlling my life. However, this forum and the lessons has been the real answer to my prayers.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>“Your program really works and it’s been a life-saver!”</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Coach</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Just wanted to let you know that the long slow development of brain-circuitry necessary to help me change habits which have been with me for almost 40 years (in regards to masturbation) and over 13 years (in regards to viewing pornography with some regularity) has been slowly happening. I’ve been practicing the program principles diligently for almost two years. Even though for a long time my calendar did not appear to show a dramatic reduction in patterns of unhealthy behavior, I still remained very hopeful that the building-blocks necessary for that change were actually going into place. Now, I’m finally experiencing the longer and longer periods of maintaining healthy habits. My relationships with everyone, including myself and my wife have noticeably improved. I’m getting stronger and have more and more ‘real-life’ successes – both in avoiding unhealthy behavior, as well as in engaging in lots of healthy and life-giving relationship and activities. I’m very hopeful and wanted to thank you for being there to help guide me through this process. Your program really works and it’s been a life-saver! I’m going to keep on practicing and advocating for myself. God bless your day.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>SIGN UP FOR THE RECLAIM SEXUAL HEALTH ONLINE RECOVERY PROGRAM! www.ReclaimSexualHealth.com</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>#R011</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>----------------------------------------------------</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><b>You Don't Have to Be A Hermit to Break Free</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><b>By the RECLAIM Team - Primary Contributor: Dr. Bernell Christensen - #R013</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Everyone has a "sex drive"—it's God-given and normal to experience sexual thoughts and desires. In fact, this is the "the power to co-create life" and “bond” being manifest in us. This includes the power to co-create a human life, and to co-create the life of a marriage relationship.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Having sexual urges and desires in no way makes you a bad or perverted person! It's what you do with these urges—how you direct this power and this energy, that makes all the difference.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Sexuality is an urge, a desire, an appetite, and a want. It's not a need. It's not something we must have to sustain life. It's much like other wants we have. We may want chocolate, rich desserts, and other sweets, but we don't need them. If we overindulge in these types of foods, they become destructive. We have to use them in moderation and within normal, healthy boundaries.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>There are also healthy limits and boundaries we should place around our sexual appetites. When we exer- cise our sexual desires responsibly within a healthy, committed, lifelong marriage relationship, we can experience our greatest happiness. If we don't restrain our sexual desires and activities, we can lose time, relationships, happiness, respect, employment, sleep, and contract terrible diseases— some that can even kill us! Controlling appetites is really not so unusual, we do it all the time with many things. It doesn't mean we don't have these desires, it just means we must direct, manage, limit, regulate, and use them wisely.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>When attempting to overcome unwanted sexual behaviors, struggling individuals often feel great frustration in connection with their sex drive. They speak of years of gritting their teeth and clenching their fists in a fight to suppress sexual feelings. Unfortunately, they have completely misinterpreted the nature and purpose for these feelings.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>When you feel sexual arousal, it doesn't have to be destructive. It's simply a creative power and energy that wants to be expressed in some way. How you choose to direct that energy fully determines whether its expression will bring you peace, joy and fulfillment, or disconnection, emptiness, and depression.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>An example of trying to shut down sexual drive vs. directing it for incredible good, is the familiar image of a dam. If a dam's only purpose were to completely stop the flow of water, eventually the dam would overflow or burst. A dam's real purpose is to redirect water for a higher purpose.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>When sexual drive—or creative energy—is felt, its highest purpose and best use can be to form powerful bonds, closeness and friendship between two human beings; create new life; and be redirected to contribute to the happiness and success of everyone around you.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>The key is to direct it according to God’s plan. In a married relationship the sexual, creative energy can be directed to the marital embrace of intercourse when and if it is done with the purpose of bonding and openness to life. Outside of those boundaries, sexual drive must be channeled in ways that are appropriate.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>For a variety of reasons even married couples must be abstinent for prolonged periods of time. When you feel a sexual urge, it is creative energy looking for a way to be expressed. If you're not with the right person and in the right setting, you don't have to go to war with the urge. You can direct it for good. Many people discover that abstinence offers an increased amount of energy, focus, and creativity. Spiritual growth, boundless levels of physical energy, and a strong mental focus can occur. Sex can become a distraction that takes away the energy to pursue great endeavors.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Releasing that energy through orgasm can become a quick release that tempers the drive to action in other areas of life. Our stimulation-seeking culture abuses sex by over-indulgence in it. Too many people are wasting their sexual energy. Looking at pornography on the internet and masturbating depletes sexual energy, wastes time, and causes a person to be isolated, unproductive, and weak. Sexual energy that is channeled into healthy outlets gives a person greater imagination, creativity, courage, willpower, persistence, and more. The sexual energy within us can be such a motivation that we are willing to sacrifice and even die for another. Imagine if you could harness your sexual energy and use it towards helping others, building relationships, and pursuing the greater good!</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>You can learn how to channel and redirect your sexual urges and energy to achieve what you want most out of life. You must learn how to use your sexual energy in a way that transforms it from physical expression to an emotional and spiritual purpose. If you can accept the sexual drive as just part of your nature and realize it is just part of who you are, you can rise above it. You can learn to control your sexual drive and not let it control you! Don’t deny it, run from it, or let it consume your life. Escaping or repressing sexuality isn’t going to work. Sexual energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be transformed. Channel it into constructive activities according to your state in life, and what is appropriate. You will discover an increase in energy, focus, and inspiration.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>Sexual energy can be transformed into acts of heroism. Some call it the “superpower” that motivates sacrifice and actions that can save an individual or the world. Sociologists are commenting on the decline of male strength and altruism. They often blame it on the readily available pornography leading to an increase of masturbation and depletion of sexual energy that is needed to reach beyond oneself to help others.</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>You can start overcoming your unwanted sexual behaviors and outlets. The RECLAiM program is designed to give you the training, resources, tools, and support you need to achieve this. Why not get started today?</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>SIGN UP FOR THE RECLAIM SEXUAL HEALTH ONLINE RECOVERY PROGRAM! www.ReclaimSexualHealth.com</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 14.6pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 4.85pt; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>#R013</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><i>----------------------------------------</i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin: 4.85pt 0cm 14.6pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif"><a href="https://www.reclaimsexualhealth.com"><b>https://www.reclaimsexualhealth.com</b></a></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-65180103430129228932017-04-18T16:19:00.028-04:002023-02-05T19:16:46.391-05:00CHILDREN HAVE RIGHTS - 8 varied sources and perspectives on the rapidly evolving situation of children overlooked, neglected, or suffering<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b><i><span style="color: #38761d;">There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="text-align: center;"> <i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------<br /><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuj9qV1UvV3C5vs7e5nYnjQIF4-HV0s21T8K-ZVlpiWgKFBOXy7MKNoW0JPQd5Ik4-6lbG7QwxxKD1g5dAI6QFTFJ4EiqPBH332gzP3ZKtKKDrC6-22HKv3jUbYCRGiPdDnnZMas0NVDN/s425/Children%2527s+Interests-1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuj9qV1UvV3C5vs7e5nYnjQIF4-HV0s21T8K-ZVlpiWgKFBOXy7MKNoW0JPQd5Ik4-6lbG7QwxxKD1g5dAI6QFTFJ4EiqPBH332gzP3ZKtKKDrC6-22HKv3jUbYCRGiPdDnnZMas0NVDN/s320/Children%2527s+Interests-1.png" width="320" /></a></div><p><b>1. <a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/i-was-astonished-to-find-this-in-the-catechism">A Child Is a Gift, Not a Right or an Object</a> </b></p><p><b>2. What about children? <a href="https://www.jubilee-centre.org/cambridge-papers/redefining-marriage-the-case-for-caution">"Redefiing Marriage: The case for caution"</a> </b></p><p><b>3. <a href="https://www.votemarriagecanada.ca/family/how-heterosexual-marriage-protects-childrens-rights-and-best-interests">How Heterosexual Marriage Protects Children’s Rights And Best Interests</a> </b></p><p><b>4. </b><b><span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/marriage-and-family/sexuality/first-person-same-sex-marriage-have-the-best-interests-of-children-been-considered.html">First-Person: Same-Sex
'Marriage' Have the Best Interests of Children Been Considered?</a> </span></b><span lang="EN-US">DAWN STEFANOWICZ </span><i><span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d1b11; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 26;">I
grew up in a homosexual household during the 60s and 70s in Toronto, exposed to
many different people, the GLBT subcultures, and explicit sexual practices.</span></i></p><p><b>5. </b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29">Same-Sex Marriage Is Harmful to Children</a></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> - From Opposing
Viewpoints in Context </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gay Marriage</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">, 2012</span></a></span></p><p><b>6. </b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"><a href="https://www.acpeds.org/position-statements/homosexual-parenting-a-scientific-analysis">Childrenhave Human Rights</a></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> – </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Issues</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> with redefining marriage</span></p><p></p><p><b>7. <a href="https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/marriage-what-it-why-it-matters-and-the-consequences-redefining-it">Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It</a> </b></p><p>SUMMARY<span> </span>Marriage is based on the truth that men and women are complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the reality that children need a mother and a father. Redefining marriage does not simply expand the existing understanding of marriage; it rejects these truths. Marriage is society’s least restrictive means of ensuring the well-being of children. By encouraging the norms of marriage—monogamy, sexual exclusivity, and permanence—the state strengthens civil society and reduces its own role. The future of this country depends on the future of marriage. The future of marriage depends on citizens understanding what it is and why it matters and demanding that government policies support, not undermine, true marriage.</p><p><b>8. <a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjn8sKbOVuvNZsPkR?e=YY6VEt">Contemporary Developments in Child Protection</a> - Volume 3: Broadening Challenges in Child Protection Edited by Nigel Parton - MDPI Switzerland (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute - 2015 </b></p><p style="text-align: center;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + </p><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Montserrat",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">1. </span></b><b>A Child Is a Gift, Not a Right or an Object<br /></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Montserrat",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><span> </span><span> </span><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/i-was-astonished-to-find-this-in-the-catechism">I Was Astonished to Find Thisin the Catechism</a> </span></b><a href="https://www.catholic.com/profile/leila-miller"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #337ab7; text-decoration-line: none;">Leila Miller</span></a><span lang="EN-US"> </span><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/i-was-astonished-to-find-this-in-the-catechism"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">April 18,
2017</span></a></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adults in our society are “discovering” new “rights” for themselves at an
astonishing rate, but to the detriment of authentic rights—including the rights
of children. When I read the following paragraph from the <i>Catechism</i> a
few years ago, it stopped me in my tracks. I have never forgotten it, perhaps
because of how thoroughly the culture <i>has</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
child is not something owed to one, but is a gift. The "supreme gift of
marriage" is a human person. A child may not be considered a piece of
property, an idea to which an alleged "right to a child" would lead.
In this area, only the child possesses genuine rights: the right "to be
the fruit of the specific act of the conjugal love of his parents," and
"the right to be respected as a person from the moment of his conception"
(</span><a href="file:///C:/Users/todd/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.Outlook/FHQA7FBI/A%20Child%20Has%20More%20Rights%20in%20This%20Area%20Than%20You%20%20When%20a%20Child%20Has%20Rights%20and%20You%20Don%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%99t%20%20%20There%20is%20No%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9CRight%20to%20a%20Child%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D%20%20%20by%20Leila%20Miller%20%20%20%20%20Adults%20in%20our%20society%20are%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Cdiscovering%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D%20new%20%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9Crights%C3%A2%C2%80%C2%9D%20for%20themselves%20at%20an%20astonishing%20rate,%20but%20to%20the%20detr"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #337ab7; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">CCC 2378</span></a><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Church says to adults: you have no right to a child. You have a natural and
God-given right to many things, but a child is not one of them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Why?
Because a child is a gift.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We
may hear that phrase bandied about, but do we really understand it? Think about
the nature of any gift—it is never owed. A gift is given freely and willingly
by the giver, never required and never demanded. You cannot force someone to
give you a gift, or else it ceases to be a gift.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
minute an adult believes that having a child is his “right,” it follows that a
child <i>must be supplied</i>, in whatever way necessary to attain that
right. It would be a matter of justice, after all as our rights are owed to us!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
when our thinking goes there (and it has in our culture), we begin to justify
the ways in which we will “get” the children we are owed; a human child is now
a commodity to be made and possessed. Furthermore, once a child is “considered
a piece of property,” as the Church describes it, all manner of injustice
against the child is now permissible. After all, what do we do with property?
Well, whatever we’d like, including buying it, selling it, manipulating it, disposing
of it. Property has no rights at all. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And
yet, the Church says to the child: You have the right to be created from the
marital act of your own two parents. You, the child, are the <i>only</i> one
who “possesses genuine rights” in this area of human existence.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Despite
what the voices around us say, every child has a natural, primal right to be
conceived from an act of lovemaking between his married mom and dad. Strip away
all the clamor of noise around us, the false promises that “you can have
whatever you want,” and remember what God’s design for marriage and family, “in
the beginning,” looked like—a child as the fruit of his parents’ one-flesh
union. This design and order has not changed.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So,
because a child has a right to be “the fruit of the specific act of the
conjugal love of his parents,” reproductive interventions such as IVF, donor
eggs/sperm, and surrogacy are always morally wrong. Pro-life attorney Dorinda
Bordlee of the </span><a href="https://mail.catholic.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=3SNvLwSdnfc7C18cgnofZ232cakVZf5xuvfE4dlCz42wGxWYc4XUCA..&URL=http%3a%2f%2fbdfund.org"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #337ab7; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Bioethics Defense Fund</span></a><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> calls
these procedures “human reproductive trafficking.” Legal contracts are
negotiated and vast sums of money are exchanged for human gametes. The child’s
conception is literally put in the hands of a third party, and biological
mothers and fathers are reduced to body parts to be rented, bought, or sold.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
truth of this is not easy for many to hear today. After all, what could be
wrong with the desire to have a child, especially infertile couples of good
will who desperately want a baby and have no intention of discarding “excess”
embryos during an IVF cycle or “selectively reducing” (i.e., aborting) one or
more children once multiples are implanted? The answer is that there is nothing
wrong with the desire. The desire of a husband and wife to have a child is holy
and good. But their good intention does not justify the use of evil means. (See
the <i>Catechism</i> </span><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c1a4.htm"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #337ab7; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">1750-1761</span></a><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Infertility
is a heavy cross, and infertile couples certainly may avail themselves of any
and all <i>moral</i> reproductive technologies available to treat or
cure their infertility so that they might conceive and bear a child naturally.
This could include hormonal therapies or drugs to stimulate ovulation or aid
embryo implantation, or holistic approaches (such as <a href="https://mail.catholic.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=6OS9apnKWA4Clm5punJeVXtdFTOUHxMr3-IgenJwZxywGxWYc4XUCA..&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.naprotechnology.com"><span style="color: #337ab7; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">NaPro Technology</span></a><u>) </u>that
address and attempt to heal the underlying problem or pathology, something
artificial reproduction cannot do.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For
a couple who cannot conceive a child even after treatments (or who would prefer
to forego treatment), adoption is a beautiful option. Some might wonder: <i>Doesn’t
adoption treat a child as a “right” not a gift? And what of the fact that an
adopted child does not stay with the couple who conceived him? </i>First,
we remember that adoption is about the needs of the child, not about fulfilling
the desires of the adults (although that would be a happy consequence).
Adoption is, therefore, a <i>restoration</i> of what has been lost to
a child. Again, it is the child who possesses the rights here, not the
adults. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
other fundamental human right the child possesses, according to the <i>Catechism</i>,
is the right “to be respected as a person from the first moment of conception.”
That “supreme gift of marriage,” a new human person, is a life sacred and inviolable,
just like the rest of us. Every child conceived is made to love and be loved,
never to be used, certainly never to be killed. This reality affirms and
protects not only the dignity of the child, but the dignity of each person, and
of marriage, too. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">God’s
creation and his laws are beautiful because they form a tapestry of truth. We
may get confused living in a relativistic and consequentialistic culture, but
when we back up, when we clear our minds and open our hearts to first
principles, things fall into place and we can see the beauty of God’s perfect
design.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><span face="Open Sans, sans-serif" style="color: #212125;"><a href="https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/i-was-astonished-to-find-this-in-the-catechism"><b>https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/i-was-astonished-to-find-this-in-the-catechism</b></a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-------------------------------------------------</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">2. What about children? <a href="https://www.jubilee-centre.org/cambridge-papers/redefining-marriage-the-case-for-caution">"Redefining Marriage: The case for caution"</a> </b></span></p><h3 style="font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; line-height: 1.2em;"><strong><span style="font-size: small;">Summary<span> </span><span> </span></span></strong><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Government’s proposal to introduce same-sex marriage seems to rest on reasons of equality, stability and convenience. But on closer inspection, these are respectively incomplete, speculative and negligible. As currently defined, marriage secures the equal value of men and women. It also promotes the welfare of children. By contrast, the new definition of marriage will unavoidably call into question its exclusivity, its permanence and even its sexual nature. Such an unravelling of marriage is too high a price to pay for a proposal which fulfils no practical legal need.</span></span></h3><p style="line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 5px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.jubilee-centre.org/cambridge-papers/redefining-marriage-the-case-for-caution"><b>https://www.jubilee-centre.org/cambridge-papers/redefining-marriage-the-case-for-caution</b></a></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">-------------------------------------------</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">3. <a href="https://www.votemarriagecanada.ca/family/how-heterosexual-marriage-protects-childrens-rights-and-best-interests">How Heterosexual Marriage Protects Children’s Rights And Best Interests</a> </b></span></p><p align="center" class="style2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Presentation to the State of Massachusetts Judiciary Commission<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />By Louis DeSerres, B.A., M.B.A.</span></strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-family: inherit; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For the first time in over 150 years, the fight for human rights, which has led to the abolition of slavery, the emancipation of women and civil rights for African-Americans, is now in the process of turning backwards. With same sex marriage we are now taking away the fundamental rights of our most vulnerable citizens, children. We are also entering an era where freedom of speech is being challenged. (Read the full presentation at the link or at the end of this post.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b><a href="https://www.votemarriagecanada.ca/family/how-heterosexual-marriage-protects-childrens-rights-and-best-interests">https://www.votemarriagecanada.ca/family/how-heterosexual-marriage-protects-childrens-rights-and-best-interests</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">---------------------------------------------------</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US">4. <a href="https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/marriage-and-family/sexuality/first-person-same-sex-marriage-have-the-best-interests-of-children-been-considered.html">First-Person: Same-Sex 'Marriage' Have the Best Interests of Children Been Considered?</a> </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">DAWN STEFANOWICZ </span><i style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #1d1b11; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.3pt; line-height: 16.8667px;">I grew up in a homosexual household during the 60s and 70s in Toronto, exposed to many different people, the GLBT subcultures, and explicit sexual practices.</span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><i><span lang="EN-US">Notice to Reader:</span></i></b><i><span lang="EN-US"> "The Boards of both CERC Canada and CERC
USA are aware that the topic of homosexuality is a controversial one that
deeply affects the personal lives of many North Americans. Both Boards strongly
reiterate the Catechism's teaching that people who self-identify as gays and
lesbians must be treated with 'respect, compassion, and sensitivity' (CCC
#2358). The Boards also support the Church's right to speak to aspects of this
issue in accordance with her own self-understanding. Articles in this section
have been chosen to cast light on how the teachings of the Church intersect
with the various social, moral, and legal developments in secular society. CERC
will not publish articles which, in the opinion of the editor, expose gays and
lesbians to hatred or intolerance."<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing">My name is Dawn Stefanowicz, I grew up in a homosexual household during
the 60s and 70s in Toronto, exposed to many different people, the GLBT subcultures,
and explicit sexual practices. I am currently writing a book, soon to be
published, on this experience. As well, I was a witness at the Standing Senate
Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on Bill C-250 (hate crimes), and
I have presented at the local school board.</p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">My biggest concern is that children are not being discussed in this
same-sex marriage debate. Yet, won't the next step for some gay activists be to
ask for legal adoption of children if same-sex marriage is legalized? I have
considered some of the potential physical and psychological health risks for
children raised in this situation. I was at high risk of exposure to contagious
STDs due to sexual molestation, my father's high-risk sexual behaviors, and
multiple partners. Even when my father was in what looked like monogamous
relationships, he continued cruising for anonymous sex.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">I came to deeply care for, love and compassionately understand my dad.
He shared his life regrets with me. Unfortunately, my father, as a child, was
sexually and physically abused by older males. Due to this, he lived with
depression, control issues, anger outbursts, suicidal tendencies, and sexual
compulsions. He tried to fulfill his legitimate needs for his father's
affirmation, affection and attention with transient and promiscuous
relationships. He and his partners were exposed to various contagious STD's as
they traveled across North America. My father's (ex)partners, whom I had deep
caring feelings for and associated with, had drastically shortened lives due to
suicide, contracting HIV or Aids. Sadly, my father died of AIDS in 1991.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Are my childhood experiences unique? According to a growing number of
personal testimonies, experts, and organizations, there is mounting evidence of
strong commonalities to my personal experiences<sup>2-13</sup>. Not only do
children do best with both a mother and a father in a lifelong marriage bond<sup>14,15</sup>,
children need responsible monogamous parents who have no extramarital sexual
partners. Parental promiscuity, abuse and divorce are not good for children.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">If same-sex marriage is legalized, a person, couple or group who
practice any form of sexual behavior would eventually be able to obtain
children through previous heterosexual relationships, new reproductive
technologies, and adoption due to the undefined term sexual orientation. This
would force all public and private adoption agencies to hand over children into
experimental relationships or risk charges of discrimination. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">What is the most suitable environment for children to be born or adopted
into?<sup>16</sup> The many personal, professional and social experiences
with my father did not teach me respect for morality, authority, marriage, and
paternal love. I felt fearfully silenced as I was not allowed to talk about my
dad, his male housemates, his lifestyle and encounters within the subcultures
without being browbeaten and threatened by my father. While I lived at home, I
had to live by his rules. Yes, I loved my dad. However, I felt abandoned and
neglected as my needs were not met since my father would often leave suddenly
to be with his partners for days. His partners were not really interested in
me. I was outraged at the incidences of same-sex domestic abuse, sexual
advances toward minors, and loss of sexual partners as if people were only
commodities. I sought comfort looking for my father's love from boyfriends
starting at 12 years old.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">From a young age, I was exposed to explicit sexual speech,
self-indulgent lifestyles, varied GLBT subcultures and gay vacation spots. Sex
looked gratuitous to me as a child. I was exposed to all-inclusive
manifestations of sexuality including bathhouse sex, cross-dressing, sodomy,
pornography, gay nudity, lesbianism, bisexuality, minor recruitment, voyeurism
and exhibitionism. Sado-masochism was alluded to and aspects demonstrated.
Alcohol and drugs were often contributing factors to lower inhibitions in my
father's relationships.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">My father prized unisex dressing, gender-neutral aspects and a famous
cross-dressing icon when I was eight years old. I did not see the value of
biological complementing differences of male and female or think about
marriage. I made vows to never have children since I had not grown up in a
safe, sacrificial, child-centered home environment. Due to my life experience,
I ask, "Can children really perform their best academically, financially,
psychologically, socially and behaviorally in experimental situations?" I
can tell you that I suffered long term in this situation, and this has been
professionally documented.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Over two decades of direct exposure to these stressful experiences
caused me insecurity, depression, suicidal thoughts, dread, anxiousness, low
self-esteem, sleeplessness and sexuality confusion. My conscience and innocence
were seriously damaged. I witnessed that every other family member suffered
severely as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">It took me until I was into my 20s and 30s, after making major life
choices, to <b>begin</b> to realize how being raised in this
environment affected me. My healing encompassed facing reality, accepting long-term
consequences, and offering forgiveness. Can you imagine being forced to
tolerate unstable relationships and diverse sexual practices from a young age
and how this affected my development? My gender identity, psychological
well-being, and peer relationships were affected. Unfortunately, it was not
until my father, his sexual partners and my mother had died, was I free to
speak publicly about my experiences.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">I believe same-sex marriage will dispose of unique values esteemed
within marriage as recognized throughout history. Marriage needs to remain a
societal foundation that constitutes, represents, and defends the inherently
procreative relationship between the husband and the wife for the welfare of
their biological children.<sup>17</sup> Children need consistent
appropriate boundaries and secure expressions of emotional intimacy that
are <b>not</b> sexualized in the home and community.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">The term "sexual orientation" does not distinguish between the
individual, feelings of sexual attraction to a particular person or object, or
the individual's sexual behavior or preferences. Thence, a person practicing
pansexuality, which is diverse sexual expression<b>,</b> could not be
discriminated against <b>even with children present</b>.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Are the government and judicial systems playing games with children,
forcing upstanding citizens to tolerate all forms of diverse sexual expression
against their will, conscience and or religious freedom?</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Why is such a small, unrepresentative clique within the GLBT subcultures
wanting same-sex marriage? Mr. John McKellar, Executive Director of H.O.P.E.
(Homosexuals Opposed to Pride Extremism) has stated, and I quote:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">"It is selfish and rude for the gay community to push same-sex
marriage legislation and redefine society's traditions and conventions for our
own self-indulgence .... Federal and provincial laws are being changed and the
traditional values are being compromised just to appease a tiny, self-anointed
clique."<sup>18</sup></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">In my opinion, same-sex marriage will put the human rights of the
individual in a higher place than what is best for society, families and
especially children. Canadians should decide and not judges.<sup>19</sup> Human
rights were meant to protect the individual and not groups.<sup>20</sup> In
this crucial debate, children's human rights have become secondary, ignored and
denied.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Moreover, if Canadians do not stop same-sex marriage, we will lose all
of our freedom to address issues around sexuality with moral and religious
vigor. By the way, the gay agenda in schools may owe its origin to Marshall
Kirk and Erastes Pill who published the article "The Overhauling of
Straight America"<sup>21</sup>. If we do not stop Bill C-38, the gay
agenda will prevail in every Canadian public and private academic environment<sup>22</sup>,
inundating school environments with advocacy and sexually explicit resources
and curriculum that mock parents' authority, moral rectitude, and religious
traditions.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Already this is happening under the banner of anti-bullying, safe
schools' policies and through Gay-Straight Alliances. In reality, these
policies provide a direct legal entranceway of indoctrination, desensitization,
personal and political recruitment of our vulnerable children by some gay
activists within our schools while silencing all students who oppose the gay
agenda.<sup>23</sup></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Similarly, all those who oppose the Canadian laws recognizing same-sex
marriage would not be allowed to speak, express or gesture opposition, even on
religious grounds. Look how the hate crime legislation Bill C-250 has instilled
fear and is silencing the church. Did you know that the separation of church
and state was enacted to protect religious freedom and conscience? Will
religious freedom be trumped by sexual freedom?<sup>24</sup> Will
religious faith expressions and practices by individuals and organizations be prohibited
by such bills as C-38 and others? We have an obligation, for the sake of our
children, to speak freely and to direct the laws of our land.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Will the Canadian government and judges legally promote unhealthy and
unsound environments that encourage motherless and fatherless units through
same-sex marriage?<sup>25</sup> Ultimately, children will be the real
victims and losers if same-sex marriage is legally enacted. What hope can I
offer innocent children who have no voice? What price is Canada willing to pay
for sexual freedom, tolerance and diversity? Is that price children's lives?<sup>26</sup> Government
and judges need to advance and defend marriage as between a man and a woman to
the exclusion of all others for the sake of our children.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Endnotes:</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Proverbs 8:1-3. New International Version.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Jakii Edwards, "Like Mother, Like
Daughter? The effects of growing up in a homosexual home", (Vienna, VA:
Xulon Press, 2001). Also, see testimonial "Just Like My Mother?",
Exodus International, North America. See </span><a href="http://exodus.to/testimonials_Family_11.shtml%C2%A0extracted%2026/03/2005"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://exodus.to/testimonials_Family_11.shtml extracted
26/03/2005</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Suzanne Cook, "My Parent is
Gay", (Seattle, WA: Exodus International-North America, 2000). Also, see
testimonial "Looking For My Father's Love," Exodus International,
North America. See </span><a href="http://exodus.to/testimonials_Family_12.shtmlextracted%2026/03/2005"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://exodus.to/testimonials_Family_12.shtmlextracted
26/03/2005</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">"A Son's Journey," 1997 Nathan
Bell, Distributed by Love In Action, 24/03/2005.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">"Mitchell," "The Tragedy of
"Gay" Parenting," Stephen Bennett Ministries, 25/03/2005.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Paul Cameron and Kirk Cameron,
"Children Of Homosexual Parents Report Childhood Difficulties,"
Psychological Reports 2002, 90, 71-82. Also see </span><a href="http://www.familyresearchinst.org/FRI_homokids.html?story=831"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.familyresearchinst.org/FRI_homokids.html?story=831</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> extracted 24/03/2005.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Timothy J. Dailey, Ph. D., "Comparing
the Lifestyles of Homosexual Couples to Married Couples," Family Research
Council, April 17, 2004. See </span><a href="http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?I=IS04C02&v=PRINT"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?I=IS04C02&v=PRINT</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> extracted 24/03.2005.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Timothy Dailey, Ph. D., "Homosexual
Parenting: Placing Children at Risk," Family Research Council, Issue
No.:238. See </span><a href="http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?I=IS01J3"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?I=IS01J3</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> extracted
24/03/2005.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Jon Dougherty, "Report: Pedophilia
more common among 'gays' Report purports to reveal 'dark side' of homosexual
culture." WorldNetDaily, Monday April 29, 2002.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">"Standards 4 Life:
Homosexuality," "Homosexual Adoption. Good for Children's
Health?", Christian Medical & Dental Associations. See </span><a href="http://www.cmdahome.org/index.cgi?BISKIT=1695154697&CONTEXT=art&art=2649"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.cmdahome.org/index.cgi?BISKIT=1695154697&CONTEXT=art&art=2649</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">extracted 24/03/2005.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">"Homosexuality and Hope,"
Statement of the Catholic Medical Association. See </span><a href="http://catholiceducation.org/articles/homosexuality/ho0039.htmll%C2%A0extracted%2024/03/2005"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://catholiceducation.org/articles/homosexuality/ho0039.htmll extracted
24/03/2005</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Dale O'Leary, "Is This Diversity, Or
Tragedy: Children as Victims of their Parents' Choices,"' NARTH. See </span><a href="http://www.narth.com/docs/diversity.html%C2%A0extracted%2024/03/2005"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.narth.com/docs/diversity.html extracted
24/03/2005</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">''Gay marriage' and homosexuality some
medical comments," LifeSite, by authors of this report: John Shea,MD, FRCP
(C), Radiologist; John K. Wilson MD, FRCP (C), Cardiologist; Paul Ranalli MD,
FRCP (C), Neurologist; Christina Paulaitis MD, CCFP, Family Physician; Luigi
Castagna MD, FRCP (C), Paediatric Neurologist; Hans-Christian Raabe MD, MRCP
MRCGP Internist; W. André Lafrance MD, FRCP (C), Dermatologist.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">14.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">S. Sarantakos, "Children in three
contexts: family, education and social development," Children Australia,
21, (1996), 23-31.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">15.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">"Children Need Both A Mother And A
Father," NARTH. See </span><a href="http://www.narth.com/docs/needboth.html%C2%A0extracted%2027/03/2005"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.narth.com/docs/needboth.html extracted
27/03/2005</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">16.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">"Sidelining Stability and Security
The case against abandoning the current grounds for adoption," The
Christian Institute June 2002.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">17.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Daniel Cere & Douglas Farrow,
eds., </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0773528954/ref=nosim/catholiceduca-20"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Divorcing Marriage</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, (Montreal & Kingston, Ontario:
Published for the Institute for the Study of Marriage, Law and Culture by
McGill-Queen's University Press, 2004), p.78.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">18.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Quote taken from Patrick W. O'Brien,
M.P.'s speech delivered in the House of Commons regarding Bill C-38, 38th
Parliament, 1st Session, Edited Hansard, Number 061, Contents Monday, February
21, 2005. See 1345-1355 </span><a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/38/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/061_2005-02-21/HAN061-E.htm%20/%20Int-1142182"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.parl.gc.ca/38/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/061_2005-02-21/HAN061-E.htm#Int-1142182</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> extracted 24/03/2005.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">19.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Daniel Cere & Douglas Farrow,
eds., </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0773528954/ref=nosim/catholiceduca-20"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Divorcing Marriage</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, (Montreal & Kingston, Ontario:
Published for the Institute for the Study of Marriage, Law and Culture by
McGill-Queen's University Press, 2004), pp.151, 152.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">20.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In the Supreme Court of Canada, In the
Matter of Section 53 of the Supreme Court Act, R.S.C., 1985 C. S-26 In the
Matter of a Reference By the Governor in Council Concerning the Proposal For an
Act Respecting Certain Aspects of Legal Capacity for Marriage for Civil
Purposes, as Set out in Order in Council P.C. 2003-1055, Dated the 16<sup>th</sup> Day
of July 2003, Factum of the Intervener The Canadian Conference of Catholic
Bishops, (52.), p.26. See </span><a href="http://www.cccb.ca/Files/SupremeCourtMarriage.pdfextracted%2024/03/2005"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.cccb.ca/Files/SupremeCourtMarriage.pdfextracted
24/03/2005</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">21.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">David Limbaugh, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0007ZNV04/ref=nosim/catholiceduca-20"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Persecution How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">, (Washington, DC, Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2003), 94-110.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">22.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Linda Harvey, "The World According to
PFLAG: Why PFLAG and Children Don't Mix," NARTH. See </span><a href="http://www.narth.com/docs/pflag2.html%C2%A0extracted%2024/03/2005"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.narth.com/docs/pflag2.html extracted
24/03/2005</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">23.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Peter Sprigg, "The 'Recruiting' of
Children Into Accepting Homosexuality: How Homosexuality in Schools Furthers an
Agenda," Family Research Council.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">24.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In the Supreme Court of Canada, In the Matter
of Section 53 of the Supreme Court Act, R.S.C., 1985 C. S-26 In the Matter of a
Reference By the Governor in Council Concerning the Proposal For an Act
Respecting Certain Aspects of Legal Capacity for Marriage for Civil Purposes,
pp. 27-31. See </span><a href="http://www.cccb.ca/Files/SupremeCourtMarriage.pdf%C2%A0extracted%2024/03/2005"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://www.cccb.ca/Files/SupremeCourtMarriage.pdf extracted
24/03/2005</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">25.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Maggie Gallagher and Joshua K. Baker,
"Do Mothers and Fathers Matter?", iMapp Policy Brief, Institute for
Marriage and Public Policy. See </span><u><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www.marriagedebate.com/pdf/MothersFathersMatter.pdf%C2%A0extracted%2027/03/2005">http://www.marriagedebate.com/pdf/MothersFathersMatter.pdf extracted
27/03/2005</a></span></u><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: 18pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18pt;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">26.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Susan Brinkmann, "Homosexuality: The Untold
Story: Gay Marriage: Who's Minding the Children?", Part 5 of 6, The
Catholic Standard and Times Newspaper for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
See </span><a href="http://catholiceducation.org/articles/homosexuality/ho0090.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #587b7c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">http://catholiceducation.org/articles/homosexuality/ho0090.html</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> extracted 27/03/2005.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span style="color: #587b7c;">Acknowledgement</span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US">Dawn Stefanowicz. "First-Person: Same-Sex 'Marriage' - Have the
Best Interests of Children Been Considered?" Agape Press (June
17, 2005).</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b>CERC - Catholic Education resource Center </b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;">This article reprinted with permission from Agape Press. </span><a href="http://www.dawnstefanowicz.org/dawntest.htm" style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US">The Author</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; color: #587b7c; text-align: left;"> </span><span lang="EN-US" style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;">Copyright © 2005 <br /><br /> </span><a href="http://www.agapepress.org/" style="background-color: transparent; text-align: left;"><span lang="EN-US">Agape Press</span></a><b><a href="https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/marriage-and-family/sexuality/first-person-same-sex-marriage-have-the-best-interests-of-children-been-considered.html">https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/marriage-and-family/sexuality/first-person-same-sex-marriage-have-the-best-interests-of-children-been-considered.html</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">--------------------------------------------------------</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">5. </b><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29">Same-Sex Marriage Is Harmful to Children</a></span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> - From Opposing Viewpoints in Context </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.8667px;"><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Gay Marriage</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">, 2012</span></a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">Trayce Hansen is a licensed psychologist
with a clinical and forensic practice and an interest in the areas of </span><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29" title="More on 'Marriage'"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #16387c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">marriage</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, </span><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29" title="More on 'Parenting'"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #16387c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">parenting</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">, male/female
differences, and </span><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29" title="More on 'Homosexuality'"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #16387c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">homosexuality</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;">.
Supporters of </span><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29" title="More on 'Same-sex marriage'"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #16387c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">same-sex marriage</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> think
that </span><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29" title="More on 'Children'"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #16387c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">children</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> really just need love, but this is
not the case. Research shows that the ideal </span><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29" title="More on 'Family'"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #16387c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">family</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt;"> structure for children is to be
raised by both a mother and a father. Only this traditional type of family
gives children the chance to relate to both a same-sex parent and a parent of
the opposite sex. Although the research on same-sex parenting is very limited,
some of it suggests that children raised in same-sex households will be more
likely to be sexually confused and to experiment with sex. Also if same-sex
marriage is allowed, it opens the door for other types of non-traditional
marriage, such as polygamous relationships. Homosexual couples clearly can be
just as loving to children as heterosexual couples, but love is not enough.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">As mental health professionals, it's our ethical and
moral obligation to support policies that are in the best interest of those we
serve, particularly those who are most vulnerable—namely, children. Same-sex
marriage may be in the best interest of adult homosexuals who yearn for social
and legal recognition of their unions, but it's not in the best interest of
children.<br />
<br />
<b>A Two-Parent, Mother-Father Family Is Ideal</b><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Proponents of same-sex marriage believe love is all
children really need. Based on that supposition, they conclude it's just as
good for children to be raised by loving parents of the same sex, as by loving
parents of the opposite sex. But that basic assumption—and all that flows from
it—is naively simplistic and denies the complex nature and core needs of human
beings.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fathers reduce behavioral problems in boys and psychological problems in
girls.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">According to decades of
research, the ideal family structure for children is a two-parent,
mother-father family. That research consistently shows that children raised in
such families are more likely to thrive—psychologically, mentally, and
physically—than children reared in any other kind of family configuration.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Extensive research also
reveals that not only mothers, but also fathers, are critical to the healthy
development of children. Swedish researchers reviewed the best longitudinal
studies from around the world that assessed the effects of fathers on
children's development. Their review spanned 20 years of studies and included
over 22,000 children, and found that fathers reduce behavioral problems in boys
and psychological problems in girls, enhance cognitive development, and
decrease delinquency.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It's clear that children
benefit from having both a male and female parent. Recent medical research
confirms genetically determined differences between men and women and those
fundamental differences help explain why mothers and fathers bring unique
characteristics to parenting that can't be replicated by the other sex. Mothers
and fathers simply aren't interchangeable. Two women can both be good mothers,
but neither can be a good father. One-sex parenting, whether by a single parent
or a homosexual couple, deprives children of the full range of parenting
offered by dual-sex couples.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Only mother-father families
afford children the opportunity to develop relationships with a parent of the
same, as well as the opposite sex. Relationships with both sexes early in life
make it easier and more comfortable for a child to relate to both sexes later
in life. Overall, having a relationship with both a male and female parent
increases the likelihood that a child will have successful social and romantic
relationships during his or her life.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Problems with Same-Sex
Parented Families</span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Moreover, existing research on
children reared by homosexuals is not only scientifically flawed and extremely
limited but some of it actually indicates that those children are at increased
risk for a variety of negative outcomes. Other studies find that homosexually
parented children are more likely to experiment sexually, experience sexual
confusion, and engage in homosexual and bisexual behavior themselves. And for
those children who later engage in non-heterosexual behavior, extensive
research reveals they are more likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders,
abuse alcohol and drugs, attempt suicide, experience domestic violence and
sexual assault, and are at increased risk for chronic diseases, AIDS, and
shortened life spans.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Same-sex marriage no doubt will
increase sexual confusion and sexual experimentation by young people.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It shouldn't be surprising
that studies find children reared by homosexuals are more likely to engage in
homosexual behavior themselves since extensive worldwide research reveals homosexuality
is primarily environmentally induced. Specifically, social and/or family
factors, as well as permissive environments which affirm homosexuality, play
major environmental roles in the development of homosexual behavior. There's no
question that human sexuality is fluid and pliant. Consider ancient Greece and
Rome—among many early civilizations—where male homosexuality and bisexuality
were nearly ubiquitous. That was not so because most of those men were born
with a "gay gene," rather because sexuality is malleable and socially
influenced.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Same-sex marriage no doubt
will increase sexual confusion and sexual experimentation by young people, the
implicit and explicit message of same-sex marriage is that all choices are
equally acceptable and desirable. So even children from traditional
homes—influenced by the all-sexual-options-are-equal message—will grow up
thinking it doesn't matter whom one relates to sexually or marries. Holding
such a belief will lead some—if not many—young people to consider sexual and
marital arrangements they never would have contemplated previously.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">It also must be expected that
if society permits same-sex marriage, it also will have to allow other types of
non-traditional marriage. The legal logic is simple: If prohibiting same-sex
marriage is discriminatory, then disallowing polygamous marriage, polyamorous
marriage, or any other marital grouping also will be deemed discriminatory. In
fact, such legal maneuverings have already begun. The emotional and
psychological ramifications of these assorted arrangements on the developing
psyches and sexuality of children would be disastrous.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Fighting for the Needs of
Children</span></b></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">To date, very little research
exists that assesses long-term outcomes for homosexually parented children.
According to Charlotte Patterson, a self-proclaimed, pro-same-sex-marriage
researcher, there are only two longitudinal studies of children raised by </span><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29" title="More on 'Lesbians'"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #16387c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">lesbians</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">. And no long-term studies of children raised by
homosexual men. A professional organization dedicated to the welfare of its
patients cannot and should not support drastic change in </span><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29" title="More on 'Social policy'"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #16387c; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">social
policy</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">based on just two, small and non-representative
longitudinal studies.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Certainly homosexual couples
can be just as loving toward children as heterosexual couples, but children
need more than love. They require the distinctive qualities and complementary
natures of a male and female parent. The accumulated wisdom of over 5,000 years
concludes that the ideal marital and parental configuration is composed of one
man and one woman. This time-tested wisdom is now supported by the most
advanced, scientifically sound research available.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Importantly, and to their
credit, many self-proclaimed pro-same-sex-marriage researchers acknowledge that
there is as of yet no definitive evidence as to the impact of homosexual
parenting on children. Regardless, some of those advocates support same-sex
marriage because they believe it offers a natural laboratory in which to assess
the long-term impact on children. That position is unconscionable and
indefensible.</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Same-sex marriage isn't in the
best interest of children. While we may empathize with those homosexuals who
long to be married and parent children, we mustn't allow our compassion for
them to trump our compassion for children. In a contest between the desires of
some homosexuals and the needs of all children, we cannot allow the children to
lose.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-bottom: solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 5pt;">
<p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10.45pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 15.65pt; margin: 15.65pt 0cm 10.45pt; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid #CCCCCC 1.0pt; mso-outline-level: 2; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 5.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Further Readings<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.2pt; mso-outline-level: 3; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Books<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gordon A. Babst, Emily R. Gill, and
Jason Pierceson<i>Moral Argument, Religion, and Same-Sex Marriage: Advancing
the Public Good</i>, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">M.V. Lee Badgett<i>When Gay People Get
Married: What Happens When Societies Legalize Same-Sex Marriage</i>, New York:
New York University Press, 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">David Blankenhorn<i>The Future of
Marriage</i>, Jackson, TN: Encounter Books, 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">George Chauncey<i>Why Marriage: The
History Shaping Today's Debate Over Gay Equality</i>, New York: Basic Books,
2009.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">David Orgon Coolidge, William C. Duncan,
Mark Strasser and Lynn D. Wardle<i>Marriage and Same-Sex Unions: A Debate</i>,
Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Evan Gerstmann<i>Same-Sex Marriage and
the Constitution</i>, Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Patricia A. Gozemba<i>History of
America's First Legal Same-Sex Marriages</i>, Ypsilanti, MI: Beacon Press,
2007.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Frederick Hertz and Emily Doskow<i>Making
it Legal: A Guide to Same-Sex Marriage, Domestic Partnerships & Civil
Unions</i>, Berkeley, CA: NOLO, 2011<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Andrew Koppelman<i>Same Sex, Different
States: When Same-Sex Marriages Cross State Lines</i>, New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press, 2006.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sheri Lynne Lawson<i>The Spell of
Religion: And the Battle over Gay Marriage</i>, Parker, CO: Outskirts Press,
2009.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Man Yee Karen Lee<i>Equality, Dignity,
and Same-Sex Marriage: A Rights Disagreement in Democratic Societies</i>,
Leiden, The Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, 2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Susan Gluck Mezey<i>Gay Families and the
Courts: The Quest for Equal Rights</i>, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers, 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nancy D. Polikoff and Michael Bronski<i>Beyond
(Straight and Gay) Marriage: Valuing All Families Under the Law</i>, Ypsilanti,
MI: Beacon Press, 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Peter Nicolas and Mike Strong<i>The
Geography of Love: Same-Sex Marriage & Relationship Recognition in America</i>,
Seattle, WA: CreateSpace, 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gerald N. Rosenberg<i>The Hollow Hope:
Can Courts Bring About Social Change?</i>, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago
Press, 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Michael J. Rosenfeld<i>The Age of
Independence: Interracial Unions, Same-Sex Unions, and the Changing American
Family</i>, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2007.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Andrew Sullivan<i>Same-Sex Marriage: Pro
and Con</i>, Vancouver, WA: Vintage, 2009.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Frank Turek<i>Correct, Not Politically
Correct; How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone</i>, Charlotte, NC:
CrossExamined, 2008.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lynn D. Wardle, ed.<i>What's the Harm?
Does Legalizing Same-Sex Marriage Really Harm Individuals, Families or Society?</i> Lanham,
MD: University Press of America, 2008.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.2pt; mso-outline-level: 3; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Periodicals and Internet Sources<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Associated Press "Obama: Defense Of
Marriage Act Should Be Repealed," <i>The Huffington Post</i>, July
19, 2011. www.huffingtonpost.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">David Badash "GOP Debate:
Constitutional Ban On Same-Sex Marriage Wins Big," <i>The New Civil
Rights Movement</i>, June 14, 2011. http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bob Barr "No Defending the Defense
of Marriage Act," <i>Los Angeles Times</i>, January 5, 2009.
www.latimes.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Michelle Boorstein "Same-Sex
Marriage Again an Issue for Religious Charities," <i>The Washington
Post</i>, July 12, 2011. www.washingtonpost.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Philip N. Cohen "Same-Sex Marriage
and Children, What We Don't Know Shouldn't Hurt Us," <i>The
Huffington Post</i>, April 10, 2009. www.huffingtonpost.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nicholas Confessore "Beyond New
York, Gay Marriage Faces Hurdles," <i>New York Times</i>, June 26,
2011.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cristen Conger "Does a Parent's
Gender Impact a Child's Success?," <i>Discovery News</i>, January 28,
2010. http://news.discovery.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sara Israelsen-Hartley "Traditional
Marriage Has Impact Beyond Faith," <i>Deseret News</i>, January 27,
2011. www.deseretnews.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chris Johnson "2011 to Bring New
Marriage Fights Across U.S.," <i>Washington Blade</i>, January 13,
2011. www.washingtonblade.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ed Kilgore "The Hypocrisy of
'States' rights' Conservatives: The 10th Amendment Is Sacred to the
Right—Except When It Comes to Fighting Abortion and Gay Rights," <i>Salon</i>,
August 7, 2011. www.salon.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Michal A. Lindenberger "Why
California's Gay-Marriage Ban Was Upended," <i>TIME</i>, August 5,
2010.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Adam Liptak "Looking for Time Bombs
and Tea Leaves on Gay Marriage," <i>New York Times</i>, July 20,
2010, p. A11.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tom McFeely "Needed: A Federal
Marriage Amendment," <i>National Catholic Register</i>, April 17,
2009. www.ncregister.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jennifer Roback Morse "Same-Sex
'Marriage' and the Persecution of Civil Society," <i>National
Catholic Register</i>, June 3, 2008. www.ncregister.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 15.65pt 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Paul Mulshine "Same-Sex Marriage:
Right or Wrong, It's Not a Right," NJ.com, August 10, 2010.
http://blog.nj.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Frank Newport "For First Time,
Majority of Americans Favor Legal Gay Marriage: Republicans and Older Americans
Remain Opposed," <i>Gallup</i>, May 20, 2011. www.gallup.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Martha Nussbaum "A Right to Marry?
Same-Sex Marriage and Constitutional Law," <i>Dissent</i>, Summer
2009. www.dissentmagazine.org.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Logan Penza "Anti-Gay Marriage
Movement = Inefficiency," <i>The Moderate Voice</i>, May 22, 2011.
http://themoderatevoice.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Charlie Savage and Sheryl Gay Stolberg
"In Shift, U.S. Says Marriage Act Blocks Gay Rights," <i>New
York Times</i>, February 23, 2011.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Erin Solaro "Marriage Is a Human
Right, Not a Religious Issue," <i>Seattle PI</i>, December 12, 2008.
http://blog.seattlepi.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">U.S. News & World Report</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> "Is
the Defense of Marriage Act Constitutional? Debating Whether the
Anti-Gay-Marriage Law Passes Muster," March 11, 2011. www.usnews.com.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 20.85pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm; margin: 0cm 0cm 0cm 20.85pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 36.0pt; text-indent: -18pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Chrisopher Wolfe "What Marriage Has
Become," <i>The Public Discourse</i>, March 21, 2011.
www.thepublicdiscourse.com.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Full Text: </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">COPYRIGHT
2012 Greenhaven Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; vertical-align: baseline;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Source Citation<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm; mso-outline-level: 3; vertical-align: baseline;"><span lang="EN-US" style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; padding: 0cm; text-indent: -20.85pt;">Hansen, Trayce.
"Same-Sex Marriage Is Harmful to Children." <i>Gay Marriage</i>,
edited by Debra A. Miller, Greenhaven Press, 2012. At Issue. <i>Opposing
Viewpoints in Context</i>, </span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -20.85pt;">eztcc.vccs.edu:2048/login?url=http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010014234/OVIC?u=viva2_tcc&xid=10655cf0<span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">. Accessed 4 Sept. 2017. Originally published as "Same-Sex
Marriage: Not in the Best Interest of Children," <i>The Therapist</i>,
2009.<br /><br /><b style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -20.85pt;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt;">Gale
Document Number:</span></b><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; text-indent: -20.85pt;"> GALE|EJ3010014234</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b><a href="http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29">http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Viewpoints&zid=a9764475de34e422c34761f9631ce865&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010014234&userGroupName=viva2_tcc&jsid=d04d591dd6a4ce083f01f30163846491%29</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">----------------------------------------------------</b></span></p><p><b>6. </b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Children have Human Rights</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> – </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 16.8667px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Issues</span></span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"> with redefining marriage (article no longer on the web)</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><i>In the rush to afford equal rights regarding marriage to same sex couples, legislators have all but completely forgotten, ignored, or eclipsed the rights of children. Traditional marriage in all of the world's societies and cultures reinforced and supported the marriage of one man and one woman precisely to protect and assure the rights, proper development, and prosperity of children. <br />Gilles Surprenant 210220</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; line-height: 18.4px;"><b><a href="https://www.acpeds.org/position-statements/defending-traditional-marriage" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Defending Traditional Marriage</a><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"> - </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">American </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">College of Pediatricians <br /></span></b><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; border: 0px solid rgb(210, 214, 220); box-sizing: border-box; color: black; text-align: start;"><span><span style="font-weight: bolder;">Children benefit from the unique parenting contributions of both men and women. </span><br /><br /><b> </b></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;"><b><a href="https://www.acpeds.org/position-statements/homosexual-parenting-a-scientific-analysis">Homosexual Parenting: A Scientific Analysis</a> </b></span><span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><b>- </b></span><b><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: inherit;">American </span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #0d0d0d;"><span>College of Pediatricians <br /></span></span></span></b></span><span style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><b>Children need a mother and a father</b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">1-
CHILDREN HAVE RIGHTS</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">NY Convention on Rights of the Child
(1989) - United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">The Convention (ratified by Canada
in 1991) states in Article 7 that the child has "as far as possible, the
right to know and be cared for by his or her parents". Article 3 states
that "In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or
private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities
or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary
consideration."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights </span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Article 10.1 on family and marriage
states that: "The widest possible protection and assistance should be
accorded to the family, which is the natural and fundamental group unit of
society, particularly for its establishment and while it is responsible for the
care and education of dependent children." The expression
"the natural and fundamental group unit" refers to the natural
combination of a man and a woman required to create a child.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Article 16 declares the right to
marry based on the traditional definition of marriage, and states that such a
family is "the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is
entitled to protection by society and the State."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">France: Parliamentary Report on the
Family and the Rights of Children </span></b><a href="http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/pdf/rap-info/i2832.pdf"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Full report
(French, 453 pages)</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">This report was presented to the
French National Assembly by a 30 member parliamentary commission (called a
Mission) on January 25, 2006. Society and the legislator have the
responsibility to ensure that children develop harmoniously. The right of the
child must override adult aspirations. By virtue of the precautionary principle
and in order to protect the best interests of children, the commission does not
want to question the fundamental principles of filiation based on the « one
father, one mother, one child » triad. For these reasons, the commission
refuses to open up marriage, adoption and medically assisted reproduction to
same sex couples.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="https://lop.parl.ca/About/Parliament/LegislativeSummaries/bills_ls.asp?ls=C38&Parl=38&Ses=1"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Civil Marriage Act (C-38)</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">The law
was adopted based on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the ruling
by the Supreme Court. In the name of equality, it legalizes marriage for same
sex couples. This law, like the Charter and the Supreme Court ruling, addresses
adult rights, yet makes no mention of protecting children's rights or best
interests. (see below)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/Const/page-15.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Equality
rights, under section 15 of the Charter, include race, national or ethnic
origin, colour, religion, sex (without any mention of sexual orientation which
was added by interpretation by the courts), age, and mental or physical
disability. Children are only mentioned with reference to the right to
lingustic education in French or English.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.canlii.org/ca/cas/scc/2004/2004scc79.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Supreme Court of Canada reference on Bill C-38</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">The
Supreme Court of Canada's answers to four questions on same-sex marriage.
The court refused to answer question 4: "Is the opposite-sex requirement
for marriage for civil purposes, ... consistent with the </span><a href="http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/Const/page-15.html"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Charter of Rights and Freedoms</span></i></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">?" first because, among
other reasons, "the federal government has stated its intention to address
the issue of same-sex marriage legislatively regardless of the Court's opinion
on this question." The ruling does not mention children, their rights or
needs.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Marriage: Why the Charter is Failing
children<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">In Canada,
the adoption of the Civil Marriage Act (C-38) in 2005 legalizing same sex
marriage was entirely based on the imputed equality rights of adults in the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Children are not mentioned in the Charter and
hence their rights and best interests were not given any weight. We must
reestablish the right of children to have both a mother and a father by
defining marriage between one man and one woman, right which was negated by our
Parliament. (2 pages)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">The Other 'Rights Question' in
Same-Sex Marriage</span></b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"> <i>- By
Bioethicist Margaret Sommerville</i><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">"
Same-sex marriage ... would also, unavoidably, be a societal declaration that
children don't have any basic right to know who their biological parents are
and that they don't need both a mother and a father. Same-sex marriage makes
children's rights secondary to adults'. It contravenes the ethical principle
that children, as the most vulnerable people, must come first." (one page)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">The Rights of Children and the
Redefinition of Parenthood<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Presentation by David
Blankenhorn, Danish Institute for Human Rights, June 2, 2005<br />
</span></i><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">"In
Canada, in an amazingly contradictory pair of moves, it is now the right of an
adopted child to know the identity of his or her biological parents; whereas in
the case of donor-conceived children, revealing to the child the identity of
his or her biological parents is a federal crime, punishable by a fine,
imprisonment, or both. Also in Canada earlier this year, the federal government,
as a part of its implementation of equal marriage rights for gay and lesbian
couples, proposed striking the term “natural parent” from all of Canadian law,
and replacing it with the term “legal parent.” ...This erasure not only
represents a dramatic transfer of power from private life to the state, but is
also, I believe, contrary to the best interests of children." (5
pages) <a name="NEEDS"> </a></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">2- CHILDREN HAVE NEEDS:</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Do Mothers and Fathers Matter?</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"> <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Summarizes the scientific evidence
that man-woman marriage "is an important social good associated with an
impressively broad array of positive outcomes for children and adults
alike." Discusses fatal flaws in the studies finding no disadvantages to
children raised by homosexuals. (5 pages)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/jlfst6&div=20&id=&page="><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gender Complementarity and Child-rearing: Where Tradition and Science
Agree</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-decoration-line: none;">Reviews numerous studies on the unique and vital contributions mothers
and fathers make in parenting. Notes the evidence of social and emotional
difficulties and homosexual experimentation among children of homosexual
parents, all of which were ignored or minimized by original researchers.
Examines serious physical and mental health risks of the homosexual lifestyle
and concludes, "the placement of children in settings where there is not a
mother and a father begins a slippery slope, one filled with risks that neither
the children, nor society can afford to take." (22 pages). </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="https://www.acpeds.org/the-college-speaks/position-statements/parenting-issues/homosexual-parenting-is-it-time-for-change"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Statement from the American College of Pediatricians Statement on
Homosexual Parenting</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">They conclude: Given the current
body of research, the American College of Pediatricians believes it is
inappropriate, potentially hazardous to children, and dangerously irresponsible
to change the age-old prohibition on homosexual parenting, whether by adoption,
foster care, or by reproductive manipulation. This position is rooted in the
best available science. (1 page + references)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Excerpts
from: Divorcing Marriage: Unveiling the Dangers in Canada’s New Social
Experiments - Daniel Cere and Douglas Farrow, editors</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">"We know also that biological
parents usually protect and provide for their children more effectively than
non-biological ones. That these facts are either ignored or trivialized by some
advocates of gay marriage... says something about concern for children in our
time."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.proudtobecanadian.ca/blog/index/writergroup/for_the_sake_of_the_children"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For the Sake of the Children - by Paul Albers</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">"The government has made it
clear that they intend to eliminate any difference between mixed and same
gender couples, how then will government justify allowing society to continue
to promote the traditional family structure as superior?... Inventing same sex
marriage as a human and legal right will only make the situation worse.
Promoting the ideal family as the best environment for children will become
politically incorrect, in time it may be branded as homophobic. Meanwhile, same
sex couples will have the government’s blessing and protection to experiment
with the lives of children, deprive them of a basic right, and inflict lasting
harm on their future." (2 pages) <a name="TESTIMONIES"> </a></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">3- TESTIMONIES:</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br />
</span></b><a name="MASSACHUSETTS_TESTIMONY"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"> </span></b></a><b><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.law.byu.edu/page/categories/marriage_family/past_conferences/sept2006/drafts/deserres.pdf"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Louis DeSerres: How Heterosexual Marriage Protects Children's Rights and
Best Interests, State of Massachusetts Judiciary Commission</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">"For the first time in over 150
years, the fight for human rights, which has led to the abolition of slavery,
the emancipation of women and civil rights for African-Americans, is now in the
process of turning backwards. With same sex marriage we are now taking away the
fundamental rights of our most vulnerable citizens, children." Drawing
from debates in Canada and France, this Canadian witness lists 14
child-centered arguments in favor of heterosexual marriage and why all children
need the protection that would result from a marriage amendment to the
constitution. (6 pages)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Senate testimony by an activist in
favor of same-sex marriage</span></b><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Ms. Evangiline Caldwell,
Coordinator, Québec Coalition for the civil marriage of same sex couples:
"The question may be why we still want marriage. ...marriage is the golden
standard. Marriage is recognition. It is recognition of your relationship. It
is recognition of your equality. It is recognition of you and your partner as
being as committed as a heterosexual couple... The reason is equality, that we,
our couples, our families, be treated in the same way, with the same respect
and recognition, as heterosexual couples."</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><b><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Same-sex marriage: What about the
human rights of Children? <o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">"Proponents of same sex
marriage claim that granting them the right to marry has no effects on you and
me. They conveniently forget those who do not have a voice: their very own
children... Is there a more natural and self evident birth right for a child than
to have a mother and a father?" What happens when a child has two same-sex
parents?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/marriage-and-family/sexuality/first-person-same-sex-marriage-have-the-best-interests-of-children-been-considered.html"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dawn Stefanowicz' Testimonial - Has the welfare of children been
considered in same-sex marriages?</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">A first hand account of same-sex
parenting from the daughter of a homosexual man. She states: "Ultimately,
children will be the real victims and losers if same-sex marriage is legally
enacted. What hope can I offer innocent children who have no voice? What price
is Canada willing to pay for sexual freedom, tolerance and diversity? Is that
price children's lives?" (5 pages)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.parl.gc.ca/infocomdoc/38/1/CC38/Meetings/Evidence/CC38EV10-E.HTM#Int-1315978"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Margaret Sommerville (Samuel Gale Professor of Law, McGill Centre for
Medicine, Ethics and Law) on Bill C-38, just three weeks before the vote in
Parliament</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">"Ms. Margaret Somerville: I must admit, after reading this
morning's paper, I wondered whether it was worth coming to speak to you, but I
decided it was, if only to put a few things on the record that I think perhaps
are not on the record so far... I see this whole same-sex marriage debate as an
awful conflict of rights... I think the people who want to change the law to
say that children don't need a mother and a father should show that's not
harmful to children, and everything we know so far would be that it is.
Everything we know about children is they want to know who their mother and
father is, and not just them but that larger biological web in which they're
embedded. You only just have to look at adults who want to go back and look at
where their great-great-great-grandmother walked the earth generations ago...</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">A Member
of Parliament:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"> surely with this piece of
legislation we're not throwing away anything. Aren't we extending rights?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 8pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"><br />
</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;">Ms.
Margaret Somerville:</span><span lang="EN-US" style="color: #0d0d0d; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 242;"> No,
you're absolutely throwing away a child's right to a mother and a father."
(Her complete testimony and the Q&A are worth reading in full.)</span></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0cm;"><a href="http://www.focusonthefamily.ca/"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Focus on
the Family</span></a><span lang="EN-US" style="color: blue; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">--------------------------------------------------------</b></span></p><p><b>7. <a href="https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/marriage-what-it-why-it-matters-and-the-consequences-redefining-it">Marriage: What It Is, Why It Matters, and the Consequences of Redefining It</a> </b></p><p>SUMMARY Marriage is based on the truth that men and women are complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the reality that children need a mother and a father. Redefining marriage does not simply expand the existing understanding of marriage; it rejects these truths. Marriage is society’s least restrictive means of ensuring the well-being of children. By encouraging the norms of marriage—monogamy, sexual exclusivity, and permanence—the state strengthens civil society and reduces its own role. The future of this country depends on the future of marriage. The future of marriage depends on citizens understanding what it is and why it matters and demanding that government policies support, not undermine, true marriage.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p>KEY POINTS</p><p>1. Marriage exists to bring a man and a woman together as husband and wife to be father and mother to any children their union produces.<br />2. Marriage is based on the truth that men and women are complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the reality that children need both a mother and a father.<br />3. Marriage is society’s least restrictive means of ensuring the well-being of children. Marital breakdown weakens civil society and limited government. <br />4. Government recognizes marriage because it benefits society in a way that no other relationship does. 5. Government can treat people equally and respect their liberty without redefining marriage. <br />6. Redefining marriage would further distance marriage from the needs of children and deny the importance of mothers and fathers.<br /></p><p>At the heart of the current debates about same-sex marriage are three crucial questions: What is marriage, why does marriage matter for public policy, and what would be the consequences of redefining marriage to exclude sexual complementarity?</p><p>Marriage exists to bring a man and a woman together as husband and wife to be father and mother to any children their union produces. It is based on the anthropological truth that men and women are different and complementary, the biological fact that reproduction depends on a man and a woman, and the social reality that children need both a mother and a father. Marriage predates government. It is the fundamental building block of all human civilization. Marriage has public purposes that transcend its private purposes. This is why 41 states, with good reason, affirm that marriage is between a man and a woman.</p><p>Government recognizes marriage because it is an institution that benefits society in a way that no other relationship does. Marriage is society’s least restrictive means of ensuring the well-being of children. State recognition of marriage protects children by encouraging men and women to commit to each other and take responsibility for their children. While respecting everyone’s liberty, government rightly recognizes, protects, and promotes marriage as the ideal institution for childbearing and childrearing.</p><p>Promoting marriage does not ban any type of relationship: Adults are free to make choices about their relationships, and they do not need government sanction or license to do so. All Americans have the freedom to live as they choose, but no one has a right to redefine marriage for everyone else.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Read the full report at the link with possibility of downloading it. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/marriage-what-it-why-it-matters-and-the-consequences-redefining-it">https://www.heritage.org/marriage-and-family/report/marriage-what-it-why-it-matters-and-the-consequences-redefining-it</a></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125;"><em style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #111d22; font-family: "gotham a", "gotham b"; text-align: left;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">—Ryan T. Anderson </strong>is William E. Simon Fellow in Religion and a Free Society in the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation.</em></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">---------------------------------------------------</b></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">In considering abortion as an option, or else before or after trying to understand what might be consequences of having an abortion, it is good to remember that</span> <a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/this-pro-life-talk-at-googles-headquarters-was-a-hit-96758">LOVE UNLEASHES LIFE</a>.</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://naapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/symphony.pdf"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Courtroom </span></b><b><span style="color: #2b00fe;">genetics</span><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></b></a><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://naapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/symphony.pdf">testimony of Dr. Jerome Lejeune</a> on </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">the wonder of </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">human </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">conception </span></b><b><span style="color: #38761d;">in the Circuit Court for Blount County State of tennessee at Maryville, Tennessee on August 10th, 1989. </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.sedin.org/propeng/embryos.htm">Second source for this testimony</a></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">---------------------------------------------------</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">3. <a href="https://www.votemarriagecanada.ca/family/how-heterosexual-marriage-protects-childrens-rights-and-best-interests">How Heterosexual Marriage Protects Children’s Rights And Best Interests</a> </b></span></p><p align="center" class="style2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><b>FULL TEXT FOLLOWS HERE </b></strong></p><p class="style2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; text-align: justify;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="text-align: left;">DOES MARRIAGE NEED A CONSTITUTIONAL DEFINITION?</span></strong></p><p align="center" class="style2" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Presentation to the State of Massachusetts Judiciary Commission<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />By Louis DeSerres, B.A., M.B.A.</strong></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt;"></span></p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">For the first time in over 150 years, the fight for human rights, which has led to the abolition of slavery, the emancipation of women and civil rights for African-Americans, is now in the process of turning backwards. With same sex marriage we are now taking away the fundamental rights of our most vulnerable citizens, children. We are also entering an era where freedom of speech is being challenged. (Read the full presentation at the link or at the end of this post.)</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Many of my comments are directly inspired from the debates in France and in Canada surrounding same-sex marriage. Both countries reached fundamentally different conclusions. While Canada legalized same-sex marriage, France did not. France went even further. It reiterated its prohibitions against adoption and access to medically assisted reproduction for all same sex couples. How could two mature countries reach such different conclusions? Quite simply, France’s laws still favor the best interests of children over adults while Canada does not. France does not recognize minority rights, but Canada’s recent Charter of Rights and Freedoms does. Progressively in Canada, adult homosexual rights have increased in weight to the point where they now trump children’s rights and best interests.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Finally, France has been at the forefront of the worldwide movement to recognize children’s rights. It has signed the 1989 U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and has been diligent in implementing its articles. In contrast, while Canada is also a signatory, it has chosen, particularly during the debates on same-sex marriage, to ignore its essential features, leading to same-sex legislation that most probably violates at least two articles of the Convention:</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Article 3: “In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.”</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Article 7: Each child “shall have, as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents”. France refers to these as filiative rights.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">The French government affirms that children now have rights and “to systematically give preference to adult aspirations over respect for these rights is not possible any more.”</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Same-sex marriage is part of a larger set of issues directly affecting children, namely adoption and medically assisted reproduction. One cannot separate these issues, as French parliamentarians discovered from their travels to various countries, “Countries that have opened up marriage to same sex couples have all authorized adoption by these couples and developed systems to assist procreation, including surrogate motherhood, in order to allow these couples to have children.”</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Now, how does defining marriage between one man and one woman protect children’s rights and best interests? In summary,</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">1- Heterosexual marriage provides that a child will know and be raised by his own parents.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">2- Research demonstrates conclusively that heterosexual marriage serves children’s best interests.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">3- Heterosexual marriage provides the child with a natural network of care and support from his immediate and extended biological family</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">4- Heterosexual marriage sets the foundation for the child to have the same biological, legal and care giving parents.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">5- Heterosexual marriage greatly reduces the risk that children or their constituent parts will become commodities.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">6- Heterosexual marriage provides children with a multi-generational sense of identity.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">7- Children born from heterosexual parents have access to their own genetic heritage for medical purposes.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">8- Constitutionally defining marriage between one man and one woman strengthens the judicial protection accorded to children</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">9-Allowing court ordered same-sex marriage to prevail creates precedent for further erosion of children’s rights.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">10- Heterosexual marriage protects the filiative rights of all children.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">11- Defining heterosexual marriage is an absolutely essential first step in protecting children’s rights and best interests.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">12- Defining heterosexual marriage is insufficient to ensure adequate protection for children’s rights and best interests.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">13- Heterosexual marriage provides a simple and understandable set of norms.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">14- Heterosexual marriage naturally protects children from potential discrimination because of the sex of their parents.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Now, for the details:</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">1- Heterosexual marriage provides that a child will know and be raised by his own parents.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Is there a more natural right for a child than to know and be raised by his own mother and father? When asked by a Canadian legislator about same sex marriage: “surely with this piece of legislation we’re not throwing away anything. Aren’t we extending rights?” Margaret Sommerville, Professor of Law at the McGill Center for Medicine, Ethics and Law answered: “No, you’re absolutely throwing away a child’s right to a mother and a father.” This is already happening in Québec, my home province, where some children now have two mothers listed on their birth certificate and no trace of a father.</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">2- Research demonstrates conclusively that heterosexual marriage serves children’s best interests.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">There is no such evidence for same-sex marriage. The French National Assembly Commission was presented with “research on children raised by same sex couples concluding the absence of any ill effects on the children. Their scientific nature and the representation of the samples of the populations studied were broadly criticized and contested during the hearings… the lack of objectivity in this area was flagrant.” One presumes that the very best research would have been presented. These conclusions are consistent with other studies here in the U.S..</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">It is incumbent upon legislators to ensure that children are protected. We buy the safest car seats for our children. We require that drug companies prove the safety of new drugs; we recall baby strollers when even just a small number of children get hurt. In its Report on the Family and the Rights of Children, The French National Assembly Commission endorses the statement of an expert witness: “inasmuch as there is absolutely no reason to doubt the educative and emotional qualities of homosexual parents, we do not yet know all the effects on the construction of the adopted child’s psychological identity. As long as there is uncertainty, however small, is it not in the best interest of the child to apply the precautionary principle, as is done in other domains?”</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Margaret Sommerville further explains from an ethical perspective: “There are obligations on society not to create genetic orphans, which is what we would be doing. I think we have to recognize a right to natural genetic origins and genetic identity. We have to recognize the full scope of the harms we do and the ethical problems, and first we have to be activated by a principle that’s called non-maleficence–first do no harm. “</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">3- Heterosexual marriage provides the child with a natural network of care and support from his immediate and extended biological family, including parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, grandparents, etc..</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">In a world where increasing numbers of parents divorce their own children, France favors the permanent nature of biological filiation over fleeting emotions and unstable relationships. Same-sex marriage is not grounded on the biological ties, as William Eskridge explains, same-sex marriage: “involves the reconfiguration of family-de-emphasizing blood, gender, and kinship ties and emphasizing the value of interpersonal commitment.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">In our legal culture the linchpin of family law has been the marriage between a man and a woman who have children through procreative sex. Gay experience with “families we choose” delinks family from gender, blood, and kinship. Gay families of choice are relatively ungendered, raise children that are biologically unrelated to one or both parents, and often form no more than a shadowy connection between the larger kinship groups.”</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">4- Heterosexual marriage sets the foundation for the child to have the same biological, legal and care giving parents.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Same-sex marriage does not. Furthermore, same-sex marriage cannot be isolated from adoption and medically assisted reproduction. Medically assisted reproduction opens the door to the breakdown between the three dimensions of parenting: the biological (progenitor), the judicial (parental authority) and the social (day to day care). For example, because gay men cannot reproduce naturally, they must rely on a surrogate mother. France has prohibited all surrogacy for many years.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">When asked to reconsider it, the recent National Assembly report maintains this prohibition because “revisiting those values would amount to denying the bond that grows between mother and child during pregnancy and opening the door to a wide range of abuses. In California, for instance, the birth of a child might involve as many as five people: a sperm donor, an egg donor, a gestator and the couple who are the legal parents.” Thus, taking a child away from the mother that nurtured him for nine months creates an emotional discontinuity for the child and weakens his sense of security.</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">5- Heterosexual marriage greatly reduces the risk that children or their constituent parts will become commodities.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Same-sex marriage increases those risks as it creates a new market for assisted reproduction, adding to the demand for sperm, eggs, surrogate mothers and adopted children. This leads to the commoditization of human life where some of the participants have little regard for the rights of children. This is similar to the bygone era when slaves were traded as property. For example, France rejects surrogate motherhood for these reasons: “Preserving the prohibition on surrogate motherhood is justified … for two crucial reasons based on the protection of human dignity: first, the fact that the human body cannot be made available for trade; and second, the fact that filiation also cannot be made available for trade.”</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">In Canada, giving eggs is legal but selling them is strictly forbidden by law and subject to substantial penalties. Early in 2006, a Montréal investigative reporter revealed that he had located six women offering eggs and who, over the course of discussions, were demanding payments of up to $10,000.</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">6- Heterosexual marriage provides children with a multi-generational sense of identity.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">In testimony to Canadian parliamentarians, Margaret Sommerville explained: “In conclusion, children and their descendants who don’t know their genetic origin cannot sense themselves as embedded in a web of people past, present, and in the future through whom they can trace the thread of life’s passage down the generations to them. As far as we know, humans are the only animals where experiencing a genetic relationship is integral to their sense of themselves. We do know the effect of eliminating this experience–which we do know through reproductive technologies and adoption–is harmful to children, to biological parents, to families, and to society.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Same-sex marriage puts in jeopardy the rights of children to know and experience their genetic heritage in their lives and withdraws society’s recognition of its importance to them, their wider family, and society itself. Finally, same-sex marriage also opens up the wider, unprecedented question of what is ethically required in terms of respect for the mode of transmission of human life.”</p><h2 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">7- Children born from heterosexual parents have access to their own genetic heritage for medical purposes.</span></h2><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Most children born from same-sex unions do not. Genetic research is constantly expanding the usefulness of this information.</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">8- Constitutionally defining marriage between one man and one woman strengthens the judicial protection accorded to children, without it, children are inadequately protected.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">A brief history of how same sex marriage was adopted in Canada illustrates. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (a constitutional document) was adopted in 1982 to protect individual rights and minorities. Woefully, children, the most vulnerable group in society, were ignored. This was not an omission by design or malevolence, but simply because it was considered a given that children would always benefit from the protection of the law.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Later, sexual orientation was added by the courts to the list of groups needing protection. Today, sexual orientation, which the framers of the Charter specifically refused to include, now trumps children’s rights. When judges ruled that gays and lesbians were discriminated against because they were prevented from marrying, they focused on adults’ Charter implied rights. The Supreme Court did not even mention children in its judgment. In so doing, the courts, and now Parliament, have failed to protect children. Unless children’s right to a father and a mother is affirmed by legislators, same-sex marriage will erase it.</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">9-Allowing court ordered same-sex marriage to prevail creates precedent for further erosion of children’s rights.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Passage of same-sex marriage legislation simply reaffirms court decisions by judges who do not seem to have the tools required to adequately defend the rights of children when confronted with the equality rights of adults. This only reinforces the notion that children have no right to both a father and a mother, no say in the matter, and that their best interests carry little weight. Aren’t these denials of human rights similar to those that inspired abolitionists, suffragettes and civil rights leaders in the past? (In Canada, bowing to political pressure, the federal government even refused to appeal court decisions mandating same sex marriage to the Supreme Court of Canada.)</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Furthermore, as the Canadian Parliament was debating the issue of same-sex marriage, the government was forcefully denying that this could lead to the legalization of polygamy since polygamy was a criminal offense (yet rarely if ever enforced). At the same time, it was secretly evaluating if passage of same sex legislation could lead to its eventual legalization. The published report later confirmed that it would be very difficult to prevent successful challenges to laws prohibiting polygamy and that polygamy would probably be legalized.</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">10- Heterosexual marriage protects the filiative rights of all children.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Same-sex marriage legislation jeopardizes them for all children. After the courts imposed same-sex marriage in Canada, Parliament adopted formal legislation making it applicable across Canada. In order to do so, it had to change the definition of parent from (biological) parent to legal parent for all children. According to the Institute for Marriage, Law and Culture, this erasure of the biological link to the child’s parent affects all children, not just those in same-sex relationships.</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">11- Defining heterosexual marriage is an absolutely essential first step in protecting children’s rights and best interests.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Furthermore, a preamble to a constitutional amendment could reinforce children’s rights if it states that heterosexual marriage is the only institution that can guarantee the right of the child to know and be raised by his/her natural parents. Interestingly, because courts in France have resisted same-sex marriage, the French National Assembly did not see the necessity of enshrining a formal definition of marriage. In Canada, that is clearly not the case.</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">12- Defining heterosexual marriage is insufficient to ensure adequate protection for children’s rights and best interests.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">For instance, France refuses to legalize same-sex adoption because it is a back door to circumventing laws meant to protect the filiative rights of children. For example, same-sex couples could circumvent French prohibitions against medically assisted reproduction by traveling to another country, coming back with a child, and then having the non-biological parent adopt the child. Therefore, unless the state adopts a coherent set of laws protecting children, children will not be adequately protected.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">It would be like building a fortress with half the walls missing. From up front, the fortress might appear unassailable, but a cursory tour would reveal easy alternatives. The absence of restrictions on same sex adoptions and medically assisted reproduction for same-sex couples can also lead to forcing the issue on same-sex marriage: if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must be a duck. This is pretty well what happened in Québec when judges imposed same-sex marriage after highlighting that Québec’s civil unions resembled marriage in almost every feature.</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">13- Heterosexual marriage provides a simple and understandable set of norms.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">France explains: “Family law, notably concerning filiation (the fact of being the child of certain parents), has been subject to profound reforms that have turned family configurations upside down. In this regards, (the province of) Québec has developed a distinctive inventiveness in setting up a system of filiation without equal in its complexity.” Rather, France believes that laws should not simply validate changing mores but should set norms in order to “allow individuals to build their lives around stable, sure and understandable criteria.”</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">With regards to adoption, the French report expresses concern about the “uncontrollable multiplication of filial links created as adults change partners over time, thus confusing children.” How does a child explain who his parents are if even legislators have difficulty in understanding the system? Same-sex marriage imposes additional confusion for the child, and many parents!</p><h2 class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; clear: both; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">14- Heterosexual marriage naturally protects children from potential discrimination because of the sex of their parents.</span></h2><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">When same-sex couples decide to have a child, either through medically assisted reproduction or adoption, they create a new minority, their own children, who are prevented from having both a mother and a father. They then turn around and ask that their children to be protected from potential discrimination because of their unique family situation. This would require all of society to be transformed, an uncertain proposition at best.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">The January 25, 2006 Report on the Family and the Rights of Children to the French National Assembly approaches the issue from another perspective. It stresses that children represent the future of society and that they “must not suffer from conditions imposed upon them by adults”. In effect, it is these children’s own parents who have created this situation in the first place. The report adds: “The best interests of the child must prevail over adult freedoms… even including the lifestyle choices of parents”.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">At the start of my presentation, I made a reference to challenges to freedom of speech. Let me cite four events – three from Canada and one from Europe – to illustrate my point.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">1- In Canada, Dr. Chris Kempling, a school counselor was suspended by his employer after he wrote a letter in a local newspaper explaining his professionnally based opposition to same-sex marriage. The issue went to court and he lost. His appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada was rejected.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">2- Dr. Grant Hill, an elected Member of the Canadian Parliament, former opposition leader, had his license as a medical doctor challenged after he made medically-justifiable statements that homosexual practices posed health risks for homosexuals. He won and was able to keep his license.</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">3- During Senate hearings on same-sex marriage legislation last summer, Dr. John Patrick, another medical doctor, shared his experience and opposition to same sex marriage and was rebuked by a senator and told: “you are part of the problem!” (I trust American legislators are more respectful).</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">4- Finally, the European Parliament recently embarked on an anti-homophobia campaign, specifically targeting Poland because of its refusal to allow same-sex marriage. Although this is not strictly a free speech issue, it sets the groundwork for future limitations as has happened in Canada, using the full force of the state.</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">* * *<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />APPENDIX:</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.voteonmarriage.org/France%20-%20Report%20on%20the%20Family%20-%20executive%20summary%202006-03-07.pdf" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #249ccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.voteonmarriage.org/France - Report on the Family - executive summary 2006-03-07.pdf">Report on the Family and the Rights of Children</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />French National Assembly, January 25, 2006<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Executive summary (2 pages)</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.voteonmarriage.org/Marriage%20-%20Why%20the%20Charter%20is%20failing%20children.pdf" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #249ccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.voteonmarriage.org/Marriage - Why the Charter is failing children.pdf">Marriage: Why the Charter is Failing Children (in Canada)</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Louis DeSerres (2 pages)</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;">Marriage: Adult Rights or Children’s Rights<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Preserve Marriage Canada (1 page)</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.voteonmarriage.org/Homosexuality%20Trumps%20free%20speech%20and%20religion%20in%20Canada.pdf" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #249ccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.voteonmarriage.org/Homosexuality Trumps free speech and religion in Canada.pdf">Homosexuality Trumps Free Speech And Religion in Canada</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />A summary, NARTH (2 pages)</p><p class="style3" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #404040; font-family: "Open Sans", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 1.5em;"><a href="http://www.voteonmarriage.org/Cere-Redifining%20Marriage%20-%20A%20case%20for%20Caution.pdf" rel="noopener" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #249ccc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="http://www.voteonmarriage.org/Cere-Redifining Marriage - A case for Caution.pdf">Redefining Marriage? A Case for Caution</a><br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Daniel Cere, McGill University<br style="box-sizing: inherit;" />Feb. 12, 2003 (15 pages)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b><a href="https://www.votemarriagecanada.ca/family/how-heterosexual-marriage-protects-childrens-rights-and-best-interests">https://www.votemarriagecanada.ca/family/how-heterosexual-marriage-protects-childrens-rights-and-best-interests</a></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt;"><span face=""Open Sans",sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.65pt; text-align: center;"><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #212125; font-size: 10pt;"><b style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;">---------------------------------------------------</b></span></p><p><b>8. <a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjn8sKbOVuvNZsPkR?e=YY6VEt">Contemporary Developments in Child Protection</a> - Volume 3: Broadening Challenges in Child Protection Edited by Nigel Parton - MDPI Switzerland (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute - 2015 </b></p><p>Developments in Child Protection: Foreword(s) for Three Book Volumes<br /></p><p>The last forty years has witnessed increasing public, political and media concern about the problem of child maltreatment and what to do about it. This is now evident in most jurisdictions and is receiving serious attention from many international and trans-national organisations. While the ‘(re)discovery’ of the problem in the USA was particularly associated with the ‘battered baby syndrome’ this has now broadened to include: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, emotional abuse, abuse on the internet, child trafficking, female genital mutilation, sexual exploitation and refers to all children and young people, not just babies. Similarly, the focus of attention has broadened from intra-familial abuse to abuse in a whole variety of settings including schools, day care centres, churches, youth and sports clubs and the wider community more generally. There has also been a broadening of concern from not simply protecting children and young people from serious harm to also attempting to prevent the impairment of their health and development and to ensure that they are able to grow up in circumstances which are consistent with the provision of safe and effective care so that all children can achieve the best outcomes.</p><p>In the process, the laws, policies, practices and systems which have been developed to try to identify and prevent child maltreatment have become much more wide-ranging and complex and have themselves been subject to continual criticism and review. A wide range of professionals and members of the community are all seen to have key roles to play in both protecting children and young people and also assessing and monitoring actual and potential perpetrators.</p><p>However, while these issues have been subject to often heated and high profile media and political debate, rarely have they received sustained analytic and research attention in the social sciences. It was in this context that the internet journal Social Sciences, in 2013, invited papers for publication in a Special Issue dedicated to the topic and these were published from July 2014 onwards. In the event thirty papers were accepted for publication—far and away the highest number of papers submitted and accepted previously for a Special Issue in the journal. Authors came from a range of countries including: Australia, Belgium, Canada, England, Ethiopia, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, and the USA. Sixteen of the thirty papers were based on original research, ten provided a policy analysis, two were based on particular practice developments, one was a literature review, and one provided a more theoretical/conceptual piece. Authors came from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds including: sociology, history, social policy, sports science, psychology, social work, education, law and various branches of health and medicine. The focus of the papers was diverse, though they did tend to cluster around a number of themes and it is these that have provided the rationale for the organisation of the papers into the three published volumes; however, the process of organising and ordering the papers proved a particular challenge. There are ten papers in each volume.</p><p>Volume 1: Policy Changes and Challenges</p><p>Volume 1 takes as its central theme the ongoing and challenging issues which child protection agencies have to address and the policy and practice initiatives that are developed to try and address these. The volume includes papers on: the relationship between the decline in the rate of ‘unnatural’ deaths and the growth of concern about child abuse in the USA between 1940 and 2005; mandatory reporting; the balance between providing urgent intervention and meeting chronic need; risk and the Public Law Outline in England; the nature and implications of ‘child centred’ policies; the impact of intimate partner and family violence; the intended and unintended consequences of high profile child abuse scandals; developing multi-disciplinary team work in a health setting; and the possibilities of technology-based innovations in prevention programmes.</p><p>Volume 2: Issues in Child Welfare</p><p>Volume 2 is primarily concerned with how best to respond to maltreatment ‘within’ the family and hence has a range of papers which are much more concerned with the area of policy and practice more traditionally framed in terms of ‘child welfare’ and social work with children and families. It also includes a paper on how to respond to child maltreatment and neglect in a large hospital context.</p><p>Volume 3: Broadening Challenges in Child Protection</p><p>Volume 3 takes a somewhat broader brief and reflects many of the changes over the past twenty five years in terms of the broadening of concerns from maltreatment within the family to maltreatment in a variety of extra-familial contexts, including: sport, the internet, various institutional settings and is much more concerned with sexual abuse and the challenges for criminal justice and public protection.</p><p>Nigel Parton</p><p></p><p>Guest Editor</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjn8sKbOVuvNZsPkR?e=LhU1Fd"><b>https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjn8sKbOVuvNZsPkR?e=LhU1Fd</b></a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div><p></p><p></p>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1144007113299177526.post-17106772756904718182017-02-03T23:46:00.013-05:002023-02-05T19:17:50.449-05:00Human Sexuality, Marriage, & the Common Good - Rights of Adults, of Children, and of Society.... <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="color: #38761d;"><b><i><span>There are facts and truths that "sexual libertarians" don't want society or public opinion to know, that even they don't want to know. To sum up those facts - accumulated in different human cultures and societies - we don't need sex to live a full life and be content. To define one's identity on the basis of our sexuality alone is to reduce our human value and dignity. I am a lot more than just my genitalia, and so are you. G.S.</span></i></b></p><p style="color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best </span></span><span>human</span><span> </span><span>efforts to make sense of our lives - and of our human sexuality in particular - also including the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium. The Church has been accumulating much valuable wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 <br /></span><i>Father Gilles Surprenant, priest & poustinik</i></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></i></div><p style="color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>In each case, please go to the link for the complete article.</b></i></p><div style="color: black;"><i style="color: #cc0000; font-size: x-large;"><b>----------------------<br /><br /></b></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #38761d; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRObEbbHOKYRFOUs1KAyb90RKgGIv-HTBBrjgWGM1SwZUddo4O9IDEIlBUqOoV2AI1nmSfUPMnzLZuClNJb6Fhq2mJBnI4pUApXBzuWYmXcQuUJfMc-7OTEZ7MYKNupZa1SsJ54ytrqtGv/s260/Nativity-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRObEbbHOKYRFOUs1KAyb90RKgGIv-HTBBrjgWGM1SwZUddo4O9IDEIlBUqOoV2AI1nmSfUPMnzLZuClNJb6Fhq2mJBnI4pUApXBzuWYmXcQuUJfMc-7OTEZ7MYKNupZa1SsJ54ytrqtGv/s0/Nativity-3.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: #38761d;"> </span></span><b style="color: #38761d;"><a href="http://www.loyno.edu/jsri/catholic-social-thought-and-common-good#:~:text=The%20Catechism%2C%20following%20Pope%20John,human%20community%2C%20but%20its%20most">Catholic Social Thought and the Common Good</a></b></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">By Fred Kammer, S.J.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Critical to Catholic thinking is the fundamental concept of the common good. The Catechism, (<a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s1c2a2.htm">Catechism of the Catholic Church</a> - 1992) following Pope John XXIII in <a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/john-xxiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_j-xxiii_enc_15051961_mater.html">Mater et Magistra</a> and Vatican II, defines the common good as: “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.”1 The common good applies to each human community, but its most complete realization occurs in the political community where the state’s role is “to defend and promote the common good of civil society, its citizens, and intermediate bodies.”2</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Three Essential Elements - </span><span style="color: #38761d;">The Catechism notes three essential elements of the common good: <br />(1) respect for the individual, <br />(2) the social well-being and development of the group, and <br />(3) peace which results from the stability of a just society. <br /><br />The common good’s conceptual roots lie in Greek and Roman philosophy as the goal of political life, the good of the city (pólis), and the task entrusted to civic leaders.3</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">-------------------------------------</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/controversy/marriage/statement-on-the-status-of-marriage-in-canada.html">Statement on the Status of Marriage in Canada</a></b> - June 18, 2003 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwfrY-lBeFfka2eW?e=IWC2SM">Marriage: Is It God VS Society?</a></b> - A pastor's letter - Aug 9, 2003 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwQWpVlVM22E3OtD?e=SMdd8k">Who Can Define the Human Person, Marriage, Society?</a></b> - Aug 15, 2003 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>SUR LA FAMILLE ET LES DROITS DES ENFANTS</b> - France - 4 octobre 1958 <br /><a href="https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/rap-info/i2832.asp">RAPPORT - TOME 1</a> - - - <a href="https://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/12/rap-info/i2832_t2.asp">RAPPORT - TOME 2</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2750&context=facpubs">Equality Between Adults & Children</a>: </b></span><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>Meaning, Implications, Opposition</b> - 2013 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwbYyL0XEJ5K3TL3?e=qPsx2J">Mariage: Droits des Adultes ou Droits des Enfants?</a></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> - 7 mars, 2006 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://1drv.ms/b/s!Amyv6OjUkKMfjwVyTK0MG8z971mS?e=wVMOiO">Marriage: Adult Rights or Children's Rights?</a></b> - March 7, 2006 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/family/parenting/homosexual-parenting-is-it-time-for-change-1262722.html">Homosexual Parenting: Is It Time For Change?</a></b> - May 17, 2004 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/fatima-visionary-predicted-final-battle-would-be-over-marriage-family-17760?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Fatima visionary predicted 'final battle' = over marriage, family</a></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> - Dec 31, 2016 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/marriage-is-holy-a-swiss-bishop-publishes-9-points-on-amoris-laetitia-63511?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Marriage is holy</a>: Swiss bishop - 9 points on 'Amoris laetitia'</b><span style="color: #38761d;"> - Feb 3, 2017 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/why-catholic-teaching-on-marriage-matters-for-society-97987?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=email">Why Catholic teaching on marriage matters for society</a></b><span style="color: #38761d;"> - March 2, 2017 </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Family & Marriage: Historical Revisionism?</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><i>Let’s Not Go Back to 1934 Europe.</i></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">CONTEXT: <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/police-arrest-five-in-jewish-school-bombing/article1136851/">April 5, 2004 a Montreal Jewish school library was firebombed and destroyed.</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Goon squads harassed and then persecuted Jewish people. They also did away with the handicapped and any others felt to be undesirable. People thought this would keep the trouble away from them and save them from taking responsibility. Is our society returning to that inhumanity? What could possibly allow anyone to think it's OK to firebomb a school? Do kids or people who are different no longer have any value?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Over the past 50 years, our culture has stripped any inherent value from human life by flushing it away within hours or days of conception with the pill. For times when that doesn't work, we've legitimized abortion. The premise at work is that life has no value if I don't want it to. That's a cultural shift, but the result is a society that no longer recognizes the value of a human life.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The only value that remains is value we arbitrarily choose to assign. Nothing and no one has value on their own. That's why we can claim marriage no longer belongs to a man and woman who bond for life for the sake of children they will conceive, bear, and raise for society. This new cultural revisionism insists it can make something mean anything we want it to mean, because it means nothing on its own, and whatever it meant in the past is irrelevant.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">What are we left with? There remain only brute force, verbal bullying, terrorism, and oh yes, individuals and groups willing to put themselves on the line for truth and the common good. It's time for good people to speak up. Witnesses reported Jesus died for the truth. Many more have done so. At this holy time of Passover, we applaud and support our Jewish brothers and sisters who courageously defend their lives and the truth. We are all better for it, but let us not allow them to stand alone.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Gilles A. Surprenant, pastor, Pierrefonds 9.04.2004</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>My purpose in these posts is to bring together significant and, where possible, representative echoes of our best efforts as human beings to make sense of our lives in general - and of our human sexuality in particular - and to also include the voice of Jesus Christ, the one Saviour of the world, and testimonies from his Church, such as through her teaching voice, the Magisterium; given that the Church has been accumulating the wisdom granted her by Almighty God since her foundation at Pentecost. In this way, wherever there is darkness in our human understanding, it will serve to highlight the bright and radiant truth, which is Jesus Christ: </span><i><b>"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also."</b></i><span> John's Gospel 14:6-7 </span><span> </span><span>G.S.</span></span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Father Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02607134428091080236noreply@blogger.com0