State offering teens free mail order condoms; despite similar program in San Francisco schools, STD rates continue to climb

By Gibbons J. Cooney
Special to California Catholic Daily

“Teenagers in several counties can get condoms in the mail for free under a program launched this week and supported by state public health officials,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported Feb. 18.

“The Condom Access Project allows youth between the ages of 12 and 19 to order a package of 10 condoms, lube and health brochures online at TeenSource.org, a website run by the nonprofit California Family Health Council,” the newspaper reported.

The program will be available in Kern, Alameda, Sacramento and San Joaquin counties as well as parts of San Francisco, according to the Chronicle

The inclusion of San Francisco would seem to be redundant. Free condoms have been available in San Francisco public schools since at least 1997. The 2009-2010 “Student and Parent/Guardian Handbook” issued by the San Francisco Unified School District includes the entry: “High school students can secure condoms from licensed health care professionals or agencies at their school sites supported by health education. As part of the condom availability program, students receive information stressing abstinence as the safest method of preventing sexually transmitted disease, HIV infection, and pregnancy. Several community agencies which offer classroom presentations that address topics related to sexuality have been approved to give classroom presentations in San Francisco for elementary grades, middle school and high school.”

The “stressing of abstinence” is questionable. Another Chronicle published Feb. 16, reported: “Galileo High School celebrated Valentine’s Day in a style befitting San Francisco on Tuesday as hundreds of students lined up to ‘marry’ their sweethearts regardless of gender, sexual orientation or relationship status. They then learned how to correctly put on a condom using goggles that gave them a drunken view of things, and played a variety of games that promoted safer sex… At one table, health teacher Raina Meyers put goggles on students that made their vision slightly blurry, simulating a drunken state. She then told them to put a condom on a wooden penis.”

The article also reported: “Many students admitted they decided to participate after teachers said they would get extra credit.”

Ironically, the articles coincided with the release of preliminary data on the incidence of venereal diseases in the city and county of San Francisco for calendar year 2011. Despite the ubiquitous availability of free condoms, venereal diseases in San Francisco continue to increase.

The report, issued by the San Francisco Department of Public Health, said in part: “Preliminary data on reported STDs shows increases for chlamydia, gonorrhea and early syphilis in 2011.”

Detailed results were given: “Overall, reported chlamydia increased from 4,603 to 4,741 cases (3.0%) while male rectal chlamydia increased in 2011 from 914 to 959 cases for a 4.9% annual increase. Reported gonorrhea cases increased 15.4% from 1,943 in 2010 to 2,243 in 2011. Additionally, rectal gonorrhea among men also increased from 479 cases to 622 cases — a 38.2% increase. After declines in early syphilis seen in 2008, early syphilis continues to increase. In 2011, reported early syphilis increased by 3.5% from 659 cases to 682.”

READER COMMENTS

Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 1:30 AM By PAUL
The more the Schools and the State encourage sexual activity, the higher the STD rates, and the more abortions for underage children due to contraceptive failures. Things got worse when the Government took over the role of Parents regarding sexual education. Abstainence is the ONLY SAFE SEX.


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 5:35 AM By Prof Helen
Now I know why the college freshmen I get who attended Public High Schools don’t know ANY history. They are way too busy doing other things.


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 6:45 AM By MacDonald
Kern County?!? If they are doing this even THERE, they must be doing it on the moon, for goodness’ sake. I wish our poor children could enjoy, well, CHILDHOOD, instead of jumping into sex without marriage. Life seemed so much simpler when I was a kid…


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 7:31 AM By Larry
Whoever designed the above program must have been wearing those goggles at the time, thus giving him “a drunken view of things.”


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 7:42 AM By Canisius
How long before the entire state of California falls into the pacific


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 7:44 AM By OneoftheSheep
Better a millstone be tied around their necks and they plunge into the sea than that they harm one of God’s little ones. We are salt and light! Let us act accordingly.


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 8:45 AM By Ted
This is many things, none of which is education. The public school system is being used for social engineering, not to produce people who can reason and live independent of state assistance. I no longer live in California, and consider the state a disgrace to the rest of the United States, showing all others how NOT to act. Get your kids out of that school system if you possibly can. They are training them to be dependent, compliant subjects of state tyranny. Is that what people want for their kids ? It’s what you’ll get if you allow the state to control what they’re taught. That control is YOUR job, not a politician’s.


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 9:20 AM By Abeca Christian
GET YOUR FREE BIBLES TODAY!


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 9:48 AM By gordianknot
Where are the California Bishops in all this? Their silence is deafening.


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 11:43 AM By Peggy
Sodom and Gomorrah …


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 12:18 PM By FHKJ
Notice that the “kid” in the poster looks like a “homie” or gangster. Let’s let children be children! Our society has sexualized everything, including childhood. Parents need to step up and accept the responsibilities of parenthood. This program feeds adolescent rebellion which is a risky time for many teens. The long term spiritual, sociological and psychological consequences are sobering!


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 2:16 PM By JMJ
Where are all the lawyers that need extra money? Every child that comes down with a STD or girl that gets pregnant is a victim and all those that sponsor these acts teaches “sex education” is guilty of child endangerment and sexual assault; including the NEA and “planned parenthood” and all of your politicians that endorse this criminal action. It is no wonder that we the mystics are still warning about the horrible “natural” events that will take place out there in California very soon. With the likes of HELLYWOOD, Gov. Brown, Boxer, Pelosi, etc,; it just doesn’t like a place to be in in these last days. +JMJ+


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 2:40 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Larry, 7:31 AM. Why do you assume it was a “him”? God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 2:48 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
“Put A Cap On It”! How disrespectful of a gift of God can they be. I guess I shouldn’t ask that question since the depths of Hell are the limit! God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 3:29 PM By Delilah
Home School!!!! The only sex education a child needs is to see his/her mother and father hug each other and smile; to watch them talk to each other with love and respect; and to watch conflict resolution when done with love and not blame. Pax


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 4:07 PM By Tracy
Yes Ted, I agree, one of the surest way to secure Socialism and eliminating God from our society is by hooking our kids on sex.


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 4:52 PM By Dana
How sick is that, to make a child look like condom..that cap is way over the top. How sleezy and utterly cheap. The people that come up with such ridiculous ideas should be booted out of their comfy mediocrity and sent to work in the porn industry where such ‘talents’ are more appropriately placed. Perhaps that’s where they work their night jobs?


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 5:15 PM By Mark from PA
I agree with you FHJK. That cartoon is a little too much. That surely wouldn’t go over in our schools here in PA. I can’t believe that they would distribute that stuff to kids of 12 or 13, which is far below the age of consent. I don’t think I even knew what a condom was until I was 17 or 18. Things are sure different today. I just got back from an evening Mass and I was annoyed because a young girl of about 10-12 years old was reading a book during Mass. It made me wonder what one of the nuns that taught me in school would have said to her. God forgive me for being so judgmental but this bothered me.


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 10:24 PM By JLS
The appearance of the figure in the cartoon is worse than described by Dana. Those with symbolically deciphering eyes will see this. It is totally disgusting. Sex ed in schools is worse than any of the posts I’ve read let on. It is real bad … start asking teachers/administrators whom you know to dig into their real perceptions about it. You will be more shocked than you can imagine, especially when you see how enslaved to their abusive and perverse will the govt has forced teachers and administrators to be.


Posted Tuesday, February 21, 2012 10:59 PM By Abeca Christian
Abstinence is the ONLY SAFE option!


Posted Wednesday, February 22, 2012 7:22 AM By Anne T.
Yes, Kenneth Fisher, the way things are going now, it could be a girl in drag. I know. I know. I am incorrigible, but you cannot fault me for not telling the truth.


Posted Wednesday, February 22, 2012 10:57 AM By Anne T.
Sorry! Kenneth and Larry. I misread your posts. You were talking about the illustrator, and I was writing about the illustration. Although it could be true about both.


Posted Wednesday, February 22, 2012 11:24 AM By Abeca Christian
The liberal adults have lied to our youth and told them that they have no self respect or self control, they told them that they are animals that can not reason or use logic, therefore give them the condoms and sexual appetite that Hollywood has affected this society with. The condom companies are having a feast on this and with their actions and promotions, they are are profiting high as they unite with others to deceive children and destroying their self worth! Preying on innocent teens, the bad teens are using this to their advantage by pressuring many to give up their virginity all because they say “but I love you.”. How many good girls meet a bad boy and how many good families are hurting as they see their children being influenced by the immoral, as they try so hard to keep their child pure but the forces are far great!


Posted Wednesday, February 22, 2012 5:44 PM By Abeca Christian
Condoms are bad for the environment! LOL


Posted Wednesday, February 22, 2012 11:06 PM By Abeca Christian
Hey liberals condoms are bad for the environment! Mr. Al Gore do something quick because the condoms will plug up our oceans and then we will see more global warming issues. Geese stop the hypocrisy, these liberals care more on secular issues than the salvation of our youth, their answer to an unending problem is to give them free condoms! SICK! When will the madness end!


Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 1:18 AM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Abeca, 11:24 AM, As one who shamefully used that line to many times, I totally agree with you. God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher


Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:00 AM By Catherine
Kenneth M. Fisher, “As one who enjoys close association with many good Bishops, let me assure you that they would tell you to expose the filth.” Kenneth, I think you might be personally going overboard and carrying out that mission with TMI = Too Much Information. Did those good Bishops tell you that even after *you* have gone to confession and had your sins forgiven that *you* should expose the previous intricate details of your own personal filth on Catholic websites with mixed readers young and old so you could: 1. change hearts? 2. convert sinners? 3. to influence young people to say, Well, Ken Fisher was once out there sowing all those fun wild oats (many times) and he turned around so why can’t I give it a fun whirl? 4. to sound like you are a conquerer of sin but occasionally remind everyone that you were also once a fun conquerer of women? Kenneth, you are a wonderful warrior for the truth. I love that you quote St. Catherine of Sienna exhortation to not be silent. I do not remember St. Augustine after his great conversion and his Confessions exposing such a distinctly personal intricate detail of filth for people to ever have to reflect on. Yes, and I do understand that generalities have to be discussed to reach out to bring people closer to Christ. Yes, Ken you even did use the word shamefully but you are a beacon of goodness and light and some details are certainly better left in the confessional. Ken I value all of your other posts so tremendously that if I have misunderstood what your 11:24 AM post meant please let me know.


Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:18 AM By Anne T.
And, Catherine, I should not be so flippant about the whole thing, especially when young lives are at stake. There is nothing funny about what some are teaching the young now.


Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:19 AM By Anne T.
Mea culpa!


Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:34 AM By Anne T.
On the other hand, Catherine, many years ago there was a song put out called “The House of the Rising Sun” by a group called The Animals. In it the singer was telling his young son not do what he had done hoping that his son would learn from his mistakes; nevertheless, the one singing the song, I believe Eric Burton, did not go into detail about all his mistakes but used generalities. Of course you are right that we should not tell our past sins in detail to anyone as that can have the opposite effect. Lord give us wisdom, the attendant at thy throne.


Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:48 AM By Catherine
Kenneth Fisher, I would like to correct and clarify that my 9:00 AM post was referring to your 1:18 AM post where you responded to Abeca’s 11:24 AM post.


Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 11:39 AM By Catherine
Anne T. Thank you for your response and thank you for understanding what I meant about generalities. I specifically remember several people telling me that they told their own children about the many different drugs they had experimented with when they were young. One was a neighbor and she knocked on my door crying because she regretted telling her son the specific details of the certain drugs she had used when she was her son’s age. This was a big mistake and how she suffered tremendously because of it. Two children conceived out of wedlock with strippers who were also on drugs. Her son yelled at her and said, “You did it mom so why was it so wrong for me to try it?” I am not saying that this young man can blame his actions on his mother but even the mother felt that he had taken the wrong message from her warnings. She now felt that she had removed all of her own ability to influence him because she had told him about the drugs she did. There is a very fine line drawn in prudential parenting. Every child truly desires to see their own mother and their own father in a favorable light. This surely helps to plant much more solid a footing on the narrow path. Yes, I know that there are some children who do get involved with drugs without having the experience of a parent telling them about the drugs they did when they were young. No good parent wants that on their conscience that they unintentionally helped their children to consider the risk of just trying it because, after all, my mom or dad did. I believe the same applies to raising the bar with others when we are addressing the oppressing evils of the day. People are looking for a lighthouse and in today’s darkness. Kenneth Fisher loves the Catholic Faith. I think we truly help others when we shine the light upwards toward Christ, not back down on the mud we have once rolled in.


Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 9:09 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Catherine, 9:00 AM When one is close to someone, one can pretty well tell what they would say in certain situations. On my part, I only wrote what I wrote in the hope that it will help others in their ongoing struggles and of course to confirm what Abeca had written. God bless, yours in Their Hearts, Kenneth M. Fisher


Posted Thursday, February 23, 2012 11:14 PM By Abeca Christian
Catherine you are going to be surprised but actually Mr. Fisher has helped because he confirmed what I said and I had a room full of teenager girls today who have boyfriends.(their parents let them and I try to explain to them why they are too young to consider having boyfriends) I told them that boys say I love you speech to get in their pants. Some admitted that they already had boys proposition them and pressured them into having sex and one even said that her ex boyfriend also promised to get condoms and that he promised not to get her pregnant. I told them that it was the oldest line in the book and that we can learn from our gentlemen who know how boys think. I understand what you mean but I think that girls needs to hear it more often that boys think like boys and they use charm to try to get what they want. Girls too are provocative but I have been seeing a trend right now with boys looking for girls who are virgins, they intentionally spot them and try to be their first. It’s sick but it’s true. So I have been trying to reach out to some of them but I think that when they hear it from men on how teen boys think, it helps more than me, a woman speaking. Just saying.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 6:10 AM By k
The website-I cannot believe they will email sex tips to kids. Who is having sex with these 12 years olds? “If your condom breaks, go to a clinic.” “As a teen you have a right to abortion services.” “Download the ACLU brochure.” It is extrememly damaging for people to start having sex at a very young age. What is wrong with these people?


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 7:29 AM By JLS
You can tell kids that you did drugs and learned that they are destructive … but the kids will see that you are in good shape and thus they will not understand what you mean by destructive. One solution: Pull up the website that shows before and after pics of meth addicts. Pull up photos of drunk driving accidents. If the kid knows nothing but a broken family, then the objective here would be to introduce the kid to a great family … hmn, isn’t that what parish communities are about?


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 7:55 AM By Catherine
Kenneth Fisher, They say that for every expressed opinion there are 100 people who did not express anything but feel the same way. There are probably many who even disagree with me, “No big deal” and some who don’t care one way or the other. I understand your comment, “When one is close to someone, one can pretty well tell what they would say in certain situations.” I also understand that you were confirming what Abeca had written. I think you could have expressed in a general way that Abeca’s post held much truth. I will be saddened if you miss the point I am trying to convey. I am talking about the internet and people who may not know you and about people who probably do know you. Kenneth, please don’t be offended. It is precisely due to the fact that you write the beautiful words, “God bless, yours in Their hearts” that I am complimenting you and I am holding you to such a high standard. You consistently have such wise posts on CCD.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 9:30 AM By Catherine
Abeca, I always remember Mother Angelica saying, “I do not need to personally view a dirty movie to comprehend that dirty movies do exist.” Also Abeca, be careful with those roomful of teenagers. There is a fine line that could backfire. I know that I would surely want to be present if someone was giving my young daughter sex education talks in their home. Wouldn’t you? I know many parents have shirked their duty but the point is, wouldn’t you want to be present? Did the parents of the girls ask you to educate them or give you permission to give these young girls the “I love you so I can commit sin with you talk? I don’t know, maybe they did. The CCC teaches us that parents are to be the primary instructors.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 11:16 AM By Abeca Christian
Yes Catherine I am huge in promoting parental empowerment. I think that you must enjoy taking each conversation a little bit farther than it should go. It’s becoming petty. The girls that were here visiting my daughter are girls that I normally don’t allow my daughter to hang out with them alone, one has even been raped at a party, some have already boyfriends pushing sex on them. They come from divorced parents, one has a dad who molested her. Catherine wish I can go in details with you but I think that it would be to much info. While I agree with JLS on not telling kids that some adults tried drugs, I agree, we don’t want to give them permission to try drugs but that does not compare to helping girls understand the reality oh how most boys think, girls are more into romance and some boys are not, they may seem like it but they are more about having sex. Girls think they are loved but no it’s not that, it’s all about lust. So Mr. Kenneth was fine and from hearing from specialist, it helps when respectable gentlemen explain to young ladies that how boys think from their personal experience of once being of an immature age, he did just fine.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 11:21 AM By Abeca Christian
JLS one should never tell an adolescence their past mistakes in terms of drug use, alcohol etc. It is only giving them more ammo and maybe perhaps a reason to try drugs. Now unless someone died of drug usage, or died from drinking and driving and they are no longer here. Parents who lost their children due to drug use or drinking and driving have helped other children by sharing their story about their child that they lost. It’s a sad story to hear and pictures to see of children gone due to those instances, usually do touch others.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 11:31 AM By Abeca Christian
Even a good priest once said, that before his conversion, he too use to play with young girls minds. He had a conversion and repented then but now he looks back and feels terrible for having taken away some girls purity. He realized that perhaps he may have contributed to their down fall in their self worth and how much he may have broken their hearts. He warned parents and their daughters, on how such boys, especially when he was such a charmer and the girls were naive and so trusting.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 2:31 PM By Catherine
Abeca, You have always posted on the sincere meaning of true charity. I have taken you seriously. I did not write what I wrote to be petty. You entered into the conversation that I posted to Kenneth Fisher and I lovingly responded to you. Abeca, please go and ask your Traditional priest if he feels that it is a good thing for a priest to let impressionable minds hear how wild they once were. There are differing opinions on that. There are many old school opinions that would never promote this. Abeca, This is actually an excellent topic to discuss. There are different thoughts about what you have just brought up. Many Traditional Orders do not think it is a good idea for their priests or other priests to tell young girls or their mothers how wild they once were by taking away the purity of young girls or how they messed with the minds of girls while they were charming them. Abeca, Old school Tradition would not agree with this. Once again I am talking about pouring new wine into new wineskins. Our priests need to become holy. Pope Benedict XVI has asked that they become holy. The best way for a priest to teach is by his own current example of personal holiness and by adhering to the Teachings of the Catholic Church that can be found in the CCC. It is a very sad testimony that so many problems do exist because of the lack of morality in society. The family is under attack. Children are often left to themselves or they experience terrible abuse or terrible neglect. One faithful priest has commented that misuse of the internet with pornography is a great evil that plagues mankind. The reason that Pope Benedict XVI lovingly reminds all priests to become holy is not so they can look back and teach from the provocative entertaining memories of their past unholiness but from their current example that is now stemming from and rooted in personal holiness.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 3:22 PM By Abeca Christian
Catherine I want to apologize, I know that you are always quick to want to give advice but I have to remember that you do not know me and you have a heart that wants to cover everything including by charitably giving advice even when you are speaking to the choir. I apologize if I sounded harshly on my last post to you, that was not my intention, I know you don’t know me and I’m sorry that I lead you to believe negatively in my intent. I’m sure if you knew me personally you would appreciate my charitable work more, so I can’t fault you but I appreciate your care and input to make sure I don’t over step my boundaries. Lets just say that my life I give to the Holy Ghost and allow Him to lead me in the direction He see’s needed. I may not always know what that is but I pray for to do always God’s will, as imperfect as I am. Thank you sweet friend. God bless you. Again my apologies for coming off wrong. Thank you for your comments, they are well taken and being placed in my heart for future consideration. : )


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 4:40 PM By Abeca Christian
The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; Tutus 2:3


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 4:42 PM By Mark from PA
To me it seems that the men who were wilder when they were younger are more respected here. A lot of women have a soft spot for “bad boys”. I wasn’t really a charmer when I was a teen and when people talk about how boys think it reminds me of how I thought. I was a chaste virgin as a teen. Sometimes I long for the purity of heart and goodness that I had as a young person.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 4:54 PM By Abeca Christian
Catherine your post from 2:31 I did not see when I wrote my post from February 24, 2012 3:22 PM. Catherine I am not old school, I don’t know what our age difference is between you and I. But the way you think in this topic is not the way I was raised. I have always heard my uncles and even some of my male cousins tell me, when I was a teen, how boys thought, they were charitably warning me. My uncle told me that sometimes we girls live in a fantasy romance novel and think that the guys is always prince charming but he is not, he said take it from “me” a male, I can tell you that most teens in this present time of society era, do not respect woman and if a woman gave the impression of being lose, that they will attract the wrong type of guys. He told me stories of how his friends would just brag of how many girls they had. So to me, I thought that was kind of him to care enough about my purity and express to me the reality from even their own. I grew up in the NO mass, we had good priests who meant well. Father Corapi once told of his past story, so did other priests who converted, some come from the Charismatic movement. Well anyway, I’m sure your views hold some weight and you are preaching to the choir, maybe some will read your comments here and reflect on it. But I saw nothing wrong with Mr. Fishers comments.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 4:58 PM By Abeca Christian
@Catherine. Continued.. I don’t know what else to to tell you. I hope we don’t turn this into a long lecture. I am living with the reality of today’s teens, I use to reach out to gays as well, I saw much and been exposed to what works to reach them at their level of spirituality and even that to some it was not enough, we can only plant the seed and pray for them. Sometimes they just want someone they can relate and they don’t want someone who preaches yet hasn’t been in those shoes. I don’t know what to tell you, but if my kids had someone in their path who sought to be holy, cared for their salvation and knew somethings about the choices that child was going when in the wrong direction, I hope that God sends someone that can instruct them well, because sometimes all it takes is someone with genuine godly authority. There is not many adults who are that way in today’s times. We are rare Catherine. Well at least in my area.


Posted Friday, February 24, 2012 8:07 PM By Abeca Christian
Mark PA it’s good that you were that way back then. I just wish that today you would see how wrong homosexual lifestyles are.


Posted Saturday, February 25, 2012 7:34 AM By Mark from PA
Abeca Christian, I didn’t know that much about gay people when I was a teen and young adult. I did see how some men treated women and was troubled by it. Because I was taught by nuns, I think I had a different view of things. I always saw women as equal to men. Even today so many women are exploited. I read in the New York paper about how Mexican women are lured to this country and end up being slaves. It is tragic how so many women are abused in this country.


Posted Saturday, February 25, 2012 10:09 AM By Catherine
Abeca, Thank you for your kind response. Last week our priest made the most incredibly simple yet truthful statement in his homily. He said, “Sin complicates everything!” Do we want joy in our lives? If we do want joy then simply stop sinning. He asked if people ever pay attention to their lives if they are sinning? Our lives become so very complicated when we try to accommodate sin as if it were an added luxury. Well, it isn’t a luxury and their is a heavy price to be paid when we sin. Sin complicates.


Posted Saturday, February 25, 2012 10:12 AM By Catherine
Mark from PA, You wrote, “Sometimes I long for the purity of heart and goodness that I had as a young person.” Please read my last post.


Posted Saturday, February 25, 2012 10:45 AM By JLS
Great call, Abeca: I worded my post in a bad way; should have said “If an adult tells kids …, they won’t believe it’s bad”.


Posted Saturday, February 25, 2012 10:46 AM By JLS
k, you should dig further into what you posted about “Why and who” are interfering with the lives of 12 year olds. “Grooming”? Creating a large pool of sex activists? Bringing the child brothels of Thailand to America?


Posted Saturday, February 25, 2012 10:51 PM By Abeca Christian
Catherine beautiful comments. I just know that we can not stop sinning. It’s our human nature, unfortunately. If we didn’t sin, we may not even comprehend God’s unending mercy and forgiveness nor be able to comprehend how His graces move us. I don’t know if I explained myself well. But your priest is right sin complicates things, even sin that is imposed or provoked. You are right it is key to do daily reflection. How a person is lead to that point, it is not from us but from God’s graces. How do some of us get blessed to embrace them and how are some not able to even reach to even being close to them. it’s a mystery to me. But remember sweet sister in Christ, that Mr. Fisher only made a simple comment, he did not go into details, and we may have complicated things by adding more to his comments.


Posted Saturday, February 25, 2012 10:57 PM By Abeca Christian
But before all things have a constant mutual charity among yourselves: for charity covereth a multitude of sins. ~1 Peter 4:8.


Posted Sunday, February 26, 2012 3:09 PM By Abeca Christian
JLS now I am confused with your comments “”If an adult tells kids …, they won’t believe it’s bad”. Not entirely always a fact. Your intelligent I’m sure you’ll figure it out. having kids of my own, they are all individuals, some listen better and some struggle a little bit more. Life…….has it’s lessons.


Posted Monday, February 27, 2012 7:15 PM By JLS
You’re totally right on this, Abeca. My posts are not clear. What I’m trying to say is that if an adult tells kids that they partied out excessively, well the kids will not believe it. Why? Because the adult is still alive, doing well, and does not reflect that excessive partying out has any bad effects, especially any that are permanent. Yes, the Sacrament of Confession absolves one from guilt, but not the consequences of the sin … unless there is “perfect” contrition, which is supposedly extraordinarily rare. Maybe you can simplify this. OK, if a dead man comes back … hey, I remember a Scripture on this … and testifies, will people believe him? Jesus said something about this.


Posted Monday, February 27, 2012 7:26 PM By JLS
Let me try it this way, then: Adult shows photo of himself in attendance at Woodstock in 1969 and tells the kid never to use drugs ’cause they’ll rot his brain. Kid looks at adult and says either: a) I can see that, or b) you’re lying.


Posted Friday, March 02, 2012 10:51 PM By Abeca Christian
JLS you must have been tired when you thought up the last post. : )