The following comes from a June 19 story on the Washington D.C. archdiocese website.….Council Member David Catania has introduced legislation that would legalize and regulate surrogacy parenting within the District of Columbia. Every council member except for Council Member Marion Barry co-sponsored the proposed legislation….
First, we begin with the truth that human life is sacred. In saying that our life is “sacred” we do not mean merely that human life is somehow “very special” or “unique.” Rather, to say that human life is “sacred” is to say “it is of God.”
Human life comes intentionally and lovingly from the very hand of God. Every human being, even our enemies, and great sinners, are known by God, loved by God, willed by God, intended by God. In Jeremiah 1:5 God says Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Thus, in a mysterious way, our existence was already present to God long before we were ever conceived. We were already in the heart and the mind of God as he was preparing for our conception and existence. Psalm 139 speaks about God knitting us together in our mother’s womb. The same Psalm says that all of our days were written in gods book before one of them ever came to be.
Thus, the human person is sacred. That is, our lives have the mark of God upon them. Our life, our very existence, is caught up in the intention, the will, the very heart of God. Human life is sacred.
Second, since human life is sacred, so are the means by which we come into existence. Thus, our second truth is that sexual intercourse is sacred. Again, the word “sacred” is not simply a way of saying that sex is very special. Rather, it indicates the sexual intercourse is from God, and is touched by him.
Just as in marriage there are three to get married, the husband, the wife and the Lord; so, in the great sacramental expression of marriage, sexual intercourse, the husband and wife are joined, but in the Lord. The Lord, who is the author of their love, joins the spouses and, according to his will, makes their love fruitful in their children.
So, the origin of every sacred human person, is in the sacred sexual act, which involves not only the spouses, but also the Lord.
Sadly, in our culture, sex is treated as anything but sacred. It is often the butt of jokes, suffers from lewd conduct, countless misapplications and perversions, to include: fornication adultery, pornography, immodesty, homosexual acts, and so forth. What is beautiful and sacred, is treated to base and profane. What is serious and requires commitment, is treated as casual and often passing.
And, if the sacredness of sex is treated lightly, so is the sacredness of human life easily discarded. It is no coincidence that the culture of death has emerged in the age of promiscuity. The body count associated with lust is truly staggering.
Third, since human life is sacred, and the sexual intercourse, which gives rise to it, is sacred, so is the context of sex and life we call marriage also sacred. Once again, calling marriage “sacred” is not merely a way of saying it is “really neat” or “very special.” Once again, we call marriage sacred because it is set forth by God, and is from God, and every valid marriage is in fact a work of God….
That the DC government thinks it necessary to pass laws regulating legal transactions around surrogate motherhood, shows that the practice is leads to all sorts of legal problems. What frequently happens is that when we meddle with natural affections, and try to think of motherhood merely in terms of genetics, (rather than nurturing and so forth), we end up with a real mess, and many conflicted feelings. Surrogate mothers are not always so happy to relinquish their babies after all. Imagine that!
Now into this fray, with all of its confusion, is proposed all sorts of legalities and a government trying to regulate but really shouldn’t be happening in the first place.
The District of Columbia should leave unchanged the current laws which forbid and discourage surrogate motherhood. Certain District residents may want to engage in practices harmful for the reasons stated, and the District government may not be able to stop them or enforce the laws forbidding the practice, but in no way should the District encourage such practices by enforcing contractual agreements related to them. Surrogate motherhood is a lamentable practice, and it is bad policy to support it in any way.
To read the entire story, click here.
Amazing that Marion Barry, former power mayor of DC, is the only one of them who gets it.
I agree. Many times mankind fall into temptations due to human passions. If a woman can’t bare a child, due to her lack of acceptance of God’s will for her….she will or may be tempted this route or other routes to get what she wants. Like the concubines from the old testament. The women in the old testament that couldn’t bare children or as much children as they wanted, they were tempted to give their husbands concubines. Maybe as well their husbands helped with that temptation, for some husbands often found women to be worthless if they couldn’t bare them children, so to please their husbands they seek these sort of options.
As we read the holy scriptures there were also consequences to those actions, even if God has allowed man to have those things.
What did Jesus say about divorce? from Matthew 19:6 Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. With this example our Lord gives a strong commandment. We often ask this “They say to him: Why then did Moses command to give a bill of divorce, and to put away?” as it says in Matthew 19:7 but here is the real answer that many neglect as to why as it states next in Matthew 19:8 “He saith to them: Because Moses by reason of the hardness of your heart permitted you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so”.
Our hardness of our hearts has tempted many to even being blinded to spiritual truths and often we struggle understanding the consequences that come.
If a man or woman are abusive to their spouse, their sins, their disobedience to love their spouse well, will inflict pain and push their spouse into sin. Children are often the victims in the selfishness of their parents and even of society. If society refuses to protect the true definition of marriage, children are caught in the middle and it does cause scandal, confusion and other spiritual consequences and even mental health ones as well.
Abeca,
Even the Church permits separation where this is abuse involved!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
CCC: ” 1650 Today there are numerous Catholics in many countries who have recourse to civil divorce and contract new civil unions. In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ – “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery” the Church maintains that a new union cannot be recognized as valid, if the first marriage was
If the divorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively contravenes God’s law. Consequently, they cannot receive Eucharistic communion as long as this situation persists. For the same reason, they cannot exercise certain ecclesial responsibilities.
Reconciliation through the sacrament of Penance can be granted only to those who have repented for having violated the sign of the covenant and of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete continence. ”
Those remarried persons giving up their sexual desires and living in complete continence may receive all the Sacraments.
They have repented of their sins, and are now living God’s will.
DAVE thanks for posting that…..I was always taught that but it’s good to be reminded.
A lot of women in OT times were available for marriage but there were not enough men due to wars; thus, in that the first command by God was to bear and raise children, the people found a way. On the flip side, today, not war but gay rights is reversing the natural balance, so that once again there will be more women available to bear children than men to match up one to one. This is one more door that is opening for Islam.
Mr Fisher I don’t get why you made that point…i understand that and agree…..maybe you misunderstand something from my comments. If men and women followed our Lord…then abuse would not be and there would be a less chance for divorce…there is why it’s important for couples to keep that in their focus…..to avoid divorce but sin complicates things…and the ones suffering the most are the children.
One way to avoid these temptations that the secular have to offer is to adopt. If we have hardened hearts we may avoid adoption.
We can bless a child this way but never neglecting the design in which our Lord has given man when possible, that a child should be raised by a mum and a papa. Therefore adoption should be encouraged only by a loving secure home….a mum and a dad. Always considering the child. Since it is an adoption that is wished to be accomplished, it must be done right not according to selfish reasons, for children are not pets but human beings and deserve to be treated with dignity as all humans at any age.
Just because a child can’t decide for himself, it does not entitle us to do as we please without considering how it may affect their spiritual and mental health.
Abeca,
How does one adopt now that the very EVIL secular government controls adopton?
Viva Cristo Rey!
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
Good point, Kenneth!!! Adopted children now will be raised by the state, while the adoptive parents follow the govt religious tenets mandated on them for this purpose.
Mr Fisher it’s still possible…it may take years but it’s still possible right? There is a couple who pray in front of abortion clinics, they have adopted several babies that were saved from an abortion. They have 3 or 4 I don’t recall exactly.
There is also a Christian family who adopted 5 children. They are all home schooled, I think this was a while back, for they are older now and many came from other countries.
I am ignorant of the troubles of adoption here in the USA but I think that with suffering and great perseverance, it can be done.
Another thing the Church is against or for, depending on your point of view. If you pay attention to the news, particularly the printed news, every time the church is mentioned it is against something having to do with sex: straights should not (fill in the blanks) and gays shouldn’t (fill in the blanks). But it was ok for the Bishops to move dastardly priest from one parish to another so they could again be pedophiles. It was ok that our seminaries were “pink”. Etc. Isn’t it time that they moved on to something that resonates with the people in the pew? Most Catholics (based on polls) believe that same sex marriage is ok. 50%+ percent of Catholics get divorced. 90%+/- of child bearing age use contraceptives, use in-vitro when they can’t have children in the normal fashion, etc. Either we are all corrupt or the Bishops should move on. Then, there is the notion that the general public pays any attention to the Bishops. In the 40-60’s when I grew up, the Bishops and other Christian leaders ruled. What they said went. Today, they have no moral authority or civil influence. Take a look at SCOTUS – those were Catholics that wrote those decisions. They basically said we can’t force our moral beliefs on the rest of the population. That is a massive reversal compared to fifty years ago. If I were a Bishop (don’t worry!) I would be more concerned about the government limiting my practice of religion. That, I think, is the greatest danger we will face in the next few years.
Bob One: Senator Moynihan of New York coined a phrase that is fully applicable to your thesis: He called ir “defining deviancy down”. Keep at it and there won’t be anything left worth calling a vice.
PS: Are you a Catholic?
Yes, I am a Catholic. But, for only 75 years, so I’m still learning.
Yes Bob One you have a lot to learn,, you are blinded by your liberalism
Bob One, clearly you have not read your “Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition”. This book is from the Magisterium and you are required to adhere to it. Sexual as well as other grave sins are defined. Grave sins are mortal sins.
Those unrepentant in Mortal Sins will go to Hell, whether these sins are a fad of the day or not. It is the job of Bishops and Priests to Save Souls. Do NOT criticize Bishops or Priests for doing their job.
When you read the New Testament – you will also see many sexual sins stated that send Souls to Hell – if the sinner is unrepentant.
Jesus showed us that all of our Bishops are not perfect, and not all Bishops will go to Heaven, via His chosen Apostle Judas Iscariot.
Bishops and Priests are human beings too. We all sin in some way or another; and another example is St. Peter in denying Christ 3 times and repenting.
Pray for all our Bishops and Priests on a daily basis.
In the USA today, most of those who control our media – TV, movies, etc., are obsessed by sex. They promote sexual sin and brainwash those who are susceptible.
Bob one I thought we are not to have our point of view but only what the church states, on moral ones, we can use our gifts to reason on non moral issues.
Also if one struggles with a teaching from the church….the CCC is an excellent tool to use, also speak with a good devout priest to help you understand why it’s a moral issue, all while praying to our Lord to help one embrace His ways. Its a humble thing to do.
Now that gay marriage is the norm in many states, these couples will want to have children from their own genes. In the case of two women, one of the women will carry the fertilized embryo donation from the closest male relative of the other woman so they can have “their” child. Actually, both women might even try conceiving this way. The male couples will have more of a problem because they will have to find not only a willing female relative who will donate her egg but also a willing female who will carry the baby. If the “business” of carrying babies for the gay parents is legal, the industry of surrogacy will become as common as abortions are today.
Surrogate babies likely will grow up to be Scientologists.
Don’t be so sure, Ally. There are still some decent men out there who will not go along with such a thing because they want to charish and raise their own offspring and would not go along with such a selfish desire of a woman relative.
Oops! “cherish” not “charish”
This all gets back to Catholics not knowing and living their Faith.
In the words of Pope Francis – ““In this Year of Faith let us ask ourselves if we have actually taken a few steps to get to know Christ and the truths of faith more, by reading and meditating on the Scriptures, studying the Catechism, steadily approaching the Sacraments.” (May 15, 2013).
When we elect EVIL politicians, they appoint others of like mind. Society then becomes evil.
VOTING at all levels of Government is critical and required.
Cardinal Burke has just stated: ” The Church should teach very effectively and also encourage her members to be active in politics, in education and every aspect of society to promote a sound understanding of marriage and the family. “
MAC that is true…I agree