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WIIITBY F~REE PRESS, WEDNEiSDAY, NOVEMBIiR 12, 1980, PAGE The Chureli Speaks -J Pure love iis aim of church another, in a truly sexual way, la to give oneself in love to that person. If love, which la truly worthy of being called human, la deep and faithful and lasting, then hwnan sexuality is a tremendous power. It is difficult to be more pro-sex than Christ-and the Church, or more anit-sex than, for example, the displays offered at many local places of "entertainent". One other example: it la grosaly unfair to present Christ's teaching, on marriage as being primarily anti-divorce, especially if divorce la hailed as a tremendous good againat which unfeeling and foollsh people are fighting. What the Church does teach la that Christ can change men's hearta, that Christ lai powerful, and that Christ cares enough about each married couple to promise to be with themn and to help themn grow together In love. Christ and his Church are so pro-marriage tha t, not only does -He promise to reach out and love the couples, 80 that they can learn to love each other, but H e counts on their love and faithfulness to be a living sign and evidence of His love for manking. To limnit discussion on the Church's teaching regar- ding the indissolubillty of marriage to the question of what to do after -a marriage breaks up, la to miss the promise, the vocation and the hope of Christian marriage. What should be done when John bas moved to Vancouver Whitby girl on w ning team and Sally lives ln Toronto, and they haven't seen each other for ten years, and they used to be married? God knows!1 What followers of Christ believe is contained in the words of St. Paul as found in II Corinthians 13: Love is always patient and king; it is neyer jealous; love is neyer boaatful or conceited; it la neyer rude or selfish; It does not take offense, and là flot reaentful. Love takes no pleasure in other people's sins but delights in the truth; it is alwaya ready to excuse, to trust, to hope, and to endure whatever cornes. Love does flot corne to an end. To spçak in the above manner, in no way negates the com- passion of Christ and His Church for those marriages whlch have failed, especlally since, in many cases, immaturity or ignorance, or lack of any living faith may have made a true mamrage out of reach. Why does the teaching of Christ so often get falsely pointed as being negative? Perhaps because the negative la more newsworthy and, also, because living the positive is very dif- ficuit. It la utterly amazing that Pope Paul VI, whose letters were primarily concerned witb the dlgnity of each person and, thus, the dignity of the poor and the obligation 0f the rich to the poor, was rarely quoted by the world press, except speaking as on sex. Moreover, Pope Paul's explicit intention of safeguarcling the mamrage act as an act of human love going beyond mere pleasure was rarely mentioned, let alone understood. G.K. Chesterton said that laws should be seen as safeguards, instead of restrictions; like walls that allow space for playgrounds. By THE BEy. ANTHONY MEAGHER Rector St. John's The EvgngelIst R.C. Church It's a strange turn of eventa that Christianity, whietx so strongly affirma human value and dignlty, should so0-)ften be critlclzed as a negative restriction on life. Not 50 strange, however, if we consider that often what passes for weakness is actually strenght, or what appeara to be failure la ultimately succesa. Thinga are not always what they seem to be, as anyone who has seen the mystery of suffering, through the eyes of the love of Christ on the Cross can sense. Anyway, without trylng to be too poetical or long winded, here are a couple of examples. It could appear that Christ's Church la pretty down on sex. In reality, the church stands strong and suffering to defend the importance and goodness of human sexuallty, while the pornographer bleats about its trlvlality and aima, often successfully, at its debasement. Christ, through the Church, keeps aaying that to give oneself to Mary Westhues of 74 Scott Street, Whitby, a third year medical laboratory technology student from St. Lawrence College, Kingston, was one of a team of five students who recently placed firat in a province wide contest sponsored by the Ontario Society of Medical Technologists. -Westhues and team mates Donna Hughes, Pattie Dan- ce, Phillip Robinson and Sherri Roberts (coach) defeated Mohawk and Fan- shawe Colleges in the preliminary round of com- petition., The five defeated Thunder Bay in the finals held Sep- tember 25 at Toronto's Inn on the Park Hotel. This year was the first that St. Lawrence entered the six year old conteat. Two contest trophies engraved with all the win- ning students names will be on display until September 1981. Also the famous lLV T Ventilated AIumnin Manufactured by Proven Service Since 1949 Factory & Show, 'om' Open Mon -Fri 9 aà -i p.m. PHON 728-1 633 ALUMINUM LIMITED 845 FAREWELL AVE., OSHAWA -'a uj.