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A wedding, more than any other event in life, as we have all experienced, means
JOYFUL CELEBRATION - and the preparations, together with the celebrations that follow,
continue for days. Why ? Because the union of a man and woman in marriage means
two wonderful things : LOVE and NEW LIFE. Everyone is so happy for the couple, that
we all join enthusiastically in their joy.
1. Read the following paragraph silently and reflecton the statements
that follow it ( Take full 15 minutesor more) :
Sex is a wonderful blessing given to us by the Lord that serves to express intimacy
between a man and a woman. The sexual relation is properly expressed only in marriage,
between a husband and wife. Any sexual contact between unmarried people is sinful,
since it violates God's design.
God says (Gen : 2:24) that when a man and a woman get married, they become one flesh.
Thus, the expression of physical union or the sexual act (that is, the introduction
of the penis of the man into the vagina of the woman) in an act of lovehas
a spiritual aspect to it. "The two become one flesh", which means that the sexual
relation is a sacred experience. The sexual union is God-ordained and God-given
and must be experienced in a godly way within marriage. God's design and purpose
for sex is that it be an act of love to provide pleasure, companionship, intimacy
and blessing for the spouses, and to bring forth childern.
Thus, the act of pro-creation, that is, the sexual act, in human beings, is meant
to be an act of love, since it is a sharing in the creative action of God himself,
which is one of love. For this reason, this act is, for the couple, the highest
way of expressing love and God has attached to it a bliss which is unimaginable.
Reflect seriously on the following statements :
- Marital fidelity, that is, faithfulness in marriage, means avoiding physical sexual
activity of any kind, including fantasies (thoughts, imagination) even before marriage,
that is, keeping onself "pure", for the partner who will come into one's life some
day.
- What is morality in the area of sex and marriage ? This depends on 3 questions :
Who is the author of sex and marriage ? What is his purpose here ? How will my behaviour
affect others, besides myself, involved in my marriage, that is, my partner and
our childern ? Based on these questions, we see that the following activities are
not permissible - solitary sex, homosexuality, pre-marital sex, infidelity, divorce,
abortion (including most artificial methods of family planning).
2. Marriage and family life are the basic unit of every society and they
are of the greatest importance to all. A society is healthy, stable, energetic and
imbued with moral values in proportion to the measure in which families possess
these qualities. A nation can be strong, even if it sustains crushing economic and
political burdens, so long as its families are strong. Healthy marriages and good
stable family life must be the concern of every civic-minded person. Even if a nation
has material wealth and political status, it can be crumbling away, if its families
are falling apart and riddled with moral decay.
Assaults on Marriage and the Family are on the increase. The present-day media,
with an eye to increase its circulation in the market, is over-enthusiastic about
highlighting a culture of domination, corruption, injustice, and discrimination,
as if everything today is revolving round sex and violence. The sacredness of marriage
and intimate relationships between partners, parents and children are dwindling.
Gender bias and traditional patriarchal norms of social behaviour are reinforced
by disastrous and painful ruptures in the sacred relationship of marriage and family
life. As a result, marginalization and exclusion of women, embodying a value system
of clear preference of sons to daughters, depletes the moral and ethical fabric
of our society. Moreover, sex is not a subject that parents are discussing with
thier children at home or teachers with their students. The children are left to
learn it from other sources, most of which provide only partial and unhealthly information.
Group Discussion followed by Class Sharing :
- Is this a true picture of our Indian society today ? What are our problems with
regard to it ?
- What are the causes of these problems ? Who is responsible for them ?
- What needs to be done about this solution ? Who should do it ?
- What can we, as college students, do to help our society in this area of family
life ?
- Write down what you, as an individual, can do to improve the quality of family
life around you.
Teacher Teams
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Seminar -(Dec-Jan) - Last Date 25 Jan 13
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PWC
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JD
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Ganga Devi
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Arvind
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RPM
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Magadh
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Stuti Pd
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Nandini
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Vandana Kumari
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Asha Tripathi
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Shashi
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Kamlesh
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Durgesh
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Shahida
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Madhu
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Anjana Verma
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Rashmi Jain
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Meena
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Sr Celine
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Manibala
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Chitra
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Archana
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Rimjhim
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Lakshmi
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Prem
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Pratima
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Poonam Kumari
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Neerja
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Vandana Vidyarthi
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Vina
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Meenakshi Roy
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Stuti Pd
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Shampa
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Kindly send in the reports by 30 Jan 2013
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(Sister) M
Carol A.C.
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