Why Is There Sex?
In the opening keynote address for the 2013 International Courage Conference in Mundelein, IL, Dr. J. Budziszewski gives his talk titled, “Why Is There Sex?" He is a professor for Government and Philosophy at the University of Texas, Austin and specializes in natural law. His background as a Catholic who has converted from atheism and who now lectures every day to many young atheists in his classes gives him a unique perspective on what needs to be said to our modern youth to help them to live a chaste life.
Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints
Dawn Eden, author of The Thrill of the Chaste, relates how the saints helped her to see her own self-worth in the eyes of God and so gave her the strength to live a Christian life.
Fearing the Lord ... and Not Being Afraid
The sixth speaker was Fr. Paul Scalia, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Courage and Chaplain for the Arlington, VA chapter. His talk was titled, “Fearing the Lord … and Not Being Afraid.” He makes the distinction between good fear of the Lord which is based on love and is a gift from God that brings us closer to Him verses a bad fear based on a false belief that God is an avenging God. Understanding this is key to developing a proper relationship with our all loving yet almighty God.
All Things For Good
Dr. Bill Consiglio, Founder and Director of HOPE Ministries, gives a hope-filled message that despite our brokenness and sins we can trust that God has a providential plan for our good. As Romans 8:28 says, “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
Paul's Testimony
2013 Courage/EnCourage Conference
Paul gives his touching and powerful testimony of his deep involvement in the gay lifestyle and his difficult but grace-filled, miraculous climb out of this deep darkness, ending by returning to the Catholic Church after forty years, and living a Christian life with the help of his local Courage chapter.
The Joy of the Lord Will Be Your Strength
Fr. Paul N. Check, Executive Director of Courage International unfolds this topic starting with Luke 10:21 “In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, ‘I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will.’”
Excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Sexual identity and complementarity
2333 Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral, and spiritual differenceand complementarity are oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. The harmony of the couple and of society depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual support between the sexes are lived out.
Chastity and homosexuality
2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, 141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." 142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.
2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.
141 Cf. Gen 191-29; Rom 124-27; 1 Cor 6:10; 1 Tim 1:10.
142 CDF, Persona humana 8.