Em português
There was and there still is
such a strong taboo about sex that even catechetical teachings have been
affected. Matters related to the topic were not clearly explained. An example
of this is the idea many people have until today that, when it is said that
Mary was conceived without sin, the Catholic Church would mean there has been
no sexual act in the process of her conception; it is not that! The meaning is about the Virgin Mary having no sin from the conception instant [1]. There is no intention
of saying it happened without sexual intercourse, her parents had the usual generative activity. The taboo is so ingrained
that these people associate the word sin immediately with sex - if we say
without sin, they think it is without sex. Everyone has the right not to
believe, but at least should they know what they do not believe in.
The Catholic Church does not
consider sex a sin. On the contrary, it is considered a fundamental element in
a couple's path of sainthood – yes, sainthood, another taboo concept for many
people (*). It is a mistake to think that sex is only considered “sacred” when
practiced to have children. If this was the canonical thought, the marriage of
infertile people would not be accepted. Sexual pleasure is one of the sacred
elements for a couple [2].
As for the conception of
Jesus, on the other hand, the Catholic teachings say that it was done by the
work of the Holy Spirit, that is to say that there was no sexual intercourse
between Mary and a man. Not because it would be a sin, but because Jesus is
both human and divine, He had to be formed with a human nature and a divine nature – so we are intimately united to the divine nature; this
is the explanation. His human nature originates from someone not contaminated
by any sin, the Virgin Mary. And his divine nature comes directly from God. In
this way, our human nature become enabled to achieve sanctification in the
salvific plan [3].
How this union was performed, we do not know. It is a mystery for our limited
understanding. Either we believe it or we don't believe it - "take it or
leave it".
(*) Being a saint is not
putting hands together, walking on knees. Of course, if we feel that we need to
do this at some point, let us do it; each one with his/her own need. Pope
Francis spoke about “sainthood” in an audience on November 19, 2014 [4].
I like the way he explains, accessible to everyone: “So, many times we are tempted to think that sainthood is reserved only
to those who have the opportunity to break away from daily affairs in order to
dedicate themselves exclusively to prayer. But it is not so! Some think that
sanctity is to close your eyes and to look like a holy icon. No! This is not
sanctity! Sanctity is something greater, deeper, which God gives us.” “When the Lord invites us to become saints,
he doesn’t call us to something heavy, sad... quite the contrary! It’s an
invitation to share in his joy, to live and to offer with joy every moment of
our life, by making it become at the same time a gift of love for the people
around us.”
~~~~
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