The Joys of Catholic Sex

Sex is not a right. It is a gift from God in order to populate the kingdom of God. He gave it for a very specific purpose, not to everyone at anytime.

Now to branch off from that for a second before I get into what I really want to say, because I think this will help. We are ALL called to "be fruitful and multiply" and populate God's kingdom. But we are not all called to do it sexually. Some people are called to be priests and nuns and populate God's kingdom by bringing souls who are already born to the banquet. God was the first to understand that not ALL women are like me. Some women DO want careers. So God just realized that babies need their mommies attention, so God, really the first to understand this, became the first Feminist and gave a woman the choice. If your heart is career-minded--become a nun! No one is to live for selfish, self-centered reasons--so if you choose not to have babies, you must choose to serve in some other capacity. Catholics have always allowed women the choice. Same with priests.

Now onto my other points. I didn't realize how potent sex was and how deeply it affected a person's very identity until I became a Catholic. Becoming Catholic was extremely cathartic for me. You see, I had looked at my husband and thought, "Wow, I would SURE be doing the world and all the children of the future a really great deed by having LOTS of little Arthurs and Arthurettes because he is so kind. The world isn't all that kind. He is so gentle and listens. The world could really use some gentle listeners in the future. And to top it all off, he is like..... totally gorgeous. Men and women of the future will call me blessed because I gave them such wonderful spouses."

Then when Arthur was always so FREAKED out that I might be pregnant the 24 years we were Protestant, and was so careful to use birth control, it insulted me. Obviously he didn't want the world populated with a lot of little "me"s. It hit at the very core of my feminine identity. He wasn't fond of the fact that I could produce life! My power did not lie in muscles or career, but my true power, that of being a life-giver, was being rejected. I didn't even know how incredibly hurtful this was until we became Catholic and he said, "You know, maybe we should have some more kids." (Now obviously, in my mid-forties I knew he wasn't being completely serious, our youngest was 18--but I burst into tears and had a total meltdown. Those words were the most important words of my entire marriage. They healed me in ways I never even knew were damaged.)

God KNOWS the POWER OF SEX

We can, as humans, invent all kinds of new and ever more potent ways of killing, but we will never be able to come up with a better way of creating life. We can manipulate the system, create multiples, clones, genetically engineer the materials, but the basics of egg and sperm I truly doubt we will ever be able to be without. Sex is truly the most potent gift God ever gave us.

So God gave it to specific people at specific times. This is what the secular community just doesn't understand about Christianity. They believe there is no difference between animals and humans, so sex is just like eating or taking an aspirin. Do it "as needed to relieve symptoms." So when you try to say sex should be restricted in any manner, they think you are taking away a fundamental right of all species.

But as Christians we need to understand that ALL sexual encounters are limited by God. He has given it ONLY in specific circumstances as a gift to BOND married people and have them reproduce in a loving, committed marriage.

Within this marraige it still has limitations. A man should never rape his wife. A spouse cannot go OUTSIDE the confines of marriage to have sex. It is for them alone. Even then, as a Catholic, we teach ALL sexual experiences must be open to life. That means no seed can be spilled outside of the womb. That has some significant restrictions for Catholics that Protestants don't have.

So Catholics beleive God's gift is very restrictive--so they are not being harder on homosexuals, or people who are not married. Catholicism isn't being mean by telling people they shouldn't. They just believe God didn't give that particular gift to anyone outside a male/female committed for life, blessed by God, eternal union. But God gives many abundant gifts to everyone.

Catholics understand the powerful nature of sex. It is not and can never be just like eating. We don't have extensive counceling for people who were forced to eat too young. We don't have crisis centers for those who accidentally got sick from overeating.

God gave to married people the gift to BE LIKE HIM!! To create life. We are all free to be creative--music, poetry, art, architecture, literature, dance, design.... and most of us do create something in our daily work.... even if its breakfast. We are people who create. We feel stifled if we don't, we feel like slaves if we don't create. But the most powerful creative purpose we have as humans is the power to create ourselves. We can not only be eternal in the kingdom of God, but we can create little mini-mes to go there too. God wants the product of this power, to be used as directed.... so that those little souls can feel loved and wanted and nurtured. Sure we can always mess it up, God give us the freedom to be really rotten parents. But that does not take away the value of the gift. Catholics understand that.