Of Love and Sexuality

Apr 23, 2015

JOHOR (Herald Malaysia): On March 20 and 21, the Youth and Campus Ministry of Melaka-Johor Diocese organised a No Apologies camp for Johor. The camp was held at Majodi Centre and was attended by 21 participants from campus and secondary schools. During the camp, the facilitators from Focus on the Family presented talks from the No Apologies programme that was redesigned to cater to Catholic students. The sessions, which aimed at teaching about love and chastity, were conducted with a mix of games, activities and group sharing to get the participants more involved.

In the opening session, the participants first learned about themselves in the topic Who Am I? The second session discussed the influence of the media in our lives. It let participants know that the messages sent out by the media affect how they view love, sex and relationships. The session was an eye opener especially when the participants were asked to gauge how much time they spent on media activities. In between talks, there was also praise and worship and confession. In the evening, the participants got to sweat it out with a game of captain ball. Later at night, the participants watched a video on homosexuality and had a discussion regarding the topic. Afterwards, adoration and a healing session were held before the camp closed for the day.

The second day began with morning prayer and praise and worship. The sessions continued with the topic Boundaries and Choices. Again the participants found this session on how boundaries set today affect their future and the consequences when boundaries are crossed. After lunch, the participants learned about healthy relationships and chastity. This session helped participants make sense of the feelings they have for members of the opposite gender and learn the difference between love, lust and infatuation. They also got their pledge cards to remind them of their commitment to purity that they will carry with them after this camp. Parents then arrived for a special parents’ session conducted by Deacon Petrus and his wife. While the parents’ session was going on, the participants attended a session by Father Arul on vocation. The camp ended with the parents and participants joining together for Mass, thus ending on a high. “The sessions were interesting and had important messages,”Loretta Kong, one of the participants, said. “Personally, I learned how to deal with man and woman relationships and the boundaries between them.”

Among the many issues young people face today, making wise choices about sexuality is the one that is most critical. The culture we live in is teeming with sexual images, inappropriate messages and dangerous advice about sex. Through the No Apologies camp, we help the young steer through the sea of mixed messages that surrounds them and help them focus on the words of God.