The following comes from Bishop Robert Vasa’s Mass of Chrism homily on April 10 (Santa Rosa diocese).
Everyone is familiar with the adage, “Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.” When I was bishop in Baker, Oregon, there was a time during the summer of 2001 when one would been well advised to reverse the phrase, for it was obvious that, “Where there’s fire, there’s smoke.” The frequent haziness masking the mountains and reddening the sun was a constant reminder of the existence of numerous fires. Unseen were the hundreds of men and women who battled these blazes day in and day out, men and women who came face to face with the extreme heat, the adverse living conditions, the rugged terrain, the physically and emotionally draining work….
That same summer, at the cathedral in Baker City, I witnessed and received the perpetual vows of a hermit. In the Ceremony of Profession, hermits take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. They pledge to live a life more intensely focused on God, and one of relative isolation for the rest of their life. These religious often live in a wilderness area, and like the firefighters, are engaged in a daily battle.
Now some may consider this type of contemplative life and think that anyone who would choose it wanted to withdraw from the world. That, however, is overly simplistic, because the purpose of such a “withdrawal is not to seek peace [or escape] but battle.” ….The monk, the hermit, is not one who fled human society in order to find safety any more than the firefighter would be said to have fled to the forest to find solitude. Both go to seek battle, to confront forces that seek to destroy. Both go to the place where the battle lines are drawn and where there is greater clarity about what needs to be done. The work of the hermit belongs not to the hermit alone but to every person who knows they have an evil inclination that needs extinguishing or a bad habit that needs dousing. Evil, like fire, needs prevention, resistance, avoidance, and steadfast perseverance. The hermit is in the fire line, but each of us must contribute to the cause.
….There are many fires (i.e., manifestations of evil) presently raging in our society. For instance:
- Loss of respect for human life is a great one, a fire that burns rapaciously and will destroy much more than its enamored observers can imagine.
- Society’s preoccupation with and idolization of sexual gratification is another great evil, a fire which once ignited is difficult to contain.
- The glorification of the body and the tendency to see physical health as the only absolute good to be preserved at all costs, even if it means human experimentation and destruction, is a smoldering match of evil requiring a firefighter.
- Our society looks at artificial birth control as a sign of progress, necessary “health care” for women (since when did pregnancy or the ability to reproduce become a disease?), a mode of true liberation.
No. It is an evil. Many would dispute this, observing it looks, if you will, like an innocent campfire that harms no one. Only a firefighter is able to see the true danger, the real potential for harm, the destructiveness of the choice to leave this campfire unattended.
No one wants to acknowledge their campfire set the forest ablaze. Similarly, no one taking the “Pill” wants to acknowledge they are actively participating in and supporting a real evil in our society, an evil which can destroy families, diminish respect for girls and women, and corrupt genuine love that is the total gift of self and mutual donation between husband and wife. It may even pave the way for abortion, that extreme fire which has already destroyed millions of, not acres, but human persons. Contraception and abortion are “fruits of the same tree….”
To read more click Bishop Robert Vasa’s blog
God bless Bishop Vasa !
CCC: ” 2399 The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood. Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct sterilization or contraception). ”
CCC: ” 2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom.
In contrast, “every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible” is intrinsically evil:
Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other.
This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. . . . The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality. “
Contraception is a MORTAL SIN.
Those contracepting may not receive Holy Communion without repentance/confession and promising not to continue in this sin.
No, Cameron.
One cannot say that an act is a mortal sin without taking into consideration all that goes into it. Start with paragraph 1854 of the Catechism and continue through at least until 1864, and please take special note that in paragraph 1859 we are reminded that an act can only be a mortal sin if the person has full knowledge of the sinfullness of the act, further expounded upon in 1860. Ignorance of the moral law lessens the imputability and hence diminishes the probability that the act constitutes a mortal sin.
Going around telling people that they are committing mortal sins is hardly a way to reform the Body of Christ.
Thanks for your post, Cameron.
And thanks for yours too, YFC.
Objectively, the act of Catholics taking oral contraceptives for the purpose of contraception is mortally sinful, YFC. And the way to ‘heal’ not ‘reform’ the Body of Christ is to educate folks to the truth of what sin is – in order that they may reject that which is displeasing to God – not keep their consciences uninformed so as to manifest manufactured ignorance. That said Catholics are also required to educate themselves, not behave as if they are incapable of learning that which is required so they can perpetually claim ignorance and therefore never be guilty of mortal sin.
But if your objective is to ‘reform’ that is to redefine what Catholic is, then I do see your point. Push, push, push, the ‘Body of Christ’ until it isn’t Christ anymore, but rather what we like and want according to a darkened conscience.
No doubt that is why you might believe that those committing mortal sins shouldn’t be told.
People use the term mortal sin to mean a grave sin. You are correct about the conditions necessary for a sin to be mortal. In the catechism we grew up with the distinction was made between mortal sin with its most serious consequence and venial sin. If you died with an unconfessed mortal sin on your soul, you went to hell.
66. What is mortal sin?
Mortal sin is a grievous offense against the law of God.
“Flee from sins as from the face of a serpent; for if thou comest near them, they will take hold of thee.” (Ecclesiasticus 21:2)
67. Why is this sin called mortal?
This sin is called mortal, or deadly, because it deprives the sinner of sanctifying grace, the supernatural life of the soul.
“Before man is life and death, good and evil; that which he shall choose shall be given him.” (Ecclesiasticus 15:18)
68. Besides depriving the sinner of sanctifying grace, what else does mortal sin do to the soul?
Besides depriving the sinner of sanctifying grace, mortal sin makes the soul an enemy of God, takes away the merit of all its good actions, deprives it of the right to everlasting happiness in heaven, and makes it deserving of everlasting punishment in hell.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the grace of God, life everlasting in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)
69. What three things are necessary to make a sin mortal?
To make a sin mortal these three things are needed:
1.the thought, desire, word, action, or omission must be seriously wrong or considered seriously wrong;
2.the sinner, must be mindful of the serious wrong;
3.the sinner must fully consent to it.
No, YFC, telling people about Mortal Sins educates them so they have no excuses of ignorance.
And so therefore will stop their sinful behavior.
Further – ignorance of serious sexual sin in this day of literacy is very uncommon. Bibles have been around for almost 2000 years.
The Quoran abhors sodomy, and so does the Torah.
In addition Catholics have the CCC.
When it comes to the sin of sodomy which you love, very few in the USA would be ignorant of Church teaching.
CCC: ” 1791 This IGNORANCE can often be imputed to PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
This is the case when a man takes little trouble to find out what is true and good, or when conscience is by degrees almost blinded through the habit of committing sin.
In such cases, the person is culpable for the evil he commits. ”
People know that sodomy is evil and against the moral law if they choose to think about it.
People choose to commit sodomy with full knowledge, and with deliberate consent.
excellent comments Cameron!
I think Cameron has it right.
I do understand that their can be medical circumstances in which a woman will take “the pill” to ameliorate some other medical condition and not with the purpose and intent of contraception. I further understand that there are other means of ameliorating the these medical condition other than “the pill”
But, what Cameron states is accurate. Knowingly and with intent to contracept is a grave sin.
keithp I have very heavy menstrual cycles, I have become anemic and also other health issues have taken over me because of the heavy monthly bleeding. My doctor wanted to put me on the pill because it is believed to help lessen the heavy bleeding but I refused to take it because I am married and do not want to have anything artificial in my body that may offend God and His creating plans. So I just offer up my suffering, as bad as it has gotten in the past, I have endured and continue to do so. But not every women is as strong as I have come to be in dealing with those monthly suffering so I’m sure they can speak to a local priest and seek advice on what is best for them morally but a woman must not give up on seeking what is most pleasing to God. That helps us become more virtuous.
Its too bad that insurance plans don’t cover alternatives to helping woman like in my situation so they can seek medical advice that won’t offend their faith. I find it insulting when they want to push the pill on me, so I praise God and thank those who have helped me build my knowledge on what is best and will not go against my faith. I have found some wonderful supplements, although expensive, that have helped raise my iron levels without any harsh side effects. Depending on the month, it may not raise my levels fast enough but at least I avoided ending up in the hospital but I know that there were a few times that I could of used a trip to the ER but praise God I endured.
YFC, you don’t want people to know that CONTRACEPTION is a MORTAL SIN ?
And that Catholics who contracept can NOT receive HOLY COMMUNION, unless they repent and promise not to commit the sin again.
How would you personally go about educating Catholics about the GRAVE SIN of contraception?
MARY YFC is only preaching his own stuff not what the church actually teaches. He is causing scandal here by sharing his points of view away from the faith.
There is no known method that renders procreation impossible. Therefore there is no method of “artificial birth control” that violates paragraph 2370 of CCC.
Here is some good info regarding the MORTAL SIN of CONTRACEPTION.
https://www.churchmilitant.tv/contraception/
Sterilization and sodomidical sex can render procreation impossible, YFC, but that’s beside the point. The article is entitled ‘No One Taking the Pill Wants to Acknowledge the Evil.’ Your post just demonstrates the unwillingness to acknowledge evil. That and the free will that sets us apart from hapless animals.
All methods of artificial birth control are immoral. The effectiveness of the method is not relevant.
Exactly Anonymous, it is the intent behind the use.
This is an inspirational and beautiful homily. May God reward, bless and love His Excellency,Bishop Vasa for the courage to deliver it! Now we must pray that the sermon has not fallen on deaf ears, but that the faithful will hear and follow this sound and spiritual advice.
I agree Father Karl!
Dearest Clergy, please read and share what this Shepherd of God has proclaimed. The sheep in your parishes have scattered and you must bring them back. Saving souls is the only thing that matters. I will send Bishop Vasa’s Blog to all my clergy–how about you?
God bless you SandraD. You are a good soul. Pray for our priests and Bishops. They need our prayers. They are human too and with emotions, it takes great courage. I have seen good priests get mistreated in dealing with irate parishioners when they are told in charity, what the church teaches. I don’t often see people stick up for their priests. Often there is a misunderstanding and expectations are laid high without knowing the whole details. What I am trying to point out also is that more and more people are defiant. They only go with priests that they find agreeable and usually disrespect good priests guidance.
So your suggestion is a good one because it will encourage them to keep doing their job right.
Interesting sentiments from His Excellency, but on a topic that the Catholic laity have already soundly rejected. Birth control is necessary to wisely plan family size, a tactic that our parent’s generation (the 1950s set) could not do. Abortion is the real evil, not birth control. Take a look around you at Mass and notice the much smaller size of today’s Catholic family. Coincidence? No. Is it good? Yes.
Just because the “so called” Catholic laity has soundly rejected the Church’s teaching on Contraception–doesn’t make it ok to do. NFP is allowed to space births–The Pill, IUDs–artificial contraception makes you “closed” to life and that is the evil and a mortal sin. And “good cause” if you look at the stats for the increase in Abortion, it rose steadily as artificial birth control was used. The two go hand in hand……both evil, both wrong. This Bishop is working to save souls…….ending artificial contraception will save a multitude of souls from divorce, broken family’s, abortion and the ills of society–sexual sin outside of the marital union.
@good cause you are wrong.
Just because a Mortal Sin is practiced by many, does not make it any less a mortal sin.
For example: just because there have been over 4 million abortions in the USA since 1973, does not make abortion any less a sin.
CCC: ” 2399 The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood. Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct sterilization or contraception). ”
CCC: ” 2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom.
In contrast, every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil:
Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality.
Of course self called “good cause”, you know more about such matters than a duly consecrated Roman Catholic Bishop, NOT!
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika!
Viva Cristo Rey!
Yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher, Founding Director
Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc
Sometimes the Birth Control Pill DOES abort. Just look it up on the American Life League website or other good, faithful Catholic websites.
Good Cause, would you be happier if your mother had died from cancer, stroke, or some other disease connected to the Birth Control Pill instead of having all you children. It certainly sounds as if you would. Keep lying to yourself about the “what ifs”. Plenty of people do, but it does not change a thing about the Pill be dangerous.
Correction to last line: about the Pill being dangerous.
It is mostly the case that those Catholics who have rejected Church teaching on artificial contraception have deficient catechesis regarding the Church’s moral teachings on marriage and family and family planning. They also are mostly uniformed about the facts of human reproduction related to fertility and natural fertility regulation. It is true as well that as contraceptors, most Catholics couples know very little about their chosen method of artificial contraception.
In fact, your statement, “Abortion is the real evil, not birth control” serves as evidence here.
The most ‘effective’ methods of birth control and the most commonly used– the pill, the IUD, hormonal devices, implants and injectables– all can act as abortifacients in addition to acting as contraceptives. If as you say, ‘abortion is the real evil,’ none of these methods should even be a consideration for couples, but Catholic couples use these methods as much as others.
Your statement about the 1950s parents being unwise when it came to planning family size has as much to do with the 1950s trend to bottle-feed newborns rather than on any careless decision-making on the parents’ part regarding the number of children they conceived. Studies in the scientific literature show that breastfeeding caused natural fertility suppression while benefitting both mother and baby. Bottle-feeding, on the other hand, allowed an early return to fertility after the baby’s birth, resulting in many closely-spaced pregnancies and drove the dynamics that led to widespread use of the pill and other artificial methods. The Church, through its steadfast teaching, helped drive the research that developed the modern methods of natural family planning.
(continuing from above)
These natural methods are effective while at the same time respecting the natural cycles of fertility and the moral law. (Even the Chinese government with its coercive one-child policy recognizes the effectiveness of Natural Family Planning, allowing its use by Chinese couples for avoiding pregnancy.)
The smaller size of today’s Catholic family is not in itself necessarily a good or bad thing, although the Church recognizes the blessings of children and the generosity of parents who choose to have a large family. The widespread use of contraception to achieve a smaller family size is a bad thing–both for the individual couple and for society at large. The negative impact of contraception is apparent in just about everywhere today. Contraception has been responsible for marital infidelity, marital breakup, cohabitation, the impoverished conditions for children, the skyrocketing numbers of sexually transmitted diseases, the loss of respect of the true purpose of marriage and much more.
The Church was right about its teachings prohibiting contraception — right–from the beginning. Thank you Bishop Vasa!
Very good point Mary……breast feeding does suppress a woman’s natural fertility…….My parent’s had four of us, one and half to three years apart…..then after the fourth, that was it. They never used birth control. So sad that women today have “lost” this natural and true information about their bodies and instead, continue to take artificial steriods that highjack their natural fertility, which can cause disease and death to their unborn babies.
Breast feeding also helps keep away breast cancer. It is a natural function.
good cause, as I have never seen you even once dialogue with anyone on this site, I do not expect you to answer the following question, but I will ask it anyway;
Why, in your opinion, is a “smaller size Catholic family” a good thing?
We should ask why breast cancer has become an epidemic. Enjoy your pill.
Contraception is gravely immoral. It is not necessary. It is not healthy for the individuals or the family. It causes many problems in marriage. It removes part of the bond between husband and wife. It prevents your children from existing. It denies your other children a sibling to love and to love them. It is so much more evil that most people realize. God is very offended by it.
Sit in your own satisfied self who can probably pay for every child you bring to birth. For the rest of us, we may have other moral consequences for our actions.
Co-Anonymous, before you make such comments, think again. Let me tell you about some of us who have made comments faithful to Church teaching. Some of us were not always so wise. We all I am sure went through a great deal of soul searching before deciding whether or not to use artificial birth control — any kind. It was not easy, and we all know that. Some of us made unfaithful decisions, though often through ignorance or an uninformed counselors, and some of us made the right decisions all along. In other words some of us learned the hard way that the Church is right about all this, and we are trying to save you and others from the suffering and pain of making the wrong decisions. It might sound to you like self righteousness, but often it is just the frustration of trying to get the message out — to save lives — especially when there are those who are making a lot of money on all this artificial stuff. If you are using artificial birth control, please look for a better way, and if you should not be having marital relations because you are not married, choose abstinence and chastity. Ask the Lord’s help A man or woman who does not love you enough to marry you, does not really love you.
Wow good cause, It just breaks my heart that there are many people like you who think the way you think. It is discouraging sometimes especially when more and more people, like yourself are buying those lies. I wish you would focus more on being loyal to Christ and not speak heretical points of views against anything moral.
The church is here to bring Jesus and His good news of salvation and how to apply it, not to follow what is the ever changing ways of this secular and wicked world.
Pray to have a heart like Jesus, to gain His wisdom and knowledge and to know how to fear the Lord, so you won’t be one who will again say what you just preached here. Lord have mercy!
I guess Onan didn’tget that memo!
Bishops who speak the truth on these issues are always attacked. Pray for him and his fellow bishops to have courage and strength in this battle.
Bishop Vasa once replied to an Email I sent him thanking him for one of his many courageous stands, and he replied thanking me, and he told me that whenever he does take such stands, the hate correspondence is almost overbearing. Please get him contact information from his Diocesan site, and thank him for standing for Christ and His Church.
May God have mercy on an amoral Amerika!
Viva Cristo Rey!
Yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher, Founding Director
Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc
Very true. There are those who will pamper their bodies and go to the gym and celebrate Earth Day, then turn around and use, encourage the use of or approve this carcinogen (the Birth Control Pill) that helps destroy the body and pollutes our waterways through the estrogen in the sewage. Go figure!
Each summer or dry season brings many fires, but there are many more evils than there are fires. Everyone must recognize that the words of Smokey refer not only to fire but to evil as well: Only you can prevent evil. Only you can work to ensure that your life is lived in a manner consistent with good, evil-fighting techniques. Whether you see the campfire as a potential destructive force or not, Smokey says to douse it and cover it, even to feel the ashes to make sure they are cold. You may not believe that your “campfire” could possibly be part of the problem. What you believe about your camp fire, however, does not change its reality. Only a very few, really malevolent persons start forest fires intentionally.
May the presence of the hermit Arsenius remind all of us that we, too, must work, struggle against, and extinguish evil, first in ourselves and then in the whole world.
Only you can prevent evil.
The homosexualist, abortionist heretics parading as “Catholics” here on CCD will soon be frothing at the mouth.
I’m wondering what the difference is between the “pill” and NFP. If the objective is to not have a child, what does it matter which methods is used? Why do our marriage preparation classes all have a session on NFP to help couples avoid children but condemn other methods? Prior to the pill, when all of my children were born, couples lived in fear of getting pregnant when they didn’t want children. Most often they would not have sex during the time that the wife could get pregnant. After the pill, couples could enjoy sex, yes it is a good thing, whenever they wanted to. Then, there is the issue of having children when you cannot afford them, can’t take care of them as well as you would like, or because of abusive husband, or loss of job, etc, etc. Then there is the issue of too many people in the world anyway. I would like to have Bishops/Priests, etc. tell us why one method of birth control is better than the other. Sometimes I wonder if modern society is way ahead of the church on the issue of birth control? Is it really wrong to not want anymore children? Is it wrong for two people who are in love to get married if they don’t intend to have children? Why should couples always be open to children when they have sex? Why should they fear having children when they have sex?
Here is a good resource to answer your questions.
It is too long for a post so here is the link.
https://www.catholicsagainstcontraception.com/statements_by_john_paul_ii_1978_1996.htm
The exact same questions that every Catholic couple have been asking, to no avail, since about 1967. Or thereabouts. When exactly was it that the unbiblical unTraditional HV was thrust upon us?
Its just crazy how a homosexual would feel the need to involve himself in commenting about the issue on Natural family planning. Its just a topic that he may never understand or get near to understanding. Being chaste is part of this topic because a chaste person would not go against the churches teachings on the natural law.
Its mind boggling.
The Couple to Couple League website is a good one, too, to go to if a married couple must avoid pregnancy for a serious and justified reason. One can also go to the EWTN website and click on the Question and Answer forum and look at some of the questions and answer there on the subject of Natural Family Planning.
Anne T thanks for sharing this information to couples. They are good resources that honor the church. It goes to show how merciful and loving our Lord is through these solid and useful resources.
Or ask a question.