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You may have seen Father Mike in one of his popular Ascension Presents video commentaries. His topics—delivered in his energetic and telegenic style—tend toward what's currently trending but he always anchors his subject (living together, chastity, celebrity culture, movie and TV examples, etc.) in the timeless teachings of the Church. From what I can see, there is no topic territory that is off limits, including the teaching on homosexuality—the forbidden topic par excellence in today's climate of political correctness and confusion.

Which brings me to this week's episode, in which Father Mike and I talk about his new book, Made For Love: Same-Sex Attractions and the Catholic Church https://amzn.to/2J8Ikxj. It's all about balance, understanding, and having the courage to put the focus where it belongs: on compassion that is yet unafraid to speak the truth.

The issue of homosexuality has been massively co-opted by the secular media and by so-called pro-gay factions with Christianity. The result is widespread confusion: what exactly is the Catholic teaching? Where is it in the Bible? How to respond to family members and friends who "come out"? Is it possible to be biblically faithful and pastorally attuned to peoples' real needs?

In this interview, you will learn:

• Why the Church makes the careful distinction between inclination and behavior, or between unbidden temptation and chosen sin.
• How best to respond to a loved one who a loved one who "comes out" to you
• How our culture of relativism makes it doubly hard to have a conversation about objective morality, especially when it comes to something this emotion-charged
• The way in which Father Mike's relationship with his same-sex attracted brother provides a model for imitation
• Why identifying as "gay" represents a terrible reduction of the dignity of the human person
• Why the legal reality of "gay marriage" is best understood as a matter of redefinition and has nothing to do with sexual behavior, per se.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Made For Love: Same-Sex Attractions and the Catholic Church by Father Mike Schmitz
• Catechism of the Catholic Church
• Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality: A New Clinical Approach by Dr. Joseph Nicolosi
• Making Gay Okay: How Rationalizing Homosexual Behavior Is Changing Everything by Robert Reilly

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