Touched by God

Holy God, help us to reclaim the beautiful gift of our sexuality, whatever it may be. In our sexual longing, help us to experience that it is You who are calling out to us in these desires, and we to You.

When You said, “It is not good that the man (or woman) is alone,” (Genesis 2:18) You shared with us a glimpse of Your own aloneness, desire and love — for us, in us, and in all of creation.

And we, in our sexual differences, call out to You and for You, desiring to break out of our aloneness, “…restless until we rest in You,” as St. Augustine prayed. (Confessions 1:1)

Help us to believe in the basic goodness of our sexuality, that it is Your gift, meant to be a source of pleasure, love, commitment, and the miracle of offspring. May we properly respect this great power in ourselves and others, guiding and taming it so it does not become abusive or addictive.

Forgive us when we have used this gift to harm others or ourselves. Curb the allure of pornography that can reduce our sexuality to a commodity, something to be bought or sold, or indulged to the point of becoming a pathway to emptiness rather than life.

May parents, teachers and our communities of faith guide us and help us to celebrate this awesome gift, heal us when we have failed, and resist the temptation to primarily be a force of fear and shame. Keep showing us how You share with us a participation in Your own divine, creative and loving power through our sexuality.

We give You thanks for entrusting us with this gift, O Holy God. Amen.

 

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