Certainly the distress associated with homosexuality is not what Jesus, our
God, wishes for mankind.
But, some will plead, “Aren’t there some poor souls biologically inclined
to homosexuality?” Yes, perhaps so. But isn’t that the case with all that is
wrong with us? By birth we are all hereditarily inclined to evils of every kind.
Selfishness, as we parents sometimes ruefully observe, is in our genes. That is
why Jesus said we must be born again, of the Spirit.
Through the God-given knowledge of what it is to be truly human we can
and we must resist the harmful urges of our flesh and discipline our behavior,
for the sake of true love and the happiness it brings – and for the sake of the
welfare of all society.
Fortunately our destiny is not determined by our genes; there are three
other saving factors ever present with us from our Creator: our rationality,
our free will and the all-powerful, merciful, gentle goodness of the Lord our God.
Because the Lord, through His example, has given us the knowledge of
what it is to be truly human, with His aid we can resist the harmful urges of
our flesh and discipline our behavior for the sake of true love and genuine
happiness – and the welfare of all around us.
That is what Jesus meant when He said we must be “born again, of water
and the Spirit.” The Lord, who is goodness itself, condemns no one who has
homosexual inclinations. It is those who willfully act upon such inclinations
who condemn themselves by fleeing from heaven and the Lord – “Because the
Lord cannot be in anything except good,” as we read in Arcana Coelestia 2335.
Such forbidden activities are intrinsically contrary to the loving goal of
our Lord’s Divine goodness – the eternal happiness of everyone He creates –
which is eventually realized in a beautiful marriage for every woman and man
who prayerfully seeks one.
The Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz is retired and lives in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania. He still serves as a translator for the General
Church. He was married to the late Melinda (Echols).
Contact: [email protected]
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