Taboos – sex and sainthood

En français
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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Related links:

[1] Catholic Encyclopedia – Immaculate Conception

[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church: Part III, Section II, Chapter 2 – The love of husband and wife

[3] Only for those who believe or would like to believe

[4] General Audience – Sainthood – Pope Francis

Tabous - Sexe et sainteté

Em português
In English

Le tabou qu'il y avait par rapport au sexe – et qu'il y a encore – était tel que cela affectait même les enseignements de catéchèse. Les sujets n'étaient pas clairement expliqués. Un exemple est l'idée que beaucoup de gens ont, encore à ce jour, quand on dit que Marie a été conçue sans péché, que l'Église catholique voudrait dire qu'il n'y a pas eu de rapport sexuel pour sa conception; ce n'est pas ça! L'idée est que sa personne n'a pas eu de péché depuis sa conception [1]. Il n'est pas question de dire qu'il n'y a pas eu d'acte sexuel pour la concevoir. Le tabou est tellement ancré que les gens associent immédiatement le mot péché au sexe – lorsqu'on dit « sans péché », on pense qu'on veut dire sans sexe. Chacun a le droit de ne pas croire, mais au moins qu'on sache à quoi on ne croit pas.

L'Église catholique ne considère pas le sexe comme un péché. Au contraire, elle le considère comme un élément fondamental pour le cheminement de sainteté d'un couple - oui, la sainteté, un autre concept tabou pour beaucoup de gens (*). C'est une erreur de penser que le sexe n'est considéré comme « saint » que lorsque pour avoir des enfants. Si telle était la pensée canonique, le mariage de personnes infertiles ne serait pas accepté. Le plaisir sexuel est l'un des éléments sacrés pour un couple [2].

Pour ce qui est de la conception de Jésus, par contre, les enseignements catholiques disent que cela a été fait par l'œuvre du Saint-Esprit, c'est-à-dire qu'il n'y a pas eu de rapport sexuel entre Marie et un homme. Pas parce que ce serait un péché, mais parce que Jésus est à la fois humain et divin, Il devait être formé avec une nature humaine et une nature divine – nous sommes donc intimement unis à la nature divine; c'est ceci l'explication. Sa nature humaine s’origine de quelqu'un non contaminé par aucun péché, la Vierge Marie. Et sa nature divine s’origine directement de Dieu. De cette façon, notre nature humaine est habilitée à atteindre la sanctification dans le plan salvifique [3]. Comment cette union s'est réalisée, nous ne le savons pas. C'est un mystère pour notre compréhension limitée. Ou nous le croyons ou nous ne le croyons pas – « c'est à prendre ou à laisser ».

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(*) Être saint, ce n'est pas avoir les mains jointes, marcher à genoux. Bien sûr, si nous estimons que nous devons le faire à un moment donné, faisons-le; chacun avec son propre besoin. Le pape François a parlé de « sainteté » lors d'une audience le 19 novembre 2014 [4]. J'aime sa façon d'expliquer, accessible à tous: « Tant de fois également, nous sommes tentés de penser que la sainteté est réservée uniquement à ceux qui ont la possibilité de se détacher des affaires ordinaires, pour se consacrer exclusivement à la prière. Mais il n’en est pas ainsi ! Certains pensent que la sainteté signifie fermer les yeux et prendre l’expression des images pieuses. Non ! Cela n’est pas la sainteté ! La sainteté est quelque chose de plus grand, de plus profond, que nous donne Dieu. ». « Lorsque le Seigneur nous invite à devenir saints, il ne nous appelle pas à quelque chose de lourd, de triste... Au contraire ! C’est l’invitation à partager sa joie, à vivre et à offrir avec joie chaque moment de notre vie, en le faisant devenir dans le même temps un don d’amour pour les personnes qui sont à nos côtés. ».

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Liens connexes:

[1] Qu’a voulu dire l’Église en déclarant que Marie a été conçue sans péché?

[2] Le mariage dans l’Église catholique

[3] Only for those who believe or would like to believe

[4] Audience générale - Sainteté - Pape François

Tabus – sexo e santidade

En français
In English

O tabu que se tinha – e se tem ainda – com sexo era tamanho que afetou até os ensinamentos catequéticos. Não se explicava claramente o que se queria dizer. Um exemplo disso é a ideia que muitas pessoas têm até hoje de que, quando se diz que Maria foi concebida sem pecado, a igreja católica estaria querendo dizer que não houve relação sexual para a sua concepção; não é isso! A ideia é de que a pessoa dela não tem pecado desde a sua concepção [1]. Não há intenção nenhuma de dizer que não houve ato sexual para concebê-la. O tabu está tão entranhado, que essas pessoas associam a palavra pecado imediatamente a sexo – pensam que quando se diz “sem pecado” quer-se dizer sem sexo. Qualquer um tem o direito de não acreditar, mas pelo menos que saiba em quê não acredita.

A Igreja católica não considera sexo como pecado. Ao contrário, considera como elemento fundamental para o caminho de santidade de um casal – sim, santidade, outro conceito tabu para muita gente(*). É engano pensar que o sexo somente seja considerado “santo” quando para ter filhos. Fosse este o pensamento canônico, não seria aceito o casamento de pessoas inférteis. O prazer sexual é um dos elementos sagrados para um casal [2].

Já para a concepção de Jesus, os ensinamentos católicos dizem que foi por obra do Espírito Santo, ou seja, que não houve homem mantendo relação sexual com Maria. Não porque isso fosse pecado, mas porque Jesus é humano e divino ao mesmo tempo, Ele tinha que ser formado com uma natureza humana e uma natureza divina – ficamos, assim, intimamente unidos à natureza divina; a explicação é essa. A sua natureza humana veio de alguém livre de pecados, não contaminada por pecado algum, como é a Virgem Maria. E a sua natureza divina veio diretamente de Deus. Dessa maneira, nossa natureza humana fica habilitada a alcançar a santificação no plano salvífico [3]. Como esta união se fez não sabemos. É mistério para nosso limitado entendimento. Ou acreditamos ou não – "é pegar ou largar".

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(*) Ser santo não é ficar de mãos postas, andando de joelhos. Claro, se sentirmos que é preciso fazer isso em algum momento, que façamos; cada um com sua necessidade, cada um “na sua”. O Papa Francisco falou sobre “santidade” numa audiência em 19 de novembro de 2014 [4]. Gosto do jeito que ele explica, accessível a todos: “Muitas vezes somos tentados a pensar que a santidade só está reservada àqueles que têm a possibilidade de se desapegar dos afazeres normais, para se dedicar exclusivamente à oração. Mas não é assim! Alguns pensam que a santidade é fechar os olhos e fazer cara de santinho! Não, a santidade não é isto! A santidade é algo maior, mais profundo, que Deus nos dá”. “Quando o Senhor nos convida a ser santos, não nos chama para algo pesado, triste… Ao contrário! É o convite a compartilhar a sua alegria, a viver e a oferecer com júbilo cada momento da nossa vida, levando-o a tornar-se ao mesmo tempo um dom de amor pelas pessoas que estão ao nosso lado”.

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Links relacionados:

[1] Por que Nossa Senhora foi concebida sem pecado

[2] Sexo: esclarecimentos para católicos

[3] Só para os que creem ou gostariam de crer
[4] Audiência geral sobre santidade - Papa Francisco

The insight - Epiphany

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Em português
En français

“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:10,11)

A thin layer of snow covered the ice in the churchyard, so I didn't need to wear the ice cleats on my boots. Maybe it would have been better to use them because I couldn't walk fast. As I scanned every millimeter of ground before taking a step forward, I watched other people walking, agile, without even looking down. Either I don't have enough mileage on the ice, or I really don't have the skills for extreme sports. Nor is it because of age, because people who go to church here are my age or are even older.

This Sunday of Epiphany celebration, I went to Mass in the morning. Despite the cold, the sun was shining. Our star also seemed to be announcing the birth of Jesus to us, “Gentiles” from faraway lands.

When I go to Mass Saturday late afternoon, I always sit in the back pews, to go out early, if the final announcements list goes on too long and if I see the sky already getting dark. I don't like driving on the road at night, especially in winter.

As it was early, I decided to sit closer to the altar, to listen better and without hurry to leave. I had never noticed the paintings of the Stations of the Cross along the church side walls. Where I sat, I was right next to one of them. It was the fourth Station, Jesus' encounter with His mother. The paintings are large, imposing, and beautiful. In this one I came closer to, it was written in French, "La rencontre".

Encounters...

The Magi followed the Star of Bethlehem and found baby Jesus in the arms of Mary, according to the Gospel. Our Lady is always present in God's saving plan for us. Filled with the grace of the Holy Spirit, she wants to show us Jesus, our “Way,” in all circumstances.

May our hearts be open to Epiphany, this insight illuminated by and for the Divine. May we be wise as the Magi and sensitive to God's messages to find Him. These days we need to learn from yet another example of wisdom and of good listening to the divine inspiration the Magi has left to us: the shrewdness to avoid those like Herod, who want to destroy our Light, the great reason of our faith; let us divert our way from them.

The church was full this Sunday. I didn't expect to find so many faithful, I was glad about it. There are more people than I imagined, like the wise men, looking for the God Child.

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