Because they ARE worth it!

By Mary Regina Morrell
©Catholic Online 2005

"The common beginning of man and woman, that is, the original truth of their body in masculinity and femininity, to which Genesis 2:25 draws our attention, does not know shame. This beginning can also be defined as the original and beatifying immunity from shame as the result of love." Pope John Paul II, The Theology of the Body

As a journalist, I learned long ago that credibility is grounded in authenticity.

It is a lesson that columnist David Harris has seemingly missed, as evidenced by his recent piece in the New Jersey Home News Tribune entitled "Catholics' stand on sex is outmoded." His May 2, 2005, attack on a day-long chastity education workshop, organized by the Pro-Life Activities Office of the Diocese of Metuchen, was written without his being present at the event and was based solely on a previous news article written by Chandra M. Hayslett and published by the Star Ledger.

Perhaps Mr. Harris' name should be added to the list of writers, such as former national reporters Jack Kelly and Jayson Blair, who were willing to sacrifice their journalistic ethics for a few moments in the limelight by, among other things, reporting on events they had not witnessed.

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Rather than the "dog-and-pony show" featuring "heavy doses of guilt and fear of dire consequences," quoting Mr. Harris, Teen Outreach Day was designed to support Catholic eighth graders as they face difficult choices regarding their sexuality.

This it accomplished in a exceptional manner, in stark opposition to Mr. Harris' description of the day -- despite his absence -- as a "modern-day voodoo sex education with a religious blessing."

The exceptionally positive nature of the day was reflected from the planning stages with the selection of the day's theme, "Because I'm Worth It!" and flowed throughout the experience itself with music, talks and activities that promoted self-esteem, as well as the support of numerous Catholic high school mentors who put much time and effort into ensuring the success of the day.

Among the most positive aspects of the day was something our culture and people like Mr. Harris seemed determined to withhold from our children - the truth.

Speaker Pam Stenzel's presentation to the eighth graders was honest, engaging, to-the-point and, yes, dotted with fearful facts -- because the truth of pre-marital sexual activity is frightening. Any conscientious adult who cares about children will want to ensure that children know the truth before they make decisions that will affect their lives forever.

As Pam pointed out, and research will confirm, there are more than 30 sexually transmitted diseases in existence at this point in time, most of them incurable and many of them leading to infertility, cancer and a host of other life-time struggles for which there is no "morning-after pill." Consider that in combination with the fact that children as young as elementary school age are engaging in oral sex because they have been led to believe by our culture that it is just another social activity.

And how might our children get that message?

Ironically, a quarter-page ad that ran concurrent with Mr. Harris' commentary was a perfect testimony. There in bold letters, above the heads of a partially clad man and woman obviously considering a sexual experience, were the words, "Rev up your sex drive!"

How different is that message from the beautiful teaching of the Church, based on the person of Christ, that a sexual relationship within marriage is a radical, total gift of self which brings about a true communion of persons.

As for Mr. Harris' comment that Teen Outreach Day "provided more evidence on why the Catholic Church in America is losing ground," let me say this:

We are here to stay, Mr. Harris. We falter, we struggle, we argue, we heal and, often, we wound. We have our saints and we have our sinners. But none-the-less, we are here and we will continue to work for that to which God has called us.

Part of that work is to form our children in the faith.

And so, we will remain strong and vigilant in our efforts to teach our children that they were made in the image and likeness of God, that they are children of God, that they have the unconditional love of God. We will continue to teach them that the Word of God, whether as Scripture or the person of Jesus Christ, was provided for their continued growth in holiness by the God who loves them without measure.

We will be committed to this work, also, because we, unlike so many in our society, have faith in the ability of our children to do what is right, even when it is difficult, whether that means abstaining from sexual relations before they are married or choosing life over an abortion if they are sexually active and become pregnant.

Our beloved Pope John Paul II said it beautifully when he wrote, "It is natural for the human heart to accept demands, even difficult ones, in the name of the love for an ideal, and above all in the name of love for a person." (Theology of the Body)

We believe strongly that our children are able to accept the demands of chastity for the love of Christ, the love and respect of their own persons and the love of their future spouses. We believe our children have the integrity and holiness that will enable them to stand up for the ideals that make them priceless -- honor, trust, dignity, faith and love.

We, as their teachers, will remain strong as well, in our efforts to guide them in the ways of Christ and their Catholic faith.

After all, we want the children who are the future Church in America to believe in themselves as much as we do.

Mr. Harris' full column may be accessed at www.thnt.com.

Contact

Diocese of Metuchen
http://diometuchen.org NJ, US
Mary Regina Morrell - Associate Director, Office of Religious Educationp, 732 562.1990

Email

mmorrell@diometuchen.org

Keywords

chastity, theology of the body, sexuality

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