Ron Kelsey is the archdiocesan consultant for the pro-life office. You can email him at: profile@archkck.org or call him at (913) 647-0350.
by Ron Kelsey
Few would deny that our society today is experiencing many problems.
Upon reflection, we can see that a great multitude of society’s ills are rooted in the misuse of our human sexuality. Some of these ills are: sexual activity outside of marriage; contraception; abortion; STDs; 40 percent of children born out of wedlock; homosexual activity; cohabitation; attempts to normalize any type of sexual activity under the guise of “sexual freedom and freedom of expression”; pornography; infidelity; rape; incest; sex trafficking; in vitro fertilization; and on and on. And, of course, these ills further cascade into many, many more problems.
As we know, our human sexuality is a gift from God and is designed and ordered toward good. Therefore, none of the above ills result from using our sexuality as God plans. Let’s now look at God’s design and plan for our sexuality.
God reveals much of his plan for our sexuality in just three sentences in Genesis: “God created man in his image; . . . male and female he created them. God blessed them, saying: ‘Be fertile and multiply’” (Gn 1:27-28). And: “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body” (Gn 2:24).
Now, let’s consider more closely the first sentence. What is God’s image? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “God is love and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion” (2331). How then are we created in his image? The catechism continues: “God inscribed in… humanity… the capacity and responsibility, of love and communion” (2331).
Our relationships with both God and man are to be rooted in love and communion, with love being defined as the giving of self.
As we proceed further into the first sentence, we see that we were created male and female. God in his perfection chose to create two distinct genders. Why? The answer lies in the second sentence where we find God’s very first command to man: “Be fertile and multiply.”
Why is this God’s first command to man? Remember, God is love and lives in the Trinitarian unity, which is life-giving. Man’s relationship with woman is to have the same attributes. And we see that the very bodies of man and woman
are designed to be complementary for the “one flesh” union.
Finally, in the third sentence, we see that this life-giving, “one flesh” union, designed by God, is to occur within marriage.
God’s design and plan for human sexuality are clear. Our sexuality is an integral part of who we are as man and woman. To use our sexuality to achieve good and avoid the ills mentioned, we need turn to God and follow his will.
