Last week after a business meeting in Pennsylvania, I happened upon a crowd outside a theater, about to watch the opening of a new movie for the film festival. As I stood in line for tickets, I chatted with three young adults, all of whom had never met until that evening. I was not surprised, yet still dismayed, when the conversation turned to which movie star was gay and what their own sexual preferences were: one “straight,” one “trans,” and one “lesbian.”
So, I said, “I’m much older than you, so could you explain why there is so much emphasis on sexual attraction? When I was your age, we were all simply human and would find subjects to discuss to unite us; no one needed to declare one’s sexual proclivities.” (I spared them a theology of the body talk!)
I think they were mystified—why wouldn’t we talk about such proclivities? It’s the air they breathe. St. John Paul saw this coming, and he knew we needed to find our identity not in sexual proclivities but in Jesus Christ’s union with His Body-Bride the Church.
Yesterday, on St. John Paul’s Feast Day, I had the privilege of introducing the Theology of the Body to teens at a local high school. They were spellbound.
How crucial it is for teens to hear such Good News about the “Gospel of the Body” before they are inculcated with mistaken identity issues. Better yet, let’s help little ones embrace their deepest identity in the Word made flesh. The Incarnation is at the heart of TOB. Let’s give it to children and youth in a wholesome way. Pope Saint John Paul, pray for us.
Monica Ashour is co-founder, international speaker, author of 28 books, and President of TOBET.
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