Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00 Today, we'll pick up again on our series of sermons, continue considering the church's teaching on marriage. We're only hitting the topic periodically because I estimate there'll be about 12 sermon sermons all in all just to hit the major topics. One thing to keep in mind is since we can only focus on one aspect at a time, you've got to keep in mind at any individual sermons, incomplete and inadequate without reference or sort of just started. We spread out over time, but that'll all fit together. That's who we're working on. Why is like that? Because marriage is only one thing and so we can only look at it because it's too big to take in one ceremony. But when we're done we'll kind of have a broad overview. You don't need me tell you that being faithful to do some state life and that's any state in life, whether you're married or singular or like myself as a priest or religious to beaten faithful in our duties under state life without trying to wiggle our way up from under them are kind of ignore.
Speaker 0 00:56 Some is not easy. Thanks a lot Adam. Cause we're all struggling with original sin and actual sin and in this toxic culture we're in, it's certainly true with marriage. Remember what that redemptorist Father Miller said, quote, reason by itself, we'll never be able to overcome the emotional objections and obstacles to carrying out God's will. They're made powerful by the effects of original sin. For that reason, the married and the about to be married must look upon their marriage contract as a part of their commitment and surrender to Christ as their god, as their redeemer, as their only hope of salvation and happiness. They must be mindful that to baptism, they were reborn as children of God. They must look upon, carry out Christ's will and marriage not merely as observing legal formalities, but as the choice fulfillment of a commitment they've made to Christ for time and in eternity. They must accept any hardships that arise from their contract of marriage as a small price to pay for the new life, the divine life, the everlasting life to which they have been elevated by Jesus Christ. Close quote.
Speaker 0 02:16 So it's true for any state of life. We must accept those hardships in a small price to pay for the new life, this divine life, the supernatural life that gives us the power to get to heaven and to live there. Once we get there, we must accept that as a small price to pay for this infinite gift that's been given to us by Christ or lore, even though we didn't deserve it, even though we've offended him, that he loves us so much to give it. Okay, let's get started. We've seen the key idea of marriage is a new creation. The groom is new. Adam and the bride as the new eve who by conferring the sac on a marriage on one another, are placed into a state of holiness and given the same incredible blessing that God gave to our first parents to be fruitful and multiply.
Speaker 0 03:09 We've seen it. The mission of the newly married is to take that holiness out of the sanctuary out into the world and in the sanctuary or their home or we've seen the central reality of Christ and his cross that that recreation in holiness takes place in the shadow of the cross. We've seen it. God created marriage with two specific purposes. The primary purpose of marriage is the procreation and education of children, and the secondary purpose of marriage is mutual help and comfort of the spouses and the remedy for a consumer sense. So the primary is procreation, education, the children. The secondary is mutual help and comfort and revenue. For concupiscence. We've seen it these two purposes. Primary and secondary. Legitimate means it acts between the spouse or good to the degree they conform to those two. Purpose of marriage. The general principle is everything conformity with these two purposes, the primary and secondary purpose of marriage is good and permissible.
Speaker 0 04:05 Anything opposed to them is evil and forbidden. We've seen it. The marriage contract has spiritual terms, physical terms, temporal terms, educational terms and indissoluble terms. We've started by considering the physical terms of the marriage contract. We've seen the marriage contract means that a man and woman give an accept and exclusive and perpetual right for acts which are themselves suitable for the generation of children. We've seen that God has given each spouse rights, which means other spouse has a corresponding duty before God to accept a reasonable request. He seen this as serious duty owed in justice to other spouse and it must be paid generously or it's not being paid. We've seen that to refuse to pay the debt without a very serious reasons and Morrison against justice and sell some moral sin against charity, debt must be refused insufficient privacy or if they're asking and resisting on cooperation and sinful action such as contraception and it may be refused for falling serious reasons.
Speaker 0 05:11 First, when one of the partners has committed adultery, it's not yet been forgiven by the other partner. Second, when one partner's not in the right mind, for example, drunk third, when there's a real danger of causing miscarriage. Fourth when there's a grave danger of injuring other spouse and fifth for up to six weeks after birth. We've seen other questions should be referred to the confessional so much for the review today. We're going to finish up on the physical terms of marriage before we start going under the spiritual and the temporal on education and desirable. Okay, so we're reviewed something we covered over three years ago. We're going to consider a distorted notion sometimes associated with the practice known as periodic continents, which a practice which involves periodically abstaining from marital rights. This practice period, AFA continence is also popularly known as NFP natural family planning.
Speaker 0 06:04 An example of the distorted notion is found in an article and tired, small, medium, large, extra large. What size is right for your family? The author isn't Mr. Gregory pop check. He seems to be a devout Catholic, but he starts by asking quote, is God calling you to have another child or not? The church in her wisdom does not give an pat answer to this question, but she does give some very simple practical advice for couples. We're sincerely seeking the Lord's will about this and some of her tips may surprise you. Close quote, that's fair enough, but now let's consider is tip quote the best way. This is the best way in this article, the best way to actively discern this question. Remember this? A question about whether we should have another child. The best way to actively discern this question on an ongoing basis is to practice and FP and if he should not pri be primarily method of avoiding pregnancy to primarily be a discernment tool that encourages a couple to consider relationship and God's plan for the future throughout the month, so they always placing God at the heart harder, the decisions that most deeply impact their marriage.
Speaker 0 07:09 The NFP couples are also always open to the possibility that God could say this is the month and they are constantly seeking to repair their hearts and home for that possibility. However remote it may seem to them at this particular moment. Close quote. What's he saying here? He's saying that if a couple is wondering whether or not God wants them to have another child, the best church approved method to answer this question is to practice period, continence and FP. He warned us that some of the tips should surprise us. That particular tip should surprise us a lot because it's completely wrong. Let's see why. We'll refer to 1997 article published in Lizard editorial model. That's the newspaper or the Holy See the Vatican newspaper will just, the title of the article gives us a clue quote. This is the title of the serious motives. Justify couples. You Superior Audit Continents, close quote, serious motives.
Speaker 0 08:09 Justify couples use superior dot continents. This article sites Pope Pius the 12th Paul Paul the six and Pope John Paul too because his answers are so detailed who rely largely on explanation of Pope Pie. It's a 12 he's not speaking to theologians. This pliers the 12th that's why it's nice for this situation because he, it's an an address two midwives, so it makes it specially useful. Now as usual, for the sake of time and clarity, I've cut and pasted in and smash things together and condensed them and all that so we can get through it without going to the, but it's readily available as addressed Italian midwives. Before we go through any of this, let's remind ourselves once more that the pope is not making up rules. God hasn't given anyone authority over the nature of marriage or its rules. God makes the rules. No one else has authority.
Speaker 0 08:57 Not The couple, not the state, not the church, not the pope. And I hate to inform them, but not even Arnold Schwartzenegger. Nobody has authority over the rules of marriage, not even the governor of California. So what is the pope doing? The pulp is explaining the rules. He's not making the rules. Okay? He's explaining how God made things. Everything the Pope says can be reasoned out from the marriage contract and the purpose of marriage already. We'll see that first point. Popeyes the 12th quote, the moral lawfulness, a pure practicing periodic continence should be determined by whether or not the couples intention is based on sufficient and worthy moral grounds. The mere fact that husband and wife do not offend the nature of the act and are even ready to accept and bring up the child who is born in spite of the 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.
Speaker 0 10:10 Close quote, this is the vicar of Christ. I'll repeat the important part. The mere fact that husband and wife do not offend the nature of the act and are even ready to accept and bring up the child who born in spite of the precautions they have taken, they're open to life, would not of itself alone be a sufficient guarantee of a right intention and of the unquestionable morality of the motives themselves. So the first point is there must be sufficient and worthy reasons to practice periodic continents or NFP. We'll get to those reasons in a moment, but before we do in the second point, the pope will explain why this is true. Second Point, now the pope explains why there must be sufficient and worthy reasons. Now notice before we get going to the pope's explanation is based upon the marriage contract, which confers rights upon a couple and also on a primary purpose of marriage, which is a corresponding duty of the couple, Paul Pius the 12th quote, the marriage contract, which gives the spouses the rate to satisfy the inclinations of <inaudible> nature, established them in the married state, the married couple who used that state by carrying out specific act have the duty and posed by both nature and God providing for the conservation of the human race.
Speaker 0 11:34 God has so established order of nature that the existence of the individual in the society, the people in the state and even the church herself depends upon fruitful marriages. Therefore to be married and to make frequent use of the right, proper and lawful only in state of marriage and at the same time to avoid his primary duty without a reason would be a sin against the very nature of marriage life. Close quote, the vicar of Christ, important part to be married and make frequent roosts 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. What did the pope just say? That the marriage contract gives spouses the right to the marital act and the use of that right implies a corresponding duty to use the great creative power.
Speaker 0 12:26 Why in order to conserve the human race, which is we already seen as a primary purpose of marriage. Furthermore, the pope notes that without serious reasons, it is a sin to frequently excise and marrow, right? Well, avoiding the marital duty. We're already familiar with this concept. It's our duty to amass and Sundays and holy days obligation without serious reason. If we went, man, if we miss mass on those days, then it's a sin. If we have serious reasons, there is no sin at all, right? It's exactly the same concept. The pope makes this clear. Pi's the 12th quote. If there are serious reasons, limiting the act and then of periods can be lawful. If, however, in the light of a reasonable and fair judgment, there are no such serious reasons than the habitual attention to avoid pregnancy or the same time as far as possible. Continue to fully satisfy central desires can only arise from a false appreciation of life and from reasons that have nothing to do with true standards of moral conduct.
Speaker 0 13:22 Close quote, the vicar of Christ when serious reasons are present, periodic continents and if he is lawful. But if there are no serious reasons than habitual intention to avoid pregnancy while at the same time as far as possible, continue to fully satisfy central desires arise from a false appreciation in life and false standards, moral conduct. Now it's clear what from what the pope says, what the faulty reasoning is in Mr <inaudible>, uh, argument by promoting the idea that the couple should continue, should continually practice periodic continents as a mean of discerning whether or not to have another child. What he's done is he's basically flipped upside down the primary and secondary purposes of marriage, as if the primary purpose of marriage is a neutral help and comfort of spouses and quiet and concupiscence. And the secondary purpose of marriage is procreation, education of children. Third Point now that the pop has explained why a couple has to have sufficient and worthy reasons to practice NFP, period, continents.
Speaker 0 14:23 Now he's going to explain what those reasons are. Paul Pius the 12th quote, serious motives often put forward 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 pope is just pointing out as long as the serious reason is present, the couple are legitimate, exempted from procreation, even if that lasts for the whole duration of marriage. Later he points out the couple may morally avoid procreation in one of two ways. Periodic continence or total abstinence. Now it's important to re realize that the word serious does not mean life threatening. They're not the scene. We need a serious reason, but not a life threatening reason to miss mass, and it's the same kind of idea in this case.
Speaker 0 15:14 What are serious reasons? Let's give some typical examples. Medical, serious, real and objective dangers to the physical or even psychological health of one or both partners. Usually the woman eugenic real possibility of serious and incurable hereditary defects in the child. This may last for the duration of the marriage or it may be for a period of time. For example, when a woman must undergone medical treatment with certain types of drugs, civil cause birth defects. If she gets TB, she's going to have a bloody year course. You know the people. I know that I've had TB a year, years course of drugs that can cause some serious problems. That's a serious reason, you know, right there, right there for a whole year. Economic. This richer refers to true financial hardship, true financial hardship in such a profoundly materialistic society like ours. This one requires a brutal honesty before God. 50 years ago, frank, she'd had some thoughtful remarks in this regard.
Speaker 0 16:09 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 the 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 not only could no Christian see things so, but only the devitalized could indeed for one who's craft, what a human being is made in God's image, immortal routine by Christ. Only the most serious reason would be strong enough to support such a decision for such serious reason exists. Husband and wife may agreed him stand firm their lag for time or permanently or they may agree to have it only at times when conception is most unlikely. Close quote, social groans includes problems as social or like the tyrannical Chinese one child policy or floods, famine, war, fire wars and so forth.
Speaker 0 17:10 So there may be serious medical eugenic economic or social reasons to practice periodic continence. Now, besides serious reasons, there are actually a couple additional conditions that must be present in order to lawfully practice periodic continents and FP. They're really easy to understand if they flow immediately from the marriage debt. And so they're rooted also in the contract of marriage and the purpose of marriage. First, the agreement to practice periodic continents must be truly mutual and freely agreed to by both spouses. Made a deal in front of God, has to be mutual. One spouse can't have a unilateral, no. Okay. That goes right to the marriage debt. We've already talked about that so that that was what we've already taught. So it has to be mutual. And although agreement must be made by both spouses together, it can be terminated by either one alone. Although this agreement must be made by both spouses together, it can be terminated by either one loan.
Speaker 0 18:07 As the Pope says Pius the 12th quote. This is because the right deriving from the marriage contract is a constant rate uninterrupted and not intermittent of each of the partners and respect of the other close quote. So once you see the marriage date, you can see this. It just flows from all the pope's doing is telling us how it is. He's not legislating, he just us. Here's, here's how it is and here's why it is second condition. There must be reasonable assurance. This practice will not lead either the spouses to soon the more probable the danger of serious sin, the more serious the reason must be for practicing periodic continents. Marriage is a partnership to get to heaven and one has to take reference to other spots in that. Okay, so in order for periodic continents, NFPW legitimate and must be free mutually and freely agreed to by both spouses with the provision that either spouse can cancel it anytime or making a reasonable request to honor the debt.
Speaker 0 19:13 There must also be a reasonable assurance this practice will not result in serious soon for either spouses. Let's review. We've seen there, see if they're serious reasons. A couple may legitimately practice periodic continence and if p the serious reasons include serious and objective medical problems, the parent real likelihood of serious birth defects in the child. True conditions of financial burden and disturbances and social or like war family. We've seen it. This practice must be mutually and freely agreed to by both spouses with the provision that either spouse can cancel it at any time by making a reasonable request. And we've seen that there must be a reasonable assurance that this practice will not result in serious sin for either. Suppose now that we've taken a look at periodic continents, we can see once again this important idea that God has blessed man with a power and when he gives the power, we have to use it according to the rubrics.
Speaker 0 20:11 He's given me a sanctifying power. I don't get it the same, asked the way out, like that's a terrible abuse. I have to follow the rules, the confessional when I'm confecting sac and so forth, to bring the life of sanctifying grace in the world, supernatural life. I have a mission from God to bring supernatural life into the world and they're married, have a mission from God to bring natural life into the world. If it's his holy will and we all do what we're supposed to do and the cross comes as a package deal for me or for you. When I was ordained, I laid there in front of the alter. When you were married, you'll knelt there in front of the alter. It all starts from the cross and comes out where we have to embrace the cross. Okay. All right. Now, let's see. Let me make a few more comments. We can see that an FP, if we sit, it can be constantly practice without serious reasons is actually isn't actually abuse. Are we saying that it is the moral equivalent of direct sterilization or contraception? No, we're not direct contraception. Direct sterilization are intrinsically evil. They can never be justified. NFP is not intrinsically evil,
Speaker 1 21:23 okay?
Speaker 0 21:24 There are reasons we just went through them. It can be done. Are we saying that this argument then Mr pop chip puts out an article is trivial? No, we're not. Let's be clear, as we pointed out years ago, if we don't follow God's rules and FP can result in loss of souls and not just in hell. And what do you mean by that? Well, we did a thought experiment a few years ago and we'll do it again. Just imagine a large family to pick the number 10 for the sake of example. So we can imagine a family where the father is the son of the 10th child. The mother is the daughter of a tense Shell, and the kid is the son of a 10th child. So Dad is, is the son of a 10th child. Mom is the center of attention and the son is the son of the 10th child.
Speaker 0 22:16 It's easy to see if any of the preceding generations had farm for Mr. Pop check's error of constantly practicing NFP without serious reasons throughout the marriage. It's super unlikely that you'd end up with 10 children in any one of those three families. Huh? Be Super Unlikely. Okay, so what would we say? Somebody like that wouldn't even come into existence. In other words, his soul would be lost. But if don't you think, if we could ask a person like that, he'd be the first one to tell you that he was thankful. They exist to be thankful. This ancestors were generous in doing their duty before God embracing the Cross and he's thankful to have a shot at heaven. Doesn't everyone here think someone like that will be thankful to exist?
Speaker 1 23:08 Hmm,
Speaker 0 23:09 I am. I am very thankful. Takes the test.
Speaker 1 23:17 Wow.
Speaker 0 23:19 I'm not seeing that everyone has to have at least 10 kids or you're doing something wrong. That's not, the message doesn't work like that anyway in marriage, it's going to be a bell curve. If people are faithful to teach them, Christ will be everywhere from zero kids to up in the 20s and there'll be a bell curve or most of them be in somewhere in the mean, you know, which is going to be five to seven and it goes up and down. That's how it works. If we're just doing things. I'm not saying everybody has to have 10 no, but my point is this isn't just theoretical. I'm not descended from rich, powerful people. I'm just a regular American. Just like most of the rest. You descended from normal, poor working class folk, Catholic folks. My Dad's dad grew up in a side house in western North Dakota. I keep a picture of it on my desk to remind me it's got him. He's a little kid. He's got one of my great uncles there and they got a big bunch of flowers, prairie flowers. They pick to give their mom and I keep it there on my desk to remind me of who I am so I don't get too proud.
Speaker 1 24:18 Okay.
Speaker 0 24:20 But I knew his mom too. She was a good Catholic woman. Pioneer woman raised that family in a sod house. She was the 19th kid in her family.
Speaker 1 24:31 <inaudible>
Speaker 0 24:32 this stuff has consequences. You go back 150 years in my family and I bet a lot of families here, if you look at it, I looked it up yesterday. I knew great grandma's from a big family. There's 22 kids. She wasn't a baby. She's 19 people like this don't come into existence with theories like that. It matters. It's not just theoretical. God has a plan. We've got to trust him. It doesn't mean you're going to have 19 kids. That's pretty exotic, Huh? But we got to trust him. He has a plan. He has a plan. He loves us.
Speaker 1 25:08 Okay.
Speaker 0 25:09 God loves us. He wants us to become c and the key to heaven is the cross. The Cross for me and my state of life is different from than the cross from you, but we don't want to be a scared of the cries and when the crisis babies, you know, I see people die. That's one of the neat things about being a priest. I have yet, and I can tell you this, I haven't heard anybody regret their children. I meet people that regret not having them.
Speaker 1 25:41 I meet that a lot,
Speaker 0 25:44 but I haven't met anybody though. Credit Hour. Let's close with some reflections from Pope Pius the 12th quote. One of the fundamental demands that true moral order is that to the use or the marriage rights there corresponds to sincere internal acceptance of the function and duties of motherhood with acceptance of the function and duties of motherhood. The woman walks in the path traced up by the creator towards the goal which she's assigned his creature. He makes sure by the exercises functioned partaker of his goodness, wisdom and omnipotence. According to the angels message, Thou shall conceive and a woman shall bring forth. The child is urgent to maintain, reawaken, stimulate the sense in love or the function of motherhood. Close quote, the vicar of Christ. God makes a mother a partaker of his goodness, wisdom, and impotence, and if I might insert, he never sends any more children to a family than the number he wants you to have.
Speaker 0 26:52 He's got one of the fundamental demands, the true moral orders it to the use of the marriage rates. There corresponds a sincere internal acceptance of the functions and duties of Motherhood, the duties of motherhood. That's what the word matrimony means. Matrimony comes from a Latin phrase, matrass Munis, which means the duty of motherhood, that duty of motherhood, it is urgent to re awake and stimulate the sense and love of the function of motherhood. I point that out before. Have you ever noticed there's two times where all of us together genuflect at the mass. There's two times and when is it? It's during the creed and the last Gospel and why are we genuflecting? Because a woman, the perfect woman,
Speaker 2 27:46 okay,
Speaker 0 27:47 said Yes to her duties and motherhood. Pius the 12th at the moment she understood the angel's message. The Virgin Mary replied, behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done it to be according to their word of burning. Yes. To the call to motherhood. Close quote. It's a blessed virgin. Mary gave a burning yes to the call to motherhood. She gave up burning. Yes. Let's kneel down and ask Ali to real wake and stimulate the sense and love of the function of motherhood here and throughout the world and grant that more couples will have the grace to say a burning yes to the call to motherhood.
