Wednesday, January 04, 2006

An attraction of the problematic kind

Imagine living in a house full of women.

If you're a woman, no big deal.

If you're a man, that makes all the difference.

You're a man, and your female housemates trust you completely, feel perfectly at home with you.

You're a man, and some of your female housemates pour their heart out to you and ask for advice. Would it be a shock if someone (either you or among them) developed feelings of attachment or intimacy toward another?

Imagine being a man, surrounded by women -- many of them attractive inside and out and striving to remain so -- sharing a home with them. Would that not be a struggle?

There would not be much of a struggle if the man were homosexual. Now imagine if the man experiencing same-sex attraction (or who has had deep-seated struggles with homosexuality) were surrounded by men -- many of them attractive inside and out and striving to remain so and shared a home with them.

This is the situation that any seminarian or priest with homosexual tendencies deals with.

Though Pope Benedict XVI has formally released a document containing guidelines on the matter of homosexuality and the priesthood, some still seem to insist on what they want rather than face the problem squarely, try to understand the principles explained, and heed the indications given.

Why I thank God I couldn't be a priest is not the document released by the Vatican, but it sure tackles the matter head-on -- and quite clearly, too.

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