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Saint John Paul the Great

Author and Chastity Speaker Jason Evert discusses how to know #SaintJohnPaultheGreat even better through looking at...

Posted by EWTN on Friday, May 8, 2015

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Catholic Answers Live: Jason Evert, Freedom from Pornography (mp3, rm)

Living As A Man of God: An Interview with Jason Evert
Love Undefiled: More great youtube videos: Jason Evert

Jason Evert - Modesty and Romance

Thoughts on a Sunday

I find sympathy cards to be the worst-written cards, in general. I looked through the card section at Target and I couldn't find much that was suitable. Most of the messages were rather lame; some of the words even seemed to be a bit self-serving or self-centered. Of course, many of the religious cards presumed that the deceased was already in heaven, while the non-religious cards expressed the hope or wish that pleasant memories of the deceased and the "warm feelings of love" from the people around the bereaved would be of comfort to them. These days I find it's better for most occasions to find a blank card in which I can write down something genuine and sincere, if not original.

While it has been some comfort spending time with high school friends, they haven't changed and the distance between us remains considerable. At least when I was living elsewhere, the physical separation could justify the spiritual separation. But now that I am back in California, I find that I do not see most of them often, which causes me to ask once again what the best way to handle friendships (even more so with what seem to be nonstarters), and what the "natural course" for them is.

I was listening to an EWTN program with Jason Evert and his wife on AM 1260 (someone should bring him out here to talk to teens), and I do miss fellowship with serious Catholics. He and his wife were talking about chastity and purity, of course. He even mentioned oxytocin, telling the audience that the bonding and emotional attachment caused by oxytocin can impair our judgment. Hence people who have sex before marriage may find themselves staying in a bad relationship because of the bond that is formed through sexual intimacy.

Oxytocin : the hormone of love
Empathy and Oxytocin Lead to Greater Generosity
Oxytocin Hormone: The Cuddle Hormone is the Body's Own Love Potion ...
Level Of Oxytocin In Pregnant Women Predicts Mother-child Bond
BBC NEWS | Health | Scientists create 'trust potion'
Oxytocin increases trust in humans : Nature
wiki

In general, the people attending the 12:00 Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas are mostly older, though there are a few young families. Where do young Catholics meet? I suppose I could try the local theology-on-tap, or a parish young adult group (but there's an age limit for the one at OLP). Single Catholics should spend time with other people. Catholic singles should spend time with other Catholics, not only because they may be looking for a spouse, but to find friends. I suppose in a situation like this, when one is rather isolated and the possibilities for meeting people are limited, all one can do is pray.

If they bring back a full-time youth minister at St. Joseph's, maybe the new minister can invite Jason Evert and some other speakers for a series. (The parish seems to be doing well financially, after all...) What do the children and adolescents at St. Maria Goretti Church know about her? Or St. Dominic Savio, for that matter? We do need youth ministers who are like St. John Bosco--should there be separate youth ministry groups for males and females? While they are normally 'co-ed,' perhaps there should be some segregation, with the two groups meeting for social events and the like. Even if one does not accept that the vocations of husband/father and wife/mother are different, perhaps one will at least concede that separating males from females will have the benefit of removing distractions. Still, how many attending youth ministry meetings are interested in finding a bf or gf there? (And not because their parents want them to go?)

Office of Respect Life Education: Jason Evert Presentations
Catholic Answers: Seminars: Jason Evert
Pure Love Club

If I were a priest, I might say something during a homily to the congregation about leaving church right after receiving Holy Communion. Perhaps for the Gospel reading in which Christ heals 10 lepers and only one returns to thank him (Luke 17:11-19). Surely, most Catholics need to be reminded of the necessity of making a proper act of Thanksgiving after Communion. Would you think of turning your back on someone rich and powerful who had just done a favor for you or given you something of great value? Than ask yourself if you are showing the proper gratitude to God after receiving the most precious Gift possible. The gas station/fillerup mentality towards the Sacraments needs to be corrected. Where are people russhing off to? What could possibly be more important than spending time with Our Lord? Perhaps they are receiving Communion because of rote habit, one of culture more than of religion. Is there any connection to the bishops (and St. Pius X's) encouraging people to receive Communion frequently? Or is it a feature of the American Church before Vatican II that has persisted, despite the decline in catechesis? (One does wonder though whether Americans were receiving an adequate education on Christian spirituality before the council.) Now if there are pressing obligations to be attended to that would be a different story, but even a quick act of Thanksgiving should be possible.

I'm meeting up with my sister KK and her husband and my mother for dinner at Joy Luck Place, since KK is craving some noodles. I don't know if my father will be going. We had dinner last night at Pan Tao; the dishes are about $2 more than Victoria Seafood in Boston, but the quality is about the same, for the most part. There is a dearth of good, cheap Cantonese food here in the South Bay. After Mass I went to Jamba Juice in the afternoon, over at Cupertino Oaks. A couple of doors down from the Jamba Juice is a Quickly. I've never tried Quickly--I don't care much for pearl drinks and such, preferring smoothies. I decided to satiate my craving for a smoothie today instead of going later this week. (Mango-a-go-go!)

Edit:
Joy Luck Place was ok. I ordered the cha siu min -- there was a lot of cha siu (barbeque pork) in it, more than what I got at Fat Wong's over in Millbrae. The prices are comparable to Cafe Salinas, though. I wonder if my brother-in-law thought he got enough beef this time.

Pure Love Club

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Revolution of Love interview with Jason Evert

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Jason Evert on Abstinence Education at The Abstinence ...
ZENIT - What Abstinence Education Gets Right
ZENIT - Talking to Teens About God's Plan for Sex and Their Lives

Romance Without Regret
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Here you go Sarge: Talking with Stephanie Smith

What Abstinence Education Gets Right

What Abstinence Education Gets Right
Interview With Chastity Speaker Jason Evert



SAN DIEGO, California, JULY 12, 2007 (Zenit.org).- A recent study published by a public policy research firm that claims abstinence education programs aren't effective, doesn't tell the whole story, says an expert.

Jason Evert, an international chastity speaker, author and full-time apologist for Catholic Answers, disagrees with the methods and findings of the study by Mathematica Policy Research, Inc .

Evert shared with ZENIT what the study gets wrong, and what good abstinence education programs get right in helping teens save sex for marriage.

Q: A recent study found that abstinence-education programs "don't work." What, specifically, did the study find? What do you think of the study's findings?

Evert: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc., tracked 1,209 students in four elementary and middle school abstinence programs to determine if the education they received impacted their sexual behavior. What the researchers found was that the "programs had no effect on the sexual abstinence of youth" two to five years after the program ended.

This study, however, had serious flaws.

First, the students in the study were between the ages of nine and 11, which is hardly the age at which young people understand the relevance of an abstinence message.

Second, the study had no high school component, and the students had no follow-up to the program -- especially when they would have needed it the most, during the teenage years.

In the words of the Mathematica researchers, "The findings provide no information on the effects programs might have if they were implemented for high school youth or began at earlier ages but served youth through high school."

Third, the researchers did not evaluate a comparable sexual education program in order to compare the findings.

Fourth, the majority of the students were poor African American children from broken families. Such youth are considered high risk for early sexual activity. Therefore, their behaviors are not representative of most young people.

Fifth, the sample of four schools studied represents less than 1% of the more than 900 abstinence programs that receive federal funding.

Sixth, the abstinence programs that were studied have already been revised and updated. Therefore, any conclusions drawn from them are outdated.

The Mathematica study was released for one reason: to influence congressional leaders to restrict the amount of funding given to abstinence education.

Since the early 1990s, abstinence education has received millions of dollars in federal grants. Although the government provides $12 worth of sexual education for every $1 given to promote abstinence, any financial support for abstinence means less money available for its opponents.

The good news about this study is that it shows how desperate the opponents of abstinence education have become. If this research -- which cost taxpayers $6 million -- is the best case against the effectiveness of abstinence education, we're in good shape.

The media's frenzy over this study is another effort to distract the public from the fact that sexual education has been a complete failure.

After decades of "safe sex" education in the United States, nearly half of the 19 million new sexually transmitted disease infections each year are among people between the ages of 15 and 24.

In the words of Heritage Foundation researcher Robert Rector, "The number-one determinant of whether a person will catch a sexually transmitted disease is the number of lifetime sexual partners. We seem to go out of our way as a government and a nation to avoid telling people that, but we hand out a lot of free condoms."

Q: Do all sexual education programs have the same goal? Are they simply various methods for approaching the public health issues of venereal disease and out-of-wedlock pregnancies?

Evert: There are hundreds of different sexual education programs, and their goals vary. Some focus on HIV or teen pregnancy prevention, while others peddle contraceptives or promote perverse ideologies.

For example, Allendale Pharmaceuticals -- makers of a contraceptive sponge -- gave grant money to Planned Parenthood to create a sexual education curriculum for teens. In this program, the curriculum discusses the sponge 28 times, and birth control is mentioned more than 10 times more than abstinence.

One lesson in the curriculum even tells the teens to create their own advertisement for birth control. Later in the program, the textbook argues that there would be fewer teen pregnancies in America if there wasn't so much social and political pressure for teens to be abstinent until marriage.

While some sexual education programs have been used to stir up business for birth control companies, others expose children to graphic sexual content.

For example, The Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States recommends in their "Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education" that 5- to 8-year-olds should learn about lesbians being in love.

Meanwhile, they propose that 15-year-olds should know that some people choose to watch pornography as a way to enhance sexual fantasies.

Lest you assume that the Centers for Disease Control would control such nonsense, even they funded a transgender beauty pageant in San Francisco.

One thing that all sexual education programs seem to have in common is their relativistic approach to sexual values. Pervading the curricula is the idea that "only you can choose the right time for becoming sexually active."

Because of this mentality, abstinence is looked at as a form of birth control, and is not given great emphasis. When abstinence is discussed, the arguments in favor of such a lifestyle are hardly convincing.

For example, Planned Parenthood's Web site for teens states, "Some people may choose to be sexually abstinent in certain circumstances. A person who just broke up with someone might abstain from dating and sex play because being close to another person might not feel right, yet."

Not surprisingly, sexual education programs spend an average of 4.7% of their content on the topic of abstinence.

Q: Let's assume abstinence education programs in schools "don't work." What next?

Evert: Suppose a school offered an anti-drug and alcohol program to its students, and the curriculum failed to have a positive impact.

Imagine, as a result, that the school board concluded, "We need to take a more comprehensive approach. Let's encourage the students to refuse drugs, and give clean syringes to those who are going to do it anyway. For those who choose to drink and drive, we should encourage the use of seat belts. After all, we need to be realistic."

No one would take such an approach with drugs or drinking because there is unanimous consent that such behaviors are harmful for teens. This is where abstinence and sexual education programs diverge.

Those in the sexual education camp do not believe that unwed sexual activity is inherently harmful. Meanwhile, those in favor of abstinence know what's at stake -- and therefore prefer an approach focused on prevention instead of risk-reduction.

If certain abstinence programs are defective, the weaknesses must be identified and the deficiencies remedied.

For example, if a program failed to have a long-term impact, the educators should build into the curriculum such features as a longer follow-up or greater parental involvement. If the program is still defective, it should be dropped in favor of one that has already been evaluated with positive results.

Q: Would abolition of all sexual education programs in schools, including abstinence-based programs, foster more parental involvement?

Evert: No. The elimination of sexual education in schools will not prompt parents to become more involved in the lives of their children. This would be like thinking that parents would exercise more with their children if schools dropped physical education classes.

Indeed, parents are the primary sex educators of their children. The family is a school of all virtues, including chastity. When parents practice this virtue in their marriage, the children will see why Pope John Paul II called chastity "the sure way to happiness."

In order for parents to learn the value of chastity, the Church must proclaim it with courage from the pulpits. Especially through promotion of Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body, children and adults can discover God's plan for life and love.

Q: Are there any successful abstinence programs with which you are familiar?

Evert: Programs offered by Project Reality, Heritage Keepers, Sex Respect, Teen Aid, Friends First, PEERS, Pure Love Club, Project REACH and many others have been evaluated with very positive results.

More than 30 scientific evaluations have shown that abstinence education reduces sexual activity and has positive effects on teens.

For example, the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health demonstrated that girls who take virginity pledges are 40% less likely to have a child out-of-wedlock than young women who do not make such pledges.

Contrary to what you may see in the media, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that teen sexual activity rates have been dropping since 1991, and now the majority of high school students are virgins.

In fact, between 1991 and 2005 the sexual activity rate of high school boys dropped twice as quickly as that of high school girls. The increase in abstinence education has played a major role in this new sexual revolution.

Q: What can Catholic schools learn from the failures of various programs in public schools? What should Catholic schools be doing about sexual education?

Evert: The first lesson to be learned is that one cannot simultaneously deliver a convincing abstinence message while explaining how to practice "safe sex."

Second, Catholic schools should make sure that their materials are age-appropriate, medically accurate and in conformity with the wishes of the parents. When it comes to sexuality education, schools and churches exist to assist the parents, not replace them.

Teenagers are looking for love and searching for meaning in their lives. At a time when they are so vulnerable to the temptations of the world, they deserve to hear the convincing power of the beauty of God's plan for human sexuality.