The Pill v.s. NFP

Source: Wikipedia

Church Teaching On Contraception
The Church teaches that contraception is morally evil. CCC, 2399 states:

The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood. Legitimate intentions on the part of the spouses do not justify recourse to morally unacceptable means (for example, direct sterilization or contraception).

In 1997, the Pontifical Council for the Family explained:

The Church has always taught the intrinsic evil of contraception, that is, of every marital act intentionally rendered unfruitful. This teaching is to be held as definitive and irreformable. Contraception is gravely opposed to marital chastity; it is contrary to the good of the transmission of life (the procreative aspect of matrimony), and to the reciprocal self-giving of the spouses (the unitive aspect of matrimony); it harms true love and denies the sovereign role of God in the transmission of human life. (PCF, Vademecum for Confessors: Concerning Some Aspects of the Morality of Conjugal Life, February 12, 1997, 2; 4) 

The Effects of the Pill 
Jason Evert Explains Why NFP ≠ Contraception

Natural Family Planning Awareness Week

NFP Awareness Week

Did you know that this week, July 21-27, is Natural Family Planning (NFP) Awareness Week? The USCCB has dedicated this week to promote awareness of NFP. Many (if not most) Catholics do not properly know what NFP is and very few Catholics practice it. The USCCB should be lauded for attempting to promote awareness, unfortunately the timing is horrible since all of the media attention – including the Catholic media – is rightly focused on World Youth Day. 

What is NFP?

Pope John Paul II: Evangelium Vitae

In his encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), Pope John Paul II outlined the appropriateness of NFP:

At the first stage of life, centers for natural methods of regulating fertility should be promoted as a valuable help to responsible parenthood, in which all individuals, and in the first place the child, are recognized and respected in their own right and where every decision is guided by the ideal of the sincere gift of self. (EV, #88)

From the scientific point of view, these methods are becoming more and more accurate and make it possible in practice to make choices in harmony with moral values. An honest appraisal of their effectiveness should dispel certain prejudices which are still widely held, and should convince married couples, as well as health-care and social workers, of the importance of proper training in this area. (EV, #97)

What the Catechism Teaches

The Catechism articulates the Church teaching on family planning. Additionally it sets forth the proper disposition for discerning when to regulate procreation.

2368 A particular aspect of this responsibility concerns the regulation of procreation. For just reasons, spouses may wish to space the births of their children. It is their duty to make certain that their desire is not motivated by selfishness but is in conformity with the generosity appropriate to responsible parenthood. Moreover, they should conform their behavior to the objective criteria of morality:When it is a question of harmonizing married love with the responsible transmission of life, the morality of the behavior does not depend on sincere intention and evaluation of motives alone; but it must be determined by objective criteria, criteria drawn from the nature of the person and his acts criteria that respect the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love; this is possible only if the virtue of married chastity is practiced with sincerity of heart. (NOTE: CCC cites GS 51 § 3 as an endnote).

2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality.158  These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil:159  Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality. ... The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle ... involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality. (NOTE: CCC cites HV, 16; HV, 14; FC, 32 as endnotes).

Links to Documents Cited in CCC:

• Gaudium et Spes (GS)
• Humanae Vitae (HV)
• Familiaris Consortio (FC)

Fortnight for Freedom:Standing Up for Religious Freedom

Fortnight for Freedom

Tomorrow begins the second annual Fortnight for Freedom, which was initiated by the US Bishops. According to the USCCB the purpose of the Fortnight for Freedom is to promote:

[A] two-week period of prayer and action, to address many current challenges to religious liberty, including the August 1, 2013 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS mandate, Supreme Court rulings that could attempt to redefine marriage in June, and religious liberty concerns in areas such as immigration and humanitarian services.

Threats to Freedom
The USCCB cites a list of threats to freedom. We are already seeing infringements take place and more are likely in the near future. In just last year and half we've seen a court rule that a Catholic diocese cannot enforce its moral criteria (not to mention the employment contract) in the hiring and firing of teachers. We've recently heard of the IRS targeting Catholic speakers and possibly Catholic institutions. The HHS mandate deadline (August 1st) for religious organizations to comply is looming.

According to Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett, the keynote speaker at the National Religous Freedom Award Dinner, the threats are real:

There is no doubt that religious freedom faces extraordinary and novel challenges that grow out of increasing and aggressive secularism, coupled with fundamental redefinitions of core social institutions. These changes are putting some religious communities on a collision course with newly emerging social concurrences on matters of morality, equality and how we define fundamental civil and human rights.

Pro-Life Resources

Today marks the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion through all nine months of pregnancy. It also marks the annual March for Life in Washington D.C. and across the United States. I don't have a lot to add to the commentary offered up by better advocates than me. I've listed a few resources on the subject to help you better understand Church teaching and how to communicate to your family and friends, both Catholic and non-Catholic.

BOOKS

Recall Abortion, Janet Morana which will be released in a couple of days. Morana is the Executive Director of Priests for Life, co-founder of Silent No More and co-hosts Catholic View for Women on EWTN. This is what the notes from the publisher say:

Abortion Harms Women. Bad products are recalled every day: the Ford Pinto, faulty tires, dangerous prescription pills, contaminated lettuce. If a product is found to pose even a modest risk to those who use it, you can bet it will soon be pulled from the market . . .

Unless that product is abortion.

Every abortion kills an unborn child. But more, abortion harms women - risking the health and well-being of those who all too often are conned and coerced into making this terrible choice. If it were any other product, abortion would have been removed from the market long ago.

In RECALL ABORTION, author Janet Morana exposes the myriad ways abortion exploits women, and calls for a national recall of this deadly procedure. She documents the way abortion risks and degrades women's health. And she exposes the false promises and lies by which it is pushed and sold.

Morana also investigates abortion's debilitating after-effects, and gives a voice to those women who have chosen abortion and have regretted it. These testimonies (so often silenced by the abortion industry) are a powerful and sometimes heartbreaking glimpse into the real suffering abortion causes, including deep depression and lasting physical and emotional scars.

Abortion does not empower women. It is not health care. It harms women severely.

Isn't it time we recalled abortion?

Peter Kreeft offers a logical, pragmatic approach in his book Three Approaches to Abortion: A Thoughtful Compassionate Guide to Today's Most Controversial Issue. Kreeft is a philosophy professor at Boston College and a prolific writer. You can find most of his books at Ignatius Press, which should tell you something about the quality and authentic nature of his work. Here is an excerpt from his book:

Abortion is the single most divisive public issue of our time, as slavery was for the nineteenth century, or as prohibition was for the 1920's. Intelligent, committed pro-lifers will not be satisfied in principle with anything less than the legal prohibition, or abolition, of all abortion (though most pro-lifers are pragmatic enough to accept partial abolitions as incremental steps toward that goal). And intelligent, committed pro-choicers understand this and resist, also in principle, any of these incremental steps. Pro-lifers find it intolerable that the most innocent and vulnerable members of our society and our species are legally slaughtered. Pro-choicers find it intolerable that women be forced by law to bear unwanted children against their will. Neither side can or will budge, in principle. [NOTE: For an extended preview go to the Inside Scoop.]

ONLINE RESOURCES

• USCCB - Collection of Articles on Church Teaching on Abortion
• Peter Kreeft - The Apple Argument Against Abortion,  A non-religious approach to the debate
• Priests for Life - A comprehensive website with media and articles for pro-life activism.
• Rachel's Vineyard - Ministry designed to aid families heal from the suffering from the aftermath of abortion. Provides retreats and resources.
• Silent No More - Campaign to bring true awareness to the issue of abortion through real life testimonies of people who participated in abortions.

VATICAN DOCUMENTS

• Humanae vitae - Pope Paul VI's encyclical which prophesied the culture of death.
• Gaudium et spes - Vatican II document on the Church in the modern world. It goes into great detail in explaining and outlining the dignity of man and how it must be respected and preserved.

Toolbox: Have You Read the Catechism?

Today we begin the Year of Faith. Today also marks the 20th Anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Blessed John Paul II called the CCC "a sure norm for teaching the faith" and he asserted that it would help "serve the renewal" of the Church. In this spirit of renewal, Pope Benedict XVI said in Porta Fidei that one of the things we the faithful can do during this year is to read the Catechism.

Do you own a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)? If you are serious about learning your Catholic faith, you MUST own a copy of the CCC and more importantly you have to read it.

How to Get a Copy of the Catechism
Daily Email, Flocknote
Free Online, USCCB
eBook & Paperback, USCCB

Additional Resources
FAQ about the CCC from USCCB
Porta Fidei
Opus Dei Prelate's October Letter

Be sure to check out That Catholic Show's funny and informative video "Night of the Living Catechism."

Fortnight For Freedom

Today marks the beginning of the USCCB's Fortnight for Freedom, two weeks dedicated to prayer and reflection on religious freedom. The US Bishops have chosen this fourteen day period to begin with the feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More and to culminate on Independence Day. According to the bishops this time is meant to be a "special period of prayer, study, catechesis, and public action [that] will emphasize both our Christian and American heritage of liberty."

The USCCB has organized a wealth of information to arm the laity with the resources to pray, study and act. This includes articles on the subject of religious freedom, daily reflections, text message updates, prayer cards, Church bulletin inserts and much more.

Here is the Prayer for the Protection of Religious Liberty:

O God our Creator,

Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit,
you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world,
bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel
to every corner of society.

We ask you to bless us
in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty.
Give us the strength of mind and heart
to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened;
give us courage in making our voices heard
on behalf of the rights of your Church
and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.

Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father,
a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters
gathered in your Church
in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,
so that, with every trial withstood
and every danger overcome—
for the sake of our children, our grandchildren,
and all who come after us—
this great land will always be "one nation, under God,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Tuesday Tech Talk:Marriage, Annulments and Divorce

I don't profess to be an expert on the Church's annulment procedures, but I can speak from first-hand experience about how difficult the annulment process can be. Yesterday, Stacey and I celebrated the seventh anniversary of the day our marriage was officially convalidated by the Church. It is a special day for us, because it also marks the anniversary of Stacey's full admission into the Catholic Church; she received the sacraments of the Eucharist and Confirmation at our ceremony.

As I was reflecting on the years since we both came into full communion with the Church, it occurred to me that one of the biggest hurdles for people returning or staying in the Church are issues surrounding current and past marriages. All you have to do is listen to a session on Catholic Answers open lines to hear a majority of calls on marriage, annulments and divorce. I feel for these people because I know how much they want to conform to the teachings of the Church and how challenging it can be.

Some have criticized U.S. Catholics as using annulments as a form of Catholic sanctioned divorce. This may be the case with some, but I don't think the majority of people fall into this category. Instead, I believe many are the victims of years of poor catechises and inadequate marriage prep. I myself am a cradle Catholic. I didn't know until a deacon told me, although Stacey wasn't Catholic, that her previous marriage was an impediment to us getting married. Unfortunately, no one told me (and I didn't ask) that before we got married by the county. This of course complicated matters.

The Church leadership is taking strides to remedy some of this. The USCCB has recently developed For Your Marriage, dedicated to promoting marriage formation. This is important because marriage is not only a sacrament, but it is also a vocation for which one is called. The site is a comprehensive resource for those getting married, already married or getting married for the second time. It also includes resources on parenting, natural family planning and provides helpful tips for strengthening the marriage bond.

In a time when traditionally marriage is under attack, we need to begin by taking care of our own household. What I mean by that is how can anyone take us seriously when Catholics are divorcing at similar rates as non-Catholics? This is not any different than any other form of evangelization. Other people have got to see a difference in us. We need to stand out for our caring, loving and fortified marriages.

If you found this post helpful, you might also be interested in:

World Marriage Day

Tuesday Tech Talk:The New Evangelization

Today the USSCB announced the release of a new document by the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis entitled Disciples Called to Witness: The New Evangelization. In addition to this statement explaining the role of every Catholic to witness to the world, the CEC has also launched a new online resource to aimed at helping Catholics rediscover the faith. It's intended for those who may have left the Church or those who are only marginally Catholic.

The new site includes brief descriptions of the Four Pillars of Catholic Faith. The site also utilizes videos to help teach. My only complaint is that (like other videos on the USCCB website) you cannot embed them into other sites. You can only share a link.

This is a good starting point for helping family and friends who want to come back to the Church but may be intimidated by change or are afraid to ask questions. It's not a bad place for "practicing" Catholics to brush up on what the Church teaches.

Blessed Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter, At the Beginning of the Third Millennium outlines the role we all have in evangelizing:

It is necessary therefore to rediscover the full practical significance of Chapter 5 of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, dedicated to the "universal call to holiness". The Council Fathers laid such stress on this point, not just to embellish ecclesiology with a kind of spiritual veneer, but to make the call to holiness an intrinsic and essential aspect of their teaching on the Church. The rediscovery of the Church as "mystery", or as a people "gathered together by the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit",15 was bound to bring with it a rediscovery of the Church's "holiness", understood in the basic sense of belonging to him who is in essence the Holy One, the "thrice Holy" (cf. Is 6:3). To profess the Church as holy means to point to her as the Bride of Christ, for whom he gave himself precisely in order to make her holy (cf. Eph 5:25-26). This as it were objective gift of holiness is offered to all the baptized. 

But the gift in turn becomes a task, which must shape the whole of Christian life: "This is the will of God, your sanctification" (1 Th 4:3). It is a duty which concerns not only certain Christians: "All the Christian faithful, of whatever state or rank, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity".16

I recommend you also check our Carl Olson's Evangelization 101

Tuesday Tech Talk:Web Sites for Lent

There are a number of very good, authentic Catholic websites available. Unfortunately, if you are just returning to the Catholic Church (like I was eight years ago) or are a neophyte hungry to learn more, the Internet can be intimidating and even a dangerous place to find resources. We live in crazy times where so-called Catholic websites can be fronts for schismists who believe Vatican II was a heresy to progressives who think there's no contradiction between being Catholic and pro-choice. 

I hope this brief list (it is by no means exhaustive) is a good starting point for you to develop your own tool chest of resources. I would recommend visiting the links and blog lists posted on these sites. You will find that good sound teachers and writers on the faith have a tendency to cite each other.

I picked this list because they tend to be comprehensive and catechetical. Additionally, I think these sites would be appropriate tools for deepening your faith during Lent. You can use them to stock your Spiritual Toolbox with more spiritual tools and knowledge. You might use them to research a saint. Or you might use them to answer a FAQ of the Faith. 

Catholic Answers - one of the most comprehensive collection of Catholic apologetic and catechetical resources. The cite also has links to audio and video archives of their programming. On the low-tech side, they have a number of faith tracts that you can download for free.

Catholic Exchange - this site is structured like a news magazine containing topics that range from art to technology. The site contains a number of great columns and resources. It even posts recipes. For example, they recently posted a recipe for beer-battered fish fry.

EWTN - if you have not discovered EWTN, you need to just start watching the programming. Fortunately, if your cable or satellite provide does not carry Mother Angelica's network, you can follow most of the programming online. Additionally, the site has a huge library of documents and audio programming.

New Advent - in addition to having the complete copy of the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia, this site includes the complete Summa, writings from the Church fathers, the Bible and a library of other Church documents. The site also captures a number of popular Catholic blogs.

USCCB - the shepherds of the US Catholic Church have organized a robust website which includes resources ranging from the Bible to liturgical norms. The site contains a complete copy of the New American Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Remember they also have great video reflections on the daily readings.

Support Respect for Rights of Conscience Act

Tuesday Tech Talk: Video Reflections on Daily Readings

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' website is a wonderful and robust website for all things Catholic. I plan to do a review of the complete site in the future. Today's Tuesday Tech Talk (T3) is focused on a recent addition to the site - video reflections on the daily readings.

The USCCB has produced a series of videos which reflect on the Gospel reading of the day. The reflections are led by priests and lay people alike. Most of the reflections are no more than five minutes long. They make a nice complement to reading the scripture of the daily mass.

The videos can be shared by email, IM, Facebook and Twitter. My one complaint is that the videos cannot currently be embedded in blogs or parish websites. I would have liked to have embedded one as an example.  For now, I will share the link to the Martha and Mary gospel reading from today.

One other minor criticism is that clicking on the Reflections link does not take you directly to the day's reflection. Instead you must click the tab for the month's reflections and scroll down for the day you are looking for. I am sure this will be worked out over time.

Tuesday Tech Talk: Catholic YouTube Channels

Joe Catholic recently launched its first YouTube video and we will be working on producing additional videos in the future. Therefore, today’s Tuesday Tech Talk will focus on using YouTube channels to learn more about Catholicism. YouTube is easily accessible on the Internet and even most smart phones come with a YouTube mobile app.

Catholic YouTube videos can be useful tools for adding emphasis to a talk you may be giving or for personal study. Additionally, you can follow some of your favorite Catholic programming through their YouTube channels. I subscribe to a few Catholic YouTube channels that automatically alert me when new content has been uploaded. I don’t spend hours watching all of them, but I will use the videos to enhance my study or even to include on this blog. For example, if Stacey and I are out shopping and I am sitting around waiting for her, I can watch a brief video to pass the time constructively.

You don’t have to have a YouTube account to watch the videos, but you will need one to subscribe to the channels. Here are the steps for setting up an account.

Here are some links to some of my favorite Catholic YouTube Channels:

Catholic Answers

EWTN

St. Josemaria Escrivá

Vatican

USCCB

FAQ of Faith: Indulgences

I have been working on my last final for my Catholic Theological Tradition course. One of the topics I am writing on is Martin Luther. As I was writing, I remembered that I had started a post on indulgences over a year ago. So here's an updated version of the post.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, "an indulgence is the extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment due, in God's justice, to sin that has been forgiven, which remission is granted by the Church in the exercise of the power of the keys, through the application of the superabundant merits of Christ and of the saints, and for some just and reasonable motive."

Rather than attempt to paraphrase more qualified minds on the subject, I will simply list the links below. The first is a very good summary by the USCCB that can be used for a handout at a formation session.

Resources:
Handout from Meeting

Primer on Indulgences

Myths about Indulgences

Recommended Book:

Handbook of Indulgences