Catholic

Life and Family

A Canadian Catholic

Parish Pro-Life Paper
‘Assisting Catholics in the Pro-Life

and Pro-Family Cause’

A Semi-annual Publication by Priests for Life Canada

PRAYER

FOR

LIFE

If you would like to be notified when future issues of Catholic Life and Family go online, please send us an E-mail with the message

"Catholic Life and Family Update".

Join the International Perpetual Rosary for Life

---

CONTRACEPTIVE ATTITUDES

AND THE FAMILY
by Fr. Jim Whalen, National Director, Priests for Life Canada

In the last twenty-five years certain immoral practices have become so common that they are being taken as the norm in our society. This sexual revolution, the breaking-down of an existing social and cultural order, began in the minds and attitudes of people. There has been a change in the very meaning of human love:

1. Self-giving in love is being replaced by self-seeking (love is confined by lust);
2. Sex has been separated from God’s plan for the family to become a means of self-gratification;
3. Children, who are the fruit of love, are considered as undesirable side effects of irresponsible mating.

A contraceptive mentality prevails that in many instances strives to avoid children and seeks self-pleasure and mutual gratification. It engages in pre-marital and so-called safe sex as a common practice (e.g.: the use of condoms); and uses contraceptive means (i.e.: birth control pills, abortifacients, etc.) in an attempt to avoid the inevitable responsibility for the consequence of one’s choices and actions.

Secular Humanism and Moral Relativism are pointed out as the underlying cause of this “contraceptive mentality”, considering God as irrelevant in our moral and social life. This has resulted in the destruction and the trampling of the rights of the person, of the family and of society, as evidenced in the fallout: a dramatic increase in adultery, divorce, sexually transmitted diseases, (i.e.: AIDS), and same-sex unions.

Moral Relativism is the belief that there are no objective standards of right and wrong. These are simply personal preferences implying one should tolerate other opinions or views as of equal value - a form of intellectual suicide, that is self-refuting and cannot live by its own rules. In this belief, it is impossible to say that anything is wrong or evil. This would mean there is no difference in choosing to save and help others, (i.e.: by people like Jean Vanier or Mother Teresa) and choosing to put people to death (i.e.: in gas chambers as in Adolph Hitler’s Nazi Concentration Camps, or Henri Morgentaler’s Abortion Clinics). This means the anti-life agenda would be considered as equal in value to the pro-life agenda. Preference claims are a matter of personal taste not a matter of true or false, of right or wrong. Moral claims are evaluated as true or false, as right or wrong, on the basis of evidence.

Abortion is wrong because it takes the life of an innocent child. It is anti-life, and anti-family. Contraception is wrong, a sin, a serious moral disorder, because it goes against the good of nature, which is the conservation of the species. It is wrong because it goes against the primary purpose of the conjugal act of procreation, (Gen 38:9-10), as well as against the purpose of union as well. The fact is that it is impossible to live as a moral relativist, for without objective morality anything is acceptable - nothing is wrong or evil. Each person decides for themselves what is right and what is wrong, with no objective criteria, and with no absolute truth. The result is massive destruction and chaos.

Contraception is an unnatural perversion of the act of love - through the violation of its essential purpose: the generation of a human being, a human nature - a human person. Contraception is anti-life, anti-family, and anti-love. In God’s plan, a man and awomen are called to transmit life and form a family in the context of a conjugal love that is human, spiritual, total, faithful, exclusive, and fruitful. Contraception makes the conjugal act less human for it implies a lack of self-discipline and a lack of self-mastery. Conjugal love, according to Catholic teaching, entails a total gift of one’s self to the spouse (one man, one woman) in a permanent commitment of Matrimony. It means the exclusiveness of the marital act with one’s spouse, a non-transferable right. It means faithfulness of one man and one woman to the marriage covenant they have made with God and with one another. Contraception erodes faithfulness in marriage for it promotes a view of conjugal love more as an instinct and urge rather than an activity requiring self-control over one’s behaviour.

Contraception is a lie for it is against the value of life, the value of family, and the generation of the human species. It violates the principle of inseparability of the procreative and unitive meaning of the conjugal act. Contraception is basically a rebellion against God. The falsehood of the contraceptive act, the misuse of the conjugal act, degrades human sexuality and the married partners. The quality of love deteriorates with contraceptive practices and marital breakdowns multiply. Contraception is the thwarting of God’s plan for life and for family. It is the usurpation of God’s prerogative in which human cooperation is required in being open to having children. Contraceptive attitudes have led many to accept abortion and a life of drug abuse; to a disregard for human life as inherent in euthanasia and embryo experimentation; to an aggressive homosexual movement which is largely responsible for the spread of AIDS; and same-sex marriages. It has led to a media that promotes promiscuous sex, sexual perversions, and pornography as commonplace. With the breakdown of marriage came the disintegration of the family life and family culture.

However, there is hope for the family. Pope Paul VI’s teaching on Natural Family Planning in Humanae Vitae (1968), and his exposition of the truth about the evils of contraception helped to stem the spread of sexual immorality. There is also a positive orientation for the future of the family as written by Pope John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio (1981) which advocates a family apostolate. A blueprint for moral reconstruction in Veritatis Splendor (1993) and Evangelium Vitae (1995), teaches that the true basis for morality is found in the doctrine of natural law. “The natural moral law expresses and lays down the purposes, rights, and duties which are based upon the bodily and spiritual nature of the human person” (V.S. #50). Without natural law, there is the danger of an alliance between democracy and ethical relativism which can lead to totalitarianism. In regard to contraception, Veritatis Splendour gives the foundation for the natural law, the language of the body argument, explaining the moral and spiritual repercussions of a biological condition. “It is in the unity of body and soul that the person is the subject of his own moral acts. The person... discovers in the body... the expression and the promise of the gift of self, in conformity with the wise plan of the Creator” (# 48). There is also the plan of Pope John Paul II for families to be led by Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Star of the New Evangelization: to contemplate the face of Christ; by living lives of holiness; by living in grace and the Holy Spirit; by centering family life on the Eucharist; by frequenting the sacrament of Reconciliation; by spending time in reciprocal prayer and the Rosary; by meditating on the Scriptures and the New Catechism; and by participating in the New Evangelization (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 2001).

In April 2005, Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as Pope, a man suited for our times for the struggle against what he defined in his homily at Mass, ‘pro eligendo papa’, on the morning the conclave opened, as “a dictatorship of relativism in the West”. In 1993, Cardinal Ratzinger gave a speech to the heads of the Asian Bishops’ Conferences in which he called relativism “the Mother of all heresies”, for it denies the possibility of objectively binding creedal credible statements in the first place. He drew attention to the fact that relativism is dangerous. He stated: “Relativism is the gravest problem of our time, because it is false and suggests that objective truth does not exist, or at least it is unattainable by the human mind. Relativism obscures the Christian claim that Jesus of Nazareth is the incarnate meaning of history, the Logos, the self-manifestation of truth itself” (Christ, Faith, and the Challenge of Cultures). Pope Benedict XVI has pointed out that relativism is the burning issue of our times for it subverts traditional Christian teaching, it compromises the basis for human rights; it leads to the abuse of power by the state, even over life and death; and it fosters ultimately totalitarianism. As head of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedicvt XVI challenges us to keep the candle of objective truth burning and to defend human life at all stages. His strong stand on truth continues to point the way to protect family life and family culture from contraceptive mentality and moral relativism. +

Back to menu for this issue

---

PRAYER FOR LIFE

Almighty God, Giver of all that is good, we thank You for the precious gift of human life:

- for life in the womb, coming from your creative power,
- for the life of children, making us glad with their freshness and promise,
- for the life of young people, hoping for a better world,
- for the life of people who are disabled, teaching us that every life has value,
- for the life of the elderly, witnessing to the ageless values of patience and wisdom.

Like Blessed Mary, may we always say “YES” to Your gift. May we defend it and promote it from conception to its natural end. And bring us at last, O Father, to the fullness of eternal life in Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Office of Life and Family, Archdiocese of Vancouver:

http://www.rcav.org/OLF/Prayer/rev-for-life.htm

Back to menu for this issue

---

EUTHANASIA
 Teachings of the Catholic Church

Part III, Section Two of the Catechism of the Catholic Church is titled “The Ten Commandments”. Chapter Two, Article Five of that section deals specifically with the Fifth Commandment which is:

You shall not kill.

You have heard that it was said to the men of old, “You shall not kill: and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment”. But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.

2258 “Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being”.

Under the heading of: Respect for Human Life, Euthanasia is covered and makes it clear where we as Catholics stand in regard to this issue which is being discussed in Canada today with the threat of legalizing its use.

Euthanasia

2276 Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible.

2277 Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable.

Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded.

2278 Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of “over-zealous” treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted. The decisions should be made by the patient if he is competent and able or, if not, by those legally entitled to act for the patient, whose reasonable will and legitimate interests must always be respected.

2279 Even if death is thought imminent, the ordinary care owed to a sick person cannot be legitimately interrupted. The use of painkillers to alleviate the sufferings of the dying, even at the risk of shortening their days, can be morally in conformity with human dignity if death is not willed as either an end or a means, but only foreseen and tolerated as inevitable. Palliative care is a special form of disinterested charity. As such it should be encouraged.

Suicide

2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honour and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.

2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbour because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.

2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law. Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.

2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives. +

Quotations on Euthanasia   “I will give no deadly medicine to any one if asked, nor suggest any such counsel” ... The Hippocratic Oath “A man, even if seriously sick or prevented in the exercise of his higher functions, is and will be always a man ... [he] will never become a ‘vegetable’ or an ‘animal,’” the Pope said. “The intrinsic value and personal dignity of every human being does not change depending on their circumstances”... Pope John Paul II, 2004 “Experience in The Netherlands, where there has been relatively little effort to improve pain and symptom treatment, suggests that legalization of physician-assisted suicide might weaken society’s resolve to expand services and resources aimed at caring for the dying patient. (Foley, 1995; Hendin, 1994)” ... “Treatment of Pain at the End of Life”, A Position Statement from the American Pain Society. “Those who promote this last, fatal escape as a “right” should remember that such a “right” may quickly become an expectation and, finally, even a “duty” to die. We fear eventually some individuals and families will be forced to put financial concerns above the needs of loved ones”. ... Statement against assisted suicide by members of Michigan’s Religious Leaders Forum, a group of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders (5/7/98).

Back to menu for this issue

---

A Novena for Life NOVENA: DAY 1 through DAY 9 Heavenly Father, with confidence and firm trust we come to you in our great need. We thank you for answering this prayer even before we ask, because we know that it is your Holy Will. Remove from our society the scourge of abortion. Change the minds and melt the hearts of all who promote this evil, or who seek abortion as a remedy. Let us take the time to pray and to do the necessary penance in order to obtain this grace from You. Heavenly Father, we ask You this, through the intercession of Mary, and in the name of Jesus, Your Son. Amen. Dearest Mother of Guadalupe, with the power of the Holy Spirit, I beg you for a fortified will to imitate your Divine Son’s charity - to always seek the good of others in need. Grant me this, I humbly ask you. Heavenly Father, I ask you, through the intercession of Mary, and in the name of Jesus, Your Son, to save the life of the unborn child I have spiritually adopted in my heart today. Amen. Pray the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father. _____________________________ Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host, by the power of God, cast into hell, Satan, and all other evil spirits, who prowl the earth seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. +

 

Back to menu for this issue

---

STUDENTS: eNTER THE ‘ESSAY ON LIFE’ CONTEST ENTER THE ‘ESSAY ON LIFE’ CONTEST - In English or French - 1st Prize: $500.00 2nd Prize: $300.00 3rd Prize: $150.00 All entries: Precious Feet Pin If you are a student and under the age of nineteen before May 31, 2006, here is your chance to have your composition published in various Priests for Life Canada publications, and earn some spending money at the same time. Write an essay (in English or French) on one of the following and how he/she relates to the pro-life cause. Your essay can be up to 1,000 words in length. Priests for Life Canada will be the final judge of the winners and reserves the right to publish or not publish entries. Entries must be submitted by May 31, 2006.   Pope John Paul II Blessed Mother Teresa St. Faustina Kowalska Our Lady of Guadalupe St. Juan Diago St. Maximilian Kolbe Joseph Borowski Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen John Cardinal O’Connor Blessed Gugliana St. Gianna Beretta Molla St. Joseph St. Michael Submit your essay along with your Name, Address, and Age to: Priests for Life Canada Essay on Life Contest P.O. Box 43, Cumberland, ON K4C 1E5

Back to menu for this issue

---

Prayer for Perseverance in Faith

Father, keep us from vain strife of words. Grant to us constant profession of the Truth! Preserve us in a true and undefiled Faith so that we may hold fast to that which we professed when we were baptized in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit - that we may have Thee for our Father, that we may abide in Thy Son and in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Saint Hilary of Poitiers, Bishop and Doctor

Back to menu for this issue

---

Priests for Life Canada 7th Annual Symposium on Life and Family REVOLUTION of DEATH or REVELATION of Life with: Fr. Jim Whalen, National Director, Priests for Life Canada Elsie Wayne, former Member of Parliament Alex Schadenberg, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition Fr. Tom Lynch, Professor, St. Augustine’s Seminary -------------------------- Saturday, October 21, 2006: 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Senhor Sancto Christo Church 1100 Kenaston Street, Ottawa, Ontario Relativism and the Gospel of Truth Fr. Jim Whalen, Mass Homilist (9:00 a.m.) Family Under Siege and the Gospel of Values Elsie Wayne, former M.P. (10:30 a.m.) Luncheon Banquet (included in registration fee) Euthanasia and the Gospel of Love Alex Schadenberg, Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (1:30 p.m.) Violence and the Gospel of Peace Fr. Tom Lynch, Professor, St. Augustine’s Seminary (3:30 p.m.) Registration Members: $30.00 Non-members: $ 35.00 Clergy/Students: $25.00 Seminarians: Free (includes Luncheon Banquet at 12:15 p.m.) Please register in advance.  for registration, please contact: Priests for Life Canada P.O. Box 43, Cumberland, ON K4C 1E5 Tel: (613) 732-3950 Fax: (613) 732-9196 E-mail: priests@priestsforlifecanada.com

 

 

---

DISTRIBUTE THE Catholic Life and Family newspaper

IN YOUR parish.

The Catholic Life and Family is a semi-annual publication by

Priests for Life Canada

Box 43

Cumberland, Ontario K4C 1E5
Tel: (613) 732-3950 Fax: (613) 732-9196
e-mail: priests@priest.com
http://www.webhart.net/vandee/students.shtml

Available for bulk distribution @ 5 cents per copy plus shipping

Send us an E-mail request for free sample copies for your parish (Canada only).

Click Here!

 

Catholic Life and Family a semi-annual publication by Priests for Life Canada Box 43, Cumberland, Ontario K4C 1E5 Tel: (613) 732-3950 Fax: (613) 732-9196 e-mail: priests@priest.com www.webhart.net/vandee/priests.shtml

Members of the Board National Director Rev. Fr. Jim Whalen Box 99, Cumberland, ON K4C 1E5 Tel/Fax: (613) 833-3264 Rev. Fr. Danny Wilson, Chairman Rev. Fr. Paul Burchat, Past-Chairman Rev. Fr. Joseph Hattie, OMI Rev. Fr. Gerard Monaghan Rev. Fr. John Burchat Rev. Fr. Lindsay Harrison Rev. Fr. Brian Boucher Rev. Deacon Bernard MacDonald, Secretary Rev. Deacon John Poirier Bernadette Johnson Michael Vande Wiel (Acting Managing Director/Treasurer)

Except where a copyright symbol appears (©), information in this newsletter may be reproduced
and distributed to spread the pro-life message.

Registered Charity #87017 3242 RR0001

English Home Page        French Home Page        E-mail:  priests@priest.com

Priests for Life, Canada Newsletters     Facts for Life Newsletters     Catholic Life and Family Newsletters     Sample Homilies

Return to Priests for Life, Canada Main Page

 We can rely on our patrons:        Our Lady of Guadalupe       St. Joseph       St. Michael the Archangel

Except where a copyright symbol appears (©), information  may be reproduced and distributed to spread the pro-life message.