Chapter 12 Sexuality and Morality

1. Chapter 12Sexuality and Morality Mr. Salter Morality

2. Sexuality p. 223 • God created man and woman with natural, complementary sexual differences. • Sexuality is a psychological, spiritual, and physical reality, it is not just about “body parts” • The two Creation stories contain these truths: • Marriage is a blessing from God • Man and women together image God’ likeness • Man and woman are created to form a social unit (marriage) • Man & woman are united in marriage, in biblical language, it will form “one flesh” and has a procreative end, “be fruitful and multiply” • The ‘dark side’ of sexuality is that it can be used selfishly, and can exploit those who are vulnerable

3. Sexuality p. 223 • Two primary goods of marriage:unity and procreation Unity • Joining together as one and creating a family • The unique gift of “union” can be received in its proper sense only as a result of it first being given to the other in marriage • The first sex act causes an extremely powerful emotional attachment (an “adhesive property) Procreation • All sexual unions are meant to remain open to new life • Contraception – against conception – has the goal of preventing the creation of human life • So marriage is meant to be a lifelong, permanent commitment until death claims one or the other.

4. Sexuality p. 223 • Contraception causes love to be no longer authentic (as sexual love was created to be) • Not accepting procreation as part of a “marital act”, diminishes the total self-giving of the relationship • Contraception has led to considerable moral chaos by contributing to promiscuity, unwed pregnancy, abortion, single parenthood, and divorce • Contraception as birth control, limiting procreation • The Birth control pill works to prevent pregnancy through the manipulation of hormone levels to “trick” a woman’s body that it is pregnant; the ovaries do not develop and release eggs • It separates the sexual act from procreation • Methods: condoms, birth control pill, tubal ligation, and vasectomy • Abortifacients • Allow fertilization (a life to begin at conception), but prevent implantation; thus killing the new life • Examples - IUD and the morning-after pills

5. Sexuality p. 223 Natural Family Planning (NFP) • The Catholic Church endorses a responsible family planning method – NFP • This method monitors a woman’s natural awareness of her menstrual cycles of fertility and infertility • The couple monitors subtle temperature changes and other body changes to know when ovulation takes place • Divorce rate among NFP practitioners is 2% • Pregnancy • A woman is normally fertile for about four days per month • Ovum (egg) life after ovulation is estimated to be a maximum of 24 hours • Sperm life in a favorable vaginal environment is up to 4 days

6. Sexuality p. 223 Two Properties of Marriage: Exclusivityand Indissolubility • Since the marriage act is procreative, Catholic morality teaches that the only permissible use of genital sex should take place within marriage • Exclusivity • Since marriage involves a total self-giving from each spouse, it follows that this gift cannot be shared with a third party, in which case it would be incomplete. • Polygamy (multiple partners within a marriage) violates the nature of matrimony • Indissolubility • Marriage obviously demands stability, too create healthy family life • Natural morality and Christian revelation strongly state that this stability is to be permanent; to give oneself totally to a spouse, that totality is not complete if it is not lifelong.

7. Sexuality p. 223 • Divorce • Jesus speaks of the indissolubility of marriage • He said: “…the two will become one flesh, so they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder” (cf. Mk 10:2-9). • For this reason, Jesus and the Church do not recognize divorce for those who are sacramentally married (since it is impossible to break the sacramental union of a man and woman) • In itself, divorce may not be sinful. • Annulments • The Church does permit annulments • The recognition that no true marriage existed from the beginning due to certain obstacles or impediments present at the time of the marriage making it null and void; e.g. a lack of full, free, and voluntary consent, an existing prior marriage, or a being married before a judge

8. Chastity p. 232 • Moral Behavior • Chastity is responsible use of our sexual powers • Single, married, a priest or religious, all have the responsibility to live chastely according to our particular state in life • By living a chaste life, wholesome men balance appreciating a woman’s “full beauty” (physical, emotional &spiritual), as opposed to seeing her only as an object to be used selfishly • However, merely abstaining from sexual activity does not mean that a person is living a chaste life • Jesus also teaches “[E]very one who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” • Practicing chastity requires self-mastery (patience and grace)

9. Violations of Chastity p 225 • Violations of Chastity condemned in the Old Testament: • Adultery - having sexual relations with a married person not your spouse • Fornication - pre-marital sex • Prostitution is prohibited because it uses a person for sexual pleasure. • Incest - sexual activity among relatives • Homosexual sexual activity is condemned because it is contrary to the nature of man and contrary to the sex act itself.

10. Violations of Chastity p 227 • Pornography violates chastity by perverting the gift of sexuality with impure thoughts and looks for the sole motivation of sexual arousal • Depersonalizes a person; uses them as an object of selfish desire • Trains man to respond to wife for her sexual value, nothing else: she should be physically flawless and constantly sexually accessible; fosters the false mentality that casual, uncommitted sex is the most enjoyable sex • Porn sex is carefree; provides unrestrained pleasure independent of reality; escapes the reality of unmarried sex (pregnancy, STDs, guilt, fear, remorse, embarrassment, distrust) • Wouldn’t it infuriate you if a guy looked at your daughter or wife in the same way one looks at porn – an object of fornication or adultery? • JP II, stated, “The problems with pornography isn’t that it shows to much of a women, but that it shows too little. A duty of every man is to protect the dignity of every woman.”

11. Specific Situations p 234 - 236 • Responding to sexual urges • Romance without Regret videowithJason and Christalina Evert • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REj1rhc4RUk • Life on the Rock , Model for Chastity w’ Leah Darrow • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtasO-21E2U • Rape • When sex becomes violent • Date rape • Acquaintance rape • Homosexuality – Heterosexuality • Gay marriage • Domestic sexual partners • Jesus’ law of love always was His priority • “You are forgiven, go and sin no more.”

12. Vocabulary • Words defined in Chapter 12: • abortion divorce masturbation • abortifacientsdate rapelust • adulteryemotional-relationship sex Natural Family Planning • almost-committed sexfecundity polygamy • Annulmentsfornicationprostitution • acquaintance rapeheterosexualityrecreational sex • chastity homosexualitysinful • concupiscence incest Venereal • contraception indissolubility

13. Model of Chastity p. 238 • Jean Donovan (St. Jean the Playful) • Chastity calls for recognizing the fullness of meaning regarding our sexuality • Ms. Donovan raised in a middle-class family in Connecticut • After college, was a business woman who drove her motorcycle to work • Described as “happy-go-lucky • Went to El Salvador to serve the poor, in spite of wanting to get married and have a family; but felt God’s call to help the poor • Died at age 27 from a death squad in El Salvador • Jean integrated spirituality into every aspect of her life