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.
The Memory of Fr. John Harvey, OSFS and the Future of Courage and EnCourage
His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke gives the opening keynote address titled “The Memory of Fr. John Harvey, OSFS and the Future of Courage and EnCourage”, at the annual Courage/EnCourage Conference. After an introduction by Fr. Paul Check, Executive Director of Courage, Cardinal Burke gives a tribute to the late Father John Harvey the co-founder of Courage and EnCourage who was his personal friend. He focuses on the many pastoral innovations that Fr. Harvey developed from his deep respect of the personhood of people with homosexual attraction, leading them to accept and embrace the virtues advocated by the Church.
Angelo's Witness
2011 Courage/EnCourage Conference
Angelo's Witness: Audio only – Angelo gives his witnesses to his difficulties with same sex attraction. Listen to this moving testimony of how he is now winning that battle through the help of Courage. Recorded at the the annual Courage/EnCourage Conference in the Chicago area.
Tina's Witness
2011 Courage/EnCourage Conference
Tina's Witness: Audio only – Tina gives her personal witnesses to her struggles with same sex attraction and how the Courage apostolate and particularly working with Fr. John Harvey helped her tremendously. Recorded at the the annual Courage/EnCourage Conference in the Chicago area.
Self Mastery to Self Giving: Anger and Sadness
Dr. Rick Fitzgibbons gives a talk titled “Self Mastery to Self Giving: Anger and Sadness” at the annual Courage/EnCourage Conference held this year in August at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL near Chicago. He uses his experience as a professor at the John Paul II Institute, and his work with thousands of couples to explain the teaching of John Paul II that the secret to self-giving is to master one’s self and how this helps with confidence to develop healthy, moral relationships. He recommends the Catholic Medical Association's Homosexuality and Hope PDF as a resource for those dealing with same sex attraction.
Blessed are Those Who Believe: Faith and Fidelity Today
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix, AZ gives a talk called“Blessed are Those Who Believe: Faith and Fidelity Today” at the Conference. He covers the virtues in general and then focuses on Faith in particular and how to stay strong in this virtue when today’s world is so discouraging. He does this by examining the life of Blessed John Paul II whom he personally knew. Of the many virtues that the Blessed Pope had, Faith is what stands out the most and this is based on his devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary who as St. Elizabeth proclaimed “Blessed is she who believe." He grew in faith despite having experienced many personal and national tragedies in Poland in World War II and the communist aftermath. This Faith involves three elements 1. Trust in God completely, 2. Assent, a free assent to the whole truth, 3. Obedience, to what God asks us to do.
2011 Courage/EnCourage Conference Questions and Answers
His Eminence Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke gives answers to questions fielded by the audience after his opening keynote address titled “The Memory of Fr. John Harvey, OSFS and the Future of Courage and EnCourage,” at the annual Courage/EnCourage Conference which ministers to people who experience same sex attraction.
The Triumph of Failure
Fr. Paul Check, the Executive Director of Courage, gives the final talk at the annual Courage/EnCourage Conference held this year in August at the University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, IL near Chicago. He titles his talk “The Triumph of ‘Failure’” and explains how many of our triumphs come from our ‘failures’. During the course of our lives we have many failures in regard to living up to the Christian ideal but Christ is able to raise us up and bring triumph from these very failures. He relates this to the seeming failure of Jesus’ ignominious death, which resulted in the greatest of all triumphs. Listen to this message of hope and encouragement.