Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 00:08 in June of 1996 the Holy Father Stated Two Group of American bishop's quo at a time when the very definitions of marriage and family are endangered by attempts to legislate alternative and distorted notions of these basic human communities. He must clearly preach the truth of God's original design. Close quote, Pope John Paul the second when the very definitions of marriage and family are endangered by alternative and distorted notions, he must clearly preach the truth of God's original design that given that and current events, it's worth a brief review. When we looked at marriage, we started by considering that amazing fat that God could've continued making men just like you did the first one from scratch, just taking some slime and grieving into that slime the breath of life. He could have done that, but he didn't. Instead, God decided to share some of his creative power, and so he blessed man or woman and made them the joint guardians of this incredible holy power.
Speaker 1 01:26 The power of cooperating with him and bringing forth new and mortal beings, Davies and precisely because this power, the power of bringing forth little babies, immortal beings, precisely because his power is so incredible and so important and so holy God wrapped up that creative power with purity and modesty and then he commanded it, only be used inside the boundaries of very special and blessed at state of life. A state so blessed it that in the case of a baptized man or woman, he's raised it to the level of a sacrament. Holy matrimony. We saw that marriage was created by God. That means he makes the rules, which also means that no, and that means no one can change the nature of marriage or the rules, not a couple, not the stay, not the church, not even the pole, and certainly not any of these 10 horns.
Speaker 1 02:38 Judges are perverted politicians. We got plaguing us. No one. We saw that marriage is a contract that results in a relationship. If a man and woman freely make this contract, think God makes the relationship. They consent to the man and and then he takes them at their word and makes themselves. We saw that the marriage contract man, that a man and woman give and except an exclusive and perpetual right for acts which are themselves suitable for the generation of children. We saw that if this contract is properly made, validly made, then the relationship between the man or woman made by God comes into being. That relationship is known as marriage. We saw the God created marriage with two specific purposes. The primary purpose of marriage is the procreation and the education of children. Secondary purpose of marriage is mutual health and comfort of the spouses and the remedy for concupiscence subprime or procreation education, the children secondary mutual help and comfort.
Speaker 1 04:03 This is the remedy for concupiscence. We saw that acts between spouses are good to the degree that they conform to these two purposes of marriage. The general principle is everything in conformity with these two purposes. The primary and the secondary purposes of marriage is good and permissible. Anything opposed to them is evil and forbidden. We also saw that each spouse has rights, which means that the other spouse has a corresponding duty to accept a reasonable request. We saw this, this is serious duty owed injustice to the other spouse, that it must be paid generously or it's not being paid. We saw that to refused to pay the debt without serious reasons is a mortal sin against justice since the violation of the rights of the other spouse and it's a mortal sin against charity because frustrating one's closest neighbor can place us in potentially serious danger of falling some p Coupa.
Speaker 1 05:09 Since we all sort of viewed the possible reasons to refuse a debt which must be refused for lack of privacy and it may be refused for the falling serious reasons or the one requesting as committed adultery is not already been forgiven by another partner when the one requesting is not in their right mind. For example, drunk when there's a real danger of causing a miscarriage and there's grange in grave danger of injury, for example, with a deadly disease for a period of time after birth. In other questions we saw should be referred to the confessional so much for the review. The pope says that in the face of distorted notions about marriage, we must clearly preach God's truth. So today we're going to address a distorted notion which is held by some good Catholics to associated with a practice popularly called periodic continence, a practice which involves periodically abstaining for the marital rights.
Speaker 1 06:11 This practice, chorionic continence is also known as natural family planning, right? If p now an example of a distorted understanding of he can be found in a recent article entitled small, medium, large, extra large, what size is right for your family? The author, Mr. Gregory pop shack, who certainly seems to be a devout Catholic, starts by asking quote, is God calling you to have another child or not? The church here, wisdom does not give a pat answer to this question, but she does give some very simple practical advice for couples who are sincerely seeking the Lord's will about all this and some of her tips may surprise you. Close quote, well that's fair enough, but now consider the Tipi gives this quote the best way to actively discern this question and that's the question about whether they should have another child. The best way to actively discern this question on an ongoing basis is to practice and FP and FP should not be primarily a method of avoiding pregnancy.
Speaker 1 07:19 It should primarily be a discernment tool that encourages the couple to consider their relationship and God's plan for their future throughout the month since they are always placing God at the heart of the decisions that most deeply impact their marriage. The NFP couple is always open to the possibility that God could say, this is the month and they're constantly seeking to prepare their hearts and homes for that possibility. I would for remote, it may seem to them at this particular moment, close quote. What's he saying here that if a couple is wondering whether God wants them to have another child, the best churched approved method to answer this question is to practice periodic continence. Ran His pee well. He did warn us that some of these chips may surprise us and that tip should surprise us a lot because it's wrong. Let's see why we refer to a recent article in Nevada.
Speaker 1 08:17 Can newspaper, was there ever Toy Romano in order to see what's wrong? Then the article is entitled, quote, serious motives. Justify couples use aperiodic continents. Close quote, serious motives. Justify the couples use a periodic continence. It's articles, sites, Pope's Pius the 12th, all this 60 John Paul. The second because his answers are so detailed, will lie largely on the explanation of Pi's the 12th because the pope in the quoted citations is not speaking to theologians but to midwives and that makes it especially useful because he's getting a lot more details. Now, before we go through any of this, keep in mind the poll is not making up any rules. God has not given anyone authority over the nature of marriage or the rules, not the couple, not judges, not the state, not the church, not even the Holy Father. So what is the pub doing? The Paul is explaining the rules.
Speaker 1 09:21 He's not legislating. He's explaining. He's explaining how God made things. In fact, everything the Pope says, as we'll see here, it can be clearly reasoned out once we know what the marriage contract is and the purpose of marriage, first point, Hope Pius the 12th quote, the more lawfulness of practicing periodic continence should be terminated by whether or not the accomplice intention is based on sufficient, where the moral grounds, the new fact that husband, wife do not offend the nature of the act and are even ready to accept to bring up the child who's born in spite of precautions they have taken, would not of itself alone be a sufficient guarantee of a right intention and of the unquestionable morality of the motives themselves. Close quote the vicar of Christ. So the first point is he must be sufficient or the reasons to packets, periodic continence or, and if Pete will get to those reasons in a moment, but before we do, and the second point, the pope will explain why this is the case.
Speaker 1 10:27 Second Point. Okay. Now the pope explains why that must be sufficient, where the mall reasons. Notice that the pope's explanation is based on the marriage contract, which confers rights on a couple and also on the primary purpose of marriage, which is a corresponding duty of the coupler pies. The 12 quote, the marriage contract, which gives the spouses the right to satisfy inclinations of nature, established them in the marriage state, the married state, the married couple of views that stay by carrying out its specific act have the duty imposed by both nature and God, uh, providing for the conservation of the human race. God has so established the order of nature that the existence of the individual and the society, the people and the state and even the church herself depends upon truthful marriages. Therefore, to be married and to make frequent use of the right, proper and lawful only in the state of marriage and at the same time to void its primary duty without a grave reason would be a sin against the very nature of married life.
Speaker 1 11:47 Close quote, the vicar of Christ. What did the pope just say? The marriage contract gives officers the right to the marital act and the use of that ride implies the corresponding duty, which is to use that great creative power. Why? In order to conserve the human race, which as we've seen is the primary purpose of marriage. Furthermore, the pope notes that without serious reasons, it is a sin to frequently exercise this. Right? Well, deliberately trying to avoid the Patootie. Okay? We're all familiar with the concept already. It's their duty to go to mass on Sundays and holy days obligation without serious reasons. If we missed mass on those same days, it's a sin. If we have serious reasons, there's no sin at all. It's the same concept. The pope makes this clear quote five to 12 if there are serious reasons, limiting the act could in fear to periods can be lawful.
Speaker 1 12:48 If, however, in the light of a reasonable and fair judgment, there are no serious reasons, then the habitual intention to avoid pregnancy while at the same time as far as is possible, continuing to fully assess I central desires can only arise from false appreciation of life and from reasons that have nothing to do with true standards of moral conduct. Close quote, the victory of Christ when serious reasons are present. Periodic continents or NFP is lawful, but if there are no serious reasons than habitual intention to avoid pregnancy while at the same time as far as possible, continuing to foist that by central desire arises from false appreciation of life and from false standards of moral conduct. Now we can clearly see the basic problem with Mr. Pod checks reasoning I promoting the idea that the couple should continually practice periodic continents and FP as a means of discerning whether or not to having another child.
Speaker 1 13:53 He's basically completely flipped over primary and secondary purposes of nature of marriage. He's arguing as if the primary purpose of marriage is the mutual help and comfort of the spouses and remedy of concupiscence and as if the secondary purpose of marriage is the procreation and education of children. Third Point now that the pope has explained why a couple has to have sufficient worthy reasons to practice and FP or periodic continence, he's now going to explain what those motives are. The reasons I said 12 quote, serious motives often put forth on medical eugenic, economic and social grounds can exempt husband and wife from the obligatory positive debt of the procreation of children for a long period or even for the entire duration of the marriage. Close quote the vicar of Christ. The pup is pointing out that as long as the serious is present, the couple maybe legitimately excuse from co creation even for the duration of the marriage and later he points out the couple may morally do this in one of two ways.
Speaker 1 15:03 Periodic continence or total app students. That's important to realize that the word serious does not mean life threatening. We need a serious reason, but not a life threatening reason to miss NASA. On Sundays. And that's the same idea in this case. So what are serious reasons? Let's give some typical examples from the moral theologians, medical, serious, real, and objective dangers to physical or even psychological health of one or both partners. Usually it's the woman you channel a real possibility of serious and incurable hereditary defects and the child, this May last the duration of the marriage or maybe for a period of time. For example, one, a woman must undergo a medical treatment with certain types of drugs. They will certainly cause birth defects, economic, and this refers to true financial hardship. It's such a profoundly materialistic society like ours. This may require brutal honesty before God, 50 years ago, frank, she'd had some thought, four marks in this regard.
Speaker 1 16:10 Quote, the reason must be serious. Trifles are not enough that the birth of other children might mean buying a less expensive car or sending the children to less fashionable school would not justify the decision to have no more for that would be making the ornaments of life more valuable than life itself. And I only could no Christian see things. So, but only 55 lies could indeed for one whose grasped what a human being is made in God's Unh immortal routine by Christ. We have the most serious reason will be strong enough to support such a decision. But where such serious reason exists, the husband and wife, they agree to abstain from there. It'll act for time or permanently or they may agree to have it only at times when conception is most unlikely. Close quote social grounds. This would include problems in a social or for example like the tyrannical Chinese one child policy or natural disasters like fire, flood, famine, wars and so forth.
Speaker 1 17:19 So there are many serious medical eugenic, economic or social reasons to practice periodic continents. Now, besides the city reason, there are two other conditions necessary for the lawful practice. The periodic continents are, and if Pete, he's a really easy to understand since they flow from the nature of marriage. First, the agreement to pack his piano continents must be truly mutual. It's not unilateral, must be truly mutual and freely agreed to by both spouses and all the agreement must be made by both spouses together. It can be terminated by either spouse alone. It must be made by both spouses together. It can be terminated by other spouse alone. As the pope says, quote, this is because the right deriving from marriage, marriage contract is a constant right, uninterrupted and not intermittent of each of the partners. In respect to the other close quote, we already saw that when we talked about the marriage.
Speaker 1 18:19 Then second, there must be reasonable assurance that this practice will not lead. Either the spouse is to sin more probable the danger of serious sin. The more serious the reason must be for practicing create a continent. Why? Because we're trying to get to heaven. So in order for Piata continence or NFPW Chit, it must be mutually and freely agreed upon by both with the provision that either one can cancel it by making a reasonable crest to honor the debt. And it must be a reasonable assurance that this practice will not result in serious and fry either party. Let's review. We've seen that if they're serious reasons, a couple males didn't really practice periodic continents. We've seen these serious reasons include serious and objective medical problems. And the parent, the real likelihood of serious birth defects, the child true conditions of financial burden and disturbances in the social or like war family.
Speaker 1 19:15 We seen that this practice must be mutually and freely agreed to by both spouses with provision that either spouse can it. We've seen there must be reasonable assurance that this practice will not result in serious sin for either of the spouses. Now that we've taken a quick look at periodic continence, we can clearly see the same theme. It's been running through the whole time. Everything we've said in this matter, the theme is God expects that incredible, marvelous creative power that he's blessed man when with to be used according to the rubrics not to be played with misused or abused. We can see the idea that NFP should be constantly used as a means of discerning whether or not you're going to have a child without serious reasons. It's an abuse. Are we saying that this problem is comparable with the evils of contraception? No, we're not direct contraception and direct sterilization on trench sleekly evil period.
Speaker 1 20:17 Close the book. It's isn't like if it isn't intrinsically evil, then are we saying that the pot check errors trivial? No, we're not. Let's declare it. It's like anything. If we use something against the way God set it up, we're going to have problems. If we use NFP without following God's rules, it can very well lead to the loss of souls and not just in hell. What do you mean the loss of souls? Not just in hell. That's easy to see. If we imagine a situation we have someone say who's father would be the son of a 10th child. His mother could be the daughter who 10th child and he could be the son of a 10th child. Dad, son of a 10th child, mom, the daughter of a 10 child. He's the son of the 10th child. If any of his immediate ancestors subscribe to Mr.
Speaker 1 21:12 Pop checks. Theories this modern reverse though the primary and secondary purposes of marriage, it's safe to say he conditions like that. He wouldn't even exist. In other words, his soul would have been lost in the sense that it would never come into existence, but don't you think that if we asked you, he'd be the first one to tell you how thankful he was to exist, how thankful he was that his ancestors were generous in doing their duty before God and east ankle to have a shot at heaven? Don't you think he'd say something like that? We don't have to ask him. He'll just tell you I'm happy to exist.
Speaker 0 21:59 <inaudible>
Speaker 1 22:04 let's close with the reflection from Pope Pius the 12th hello is urgent tonight, Kane real wake and stimulate the sense and the love of the function of motherhood. One of the fundamental demands of the true moral order is that the use of the marriage rights there corresponds this sincere internal acceptance of the functions and the duties of motherhood with the exception acceptance of the functions and the duties of motherhood. The woman walks in the path traced out by the creator towards the goal which he's assigned to her and his creature. He makes her by the exercise of this function, partaker of his goodness, wisdom and omnipotence. According to the message of the angel, Thou shall conceive and I wound and shepherding forth the son. Oh, it's called. If they care of Christ, God makes him other partaker of his goodness, wisdom and omnipotence. One of the fundamental demands of the true moral order is that to the use of the marriage rights, their course on space, sheer internal acceptance of the functions and the duties of motherhood, the duties of motherhood. That's what matrimony means. Matrimony comes from the Latin phrase, Natras Monez, which means the duty of motherhood. It is urgent to maintain railway and stimulate the sense and love or the function of motherhood. Have you ever noticed that during holy mass, there's two times that we all genuine flight together during the creed and during the last Gospel and why are we reflecting? Because a woman, the perfect woman said Yes to her duties of motherhood.
Speaker 1 24:32 Five for 12th quote. At the moment she understood the angels' message. The version Mary applied via done onto me according to thy word, a burning yes. To the call to motherhood. Close the blessed Virgin Mary gave up. Burning yes to the call to motherhood. A burning. Yes. Let's kneel down and ask her, blessed her mother to reweigh and stimulate the sense and love of the function of motherhood, both here and throughout the whole world and to grant that more couples will have the grace to say a burning yes to the call to mother, Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with Thee, blessed art thou amongst women. And blessed is the fruit of thy womb. Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
