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145 pages

English

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Is it really possible for a man to change his sexual orientation from gay to straight? Aren't gay men "born this way"? With the increasing normalization of homosexuality in our society and even in the Church, is there hope for men who struggle with unwanted homosexual feelings and desires? When the Son Frees You offers a unique perspective on these questions through the eyes of a faithful Catholic who was almost exclusively sexually attracted to men since his teenage years. The suffering, pain, and shame of his homosexuality all but consumed A. J. Benjamin . . . until he had a life-changing encounter with the Mother of Jesus.Through her intercession and following the teachings and practice of the Catholic Church, the wisdom of the saints, and the Theology of the Body of Saint John Paul II, A. J. embarked on a soul-searching journey to freedom and wholeness. Through God's grace in the sacraments, A. J. found the perfect Man in Jesus Christ and, through the power of his cross, experienced true healing of his disordered desires. A. J. is now happily married with three children and seeks to spread the Gospel message of hope and freedom to all who struggle with their sexuality. This is his journey.

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Philosophie et théologie

LGBTQ+

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Publié par	TAN Books
Date de parution	28 février 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781505114669
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0600€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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When the Son Frees You
WHEN THE SON FREES YOU
A Catholic Man’s Journey of Healing From Same-Sex Attraction
A. J. Benjamin
TAN Books Charlotte, North Carolina
Copyright © 2020 A. J. Benjamin
All rights reserved. With the exception of short excerpts used in critical review, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form whatsoever without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible—Second Catholic Edition (Ignatius Edition), copyright © 2006 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America© 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc.—Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.
Cover design by Caroline Green
Cover image: Freedom concept illustration by Jacob_09/Shutterstock
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019953533
ISBN: 978-1-5051-1464-5
Published in the United States by
TAN Books
PO Box 269
Gastonia, NC 28053
www.TANBooks.com
Printed in the United States of America
Lovingly consecrated to Our Lady of Fatima in anticipation of the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart and placed under the patronage of Pope St. John Paul the Great, who blessed the Church with the gift of the Theology of the Body, and showed me what a “real man” looks like, “Be Not Afraid!”
Bóg Zapłać!
To my dear, patient, and loving wife, without whose support and encouragement I could never have written this book. I love you always!
Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” They answered him, “We are descendants of Abraham and have never been slaves to anyone. What do you mean by saying, ‘You will be made free’?”
Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not continue in the house forever; the son continues forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are descendants of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me, because my word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father.” (Jn 8:31–38)
And he who sat upon the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water without price from the fountain of the water of life. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rv 21:5–8)
Christ, the final Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear. ( Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Gaudium et Spes, no . 22)
The body, in fact, and only the body, is capable of making visible what is invisible: the spiritual and the divine. It has been created to transfer into the visible reality of the world the mystery hidden from eternity in God, and thus be a sign of it. (Pope St. John Paul II, Theology of the Body , February 20, 1980)
Contents
Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
On My “Coming Out”
On Being “Gay” and Being “Ex-Gay”
Are We Really “Born This Way”?
The “Sins of the Father”
Not Like the Other Boys
Big Men, the WWF, and the Bodybuilder in the Pasta Shop
The Male and Female Ends of Things
The Year Good Friday Came Early
A Future Saint and “Kisses” From Our Lady
“My Immaculate Heart Will Be Your Refuge”
The Woman and the Dragon
“What Afflicted You Is Nothing”
“Am I Not Here, I Who Have the Honor to Be Your Mother?”
“The Lord Whom You Seek Will Suddenly Come to His Temple”
“See What Love the Father Has Given Us”
The Knights and Their Queen
“Totus Tuus, Maria!”
Naked Without Shame
Naked and Unafraid
“He Loved Him as His Own Soul”
Putting an End to Childish Things
The Heart of a Woman
“Let It be Done to Me According to Your Word”
“I Am the Good Shepherd”
The Quest for the Hand of My Bride
A Special Gift From God
“Therefore a Man Leaves His Father and His Mother and Cleaves to His Wife”
“Honor Your Father”
“Everyone Who Commits Sin Is a Slave of Sin”
“You Shall Not Make for Yourself a Graven Image”
“The Rain Is Over and Gone”
“We Have Seen His Star”
“O Lord, You Will Increase Your Gifts in Me”
A Man Among Men
“Thou Art My Beloved Son”
“Even the Hairs of Your Head Are All Numbered”
Appendix: Healing Homosexuality
Bibliography
Foreword
N othing is more powerful than a testimony. The first time a person shared the best news that mankind ever received, it was in the form of a testimony.
Prophets had foretold it, mankind longed for it, but no one could have imagined it would be this good. That GOD would become one of us. I think even the angel Gabriel was stunned at the news he was given to deliver to Mary.
And after receiving Jesus, Mary was propelled by the love within her to reach out to help her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant—and her first words to Elizabeth didn’t come in the form of a proposition to consider, but an announcement of what God had done in her: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.” Testimony. She wasn’t glorifying God “out there,” but within her. She was bursting forth with joy about what he had done in her life. And she wanted the world to see that glory shining from inside of her because it was simply too good to keep to herself.
That’s what Saints do for us. They help us see the glory of God—shining through them, bursting forth from them. I think that unique way of seeing God’s glory will make heaven more beautiful. Saints make heaven more beautiful. The Saints (both capital and lower case) are like crystals that allow the light of God to shine in them, and that light refracts and blasts forth from each in an unrepeatable way—filling the space with their own colors and shapes. But here on earth, that uniquely refracted light has the practical purpose of being easier on the eyes than staring directly at the sun. In other words: It’s sometimes easier to grasp the Gospel and how to live it here and now when we see it “enfleshed” in holy lives.
But more. The testimony of saints also makes the Gospel attractive. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, “The ultimate apologetic (that is, the ultimate answer to people’s questions about Faith) is Saints.” One can always come up with new objections and questions when you offer them answers. That’s because so often those questions come from the will, not the intellect. People come up with questions because they want those questions as excuses to keep them from a way of life they perceive as unattractive. But saints are attractive. They’re beautiful. When we see the beaming face of pregnant Mary saying “my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord!” we don’t have questions. We just want some of what she has. All the powers of hell and all the objections of mankind are dumb and silent when they come face to face with a saint.
And when it comes to the most contentious issues of our day, the response of saints offering testimony is the only thing that will work in the end.
We can offer logical responses to attacks on the Church’s teaching on homosexuality, sexual ethics, gay marriage, and gender identity, and we should. But as we’ve seen, those arguments aren’t getting us very far.
What we need is a growing “cloud of witnesses” willing to say, “I’ve been there and done that. I’ve seen what the world has to offer, and I’ve found something better—immeasurably better—in Jesus Christ. Fulfillment isn’t found in sexual license, but in the love of God. My identity isn’t found in my sexual attractions but in him. I am not an L, G, B, or T; I am a child of the most high. My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord! I have found real love, real peace, real relationships, real joy, real LIFE in him. And it’s better than I could have imagined.”
People might disagree with our teachings, but like it or not, every human being is attracted to the light of saints sharing their joy.
That’s why the book you’re holding is so important. Whether you or someone you know has personally struggled with same sex attraction or not, I pray the testimony herein inspires you to deeper faith in the fulfillment of all desire: Jesus Christ.
And I’d ask you to join me in prayer that A. J.’s voice helps inspire a revolution—giving courage to the growing army of people who have experienced same sex attraction or gender confusion and found life, not in the empty propositions of a secular movement, but by following Jesus Christ in his Church.
Chris Stefanick
Preface
“Open Wide the Doors to Christ!”
D o not be afraid. Open wide the doors to Christ! To His saving power open the boundaries of States, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development. Do not be afraid. Christ knows “what is in man”. He alone knows it. So often today man does not know what is within him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So often he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on this earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns into despair. We ask you therefore, we beg you with humility and trust, let Christ speak to man. He alone has words of life, yes, of eternal life. 1
Arguably one of the holiest and most powerful saints in the history of the Church, Pope John Paul “the Great” put forth this charge to the Church in the homily of his inaugural Mass on October 22, 197