Feb 05 – Homily – Fr Angelo: St. Agatha – Virgin Martyr
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Homily #080205 (
10min) Play -?In the early Church the Virgin Martyrs of Rome were venerated with extraordinary devotion - St. Agatha was one of these and her name was inserted into the Roman Canon. Its virtually impossible for men to be chaste if women aren't. And so we turn to St. Agatha for her powerful intercession.Ave Maria! Mass readings
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Ave Maria!
This homily makes me reflect on the homosexual situation of today … something I have been reflecting upon for a number of years now. I think, like many things, we cannot find just *one* cause for the cultural perversion that has happened. Yes, I believe some, especially teens, seem to partake in this behavior out of a desire to *shock* people and acquire attention to themselves. This is definitely reflective of our culture and of many teens’ unfortunate need to fill the void of what’s really missing in their lives … Our Lord. However, this is not always the case. I have personally spoken to a number of lesbians who have told me tragic stories of their past … stories of fathers who sexually abused them and then went on to marry husbands who did the same. The two men in their lives who should have given them the greatest respect and protection, instead destroyed these girls. Later in life, they ditched men entirely. This to me is the saddest of the stories and one which brings me to the greatest sense of compassion. I also knew girls and boys growing up that just seemed to be hormonally *off* who now are homosexuals. Could this be from the birth control culture in which women were taking artificial hormones that possibily messed up their developing child’s chemistry? Also, there were a number of drugs perscribed to women in the 60’s, I believe, to stop miscarriages that have since been shown to have caused *issues*.
So, I’m not ready to say that people might not have been *born* this way. However, as I have discussed with others, this does not make it right. For instance, many now believe that alcoholics are born with a gene that predisposes them to this addictive personality. Does that mean that it’s okay for these people to drink themselves into oblivion each day? Of course not. It means that it is their cross to bear … and it’s a heavy one. It’s easy for a person who feels no addiction to alcohol to make a shallow remark to those who struggle … like, “Just don’t drink anymore!” Or, “Just have one and stop!” It’s not that simple for these people but yet we all agree that these people somehow need to find a way to rid themselves of alcohol and not do things that will lead them into this sin … don’t buy a house next to a package store, for instance! So, with this same logic, a predisposal to homosexuality becomes their cross to bear! But, unlike alcohol which is universally seen as destructive, homosexuality no longer has that stigma attached to it. Therefore, kids who go for counseling on these issues are encouraged to *come out of their closets*. Those in the medical community are no longer including parents in the analysis of their own children. I could go on and on about parents I know who have brought their children in for counseling and were NEVER included in what the findings were or the advice given to their children.
So, as with so many things now, the breakdown is multi-faceted and it becomes hard to know where to begin! Even within main-line religious denominations, they no longer agree on these issues. We have become another Pompeii and I fear we will self-implode. How very frightening.
Peace in Christ,
Jen