Episode 158: Blessings for Same-Sex Couples? (An Invitation to go Deeper)
Being Human
Introduction
This chapter discusses a recent publication from the Vatican that has sparked controversy within the Catholic community. The host offers insights into the current situation in the church from a psychological perspective and introduces a new model of Catholic accompaniment.
So many Catholics have been shocked, surprised, and confused by the recently-released Vatican document in which Pope Francis responds to questions regarding the blessing of couples in “irregular” or same-sex relationships. In this episode, Dr. Greg offers a response to the issue.
Discussed in the episode:
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The importance of transcending political commentary and debates and focusing instead on creating a path forward as a Church;
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What this current confusion can teach us;
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Why this issue is actually an opportunity to bring the Church’s teaching about God’s plan for male and female to the forefront;
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The importance of deepening our understanding about the truth, beauty, and goodness of 2000 years of Catholic teaching about human sexuality;
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Why anything outside of God’s plan for marriage between a man and a woman is against our humanity;
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What Christ’s example of eating with tax collectors and sinners, meeting the woman at the well, and reaching down to the woman caught in adultery means;
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Why it’s important to have compassion for those struggling with sin, while still being careful not to legitimize the behavior of a sinful relationship;
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Our role as thoughtful, intelligent, prayerful, and discerning Catholics;
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Why we need to start with ourselves and our own interior conversion to make the Church better as a whole.
Resources mentioned or relevant:
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On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings Declaration;
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One Omission and Three False Dichotomies in the Vatican “Declaration” (blog post by Dr. Greg);
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Being Human Podcast Episodes:
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Our recent Gender Series, beginning with Episode #149: A New Approach to the Gender Crisis;
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Episode #72: The DSM Disease (Part One of Two);
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Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul II; ;
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Theology of the Body for Beginners by Christopher West;
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Need help? Schedule a free consultation call with someone on our team to discuss how we can support you;
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Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, for encouragement on your journey of becoming the best human you can be;
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Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available;
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Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, the Catholic Mindfulness Virtual Retreat, courses, prayer resources, and more;
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Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more!
Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!
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