In Defense of Life - Part one : Abortion, Contraception and Contraceptive Sterilization

What follows is a dictionary definition of "abortion" and "contraception". The dictionary, The Modern Catholic Dictionary authored by Rev. John A. Hardon, S.J. Among his collaborators were seven priests and three nuns. It carries the Imprimi Potest, Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur. Father Hardon has among other degrees a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He was a professor in the Institute for Advanced Studies in Catholic Doctrine at St. John's University, New York.

ABORTION

Hundreds of ecclesiastical documents from the first century through the present testify to the same moral doctrine, with such nuances as time, place, and circumstances indicated. The Second Vatican Council declared: "Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception," so that "abortion" and infanticide are abominable crimes" (Constitution on the Church in the modern world, IV, 51). Pope Paul VI confirmed this teaching in 1974, "Respect for human life," he wrote, "is called for from the time that the process of generation begins. From the time that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father nor of the mother, it is rather the life of a new human being with its own growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already." Consequently, "divine law and natural reason excludes all right to the direct killing of an innocent human being" (Declaration on procured abortion, III, 12) ( Etym. Latin abortivus, born prematurely, abortive; from aboriri, to miscarry.)

Humanae Vitae reference the clergy sexual scandals

     If we want to address the problem  of sexual abuse by clergy, we need to go back to the teachings of  "Humanae Vitae", says a Dutch Catholic psychotherapist. This is the opening sentence of the interview of Genevieve Pollock with Gerard van den Aardweg in Haarlem, Netherlands on April 28, 2010.  Mr. Gerard van den Aardweg has worked as a therapist for fifty years specializing in cases of homosexuality and marital problems. He has taught worldwide and written extensively on homosexuality and pedophilia, as well as the relation of these issues to other topics: same sex attraction in the priesthood, "Humanae Vitae", and the effects of gay parenting. The interview continues as follows.

Success in this life only - The neglect of Eternal Life

On this blog so far the moral evils of abortion, contraception, divorce and the decline of Mass attendance on Sundays and holy days of obligation have been highlighted. The question of why this is has been implied if not asked directly. I believe the answer is in the absorbing into our life styles and our thinking secularism; the atheism of the age.

The Reasons for Low Sunday Mass Attendance - ( 29% )

1.- The effect that the clergy sex abuse scandals have had on the faith of our people. The lack of justice in adjudicating the cases. The protection of offending clergy and the lack of concern for the victims as well as the innocent priests and laity who were in the parishes where these crimes took place. Justice has still not been achieved because those who covered up the offences have not been dealt with.

Low Mass Attendace on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation. Why?

In the diocese that I belong to and many others in our country the Mass attendance on Sunday is twenty nine percent. Seventy one percent of registered catholics do not go to Church on Sunday. On holy days the figure is seven and a half percent. In 1995 the late John Cardinal O'Connor Archbishop of New York wrote a book titled, "A moment of grace", based on the Catechism of the Catholis Church. On pages 242 -243 he says, "We are bound under pain of mortal sin when it is humanly possible for us to get to Mass on Sunday". Cardinal O'Connor states the following,"The Catechism tells us about the precepts of the Church. As with so many things other things, many people seem to believe that what we call the precepts of the Church went out the window with the Second Vatican Council. Not at all. The Catechism spells them out for us."

Respect Life, Abortion, Contraception, and Mass attendance

The month of October begins on Thursday of this week. Our bishops in conjunction with the secretariat for Pro-life activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have designated October as Respect Life month, throughout the Dallas Diocese and the nation. This coming January 22nd marks the 37st anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court Decision named Roe vs. Wade which declared it constitutionally lawful for a woman to obtain an abortion of the child, her child, conceived in her womb. This is against God’s law and is morally evil.