Editor’s note: I’m including an excerpt of a recent email that I received from Paul, who is a European Catholic. Things obviously appear somewhat different to him, than they do to many U.S. Catholics.
Rather than replying to Paul or to me via email, I suggest you use the comment feature attached to this post, so that everyone can benefit from your feedback.
Here’s a portion of Paul’s comments:
…I am dropping you a possible counter argument to (Real Catholic TV’s) latest installment (click here to see the post).
With regard to the Five Dollar (Anti) Contraception Kit from Real catholic TV:
…Contraception (or rather “artificial contraception” … which is not the same thing) has been frowned on by the Authority of the Church as being merely the substitute of pleasure over fruitfulness. In Catholic thinking, sexual acts are believed to be God given delights within a family orientation and therefore, to interfere with such an act by artificial means, so that sexual pleasure for its own sake may be obtained, have traditionally been disliked.
Whether or not Catholic families rigidly adhere to the advice however, has always been a matter of debate. Pressures from society generally may affect individuals decisions and may come about more likely from an economic view rather than an anti-catholic one.
Whilst it is true that in the past Catholic thought has frowned upon artificial contraception, with the advance of sexually transmitted diseases especially the AIDS virus the Church has started to come to terms with other possibilities.
This will not however mean the Church splits nor that moral degradations shall destroy Catholic belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. It may mean however, that the Church moves in a new way. And it is up to the faithful to accept this and understand that the notion of the Rock does not mean the Church is ever stagnant.
…Without love we are indeed in a sad state and worthy of pity. Our Catholic identity will mean nothing, and any cry before the Blessed Sacrament will remain unheard.
Yet the term is couched here in a carrot and stick terminology … as in warning of moral degradations tearing at the heart of the faith … and destroying Catholic belief in the soothing embrace of the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist.
Many will read it and without thinking, send their donation to support the originators of such claims, thinking this a service within the Church. It is not. Indeed it remains a grotesque distortion of the real Church and the presence of Christ.
Hearkening back to a time when Catholics presumably lived in the articles of the faith they have since mysteriously forgotten? Hearkening back to a golden age that quite frankly never existed.; hearkening back to some time when Catholics were in control of society and the woes of contraception, abortion, euthanasia, etc. were simply acts of back street sinners … who were destined for eternal damnation, anyway.
Instead such absurdities should be banished … and the real answer of humility and charity towards the neighbour be brought to light.
Basically, there is no easy answer to contraception or to any of the declared woes … and perhaps it is a problem with this “quick-fix society” … that we want there to be one.
In the Church, there can never be a simple remedy … and no simple response to a divided society … but there is the notion of peace and prayer … both of which call the faithful to calm, and to reflection.
Love is not just sentiment, nor can it be a Catholic attitude of superiority. The answer is in charity of word and deed … not in spitting “the truth” at one’s sinful neighbour.
The trouble is that some in the Catholic world have come to despise their neighbour … be they engaged in pre-marital sex, or have had an abortion, or are homosexual, etc. They declare their own love for Christ openly, on the altar … but it is not Christ they adore, because it remains our altar … not somebody else’s. It is our Christ, and his way is our way … or more precisely … MY way.
The desire to attack … if not stomp … opposing views into oblivion … is rather gung-ho, to many European eyes. It is not the will of Jesus, nor is it to the Glory of God that such pride flourishes.
Rarely for example, is contraception taken as a moral wickedness, but rather as a prevention to unwanted pregnancies. People do not take contraceptives, nor are they homosexual, because they are simply evil. Nor do some mistaken doctors, etc. advance euthanasia because they have been corrupted by the use of contraceptives, and are therefore evil.
What is evil is the notion that some Catholics choose to condemn their neighbour as being evil … and to insist they are glad of their own salvation because they believe in the Real Presence in The Blessed Sacrament.
Like the Pharisees of old, they are whited sepulchers … and their pride has made them useless to the work of grace.
What is annoying is that such wickedness is often presented within good and holy text, and given applause by the unsuspecting. Evil is best seen not in opposition, but couched in terms of faith. But this tends to destroy the central principle of what it means to be Christian.
War against anything is rarely desirable … and it often destroys faster than peace can build.
The church continues to grow, though much of its history is tragic and sin-filled. It has come to the realization that its heart must be one of love and tolerance in an intolerant world … and to bear with self awareness the wrongs committed against it … and sometimes by it.
The object is to become Christ at Calvary, and be inspired by his Passion; but it is a long hard road still. We should travel along the road of peace and compromise … rather than seek division and discord … and never follow the quick fix to sin … no matter how brightly it is presented.
Many thanks and God bless,
Paul
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Comment by Doria2, entered by Doug:
Paul reminds me that of the saying that when Satan comes he will come as an angel of light. He sounds like a nice guy but the evil one who holds sway over the earth has definitely infected his thinking. The problem is he doesn’t know or at least he doesn’t believe it.
The Church has never officially spoke against the pleasure of sex. Contraception is another thing though. Or should I say the contrceptive mentality. As a modern example, all Paul has to do is read Humanae Vitae where Pope Paul VI prophetically enumerates exactly what would happen if the contraceptive mentality becomes widespread. And it happened. Just as he said it would.
There would be a cheapening of the sexual act. Women would be treated as machines for pleasure moreso than anytime in history with many of them willing particiants. Abortion would flourish and most importantly the family as a societal unit is on its way to utter destruction. People like Paul don’t even attempt to see this.
As far as AIDS is concerned. It is the one disease that can be totally eradicated in one generation. Stop the behavior, stop the disease. Yes, it is that simple. The Church believes that as children of God, a properly formed conscience, something Paul should work on, is possible to achieve and still teaches that we should try to attain it, not give up as the evil one proposes. The Church need NOT move in a “new way.” Her teaching stands the test of time. Paul’s opinions will not. The only “grotesque distortions” are the modern thought patterns stated in Paul’s letters. He seems to think these problem are new. His arrogance by being a modern prohibits him from reading the lives of the saints and seeing the peoblems of which he speaks didn’t just pop up in the 20th and 21st centuries. There are volumes upon volumes of writings on these subjects and the Church is in the forefront of warning people of their lax attitudes which too many ignore and we as a society are paying for dearly.
Paul speaks of real charity. He knows not the meaning of that statement. Not telling one about the dangers of disease and death of a homosexual lifestyle is tantamount to giving your child a stone when he asks for a piece of bread. People are suffering and dying out here and there are those who say nothing. Blood is on their hands. Warning our brothers is not “spitting” at them, it is telling them the truth. Truth as taught by Holy Mother Church which has been doing so for nearly 2,000 years.
We do NOT despise sinners, we’re in that group Paul. That would mean we despise ourselves. No, pointing out sin is pointing out of love. Those who do not do so are the ones who despise their neighbors because they enable more evil by remaining silent. And people suffer. And yes, we DO try to be “gung ho” for Christ because it is only by following Him and teaching others to do the same that we halp them and cover a multitude of our own sins.
For Paul to take lightly euthansia and abortion and intimate there is no evil involved leads me to believe that he is living in another galaxy. Us “whited sepulchers” feel the need to follow Church teaching and to teach them to our children. Maybe he finds this prideful, we see it as following our Savior, something Paul must pray for and return to doing instead of following society’s elitists into the pits as well as those following blind men.
He mentions the futility of war against evil. Thank God we have Michael the Archangel defending us in BATTLE against the wickedness a snares of the devil. And yes, Church history has much sin but I wouldn’t say sinFUL. For every demonic personality there are thousands of saint, doctors, nuns, and priests who gave their all for their brothers and sisters all thoughout history. People like Paul conveniantly overlook them though.
The first line of Paul’s last paragraph is good:
“The object is to become Christ at Calvary, and be inspired by his Passion; but it is a long hard road still. We should travel along the road of peace and compromise … rather than seek division and discord … and never follow the quick fix to sin … no matter how brightly it is presented.”
But then he goes on to the foolishnes again by intimating that fraternal correction is “division and discord” rather than true love of neighbor.
Guys like Paul mean well but they have the scales of a rationalistic, secular society covering his eyes. Only repentance through frequent confession and reading true Catholic thought can cure this. I pray for his immortal soul.
AndyP/Doria2 Yonkers, NY