Human sexuality is fundamental to the way in which we relate to ourselves, to others, and to God. Our sexual actions, like all forms of communication, carry inherent meaning and so demand that we mean what they say. As a Catholic college, Mount St. Mary's encourages its members to understand the nature of the human person as composed of mind, body, and spirit, with the freedom to control our behavior. This institution wishes to highlight the positive aspects of human sexuality while recognizing its abusive potentialities. As a community united in purpose, the Mount seeks to support its members as they strive to understand both the richness and the responsibility inherent in the gift of human sexuality.
Relationships form the primary avenues through which human sexuality is expressed.
In all of our sexual interactions, from holding hands to becoming parents, we communicate through our bodies on a continuum ranging from esteem and respect for the other, to contempt and exploitation of the other. When we express our sexuality within a relationship honestly, responsibly, and in a spirit of love, we experience the goodness of this gift and reach a deeper understanding of ourselves. However, when we do not tell the truth with our bodies, but allow peer pressure or a self-centered desire for pleasure or power to guide our choices, we misuse our gift and damage the integrity and spiritual growth of those involved. This kind of thinking underlies our understanding of marriage as sacramental. In marriage, an unconditional, faithful, forgiving love is pledged between two people.