INTRODUCTION.
Welcome to the sixth Sunday School forum post. I usually publish them either on Saturday or Sunday (depending on my availability) so I apologize if I kept anybody waiting. I hope you all have had a wonderful week since I last touched base. I always like to start by explaining what these Sunday posts actually are. Every weekend, I like to publish a response to a Catholic-related topic. Sometimes, I directly answer questions from the community, so feel free to ask anything in the comments (I may respond to it in the following week's discussion).
Before we begin, I want to emphasize that these posts are not meant for debate, but for exploration and clarity. Many misunderstand Catholic teachings, and my goal is to present them as accurately as possible. If anything remains unclear, feel free to tag me in the comments—I’ll do my best to respond. That said, I am only human and may err in my explanations. If I do, I hope you’ll see that as my own imperfection, not a flaw in the Church’s teachings. I encourage you to seek truth with an open heart. St. Augustine wisely noted, "We love the truth when it enlightens us, but we hate it when it convicts us."
TOPIC.
Today, we will discuss same-sex relationships, a movement that has gained significant traction over the past decades. We will explore what the Church teaches about same-sex relationships and how these teachings have developed.
MAIN BODY.
The Cathechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) unambiguously declares that homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered:
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." 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. (CCC 2357).
Notice, however, that the CCC specifically says homosexual acts are disordered. It does not say that a homosexual orientation (or the attraction to the same gender) is sinful in and of itself. The Catechism makes a clear distinction between a homosexual orientation, which is not sinful in itself, and homosexual acts, which become morally problematic when they are acted upon. Let's look at what the next verse (CCC 2358) says:
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.
This passage reinforces the call for all individuals, regardless of orientation, to live a chaste life while being treated with respect and sensitivity, avoiding any form of unjust discrimination.
Romans 1:24-27:
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.
