In his opinion piece, Mr. Avila linked same-sex attraction with the Devil. Specifically, he wrote, "the ultimate responsibility [for same-sex attraction], on a theological level, is and should be imputed to the evil one." See here. Now, Mr. Avila should have known better. After all, we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that homosexuality's "psychological genesis remains largely unexplained." (CCC, 2357).
But even more disturbing is the lack of concern within the Boston Archdiocese - and beyond - in the very real spiritual consequences which may indeed result from homosexual acts and behavior. We read in Father Jeffrey Steffon's excellent book "Satanism: Is It Real?": "How does a person become open for demonic oppression? Fr. Richard McAlear and Mrs. Betty Brennan, experts in demonic oppression, indicate four ways it can happen: First, a demonic spirit can attach itself to a person through a wound or trauma. Fr. McAlear calls this a ministering spirit. Secondly, a spirit can attach itself to a person through a repeated sinful action or sinful tendencies. This is a cardinal spirit. Oneway to remember some cardinal spirits is to remember the capital sins - that is, lust, pride, gluttony, sloth, envy, covetousness, and anger. These sins are against the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. These virtues are the hinges of other virtues. Just as other virtues are in some way tied to the four cardinal virtues, so some spirits are tied to, or hinge upon, the cardinal spirits." (Satanism: Is It Real?, p. 169).
An evil spirit can attach itself to a person through a repeated sinful action or sinful tendencies. Let's reflect on those words very carefully. Does this not include homosexual acts? Of course it does. In fact, Saint Peter Damian, Doctor of the Church, describing the homosexual vice in his Book of Gomorrah, tells us that: "Truly, this vice is never to be compared with any other vice because it surpasses the enormity of all vices...It defiles everything, stains everything, pollutes everything. And as for itself, it permits nothing pure, nothing clean, nothing other than filth...The miserable flesh burns with the heat of lust; the cold mind trembles with the rancor of suspicion; and in the heart of the miserable man chaos boils like Tartarus [Hell]...In fact, after this most poisonous serpent once sinks its fangs into the unhappy soul, sense is snatched away, memory is borne off, the sharpness of the mind is obscured. It becomes unmindful of God and even forgetful of itself. This plague undermines the foundation of faith, weakens the strength of hope, destroys the bond of charity; it takes away justice, subverts fortitude, banishes temperance, blunts the keenness of prudence. And what more should I say since it expels the whole host of the virtues from the chamber of the human heart and introduces every barbarous vice as if the bolts of the doors were pulled out." (St. Peter Damian, Book of Gomorrah, Pierre J. Payer, trans., Wilfrid Laurier University Press, pp. 63-64).
But when Father John Unni of the Boston Archdiocese urged his homosexual parishioners to "shed the burden of shame" while his parish prepared to celebrate "Gay Pride," the Boston Archdiocese defended the priest and stood by his actions. Those Catholics faithful to the Magisterium who were in opposition to the "Gay Pride" Mass [and I was one of them], were accused of "bigotry, hate and injustice."
Mr. Avila offered a retraction to his opinion piece and immediately resigned from his position. But no action was ever taken against Father John Unni. Why is this? Terence Donilon, spokesman for the Boston Archdiocese, told the Catholic News Service that Mr. Avila's column "..should not have been published in the pilot." Agreed. And Father John Unni should not have been advancing "Gay Pride" at his parish. And the "Rainbow Ministry" at his parish should not have been linking to a Blog which ridicules the Church's teaching regarding homosexuality. And Father Unni should not have had guest speakers at his parish who promote same-sex "marriage."
If you agree that Daniel Avila had to step down, then you must also agree that some sort of action should have been taken against Father Unni.
Fr. James Martin, S.J., the culture editor for America Magazine, commenting on Avila's article, said that, "God creates gays and lesbians, men and women who should be loved for who they are."
ReplyDeleteNow, while homosexual persons should be loved as persons created by God [even while hating the sin of homosexual acts], for a Catholic priest to suggest that "God creates gays and lesbians" is simply outrageous. Father Martin's commentary is, in fact, blasphemous as it suggests that God has created an inclination which is "intrinsically disordered."
Our troubled and confused time. A time of diabolical disorientation.
Amen to that! God is not the Creator of homosexuality. When can we expect Fr. Martin to resign?
ReplyDeletePaul, are you a homosexual?
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be obsessed with Homosex!
Sweetie, you are nothing more than a queer fraud!
Celeste from Leominster.
No, he is heterosexual. And why the use of the word "queer"? Wouldn't this suggest contempt for homosexual persons on your part Celeste? Or are you a self-loathing homosexual person yourself?
ReplyDeleteBy the way, Father Martin's statement that "God creates gays and lesbians" is just another version of the "born that way" argument. But there is absolutely no scientific basis for that canard.
The CDF, in its Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons, has this to say:
ReplyDelete"Providing a basic plan for understanding this entire discussion of homosexuality is the theology of creation we find in Genesis. God, in his infinite wisdom and love, brings into existence all of reality as a reflection of his goodness. He fashions mankind, male and female, in his own image and likeness. Human beings, therefore, are nothing less than the work of God himself; and in the complementarity of the sexes, they are called to reflect the inner unity of the Creator. They do this in a striking way in their cooperation with him in the transmission of life by a mutual donation of the self to the other.
In Genesis 3, we find that this truth about persons being an image of God has been obscured by original sin. There inevitably follows a loss of awareness of the covenantal character of the union these persons had with God and with each other. The human body retains its "spousal significance" but this is now clouded by sin. Thus, in Genesis 19:1-11, the deterioration due to sin continues in the story of the men of Sodom. There can be no doubt of the moral judgement made there against homosexual relations. In Leviticus 18:22 and 20:13, in the course of describing the conditions necessary for belonging to the Chosen People, the author excludes from the People of God those who behave in a homosexual fashion." (No. 6).
God did not create people with the homosexual inclination. For Fr. Martin to suggest otherwise is blasphemous.
"Celeste" writes like Barn2066:
ReplyDeletehttp://lasalettejourney.
blogspot.com/2011/02/has
-barn2066-aka-bam-finally-revealed.html
As for Rev. James Martin, I'm also concerned about his assertion that "God creates gays and lesbians." The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in its Letter to Bishops which Mr. Melanson cites, teaches that, "Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is a more or less strong tendency ordered toward an intrinsic moral evil; and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder." (No. 3).
To say that God creates gays and lesbians is to say that He creates people to have this inclination which is an objective disorder. And Mr. Melanson is right. To say that constitutes blasphemy.
God does not create people to be homosexual. He creates them in His own image and likeness, in the Imago Dei. People who suffer from the disordered homosexual inclination deserve our support and friendship. But to say that God is behind an inclination which is disordered is just bizarre. God does not create people to have a more or less strong tendency toward an intrinsic moral evil.
ReplyDeleteShame on Father Martin for suggesting otherwise.
The intrusion of the LBGT "culture" into the Church partakes in the "diabolical disorientation" of which Sr Lucy of Fatima once spoke.
ReplyDeleteThis subculture could blossom as it never did since the council VATII, one of its rotten fruits.
What is the most saddening is that no serious step was ever taken to fight it. On the contrary it was welcome with complacency.