VIEWPOINTS
‘Sex Education’ – 4/7
“Formation in Human Sexuality” – this substance is what the Catholic Church subscribes to and endorses to humanity for observance. Such a seemingly plain and simple phrase in reality forwards and implies certain profound yet understandable, rather complicated but acceptable and tenable truths in the Order of Natural. By the way, even if only for the record, Natural Law is an integral part of Divine Law – the other part of which is Positive Law. Among other things, this means that people better not fool around with the Law of Nature – under the risk of their dehumanization nor pitiful destruction. This is why when the Church draws some of its more fundamental teachings from the Order of Nature or from Natural Law, such could be anything but light in significance, much less tomfoolery in essence and consequences.
Formation: Specifically in conjunction to human persons, their progressive humanization comes in a three tier stages: Information which means the acquisition of knowledge. Formation that says the absorption of values. Transformation that signifies a substantive change for the better. In other words, while information about sex it not enough, formation regarding the lofty or noble nature and implications of sex is the minimum requirement for the objective understanding of its nature and implications. Transformation is the genuine comprehension of human sexuality as a sacred gift with sacred purposes that thus changes the disposition and actuation of the transformed agent for the better – always!
Sexuality: Properly speaking, “sex” as a genital factor, immediately and directly forwards carnal thoughts and physical assumptions. On the other hand, the term “sexuality” rightly and properly implies the phenomenon of generation, reproduction and procreation. By the way, while a husband and wife acting on their respective sexuality, provides the material (paternal sperm fertilizing the maternal egg), they neither have the capacity nor the endowment to likewise engender the human soul and human spirit for the emergence of a human person out of the said material – realities which remain in the exclusive dominion of the Creator. This is why children are said to be “procreated” by their mama and papa.
Human: This is what makes the essential difference between just “sex” and “human sexuality.” In this context, the reality of sex is not something taken away from the human person with the latter’s intrinsic dignity and prerogatives. Instead, sex remains as an integral part of the human person as it must simply because it is. For this reason, the learning acquired by children and youngsters in this delicate matter is inexorably pegged to the human person who is not an angel, but certainly much less an animal. Thus stands the significance and relevance of “Formation in Human Sexuality.” (So, what else?)
