Nov 9 Mon
What it means to be human and sexual
God made us male and female, meaning He wanted us that way. We're totally equal as people, but we're also distinct in how we are as men and women. Being a man or a woman is a good thing, willed by God. We both have the same worth, "in the image of God," and how we are as male and female shows God's wisdom and goodness.
We all have a "sexual side" that's part of who we are. We "are" a woman or "are" a man in every part of our lives: physically, mentally, and spiritually. We're all equal because we're all human; the difference is in how we are human. Men and women are just different versions of the same human reality, meant to connect in a specific way.
Being straight means accepting the natural differences between men and women. It says we're equal as people but also recognizes our different ways of being a person.
And it shows how this mix of equality and difference makes possible the creation of a special bond where everyone gives and gets something. This makes us richer together and allows a couple to create new life.
The natural pull between men and women leads to a unique kind of love, called married love. This means giving and receiving each other, especially in our differences. Marriage isn't just approved sex; it's "conjugality," a deep bond where we "co-own" each other as man and woman, husband and wife, potential mom and dad. This exclusive and lasting union is also vital for the dignity of any kids, and for their care and upbringing.
Obviously, treating men or women unfairly because of their sex disrespects them. But it's okay to treat women (or men) differently in a positive way if it's to fix a specific problem or an unfair situation in society. It's allowed because it's trying to balance things out or correct a past injustice.
Some mistaken gender theories claim that sex differences aren't real, but just something society creates. Of course, from this viewpoint, there's no need to think about equality between men and women because the main difference (sex) doesn't exist as such, only a personally chosen “gender.”. Only biological traits exist, but these are seen as "naturally neutral" and should be used however each person wants; anything else would be discrimination.
So, they're saying that the first error is to accept the "real difference" between men and women. They say, That would force heterosexual marriage and the monogamous family. To ditch this error, we would have to eliminate the tie between a man and a woman getting together and procreation, get rid of motherhood itself (because it supposedly punishes women), and all the family ties that come with it.
From this twisted perspective, everything's on the table and equally cool, since there's no actual reality to say otherwise. All of this, though, goes against what the Church teaches about how humans are actually made: body and soul being one, why our bodies have sexes, how men and women complete each other, freedom, sticking with things, love in marriage, why marriage and family are a big deal, and so on.