Conference for Latinos stresses hearts must be healed by Christ to fully love

(En Espanol)
 

International speaker Evan Lemoine addresses participants during the “Heal to Love” conference for Latinos at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis on July 19. (Submitted photo)

By Claudia Corona

On July 19, the archdiocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life hosted a major conference for the Latino community called “Heal to Love” at the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Catholic Center in Indianapolis.

The conference was an initiative to promote true love as a reflection of trinitarian love, as today’s society is threatened by a throwaway mentality. The lecture given by international speaker Evan Lemoine was rooted in the Theology of the Body of St. John Paul II.

The event was attended by roughly 300 adults. Married, single, young and old were there to grow in love and heal from wounds that separate the human heart from true love.

Lemoine offered an introduction to the Theology of the Body, the power of communication to grow love, healing from use, growing in love and the secret of sexual fulfillment.

He offered testimonies of people who, as a result of knowing the Theology of the Body, were able to redirect their misdirected desires and found Christ, who Lemoine said is the only one that can satisfy our deepest longings.

The speaker made it clear that we have to be attentive to a world that offers us things to enjoy, use and throw away. Many couples are affected by this vision, where they no longer want commitment but only to live in a free union and stay together as long as the enjoyment lasts. This vision does not promote true love which, as Christ teaches, must lead the couple to sacrifice themselves, to desire their best good, to achieve their full happiness, Lemoine said.

Regarding the issue of communication, he encouraged those present to always ask before complaining and to be aware of the three types of communication: aggressive, passive and assertive. The latter leads people to really express what we want, with respect and empathy.

He also emphasized the greatness of the sacrament of marriage compared to cohabitating with no commitment to each other, which he said is like having the back door open to leave when the other person is no longer of use.

The speaker also said that premarital relations are the sin that takes away love and weakens the ability to love. True love implies giving yourself, that is, giving to another everything you are, which is not the same as lending love until the other is of no use.

Conjugal love, he continued, leads us to be a gift of communion, a creator in the image and likeness of God.

Lemoine dedicated part of his lecture to developing the theme of God the Creator, where he touched on the point of openness to life. Parents, being open to life, must take care of two aspects—responsible parenthood, which implies prudence and generosity, and constant respect for procreative capacity.

When talking about procreative capacity, if the couple wants to avoid pregnancy, neither of the couple nor the conjugal act should be totally or partially sterilized—these are not licit means of regulating the births of children.

Lemoine was clear on the issue of contraception. He said contraceptives were made to prevent abstinence.

Natural family planning methods—such as Billings, symptothermic, Creighton and Marquette—allow couples to regulate the birth of children while respecting God’s plan for sexuality. They have no side effects, he noted, and they promote love in the couple and communication.

At the end of the conference, Lemoine offered a healing prayer for all those in attendance, saying: “If you want to truly love, you have to let God heal your wounds. Let him touch them, redeem them, and from there begin a new path.”
 

(Claudia Corona is coordinator for the archdiocesan Department of Pastoral Ministries. For more information about natural family planning methods from the archdiocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life, go to marriageandfamily.archindy.org/nfp or contact Gabriela Ross at gross@archindy.org or Claudia Corona at 317-236-7310 or ccorona@archindy.org.) †