Living the Truth in Love: Pastoral Approaches to Same-Sex Attraction

by Dr. Janet E. Smith and Fr. Paul Check

Living the Truth in Love grew out of the desire to provide answers to the questions posed for the Synod on Marriage called by Pope Francis:

• How can the Christian community give pastoral attention to families with persons with same-sex attraction?

• While avoiding any unjust discrimination, how can the Church give such persons pastoral care in light of the Gospel?

• How can God's will be proposed to them in their situation?

People who want to be instruments of Christ's love to those who experience same-sex attraction (SSA) seek guidance on how best to do so. They need to listen to the stories of those who experience SSA and the stories of those who have accompanied them on their journeys. They also need to ground their responses in a genuine Christian understanding of the human person and of human sexuality.

This volume includes essays that lay out the Christian view of the human person and of human sexuality, essays that challenge the bifurcation of sexualities into "heterosexual" and "homosexual".  Topics include an explanation of the meaning of the word "disorder", a discussion of the therapeutic power of friendship, and an application of Saint John Paul II’s personalism to the question of same-sex attraction.  Psychologists and counselors explain various ways of affirming those who experience SSA and of leading them to experience the power of Christ’s healing love. Several of those who experience SSA tell their touching and inspiring stories. 

"This is a deeply serious response to Pope Francis' call to the Church to engage the crisis of the family in all its dimensions and a critically important contribution to one of the great pastoral challenges facing the New Evangelization."
— George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center

"This book involves a large number of talented authors who engage both head and heart in the best tradition of Catholic pastoral theology."
— Helen Alvaré, Professor of Law, George Mason University

"I salute the distinguished authors of this important volume. I salute them not only for their wisdom but also for their bravery. It is a bravery born of love."
— Robert P. George,McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University

"The Church has a positive message for people who live with same-sex attraction, which comes through clearly in these pages and from many different perspectives. For many people this book can be life-changing. For those who serve in the Church’s ministry, it will be indispensable."
— Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C.

"Living the Truth in Love is a courageous, sincere, and timely book that seeks to help those with same-sex attraction and all of us who love them with the powerful medicine of the Gospel, the psychological sciences, and the inspiring witness of those with SSA who are living chaste, loving, joy-filled, Christian lives."
— Sean Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston