One of the astounding and very beautiful contributions of Pope John Paul II in the area of human sexuality, is his ideas surrounding the 'language of the body.'  In sexual intercourse, the body is a symbol:  of what one desires in their heart, chooses in their will, and expresses in love:  that is, it symbolizes a total self-gift of one to another.  Lovemaking is most fulfilling, when a primary concern for the other's happiness and well-being is at the forefront.  To enter a sexual relationship for the sole purpose of personal gain is a lie.  And to say in sexual acts that one is giving him/herself totally to another, but only for a night, or a season, is a lie.  True love is a commitment!  It says, "I love you enough to give my whole life to you."
     Adultery is marital infidelity, a very grave sin.  It is when two partners, of whom at least one is married to another party, have sexual relations.  It is very prevalent in today's culture, and certainly a key factor in the breakup of so many family units.  Unfortunately, there are many who commit adultery as a result of their own pain:  for example, their desperate need to love and be loved, to feel accepted by someone.  Many divorcees are susceptible to adulterous affairs, attempting to fill a void caused by the trauma of divorce and its emotional pain.  In many of these cases, I think, people are to be greatly pitied, because their actions, though not to be approved, are often the result of suffering, confusion, and scandal, and unfortunately the instruments of only greater pain and the feeling of being lost.
     Fornication is sexual union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman.  It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality, which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children.  Today, there is good news in the fact that less teenage women are getting pregnant, than ten to twenty years ago, and less teenage boys and girls are having sex outside of marriage.  This is in great measure the result of abstinence education and the fear of sexually transmitted diseases.  To all parents of teenagers, a word of encouragement, your charity,        patience, prayers and trust in God's power to act, will have its great effect and reward.
     God's mercy is so great!  If we have made a mistake somewhere along the line, in our own life, we can turn to Christ for healing.  He has the grace to cleanse us and give us a totally fresh start once again.  "Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord:  though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool"  (Isaiah 1:18). 

Fr. Michael