Retrospect Inversion: A letter of disinheritence

My dear friend wrote this blog. Please read it and share some words of love and encouragement:



Retrospect Inversion: A letter of disinheritence: "Have you ever been hated or discriminated against? I have: I've been protested and demonstrated against. Picket signs for my ...

Ok everyone, this is really BIG!!! I just HAVE to share this recent blog entry from a friend, (with his kind permission of course) because of the wonderful insights...no, that's an understatement - POWERFUL insights...he's revealed in relation to why God would permit the suffering that unwanted ssa brings...and he has referenced quotations from some of my favorite authors, Saints and biblical figures to really flesh out the wisdom of God even amidst our most baffling and painful personal circumstances, to put our trust in Him who has a perfect plan for our lives.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

Also, his blog entry is so clearly and beautifully expressed and ties-in perfectly with my 2 earlier blog entries, Overcoming My Shame of SSA, and Jesus is THE End.

Here it is, please read it and be abundantly BLESSED! (Who would have guessed the C in CS Lewis was - Clives!)

http://letterstochristopher.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/two-thomases-a-guy-named-clives-and-a-hobbit-called-frodo/

Merciful Christ Incarnational House of Prayer: Obama, Clinton praise gay NBA player

Showing COMPASSION towards those who are in disagreement with our own principles, as modeled by Him whom we profess to follow: Merciful Christ Incarnational House of Prayer: Obama, Clinton praise gay NBA player: There are many who will say that a lying spirit and diabolic stronghold has been further strengthened in the public mind and it's possib...

Victory In the Cross of Christ: Overcoming my Shame of SSA

Today I was inspired to revise and update my previous post from 2012, adding definitions of terminology used that may not have been familiar to some of my readers, relevant Bible verses, and links to pertinent websites. Please feel free to read my revised post and share it with whomever you feel may benefit from reading it. May God bless each and everyone of us and our loved ones with the abundant life in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior!

Victory In the Cross of Christ: Overcoming my Shame of SSA: You know what my problem is? I feel disempowered . I would like to shout out that,  "I'm a Catholic, single male, I'm 40...

Also read some thought provoking articles by Aaron Taylor, Doctoral Student in Theological Ethics http://aarontaylorethics.wordpress.com/online-articles/

Blogs by Dawn Eden, Jewish convert to Catholic faith, child sex abuse survivor, overcoming SSA in pursuit of Chastity:http://www.patheos.com/blogs/feastofeden/

Catholic Courage member writes on the the subject of SSA: http://letterstochristopher.wordpress.com/2013/07/12/papal-theologian-on-gay-identity/

Download and listen to talks on Living with SSA as a Catholic and similar topics on Catholic Answers: http://www.catholic.com/radio/shows/living-with-same-sex-attraction-8739#

Courage Philippines: Jesus is THE End

Really honored to be featured as a guest contributor in CouragePhilippinesBlogspot! =D

Courage Philippines: Jesus is THE End: This is a guest post by a fellow Courage brother. In our SSA journey, let us not forget that the ultimate goal is complete union with C...

Courage Philippines: Wild at Heart - Book Review

Here's a really good book review I'm re-posting here!

Courage Philippines: Wild at Heart - Book Review:   W ild at Heart – Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul by John Eldredge takes you to a journey and rediscovery of a man'...

Justa Bloggin': Sexual Impurity

Just sharing Jayson Alley's post which helped inspire my post, Jesus is THE End. Thanks, Jason! :)
Justa Bloggin': Sexual Impurity

Jesus is THE End

Jesus is the END. 

Some people with ssa (same-sex attraction) think turning straight is the end, and that Jesus is just a means to that end. But they're missing the point...BIGTIME! 

Just ask the straight guys who've found Jesus; these guys have never had to struggle a single day with the BIG SSA, and then they find Jesus, and they experience a JOY like they've never had until they realized JESUS IS the END...that everything else is just "icing on the cake". 

And what do guys with ssa have to look forward to when they find true JOY in Jesus? 
"But I'm still stuck with my ssa...why do I have to end up with the short end of the stick...that's the story of my life...why do straight guys have it all?" 

WRONG! 

When you have Jesus, whether you are straight or have ssa, you have the ONE THING that your soul has always longed for and needs, or rather that ONE PERSON, and He is Jesus Christ. 
In Jesus we can only be pure in heart. 

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega. 
Jesus is our End. 

To have Jesus in this lifetime is our redemption. 
To have Jesus for all eternity is our ultimate prize and reward. 

May God have mercy on us who have used our sweet Jesus as a means to a lesser end. 

Jesus IS our END. 

He has already given His life for you and me. 
Let us say YES to Him today and every other moment that we live.
Let us give our lives completely to Jesus so He lives in us and we in Him.
Let us surrender all to Him including our sexuality. 
Let us live our lives fully for Christ. 
Let us live joyfully because we have Christ within us and we belong to Him.
Let us share Christ and the joy we have found in Him to the whole world through the witness of our lives, through daily prayers, through loving service of our neighbor.

Jesus is The Way, The Truth, and The Life.
In Him alone we find our purpose and direction.
In Him alone are all the answers.
In Him alone are we fully alive.

In Christ there is selflessness. 
In Christ there is healing.
In Christ there is peace. 
In Christ there is faith, hope and charity. 
In Christ we want for nothing. 

Christ Jesus is Lord. 
He is the beginning and the END. 
Hallelujah!

Please read this blog post written by a friend which ties in beautifully with this blog post, Jesus is THE End, as well as my previous blog post, Overcoming my Shame SSA: 
http://letterstochristopher.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/two-thomases-a-guy-named-clives-and-a-hobbit-called-frodo/

Overcoming my Shame of SSA

You know what my problem is? I feel disempowered.

I would like to shout out that, "I'm a Catholic, single male, I'm 40, and I struggle with same sex attraction." But how can I do that when there are very few leaders in the Catholic Church who are even willing to set an example? How many of our Catholic priests are courageous enough to stand up among the congregation and identify with this struggle?

No, they remain silent. They simply listen to us confessing our sins of impure thoughts and of acting out our intrinsically disordered sexual desires. But where are the church leaders who are willing to go beyond the call of duty, to absolve us of our sins in the secrecy of the confessional, who are willing to stand boldly alongside us before the church community declaring, “Hey, I too am a leper, crying out to the Lord to have pity on me”?* Because that is how I feel, like a "leper"; to have to struggle with SSA in secrecy within my Catholic community, alone in my fear that if I were to disclose my struggle with SSA, I would be “cast out into a leper colony”. And I feel as though the only circles where I can experience the full measure of freedom to express my innermost struggles, is among other men and women who also struggle with SSA. So in this sense, isn't it true, that Courage Apostolate, the support group for Catholic men and women struggling with SSA, is the Church's modern day “leper colony”? When will persons struggling with SSA like myself experience acceptance, support and encouragement, and a genuine sense of belonging in our respective church communities, without fear of being judged?

    

       *12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

            Luke 17:12-13

               New International Version (NIV)

It seems the only people who are bold enough to speak aloud publicly are people who have SSA, but are fighting against the church; and advocating “gay” rights, which to me are “rights that allow persons with SSA to act out in defiance to the Catholic church's teachings on morality and chastity”. Yet those of us with SSA, but choose to live according to the guidelines on morality and chastity pertaining to homosexuality in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, seem to be “bullied” into silence for fear of the “stigma” that being a Catholic person with SSA still carries with it in our contemporary church communities. A “stigma” that makes me feel ashamed to speak up in my church community, rather than boast with great joy that Christ redeems me each day in my struggle with sexual brokenness, that it is by His grace alone that He sustains me in my daily battle for purity.

I often feel overwhelmed by the seeming hopelessness of living as a Catholic “outcast” with SSA. However,  if I were to regard my SSA as the “thorn in my flesh” similar to that which St. Paul also spoke of, then perhaps I should actually rejoice and be glad even that I have been given this “thorn in my flesh” as a constant reminder of my dependence on God, that it is His grace alone which sustains me. Perhaps as well, I should also learn from St. Paul, who with wisdom that can come only from the Holy Spirit, spoke of the added benefit of this “thorn in his flesh” that “kept a proud man humble before God”.* Perhaps the great paradox is that this “thorn in the flesh” which seems more of a curse than a blessing, helps to develop in the person struggling with SSA, the virtue of humility.

        *7 Because the things God showed me were so wonderful, I might have become too proud of myself. But something happened and stopped that. It was like a thorn in me. It came from Satan [the devil] to trouble me. It came to stop me from being too proud.

           2 Corinthians 12:7-10

              Worldwide English (New Testament) (WE)

Perhaps this “stigma” of shame that comes with my SSA has little or nothing to do with the lack of solidarity and support coming from church leaders, or the potential threat of rejection by the greater church community in the event of self disclosure, but rather it is a “shadow” that comes with my own self-absorbed pride in constructing an impenetrable fortress around myself, projecting an image that I am perfect and unblemished, yet knowing desperately deep inside that it is all a lie.

“Lord, help me to lay down my pride, tear down the fortress I have built around myself, my fake image, my false pretenses, my excuses and finger pointing, putting the blame on others; and build instead a new life grounded on the truth that You have redeemed me through Your love and sacrifice, that by Your grace I can grow daily in inner chastity as well as humility, patience, temperance, fortitude and charity; and that You have set me free to love others as the Father has loved me. Lord let this truth of Your redeeming love empower me to speak freely and boldly of Your love for me, the same love You offer to all mankind; and help me to love all people, as You, Lord Jesus, love me. Amen.”

                                             --------o0o--------

        8 Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
                              
        2 Corinthians 12:8-10

            New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Terminology: (A) Person with Same Sex Attraction (SSA) vs. "gay" or "homosexual" - In discussing homosexuality we must therefore strive for precision in terms. This may be at the cost of linguistic convenience. Popular culture and ease of speech make the less accurate words more attractive. Nevertheless, it is better to speak of same-sex attractions, homosexual inclinations or tendencies. (The Catholic Church's pastoral response)

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=9495

Description and History: Courage Apostolate/International - Courage Apostolate is a spiritual support system that is designed to assist men and women struggling with SSA to live chaste lives through prayer, fellowship, truth and love in obedience with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. The group was founded in 1980 by the late Terence Cardinal Cooke, Archbishop of New York and the late Fr. John Harvey, OSFS. The group meetings consist of laymen and laywomen usually under anonymous discretion, together with a priest, using a 12-step program adapted from Alcoholics Anonymous. With the endorsement of the Holy See in 1994, Courage now has more than ninety-five (95) chapters worldwide, including Courage Philippines chapter, established in 1995 with the permission of His Eminence, the late Jaime Cardinal Sin, Archbishop of Manila.

http://www.couragerc.net

http://www.couragephilippines.blogspot.com/

The Catholic Medical Association's statement on Same-Sex Attraction: SSA is preventable and a symptom of other issues. The goal of therapy should be "freedom to live chastely according to one's state in life."

http://www.cathmed.org/ 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Pastoral Care of Persons with SSA: 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. (CCC 2358)
Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teaches them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection. (CCC 2359)

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm

http://www.revelife.com/754851828/i-was-given-a-thorn-in-my-flesh-paul-and-homosexuality/

Please read this blog post written by a friend which ties in beautifully with my blog post, Overcoming my Shame of SSA:
http://letterstochristopher.wordpress.com/2013/09/05/two-thomases-a-guy-named-clives-and-a-hobbit-called-frodo/

New Beginnings

I've determined the greatest influence in my life is Christ Jesus, the most constant source of meaning, purpose in life and inspiration for me is Jesus, so 10yrs from now, I am declaring that my full time mission in life will be to share the LOVE, TRUTH, and LIGHT of Jesus Christ to all who would listen to the Word of God.

So my subsequent posts will be about my adventures and exploits even as I pursue my long term goal of serving God full time, as well as the concrete steps I will be taking to accomplish this goal. In the midst of the pursuit of my life mission, I profess the Unconditional Love and Hope of Christ to everyone I encounter in my daily mundane as well as extraordinary activities, and I enjoin everyone to keep me accountable to my declaration of being faithful to God, to be a beacon of His Love, and to gently admonish me should I fall short of my higher calling. Oh and let the man or woman who is without sin be the first to throw a stone! Hehehe! But seriously, let us truly love one another, as God has loved us. Peace!

Praise be the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, now and forever! Amen.