When the Son Frees You: A Catholic Man's Journey of Healing From Same-Sex Attraction

by A.J. Benjamin

Overview

Is it really possible for a man to change his sexual orientation from gay to straight? 
 
Aren’t gay men “born this way”? 
 
With the increasing normalization of homosexuality in our society and even in the Church, is there hope for men who struggle with unwanted homosexual feelings and desires?
 
When the Son Frees You offers a unique perspective on these questions through the eyes of a faithful Catholic who was almost exclusively sexually attracted to men since his teenage years.
 
The suffering, pain, and shame of his homosexuality all but consumed A. J. Benjamin . . . until he had a life-changing encounter with the Mother of Jesus.

Through her intercession and following the teachings and practice of the Catholic Church, the wisdom of the saints, and the Theology of the Body of Saint John Paul II, A. J. embarked on a soul-searching journey to freedom and wholeness. Through God’s grace in the sacraments, A. J. found the perfect Man in Jesus Christ and, through the power of his cross, experienced true healing of his disordered desires.
 
A. J. is now happily married with three children and seeks to spread the Gospel message of hope and freedom to all who struggle with their sexuality. 
 
This is his journey.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781505114645
Publisher:	TAN Books
Publication date:	02/28/2020
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

AJ Benjamin holds an MA in Counseling with a concentration in Christian Counseling from Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. He has been a public high school English teacher for 19 years and an adjunct college professor for 13 years. He is also an active member of his parish where he runs a successful men’s ministry. In his spare time, he maintains a website that ministers to men with same-sex attraction, thesilentknight.net. The great joy of his life, however, is being married to his wife of 16 years and being a father to three wonderful children.
 

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Preface xv

Acknowledgments xix

On My "Coming Out" 1

On Being "Gay" and Being "Ex-Gay" 5

Are We Really "Born This Way"? 16

The "Sins of the Father" 22

Not Like the Other Boys 32

Big Men, the WWR and the Bodybuilder in the Pasta Shop 43

The Male and Female Ends of Things 50

The Year Good Friday Came Early 56

A Future Saint and "Kisses" From Our Lady 66

"My Immaculate Heart Will Be Your Refuge" 74

The Woman and the Dragon 81

"What Afflicted You Is Nothing" 88

"Am I Not Here, I Who Have the Honor to Be Your Mother?" 96

"The Lord Whom You Seek Will Suddenly Come to His Temple" 101

"See What Love the Father Has Given Us" 111

The Knights and Their Queen 123

"Totus Tuus, Maria!" 133

Naked Without Shame 139

Naked and Unafraid 144

"He Loved Him as His Own Soul" 152

Putting an End to Childish Things 163

The Heart of a Woman 171

"Let It be Done to Me According to Your Word" 176

"I Am the Good Shepherd" 182

The Quest for the Hand of My Bride 188

A Special Gift From God 193

"Therefore a Man Leaves His Father and His Mother and Cleaves to His Wife" 199

"Honor Your Father" 207

"Everyone Who Commits Sin Is a Slave of Sin" 212

"You Shall Not Make for Yourself a Graven Image" 217

"The Rain Is Over and Gone" 227

"We Have Seen His Star" 234

"O Lord, You Will Increase Your Gifts in Me" 239

A Man Among Men 245

"Thou Art My Beloved Son" 251

"Even the Hairs of Your Head Are All Numbered" 259

Appendix: Healing Homosexuality 265

Bibliography 275

Editorial Reviews

This book is like no other story you’ll read anywhere, and yet it should be as common as bread. A. J. Benjamin testifies to the possibility of healing in Jesus Christ. This is supposed to be our master story, and yet we’ve abandoned it. A. J. Benjamin speaks a powerful, countercultural message most needed in the world today.”
 
Mike Aquilina, EWTN host and author of many books, including The Healing Imperative

“A moving first-person testimony to the truth about the human person and sexuality, the pain and confusion of wounded masculinity, and the extraordinary power of God’s grace to bring healing, transformation, and peace. Blending honesty, insight, and thanksgiving to God, AJ Benjamin offers a compelling travelogue of a trek from death to life guided at every turn by Our Lord and Our Lady. Like a modern-day Confessions of Saint Augustine, When the Son Frees You  bears profound witness to the struggles and beauty of real, lasting conversion.”
 
Dr. Michael Hahn, Assistant Professor of Sacred Scripture, Mount Saint Mary's Seminary, Emmitsburg, MD 

From the Publisher