Johann, I can appreciate your phrase, "tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." This is good! I am a woman of God and follower of Jesus Christ and also not a Catholic. I am celibate, single and an Elder at 71. You make many good points! Following God and His Son is never easy for any of us. I am a returned Prodigal, who wandered from my Christian roots for 35 years, spent in sorrowful rebellion. I saw up close and personal, the lies of the devil. My own Substack is partially a chronicle of my huge mistakes in wandering and being ensnared in the disaster of the sexual revolution. It was only the mercy of God, Who pursued me for all those sad years and finally I came back Home, grateful that God did not give up on me. Continuing the narrow path is so worthy and a path I will pursue until He calls me Home. Blessings to you, Johann.
Even pre-Vatican II moral theology manuals (approved by the Church) permit oral foreplay. And mentioning this is an excellent way to identify pearl clutchers.
Well written and thought provoking. Thank you for sharing. You probably have it in other posts I haven't read but this feels very heavy on personal effort and discipline (necessary) but doesn't mention prayer life or God's grace in the struggle. We are up against Principalities and Dominions and are way out of our league without God's assistance. Thanks!
What is the incentive supposed to be for women to get behind this?
Historically we were legally subordinated, financially dependent and silenced in society. This is real and often had devastating effects on a woman's life. Today increasingly we are getting an education, being financially independent (helping us leave abusive situations, among other things), have numerous opportunities our great-grandmothers didn't, more confidence and greater legal protection. Why would we want to give this up, and go back to a patriarchal, rightwing, conservative dynamic that not only doesn't protect us, but in fact leaves us extremely vulnerable to brutality/degradation and oppression, with less recourse to do anything about it?
What appeal is there in shrinking yourself to make men feel big? What appeal is there in giving up your dreams and following a path of complete self-abnegation and subservience so that a man can thrive? What is the appeal in pretending to be inferior and acting as a submissive timorous maid so that the man can have his ego stroked by strutting around like the King/lord he thinks he is?
You have mentioned that your wife chose this life and is happy/fulfilled. That's wonderful for her. But can you acknowledge that most women don't want this? Can you give us the grace to choose our own life path, just as you and your wife have chosen yours?
I'm not being facetious; I'm genuinely curious. You seem to hold women's autonomy/self-will in low regard, viewing us as malleable/pieces of clay to be molded into something that serves a man like you, rather than human beings with our own goals, needs, fears, boundaries and views.
Rightwingers/strict conservatives speak about how to get the women 'on side', yet almost every chance you get, you reveal that you don't want to really have to treat women as people. Is the ultimate goal to become so powerful among the men that ultimately the woman's choice won't matter and it will be forced onto us? Is that not rightwing gender dynamics at its purest?
This was such a brilliant and necessary piece
The incel who abstains from porn and masturbation is acting virtuously.
Obligatory reference to The Young Pope’s “Sexy and I know it” scene
Johann, I can appreciate your phrase, "tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." This is good! I am a woman of God and follower of Jesus Christ and also not a Catholic. I am celibate, single and an Elder at 71. You make many good points! Following God and His Son is never easy for any of us. I am a returned Prodigal, who wandered from my Christian roots for 35 years, spent in sorrowful rebellion. I saw up close and personal, the lies of the devil. My own Substack is partially a chronicle of my huge mistakes in wandering and being ensnared in the disaster of the sexual revolution. It was only the mercy of God, Who pursued me for all those sad years and finally I came back Home, grateful that God did not give up on me. Continuing the narrow path is so worthy and a path I will pursue until He calls me Home. Blessings to you, Johann.
Even pre-Vatican II moral theology manuals (approved by the Church) permit oral foreplay. And mentioning this is an excellent way to identify pearl clutchers.
Well written and thought provoking. Thank you for sharing. You probably have it in other posts I haven't read but this feels very heavy on personal effort and discipline (necessary) but doesn't mention prayer life or God's grace in the struggle. We are up against Principalities and Dominions and are way out of our league without God's assistance. Thanks!
This is THE reason why I don’t attend the Latin Mass.
The culture that’s built around it is often chestless, full of LARPing, and in many ways, dishonest.
I would change my tune if Trad Catholics were paragons of sexuality ennobled and embodied. “Know them by their fruits.”
Unfortunately the trad caths who need to read this most are stuck in a self referential bubble that allows no other inputs.
What is the incentive supposed to be for women to get behind this?
Historically we were legally subordinated, financially dependent and silenced in society. This is real and often had devastating effects on a woman's life. Today increasingly we are getting an education, being financially independent (helping us leave abusive situations, among other things), have numerous opportunities our great-grandmothers didn't, more confidence and greater legal protection. Why would we want to give this up, and go back to a patriarchal, rightwing, conservative dynamic that not only doesn't protect us, but in fact leaves us extremely vulnerable to brutality/degradation and oppression, with less recourse to do anything about it?
What appeal is there in shrinking yourself to make men feel big? What appeal is there in giving up your dreams and following a path of complete self-abnegation and subservience so that a man can thrive? What is the appeal in pretending to be inferior and acting as a submissive timorous maid so that the man can have his ego stroked by strutting around like the King/lord he thinks he is?
You have mentioned that your wife chose this life and is happy/fulfilled. That's wonderful for her. But can you acknowledge that most women don't want this? Can you give us the grace to choose our own life path, just as you and your wife have chosen yours?
I'm not being facetious; I'm genuinely curious. You seem to hold women's autonomy/self-will in low regard, viewing us as malleable/pieces of clay to be molded into something that serves a man like you, rather than human beings with our own goals, needs, fears, boundaries and views.
Rightwingers/strict conservatives speak about how to get the women 'on side', yet almost every chance you get, you reveal that you don't want to really have to treat women as people. Is the ultimate goal to become so powerful among the men that ultimately the woman's choice won't matter and it will be forced onto us? Is that not rightwing gender dynamics at its purest?