Denver Catholic

2 DECEMBER 9-22, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila PHOTO OF THE WEEK ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE DEC. 17: Mass, J. Francis Cardinal Sta› ord's 60th anniversary of priestly ordination, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (10:30 a.m.) DEC. 21: Mass for Chancery employees and family, Christ the King Chapel, JPII Center (12 p.m.) DEC. 24/25: Midnight Mass, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception DEC. 25: Mass, Federal Correction Institution, Littleton (12 p.m.) @ArchbishopDen Dec. 3 Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January. Denver Catholic is printed by Prairie Mountain Publishing, LLC in Boulder. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $50 a year in Colorado; $57 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $57 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $63 air; Canada, $70 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. CIRCULATION: denvercatholic.org/circulation General Manager KARNA LOZOYA Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Great Pastoral visit today @Stlouisofl sv Parish & School. 1st Sunday of #Advent "What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'" Blessings! +sja Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila paid a visit to Father Tim Hjelstrom (far right) and the community of St. Louis Catholic School in Louisville Dec. 3 during their open house for prospective students. Alumni students now in high school helped give tours of the school. PHOTO PROVIDED Ending harassment requires more than laws T he ongoing wave of disclosures of sexual harassment across our country shows that while policies and laws are helpful, they do not solve the underlying problem. The issue we have to confront is the Amer- ican culture fails to recognize the dig- nity of the human person and to value sexuality as a gift, rather than treating it as a commodity. History teaches that sexual harass- ment is hardly new, but the extent and bald belligerence of it are new. Predatory sexual behavior runs the gamut from politicians and Hollywood luminaries, to journalists, artists, and — as the Church has learned the hard way — even clergy. There are many factors that have con- tributed to this epidemic in our culture. This coming July will mark the 50th anniversary of Blessed Pope Paul VI's encyclical on sexuality and contra- ception, Humanae Vitae. Even though he was being pressured to change the Church's teaching on contraception, Blessed Paul VI prayerfully and wisely taught that the unitive and procreative aspects of sex cannot be separated without causing signifi cant damage. He predicted that doing so would lower morality, increase marital infi delity, cause men to lose respect for women, and allow governments to use contra- ceptives in a coercive manner. Blessed Paul VI's prophetic insights have unhappily come to pass with the widespread use of contraception. His prediction about a loss of respect for women is quite relevant to the dis- cussion about sexual harassment. He wrote: "A man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the sat- isfaction of his own desires …" (HV, 17). It is too simplistic to say that the increase in sexual harassment can entirely be linked to the widespread usage of contraception, but the role it has played in turning sex into a commodity and in objectifying women is undeniable. The sociologist Mark Regnerus analyzed the situation in his new book, Cheap Sex: The Transformation of Men, Marriage and Monogamy. He states, "Sex is cheap. Coupled sexual activity has become more widely available than ever. Cheap sex has been made possible by two technologies that have little to do with each other — the Pill and high-quality pornography — and its distribution is made more e— cient by a third technological innovation, online dating. Together, they drive down the cost of real sex, and in turn slow the development of love, make fi delity more challenging, sexual malleability more common, and have even taken a toll on men's marriageability." The research carried out by Jen- nings Bryant and Dolf Zillman of the University of Alabama back up this connection between pornography and the devaluation of women. They discovered that over time, many male porn users became more callous toward women and less likely to value monogamy and marriage. Whenever a man or a woman engages in sexual harassment, they fail to see the inherent dignity of the other person and the true meaning of human sexuality as a gift from God. Their focus is on them- selves and their self-satisfaction, which often leads to using the other person to fulfi ll their desires. When this mindset takes hold, people change partners like changing clothes, and fi delity, lifelong commitment and waiting for sexual intimacy until marriage are perceived as foolish. This is what happens when God and his plan for creation are abandoned and we decide for ourselves what is good and evil. From Sacred Scripture and the teaching of the Church, we know that loving relationships, especially mar- riage, are meant to be more than a means of personal fulfi llment that lasts only as long as it pleases both parties. Love is not just another commodity that can be used and thrown away, to borrow a theme from Pope Francis. The solution to the tragic objecti- fi cation and use of people is not intro- ducing more laws and policies but help- ing change hearts, so that our desires can follow God's plan for our sexuality. As Catholics, we have been blessed with the rich teachings of Blessed Paul VI and Saint John Paul II's Theology of the Body. We can learn from Jesus in the Gospels who treated women with dignity and respect, whether it was the woman caught in adultery, the Samari- tan Woman, or Martha and Mary. God made us in his image and like- ness, giving every human being inher- ent dignity. He designed our hearts and relationships to refl ect the inner love of the Trinity, so that they are a commu- nion of unselfi sh giving, for the good of the other, and with an openness to the life that might come from our love. Combatting the scourge of sexual harassment begins with recovering a sense of the sacred dignity of every person. It requires conversion and the grace of Jesus Christ through the sacraments. Simple prayers can be made, "Jesus grant me the grace to love and respect persons like you loved and respected them." Or, "Father grant to me the grace to see human sexuality as you created it to be." Or, "Jesus free me from ever objectifying another human being and help me treat them with your respect." Finally, I encourage anyone struggling with the sexual temptations and distortions that are commonplace today to seek out Confession, no matter how many times you may fall, as the Father's mercy is there for you. You may also fi nd support through places like foryourmarriage.org and reclaimsexualhealth.com. May each of us in this Advent Season encounter Jesus in a deeper way and receive him more intimately in our hearts.

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