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April 11, 2018One of the greatest challenges facing persons who experience same-sex attraction is the conflict between what the secular world tells us will bring us happiness, and our interior feelings. The world sends out messages that we should act upon whatever impulses we feel, as the pursuit of those desires is where real satisfaction is found. This belief is at the root of the "hook up culture" -- an idea that self-indulgent, casual sexual liaisons is the mark of a healthy and mature society, liberated from the stifling restrictions of an outdated Victorian-esque morality or an antiquated set of religious constraints.
The truth is that sexual promiscuity is neither liberating nor healthy, no matter how much the secular world may glamorize it. What tends to accompany sexual promiscuity, is a sense of internal unrest, which may not be fully recognized by the secular world, but is understood by a Catholic anthropology to be guilt. Guilt is not a bad thing. It ought not be to ignored or numbed, but instead can be viewed as the "Check Engine" light of the soul. If we experience a sense of guilt after engaging in a certain type of behavior, perhaps that behavior does not fit with our inherent dignity as a person made in God's image and likeness. Guilt can be a call to action, that nagging realization that what we are pursuing will not truly bring us flourishing, or a fulfilling connection, or whatever it is that we fundamentally seek. But guilt inadequately addressed, can shift into feelings of shame. [...]
by Michael K. Horne, Psy.D.
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