"And What's Wrong With The Genital Sexuality Anyway?"

The above question was posed to me by Joe London on his blog.  My response is as follows:

I don’t know where you get the idea that the Catholic Church thinks that there is something wrong with genital sexual activity?  I’m sure you will quote some saint from centuries ago, or a Church document from an even earlier century without taking into account the context in which it was said.  But my task is not to live in the past, rather to live in the present, and the fact is that the Church wants people to have sex.  It encourages it rather strongly in most situations.  Not only does the Church encourage people to haves sex, but they want that act of sex to be meaningful, something more than just the physical act of copulation.  This is why the Church believes that Sex should be reserved for those who are married, because only then will sex be what it is meant to be, namely, a physical living out of the deeper commitment they have made to one another in the sacrament of marriage.  The sex act is meant to be a physical renewal of the marriage vows when the couple stated before God and man that they give themselves to one another in a free, total, fruitful, and faithful way. 

This is why each act of sex must be free, meaning that it cannot be forced or coerced.  This also means that sex should not be used to manipulate the other as can commonly happen when sex is used by men or women as a reward or as punishment.  Another violation of freedom would be if the marital act is engaged in merely as a response to a so called need for release or gratification.  Freedom implies the ability to say no.  If a person cannot say no, then the person is not free. 

Each act of sex must be an act of total self giving, which is why the church believes that contraception is immoral.  Contraception basically says “You can have all of me, except my fertility.”  This statement is not a expression of total self giving which holds nothing back. 

Every act of sexual intercourse must be fruitful.  This means that there must at the very least openness to the fruit of the sex act which, is children. 

And finally, every sex act must be faithful.  Faithfulness obviously means faithfulness to the other spouse.  Any act of sex which does not include the spouse, becomes meaningless.  For instance, fantasizing about someone else while having sex with your wife would be a total violation of faithfulness.  This is why pornography is so destructive, it leads to attitudes of unfaithfulness.

When a person engages in sex they should mean what they are saying with their body.  An act of sex by its very nature says to the other that I am giving myself totally to you in a free, total, fruitful and faithful way.  When someone has a one night stand they are clearly lying with their body.  They are saying physically, “I give myself to you freely, totally, fruitfully and faithfully,” when interiorly there is no such commitment.  They would be living a lie.  Those who would claim that you can separate the two, the physical reality of self giving and the interior reality, but they would be falling into a platonic dualism where the soul is separated from the body, exactly what they accuse Catholics of.  The fact of the matter is that Catholics want soul and body to be united in saying the same thing.  The body expresses the soul.  A body that says “I give myself to you freely, totally, fruitfully, and faithfully” yet has not made that interior commitment through marriage is living a lie.  This separation surely can cause serious psychological damage.  Living a lie will surely make a person crazy.

If anyone has comments on the above statement, please feel free to post a comment below.

Online Demons

Thanks to Mark Shea for this bit of literature reminicent of C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters. I is an imaginary letter from Uncle Corkscrew to his nephew Slimemold, both who are demons. The letter is a discussion of Slimemold's dealings with his "patient," the person he is assigned to tempt. Remember that when the demons refer to "the enemy" they are refering to God, not to Satan. Enjoy...

The Devil in the Digital Domain By: Mark Shea

Note to the reader: This mysterious letter, through some quirk in the cosmic aether, found its way on to an Internet Christian bulletin board shortly after a poster signing himself "Satan" logged on briefly to post various badly spelled obscenities as proof of his ability to "think for himself" and pull the noses of Christians everywhere. Little did he realize that he himself was the subject of intense discussion among the demons: a snippet of which somehow reached earth. One can only guess at the mysterious metaphysical forces at work which forwarded this hellish "interoffice communiqué" between devils to our world of mortal flesh. I don't think it's what Microsoft Internet Explorer had in mind when they coined the invitation "Where Do You Want to Go Today?" But since people like our obscene poster are rather frequent in cyberspace, I pass it on to give us all some insight into some of the spiritual dynamics at work in such acts of "free thought."

A Squeak of Puerility

My Dear Slimemold:

I see the Lowerarchy still has a good solid policy in force for keeping the human patients in that delightful state of perpetual adolescence which fancies the mere mention of sexual intercourse to be equivalent with blasphemy. American humans, being apostate Puritans by and large, are particularly rewarding specimens in this regard, and make such delightful sport for us (though it is unfortunate that we have never been able to sever their link of dependence on the Enemy's revolting delight in sexual pleasure that is at the heart of His absurd creative act).

By all means, continue to urge your patient to spray paint "graphic sexual references" (as the creatures love to call them) across cyberspace in the empty and pointless belief that he is somehow standing up for some grand principle of freedom or whatnot. You may wonder if it is possible even for a human creature to not see what a venal and pathetic little gesture of vandalism such a squeak of puerility is--like noisily wiping one's nose on one's sleeve during a philosophical debate--but it is, Slimemold, it is! Play your man well and he will actually fancy himself a titanic creative force for upsetting the Established Order of Things, a Miltonesque "Satan" who is daring to hurl his intellectual might against the Powers of Oppression. Yes, Slimemold, the capacity for vainglory among these hairless bipeds is limitless. In their fascination with themselves at such moments, it never occurs to the creature that sex is the creation of the Enemy, not of us, and that one of His main purposes is to maximize its pleasure by making it an expression of love so profound that the creature would be dazzled by the least imagination of it (if it had any imagination).

To read the rest of the Letter click here.

"The Roman Catholic Church, True Pernicious Nest of Idiocy"

Fellow blogger and self proclaimed atheist, Joe London, has composed quite a poem about mental sodomites (Roman Catholics). It seems as though he persists in his misconceptions about that Catholic Church. For instance, he claims that we are "sick rejecters of the corporeal world," which is truly a lie. He also holds that we "acquiescence to anything said, no matter how senseless, as long as established by dogmas held truer than reason." This too is nothing but deception. The Catechism of The Catholic Church, which is the authoritative document containing the basic teachings of the Church, as well the document Dei Filius which was issued as long ago as 1870 says, "Though faith is above reason, there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth (Catechism paragraph 159)"

As regards Mr. London's claim that we are "sick rejecters of the corporeal world" I refer to my response to him on August 27, 2003.

Many Thanks

Mark Shea, Catholic author, speaker and blogger has linked me on his blogsite.  You can buy his books and tapes here, check out when and where he will be appearing on TV here, and schedule him to come and speak at your parish or other event here.   Make sure you visit his site, it one of the best Catholic blogs out there. 

Fornication

“Fornication is a training ground for adultery, not marriage, and in the long run, it undermines the self-respect of both parties.”  This quote from A Letter to a Nephew by Frederick W. Marks hopefully will get your attention so that you read the entire article that can be found here.  It is an excellent letter/article showing the moral, physical, and sociological danger of fornication and cohabitation.  It is also clarion call to priests and other leaders to have no fear to proclaim the truth about fornication and cohabitation publicly.  It’s a good, well researched letter…take a look and make a comment.

The Power of Forgiveness

Daily Update

All is going well here at the seminary. I have been extremely busy the past week.  Yesterday I took two exams, one for my class on the Eucharist, and the other was an oral exam for my class entitled Creation, Sin, and Eschatology.  For those of you who don’t know, eschatology is the study of the last things (heaven, hell, death, and judgment).  I think they turned out pretty well, even though they were harder than I expected.  Keep praying for me…the time for deaconate ordination draws ever nearer…

Mel Gibson's Movie "Passion" To Be Released Ash Wednesday

News From the Frontlines of the Terri Schiavo Case

Those of you who have been following this case will findthis interesting. 

Car Update

Well folks, I took the plunge and bought a new car.  It is a silver 2003 Saturn Ion.  You can read more about the whole car escapade below.

"A Dry Crack is a Happy Crack..."

Earlier today as I was driving in St. Louis, I saw an ad on the back of a bus that said, "Mr Happy Crack says 'A dry crack is a happy crack.'" Needless to say I cracked up. I knew I needed to go home and look up the website so I could share it with you guys...Learn all about Mr. Happy Crack here.

Congratulations Cardinal Rigali

Religious Movies Seem To Be On The Rise

Joining the ranks of The Passion, Therese, and Luther is a new movie on the Gospel of John, and it seems to be getting a pretty good response. Mike Potemra of NRO has this to say about it: "There's a remarkable new movie out called The Gospel of John, which has done so well in some Southern markets that it's receiving a broader nationwide release. I saw the film last night, and I can recommend it very strongly to anyone who's even remotely interested in the subject. It is a very literal, word-for-word dramatization of the Fourth Gospel; the location shooting was done in Spain, and the production values are impressive enough. Most important, the actor playing Jesus--Henry Ian Cusick-does a terrific job of communicating the character's spiritual cheerfulness and human likeability. Where others have stressed his kindly seriousness (Max von Sydow in The Greatest Story Ever Told) or his tortured soul (Willem Dafoe in The Last Temptation of Christ), this movie suggests how he was able to build such a large public following in his earthly career. The movie also shows that it's possible to render a faithful account of the Gospel narrative without presenting any anti-Semitic stereotypes. (Another cause for optimism about Mel's movie, which comes out next spring.) To see if/when the film will be near you, check out the website." You can also check out the movie's website to see if it will be playing near you.

All Breaks Must Come to an End

Well, today I am back in class.  I had a very good break except for my ongoing car problems.  Here is the breakdown on that.  The car dealership charged me $45 to tell me that there was nothing wrong with my transmission (even though it was making very loud noises) or my brakes (even though they were making some noise).  Two days later I was stranded because my transmission totally went out.  I took it back to the dealership, chewed them out, and told them to try again.  This time they told me that the brakes need to be replaced, as did the transmission, as did a head gasket.  The total pricetag: $3924.  Not a good thing, especially considering that the car, in good condition, is only worth $1500.  The choice is obvious: trade in the car and get something else.  I am on the verge of buying a brand new Saturn Ion.  They are offering me a deal that is very hard to refuse.  If anyone has a Saturn and has anything to say about it please write something in the comments...I welcome both positive and negative remarks... Oh, and you can check out the car here.

Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus

Our good friend and fellow blogger, Mr. Joe London had this to say in his blog recently:

"In a recent post DrChrist complained about the fact that a movie on Luther, he was told, "does not recount his hatred for Jews". I cannot say anything on the movie, since I have not seen it. But talking about hate and intolerance, I wondered. Isn't the Catholic dogma of Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus ("Outside the Church there is no Salvation", meaning the Catholic Church) a possible cause of intolerance against other religions, including Judaism? On the relationship between Catholicism and Judaism, with respect to the dogma, and from a Catholic point of view, you can read this page. If you reason about the Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus dogma, you can easily understand that it is not exactly a dogma that favours ecumenism and mutual acceptance of religions in the world."

I responded on his blog by saying:

"Do you really know what the church teaches on this topic? Unless you have read the document released a couple of years ago which clarified this exact point, I would say you do not. The document is entitled Domnius Iesus, and it reiterates what the Church already taught in the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions. It states: “The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions. She has a high regard for the manner of life and conduct, the precepts and teachings, which, although differing in many ways from her own teaching, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men”. My understanding of this document as it relates to this topic is this: The Catholic Church believes that all people are saved through the mystery of Christ's death and resurrection. In other words anyone can be saved, but God has chosen (proof for this is found in Sacred Scripture and Tradition) to save them through the Sacraments (which make present the death and resurrection of Christ and its saving power), which are only validly found in the Catholic Church. Now, God can choose to save anyone in any way that he sees fit, but he has chosen to do it through the Church and her Sacraments. Now, does this exclude those who are not Catholic from being saved? No. Rather, they are saved through the Church even though they are not members of it. The only way for a person to be saved is through Christ. This answer is by no means exhausive. One could write an entire doctoral dissertation expounding on, and explaining this document. I encourage eveyone to read it...it can be found here."

Anyone else have any comments or clarifications?  Don't be a silent observer, say something!

Words of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Lord Save us...

You have got to see this...a chuckle compliments of the always witty Fr. Bryce Sibley.

Fall Break

I just wanted to let all of you know that I am officially on break until Tuesday.  As such, I will not be posting frequently for the next couple of days.  Pray for me, and know that I remember all of my readers in my daily prayer.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on Atheism

Last night I listened to an excellent talk which covered the topic of atheism. It was given in the 1960's as part of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen's classic television show entitled "Life is Worth living." I liked it so much that I thought I would post a transcript of the section on athiesm here. You can download and listen to the entire talk here, and if you want more information about the man, you can click here.

Here is the transcript: “One Sunday morning I came into the front of the Church to read mass and I found a young lady standing if front of the communion rail and haranguing the congregation. She was saying to the congregation ‘There is no God, there is too much evil in the world. Reason cannot transcend sense. It is impossible to conclude with existence. Every night’ she said, ‘I go out to Hyde Park, I talk against God. I circulate England, Scotland, and Wales with pamphlets denouncing a belief in the existence of God.’ And on and on she went. By that time I was up to the communion rail. I said to her, ‘Young lady, I am very happy to hear you say that you believe in the existence of God.’ She said ‘you silly fool I don’t.’ I said, ‘I understood you to say just the contrary. Suppose I said that I went out every night to Hyde Park and talked against twenty footed ghosts and ten centaurs. Suppose that I circulated England, Scotland and Wales denouncing a belief in these ghosts and their centaurs. What would happen to me?’ She said, ‘You would be crazy. They would lock you up!’ Well, I said ‘Do you not put God in exactly the same category as these fantasies of the imagination, namely, ghosts and centaurs? Why then would I be crazy for attacking ghosts and centaurs and you are not crazy attacking God?’ She said ‘I don’t know…why?’ I said ‘because when I attack these phantoms of the imagination I am attacking something that is unreal, and when you attack God, you are attacking something just as real as the trust of the sword or an embrace. Do you think’ I said, ‘that we would have anything such thing in the world as prohibition unless there was nothing to prohibit? Could there ever be anti-cigarette laws unless there were cigarettes? How can there be atheism unless there is something to atheiate?’ She said ‘I hate you!’ ‘Well’ I said, ‘Now you have given the answer. Atheism is not a doctrine. It is a cry of wrath. There are indeed two kinds of atheism…the other type of atheism is that type that may be called miffed, such as the communists. They really do not deny the existence of God. They challenge God. It is the very reality of God that saves them from insanity. It is the reality of God that gives them a real object against which they may vent their hate.’”

If you want to read more of Sheen's writing on the topic, here is a good article.

Liturgical News

An Irish Government minister has warned that burning incense in churches could be harmful to the altar boys and girls who help Roman Catholic priests celebrate mass.  You can read more about it here. 

Those of you who have ever seen me swing the thurible (incense burner) at Mass know that a ban on the use of incense would not make me happy.  I love the stuff and can't get enough of it.  I think it adds such a mystical dimension to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  For those of you who don't know why we use it I offer the following short explanation. Incense is symbolic of our prayers rising before the throne of God.  It also creates a mystical cloud of smoke reminisent of cloud that decended upon Mt. Sinai when the Lord spoke to Moses.  It also is used as a sign of reverence toward a person or object, for instance, since we as Catholics have a very high regard for body, the body of the deceased is incensed during the funeral liturgy. 

As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."

The Media Again Observes The Feast of Matthew Shepard

Five years ago, after coming out of the closet, Matthew Shepard was murdered by two men in Wyoming. The media as well as gay rights activists have adoped him as their "patron saint" and continue to use his death as an example of how christian beliefs that same sex attraction is disordered are hateful and intolerant. The media, however, seems to be blind to the fact that the pro-gay contingent has also done their fair share of persecuting. For instance, an Anglican cleric and janitor have been severely beaten by pro-gay activists. Jesse Derkhising and Mary Stachowicz were both brutally murdered for saying homosexual practices are a sin, and the bishop of Vancouver faces death threats from Pro Gay activists.

Let me be clear, I do not condon violence toward anyone, but I do think that the media should open their eyes and see both sides of the story.

"If the World Hates You, Realize That it Hated Me First" - Jesus in John 15:18

We should support this guy for having a spine and standing up for what is right even in the face of persecution. Read his story here. You can also read David Morrison's (author of the book "Beyond Gay) comments on his blog found here.

Luther Movie

Here is a fair review of he recently released movie on the life of Martin Luther.  I have yet to see the movie, but I have been told that it does not recount his hatred for Jews.  His hatred of them was so strong that in 1543 he wrote a little booklet entitled "On the Jews and their Lies"  Here are a few excerpts:

"Set fire to their synagogues or schools and to bury and cover with dirt whatever will not burn, so that no man will ever again see a stone or cinder of them."

"I advise that their houses also be razed and destroyed. For they pursue in them the same aims as in their synagogues."

Disclaimer:  I do not hate Lutherans.  I know many wonderful people who are Lutherans.  I just find it interesting that movie that claims to be an accurate accounting of the life of Martin Luther would be so inaccurate.

Excellent Article on the Relationship Between Faith and Reason

Pope John Paul II has on many occasions extolled the value of reason and its relationship to faith.  This article comments on the Holy Father's ideas on the relationship between faith and reason based on the Church's belief that the two cannot contradict one another.  As the Catechism of the Catholic Church says in paragraph 159, "there can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason."  You can read the article here.

Today is The Anniversary of The Miracle of The Sun at Fatima

O Dia (a Lisbon daily newspaper, edition of 17 October 1917) reported "At one o'clock in the afternoon, midday by the sun, the rain stopped. The sky, pearly grey in colour, illuminated the vast arid landscape with a strange light. The sun had a transparent gauzy veil so that the eyes could easily be fixed upon it. The grey mother-of-pearl tone turned into a sheet of silver which broke up as the clouds were torn apart and the silver sun, enveloped in the same gauzy grey light, was seen to whirl and turn in the circle of broken clouds. A cry went up from every mouth and people fell on their knees on the muddy ground...."

For more testimony from doctors, secular newspapers, and individuals you can check out this website.  There is also a great article by the great Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen on Fatima and the Moslems that can be found here.

I Can't Believe This...

"Is a crying baby alive? No, not necessarily, decided Cook County Circuit Court Judge Karen Thompson last November when she acquitted a mother previously convicted twice of murdering her newborn daughter."  And people accuse the Catholic Church of being irrational...I don't thing the Judicial system is doing to good of a job at it either... read the whole article here.

A Quiet Threat to Homeschooling

"Will homeschooling Christian parents be compelled to teach their children to embrace "safe sex," abortion on demand, and moral relativism? It sounds absurd, but it could happen tomorrow, next month, or anytime. The proposal is on the table, waiting for a judge to pick it up." Read more about this here.