The following comes from a June 6 posting by Father Shenan J. Boquet on the website of Human Life International.
These numbers shouldn’t surprise us; after all Americans have been steadily rejecting a Judeo-Christian morality in favor of secular relativism for decades. In the so-called sexual revolution of the late 1960s, sex was separated from the person — body and soul — and the human body became regarded as an instrument one could manipulate and even exploit for pleasure.,,,
. Notice how the promoters of contraception promise a consequence-free control over our lives if we could just control our fertility with their drugs and devices. All the pleasure, none of that inconvenient fertility. My body is not me, exactly, it is an object for me to control for whatever reason I want; so sex is just about my pleasure, maybe someone else’s too. It is not necessarily about giving myself to the one I love with the possibility of creating new life as a result of that gift.
Following this view, sex becomes a mindless, meaningless function for which I can use my body. The idea of myself as a unity of body and soul is gone. And with this ignorance follows the matching ignorance of the nature of human sexuality as a unity of our basic human gifts of fertility and bonding between spouses.
This is why the world was so angered by Humane Vitae, which arrived right in the middle of the sexual revolution. In soon-to-be Blessed Pope Paul VI’s encyclical on human life, the Church clearly reaffirms the inseparability of the unitive and procreative meaning of the conjugal act. To employ contraception and embrace its mentality is to act contrary to the God-given purpose of spousal love between man and woman, which distorts other human relationships as well, exactly as the Holy Father predicted.
Many believe that Paul VI’s work in Humane Vitae was deeply influenced by that of the man who would become Pope Saint John Paul II. In Love and Responsibility, then-Archbishop Karol Wojtyla laid out the case for why the proper, integrated view of the human person as body and soul is necessary to understand ourselves and one another, especially in our sexuality: “In the order of love a man can remain true to the person only in so far as he is true to nature. If he does violence to nature, he also violates the person by making it an object of enjoyment rather than of love.”
To go against our true nature is to fracture our natural sense of responsibility towards another. Does anyone not see this happening today?
Obviously, seriously bad ideas have seriously bad consequences. Father Paul Marx, the founder or Human Life International, affirmed the Church’s point in his autobiography based on his broad experience in traveling the world:
“Having traveled and worked in 91 countries, I find no country where contraception has not led to abortion, to increasing fornication among the young, to divorce, and to all those other evils we see today that make up the international sex mess….”
To read the entire posting, click here.
Here is the Video Archive Link to the USCCB Spring General Assembly, which directly reflects upon the above article. It is a very good source for All the Faithful to Understand the Church in America and the World at this time.
Particularly relevant is the presentation on Marriage by Arch-Bishop Cordileone starting at 1 hr 36 min, wherein he quoted the Pope from Evangelii Gaudium, and went on to say that as Missionary Disciples We are called to recognize:
“Mothers & Fathers are Different, and a Children Thrive when both are involved in their lives” &
“Our Culture has been wounded by the erosion of an Authentic vision of love, sexuality & marriage over several decades.”
He also reminded us that the March for Marriage is set for Washington DC on June 19, and that he will be there and speak – and asks Any and All for Support & Prayers for the event.
An insightful and anticipatory update on the Catechism by Arch-Bishop Blair is at the 1hr 11min point.
https://www.usccb.org/about/leadership/usccb-general-assembly/video-on-demand.cfm
The sexual revolution began much earlier than the 1960’s. When the Anglican Church had its Lamberth Conference, abortion was no longer taboo. With the pin up girls during World War II, and the racy films produced by 20th Century Fox with M. Monroe, the revolution was well underway. Hugh Hefner began his playboy club in the 1950’s, so the smut which had been confined to the gutters, was now able to come into people’s living rooms. When the Catholic Church abolished, or no longer supported the Legion of Decency, it was the beginning of the end. Now, pornography is becoming ‘normal’ since it is so widespread. Our Lady of Fatima said that immodest dressing would lead many souls to hell, since sins against the 6th Commandment offend Our Lord a great deal.
There is much irony present in the Catholic Church concerning morality. It is almost a ‘Catch 22’ situation. While the Church’s official position has NEVER changed, many underlings in the Vatican and in local chancery offices have advocated and encouraged deviations in moral theology. Too much mingling with the opposite sex for priests and nuns (which was strictly forbidden in the old code of canon law), as well as unmarried laity, have led to sins of immorality. By encouraging seminarians to date, by now longer enforcing dress codes, getting rid of the books on the index, and no longer listing films which are condemned or objectionable, the Church has basically given us too much freedom to commit sin, and there are no safeguards in place. Pope Paul VI was prophetic when he warned against the dangers of contraception. Unfortunately, it was met with deaf and defiant ears, and NEVER enforced. This can also be termed a ‘Catch 22’ situation, as it is precisely as what has happened in the Church since Vatican II.
Why don’t the purveyors of free-wheeling and idolatry of sexual life styles openly discuss STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) (aka STIs – sexually transmitted infections)?
In the USA check out the 2013 numbers from the Center for Disease Control. It’s astounding !
Contraception is a Mortal Sin. Catholics contracepting may NOT eceive Holy Communion until they repent and promise not to commit the sin again.
Read the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition” for more information.
Yes, too many in today’s society in most parts of the world have a new IDOLATRY – violating God’s Commandment.
They LOVE Sex ABOVE all.
To my way of thinking, the only thing that differentiates our age from those that preceded our own is the readily available resources for sex and it’s many variables. You don’t think Puritan men thought about sex all the time? Think of th Romans, the pagans in the Bible…the Jews in the Bible! the Kama Sutra l? The erotic drawings of most well known artists throughout history…the Victorian obsession? The era of Tom Jones? And on and on. The difference is, they usually fought those tyrannical sexual passions (except for the notables throughout history such as the Marquis deSade, Lord Byron and a host of the jaded upper classes of all ages). It seems to be only when there is a predominance of Judeo-Christian belief that the self -mastery of the juvenile preoccupation of lust can flourish. Anyone who can’t overcome this fixation need only look to his or her faith and trust in God’s mercy and justice to be able to overcome it. Alone, it’s almost impossible, especially for any significant duration. Don’t you wish they would teach “Theology of the Body” to all high school and college students? We’d see seismic societal changes in a generation.
Also, here is the promo for NOM’s march :
https://www.marriagemarch.org
They could also use $$ for buses!
So a NY State Rep is offerring people free transportation and food to the rally, but he is lying about it, He is saying, we’ll take you to see whatever you want to see in Washington. Whatever monuments or museums, we’ll take you there. But never tells them he is really taking them to the march.