In Defense of The family - Part Eleven- Fr. John Hardin on The Catholic Family

There is talk from time to time on the question of Church and state. On the rights of each. The government of the United States is a democratic republic. It is ruled by the people through representatives. It has three branches which are the legislative, the executive and the judicial. Our form of government was founded on the Declaration of Independence and The Constitution. We are a free people.

The Sixth Commandment Part Ten: As Excerpted from the Catechism of the Catholic Church as taken from the book by Rev. John A. Hardon, S.J. "The Faith"

1067. Is sexual pleasure in marriage pleasing to God?

     Yes. While practicing due moderation, the sexual pleasure enjoyed in the marital act is a gift from God. Its purpose is to foster the twofold end of marriage, namely the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of human life.         (2360-2363)

1068. What is marital fidelity?

      It is the mutual lifelong commitment of husband and wife, who enter into a covenant with God to remain faithful to each other, irrevocably, until death. In the Sacrament of Matrimony, they become part of the mystery of Christ's fidelity to His Church.       (2364-2365)

In Defense of the Family: Part Nine - Humanae Vitae Paragraph 14

Unlawful ways of regulating birth

"Therefore we base our words on the first principles of a human and Christian doctrine of marriage when we are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of controlling the birth of a child.

Equally to be condemned, as the Magisterium of the Church has affirmed on various occasions, is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary

Similarly excluded is any action, which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically  intended to prevent procreation-whether as an end or as a means.

Neither is it valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberatively contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one, or that such intercourse would merge with normal relations of past and future to form a single entity, and so be qualified by exactly the same moral goodness as these. Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil  in order to avoid a greater or in order to promote a greater good, it is never lawful , even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it. - in other words, to intend positively something which intrinsically contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general. Consequently it is a serious error to think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual intercourse which is deliberatively contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong."

In Defense of the Family - Part Eight : The Dignity of the Family

In this regard we refer to the Vatican II document, Gaudium et spes, (The Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World), Part two, chapter one, "The dignity of marriage and the family", #47 paragraph two. "However, this happy picture of these partnerships is not reflected everywhere, but is overshadowed by polygamy, the plague of divorce, so-called free love, and similar blemishes: furthermore, married love is too often dishonored by selfishness, hedonism, and unlawful contraceptive practices".

This section of the document continues to discuss, "holiness of marriage and the family" in section #48:  married love in section #49; "the fruitfulness of marriage" in section #50. In section #51, "Married love and respect for human life," we come to the heart of the matter of our inquiry into, "In defense of the family" where we find this instruction. "...all this is possible only if the virtue of married chastity is seriously practiced. The sons of the Church, faithful to these principles, are forbidden to use methods disapproved by the teaching authority of the Church in its interpretation of the Divine law".

In Defense of the Family - Part Seven : The Catholic Hierarchy of Bishops as Successors of the Apostles

Continuing from part six with His Eminence Raymond L. Burke as our guide we see that the content of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae is part of the Magisterial teaching, "Pope Benedict makes clear that the teaching in Humanae Vitae was not simply a matter of individual morality, " declaring: Humanae Vitae indicates the strong lines between life ethics and social ethics ushering in a new area of Magisterial teaching that has gradually been articulated in a series of documents, most recently, John Paul II's Encyclical Evangelium Vitae ( Caritas in Veritate no.15 )

In Defense of The Family - Part Six

On October 9, 2010 "The World Congress For Life" was held. His Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke, the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura gave the main address. It was titled, "Catholic Orthodoxy; antidote against the culture of death."

In the introduction he made this statement, "Now more than ever, the world needs the consistent witness to the truth, expressed in the Sacred Scriptures and in Tradition, which is the condition of the possibility of a culture which respects fully the gift of human life and its origin in procreation, that is, in the cooperation of man and woman with God through the conjugal union and through education in the home which they have formed by marriage."

In Defense of the Family - Part Five : The Theology of the Body & Humanae Vitae

Pope John Paul II began to teach on the theology of the body at his general audiences which were held each Wednesday at St. Peters. They were held each Wednesday from 1979 to 1984. The Holy Father began with the second creation story in Genesis. "God created man from the dust of the ground.. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life and he became a living being" Man, however was alone. God said "It is not good for the man to be alone". When the animals were created God brought them to the man and he named them but none were suitable for the man. This period is called the solitude of man. God put the first man whom he had named Adam into a sleep and took from his side a rib which became a woman.. This account is theological in nature and is not political or feminist. It is that woman was made for man and man was made complete by woman. The woman was named Eve. Scripture refers to them as husband and wife. God who created them for each other commanded them to "go forth and multiply and fill the earth" This relationship is nuptial. Marriage is their vocation. At this point we will skip forward to Jesus crucifixion on the cross, Scripture says that the centurion opened Jesus side with a lance after he died, ( when He was in the sleep of death ). The wound in Jesus side produced blood and water. The water symbolizing Baptism  and  The  blood the Holy Eucharist, both meaning life. Christ is the bridegroom and the Church which is born from His side is the bride. Christ and his Church is nuptial from which the Sacrament of Matrimony comes.  "For this reason a man leaves his father and mother and cleaves to his wife". Adam said on seeing Eve, "this is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone". "What God has joined let no man put asunder" "The two shall become one flesh" The secular humanist, rationalistic mindset of human beings has fractured the original plan of God. It is the Cross of Christ that has restored the possibility of our recovering our original wholeness. We are enjoined to follow Christ and to observe the teachings of His Church to recover holiness.

In Defense of the Family - Part Four : Homosexual Unions

We quote from a proclamation from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on, "Considerations regarding proposals to give legal recognition to unions between homosexual persons". This document was signed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect with the approval of Pope John Paul II. It is dated June 3rd 2003.

                                                         INTRODUCTION

1." In recent years, various questions relating to homosexuality have been addressed with  some frequency by Pope John Paul II and by relevant Dicasteries of the Holy See. (1) Homosexuality is a troubling moral and social phenomenon, even in those countries where it does not present significant legal issues. It gives rise to greater concern in those countries that have granted or intend to grant - legal recognition to homosexual unions, which may include the possibility of adopting children. The present Considerations do not contain new doctrinal elements; they seek rather to reiterate the essential points on this question and provide arguments drawn from reason which could be used by Bishops in preparing more specific interventions, appropriate to the different situations throughout the world, aimed at protecting and promoting the dignity of marriage, the foundation of the family, and the stability of society, of which this institution is a constitutive element. The present considerations are also intended to give direction to Catholic politicians by indicating the approaches to proposed legislation in this area which would be consistent with Christian conscience. (2) Since this question relates to the natural moral law, the arguments that follow are addressed not only to those who believe in Christ, but to all persons committed to promoting and defending the common good of society".

In Defense of the Family - Part Three : Marriage preparation and annulments

MARRIAGE PREPARATION:

Many will say that in this day of social revolution that it is not being realistic to point to the pre-marital preparation class with a priest to be that important. But it is probably the most important thing a couple can go through to prepare themselves to enter into a lifelong commitment with each other. It does not just involve them but the children that will come into the world as a result of their union. There is one thing that is more important and that is the quality of the union of their parents and the stability of the home in which they were raised. These two elements together; the family and the home they each come from and the preparation for marriage given them by the Catholic Church.

ANNULMENTS:

In Defense of the Family - Part Two

We said in part one that the six points would be reverted to later. They are listed below.

The first paragraph dealt with the Holy Father and the Bishops that were in union with him who form the Magisterium of the Church. However Paragraph twenty five of Lumen Gentium states clearly and emphatically that when the Holy Father proclaims on faith and morals he is teaching infallibly.

The second paragraph dealt with the effort of those, who in dissent, have attempted over the last forty five years to make the Encyclical Humanae Vitae, (on human life ), illegitimate