By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK
The so-called sexual revolution promised a paradise of pleasure. No boundaries, no mores, no hidebound and outmoded practices such as chaste dating or waiting until marriage. False promises of the possibility of love without commitment, permanence, or children lured many into a pit akin to Hell. The pill came along almost as a satanic blessing on this evil and destructive impulse to attack marriage and family life.
The 50th anniversary of Humanae Vitae will soon be upon us with the new year 2018. The warnings of Pope Paul VI in his prophetic encyclical as to the results of cutting sex loose from marriage have been abundantly confirmed. Neither men nor women ever benefit from severing love from life through use of contraception or engaging in what should properly be referred to as the “marital act” outside of marriage.
The false hopes of sharing the most intimate bodily expression of love possible without consequences outside of the commitment of marriage have most certainly not been fulfilled. Simply scan the data collected on the millions of broken hearts and lives to confirm the necessity of God’s plan.
Dead bodies also litter the battlefield upon which the sexual revolution has been waged. Abortion, nothing less than the murder of the most defenseless child in the womb, has long been used as backup for failed contraception. On the abortion table, women, too, have lost their dignity and some their ability to ever conceive again, if not their own lives.
Timothy Cardinal Dolan recently reminded us about the importance and the truth of teaching in Humanae Vitae. One hopes that his confreres in Rome will take the hint by celebrating and championing Humanae Vitae on the occasion of its 50th Jubilee, rather than undermining it by flirting with hints of approving the evil it unambiguously condemns.
We must pray and work to support the continued faithful teaching of Pope Paul VI’s prophetic encyclical. This is especially so next year in light of unsubstantiated rumors emanating from Rome that some are attempting to put Humanae Vitae on the chopping block — along with other teachings suddenly judged to be too difficult.
The pendulum of the sexual revolution is now swinging back wildly against those who used power to take advantage of the opposite sex from Hollywood to Washington. This revolution was fueled by the implication that “hooking up” was a game that everybody could play without consequences or commitment. The Devil always seduces us with lies like this but, when concupiscence is involved, we are at a distinct disadvantage without the supernatural help of chastity and grace.
We’ve all had our noses repeatedly rubbed in the sordid details revealed by victims in the process of accusing the predators. Unchaste behavior tends to besmirch more than just the individuals involved. Our society is degraded also by the consequences of the sexual revolution as our national discourse is coarsened by discussing beyond the bounds of the marital bedchamber matters best left private.
Enough of the dust has settled from the collapse of the mighty in the current vicious phase of the sexual revolution that we can begin to assess the damage. The silence is lifting around the shame of sexual harassment. The safety of numbers is encouraging long-suffering victims to come forward and seek justice. Politicians, coaches, television and film directors and actors, journalists, and more have joined the ranks of the malefactors.
We never forget that the Church has also failed to protect the vulnerable and pray and work to remain vigilant and aware of the welfare of all of our young people.
The pendulum swings we are now seeing in the revelations of sexual harassment against the powerful are being described as a “counterrevolution.” Catholic convert and writer Sohrab Ahmari is initiating a conversation along these lines via Twitter. He describes the current turmoil of accusations of sexual harassment followed by firings and lost careers as a “counterrevolution”:
“The sexual correction, or counterrevolution, isn’t based on a humane vision of people and the relationship between the sexes. It’s based on an anthropology that is as incorrect as the one that animated the 60s sexual revolution.”
So, it appears, what he is saying is that the current social upheaval over harassment is the same consequence-denying impulse of the 1960s under a different guise. His predictions are not sanguine:
“The product of this sexual counterrevolution will be a combination of: a) the same impoverished permissiveness of old; and b) intense sexual paranoia (limiting interaction between sexes, consent forms, non-disclosure agreements, denunciations, etc.)”
The unchaste interaction without boundaries between the sexes implied by the sexual revolution has in fact served to break down and sever creative, professional, and fruitful cooperation between men and women in the public square. “No rules” between the sexes brought, not freedom, but lack of flourishing and a social straitjacketing.
What does all of this lead to? I will share a thought as I did on Twitter: The conclusion must be, as taught by the Church consistently, that we are all sinners. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” as the Scriptures record the Word of God.
Also confirmed by negative affirmation is the Church’s uncompromising teaching on chastity. Rules do set us free.
Take the example of a young couple in my parish who attend the Traditional Mass. They only began recently to seriously court one another after years of knowing each other. Now, as a result, it is clear to both of them with this step that they are no longer merely friends but are actively pursuing marriage. This stage of their relationship comes with its own “rules of engagement.” Certain signs of affection may now be possible that were not so before. Because of their firm understanding of chastity proper to life outside of holy Matrimony, however, certain other behaviors which might lead to temptations to fall into the sin of fornication are clearly unacceptable.
All of this adds up to a relaxed and joyful discernment for this young man and woman of the vocation of marriage for which they are hoping and praying with the support of the Church.
What a shame so many of our self-described devout Catholic parents are using the sullied and ambiguous language of the world through the term “dating.” They would serve their children best by educating them in the ritual of courtship.
Pope Francis has asked us to better prepare young people for marriage. Bishops agree. What better way to make very clear to all how radically different our Catholic views are, and how helpful for our weak human nature, than to totally reject the long failed language peddled by the worlds of society, media, and entertainment with the betrayal of the good of persons it so often brings in its train.
Thank you for reading and praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever.
@MCITLFrAphorism
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