CONTRACEPTION: WHY NOT? |  PENTECOST | CHURCH  ETIQUETTE

INTRODUCTION

These are excerpts from the bulletin or other sources on our faith teachings. Teachings will be added whenever they are added in the bulletin. You can come here to refer to them.

CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING THEMES

1. DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

The dignity of the human person flows from creation in God's image. Every human being possesses an inalienable dignity that stamps human existence regardless of gender, race, class, ethnicity, nationality, etc.

All people are sacred, made in the image and likeness of God. People do not lose dignity because of disability, age, lack of success, or even wrongdoing. Sacredness calls us to emphasize people over things, profit, being over having.

Respecting one's dignity implies that individuals have access to the basic necessities of life which enable them to live humanely.

2. COMMON GOOD INSEPARABLE FROM GOOD OF PERSONS

The freedom and good of the individual must be balanced with the good of society. That means not only domestic but also global society. No one can claim the name Christian and be comfortable in the face of hunger, homelessness, insecurity and injustice.

The economic, political and social institutions of society must be shaped to contribute to the individual and common good.

All people have the right to participate in decisions that affect their lives. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities to respect the rights of others in the wider society and to work for the common good.

3. SOCIAL NATURE OF THE PERSON

Human dignity is realized in community with others and with all of creation. Every aspect of life in community is measured by how the dignity of each person is upheld; therefore earth and human community must be whole and healthy.

The human person is both sacred and social. We realize our dignity and rights in relationship with others, in community. We are one body; when one suffers, we all suffer.

The welfare of the individual and the protection of their rights should be safeguarded by community policies and structures.

4. OPTION FOR THE POOR

Jesus teaches us to look at all reality through the eyes of those who are poor as He did. He chose to be born poor, to look at reality through the underside of history. This means that a just society is achieved only when the needs of the most vulnerable in society are given first priority.

The moral fabric of a nation is determined - or measured - by how well it cares for those who are poor and vulnerable. The obligation to provide justice for all means that the poor have the single most urgent claim on the conscience of the nation.

Economic Justice for ALL states, "The obligation to provide justice for all means that the poor have the single most urgent economic claim on the conscience of the nation."

5. PARTICIPATION AS A BASIC HUMAN RIGHT

People should be able to participate in the decisions which affect their lives (voting, running for office, unions, social organizations, councils, etc.).

6. SOLIDARITY OF THE HUMAN FAMILY

Solidarity helps us to see the "other" -- whether a person, people or nation ... as a neighbor, a "sharer", a "helper", irrespective of age, race, gender, ethnicity, political persuasion, etc. There is an interconnection among all people demanding that we value and respect the experience of all. We are all part of the household, no one should be left out.

7. DIGNITY OF WORK

Work is an extension of the person, his/her gifts, talents, education. It is also that person's contribution to the common good. Work should enhance the human person, not demean him/her for less noble motives. People should be able to earn a living wage with adequate benefits and be employed in good working conditions. Workers must also respect their employers and perform their job honestly.

Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical "On the Dignity of Work" in 1891 drew up the principles for both management and the worker. In this historical document, the Church laid out its adherence to the principles of workers' rights to organize and the management's rights to receiving a full day's work for a full days pay. The rights and responsibilities for both sides were identified.

8. THE UNIVERSAL PURPOSE OF MATERIAL THINGS

All gifts of nature, natural resources, and technology must serve the dignity of the person, support the community, and contribute to the common good.

9. ECOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITY

Planet Earth is a living organism and must be respected as such. Both Earth and humanity must be in partnership with each other for their mutual survival. Therefore, we must learn about and respect her multiple resources and systems if we would be responsible partners. Earth's productive resources do not belong to the few who seek to use them for personal or corporate profit, but to the whole human community. These resources are limited and have their own right to be as part of God's creation. We need to use them with care, respect and in a way which allows for regeneration, ecological sustainability. In recent times, the Church has fostered greater sensitivity to ecological responsibilities.

[Catholic Social Teaching Themes written by and published with authorization by NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, 801 Pennsylvania Ave., SE, Suite 460, Washington, DC 20003, www.networklobby.org]

CONTRACEPTION: WHY NOT?

Over the last forty years we have witnessed the catastrophic destruction of the institution of marriage in our country. The most recent statistics tell us that of every one thousand marriages, fifty to sixty percent will end in divorce! Unfortunately this statistic is almost the same for Catholic couples as well. Marital infidelity has exploded, pornography is rampant and more single women are raising children in poverty than at any other time in our country's history.

Most people will readily admit that there has been a general lowering of morality in the United States over the last forty years. We have seen the acceptance of abortion on demand. Euthanasia is on the rise and assisted suicide has become legal, turning Oregon doctors into killers. Children are shooting each other at school and gangs of angry young men rule many inner cities. Most TV shows, movies, videos and current music glorify violence, perverted sexuality, dishonesty and many other forms of immoral behavior.

It should come as no surprise that as the institution of marriage has disintegrated, so has our society. Why? The family is the building block and stabilizer of society and marriage is at the heart of a family. If our marriages break down, then families break down. And if families break down, then society does as well.

So why do so many marriages end in divorce? There are endless reasons, but one of the most destructive is the use of artificial contraception within marriage. Pope Pius XI recognized this in 1930 when he wrote his encyclical Casti Connubi (On Christian marriage). It was written in response to the Anglican Church's acceptance of contraception within marriage earlier that year (the first Christian denomination since Christ walked the earth to ever sanction contraception). Thus began a slippery slope. As the use of contraceptive pills became widespread in the 1960's, Pope Paul VI reaffirmed the traditional Christian view of marriage when he condemned artificial contraception in Humane Vitae (Of Human Life) in 1968. Unfortunately, most people rejected his prophetic message.

What are the underlying reasons that the Church does not support the use of artificial contraception? The reasons go to the heart of marriage. The purpose of marriage is two-fold: procreative and unitive. The marriage act, therefore, is to be open to new life and is a form of bonding between the husband and wife. The use of artificial contraception prohibits both of these purposes. It prohibits procreation by not allowing the natural conditions created by God to occur, thus pushing God out of the marriage. It prohibits unity because one or both of the spouses is not giving all of themselves to the other in this act of total self-giving. One spouse says to the other (almost always subconsciously), "I don't want a part of you" or "I won't let you have a part of me". By contracepting, the act becomes merely selfish pleasure over time. Marriage is a covenant, not a contract - a covenant between the spouses and God. Artificial contraception shuts God out of the covenant.

Does this mean the Church expects each family to have ten kids in ten years? No, the Church teaches responsible parenting within God's plan. Married Catholic couples have the moral option of Natural Family Planning (NFP) should the need arise to limit family size or space children. NFP is different from artificial contraception in many ways. If fosters a deeper respect for the wife's body and the way God made it to work. It teaches self-control and chastity and it challenges the couple to find other ways of expressing love for each other besides the marital act. It increases communication and dramatically lowers the chances of divorce. Compare the national divorce rate of 50-60%, to that of couples using NFP. Out of every 1000 couples using NFP, less than 1% get a divorce!

At the heart of a contraceptive mind frame is selfishness between spouses and an anti-life mentality that will become the cancer of any marriage. Strong marriages are built on selfless love for the spouse and openness to God and the possibility of new life. NFP can bring that to your marriage, artificial contraception cannot. This is why the Church has been so adamantly opposed to artificial contraception and will continue to be in the future.

For more information on the Church's teaching about artificial contraception please take a free videotape by Dr. Janet Smith from the back lobby or parish library. For more information on Natural Family Planning, please call Scott or Teresa Anthony, 225-4929, Martin or Charlene Doman, 600-2470 and/or Terry or Lisa Carguello, 843-7736.

Let us also remember as we celebrate this day of new life and the resurrection of our Lord, that this new life was not possible without the sacrifice of Good Friday. In the same way, out of a sacrificial and selfless love for each other, spouses will produce the fruit of new life.

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Pentecost

Several years ago here at St. Joseph, we started the tradition of wearing something red on Pentecost since red is the liturgical color for this Solemnity. In the Vatican II spirit of "full and active participation in the liturgy," we again invite you to wear something red to Mass on Pentecost Sunday, June 11th and 12th. Something as simple as this gesture can teach our children about the liturgical colors of the church and even call our adult attention to the Church's Life in the Holy Spirit.

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OUR THREE “R’s” OF CHURCH ETIQUETTE

REVERENCE - We encourage reverence in our worship by:

1. Arriving early enough to prepare ourselves for Mass and remaining long enough to give thanksgiving to God for the graces received and waiting in the pew until the priest has processed out.

 2. Receiving the Holy Eucharist with reverence, always responding AMEN on reception; never chewing gum at time of reception. When one receives in the hand, place the left hand on the right to receive the enthroned Christ and by bowing our head in reverence of the Eucharist just prior to receiving.

 3. Genuflecting (reverencing by bowing the right knee) on entering and leaving, except of course, those who are physically unable to do so.

 4. Talking during Mass only when absolutely necessary, conversing socially in the narthex, outside of Mass.

 5. Using time at Mass to reflect on the readings of the day, prayer, and meditation. The bulletin should, of course, be read at home.

 6. Taking care that our clothing reflects our best and demonstrates our true reverence for what we do as a community in our Eucharistic Worship.

RESPECT - We encourage respect for others’ worship time and our church home by:

1. Taking care that we bring no food or gum into our church home.

 2. Going to the rest room before Mass. Avoiding rest room trips during the Eucharistic Prayer/Consecration. 

3. Being seated when possible, and moving to the center of the pew when you are the first to arrive. 

4. Avoiding damage to pews or kneelers and hymnal holders. Hard shoes, toy trucks, and hard toys on pews should be avoided.

RESPONSIBILITY - We encourage responsibility for the quality of our time at Mass by:

1. Supervising the activity of our young at Mass. Teaching appropriate behavior during Mass. Running in the aisles, walking on the pews, uncontrollable crying, playing with the worship books are activities to be avoided. 

2. Taking crying children to the narthex, and bringing them back when their needs have been met. 

3. Remembering to turn off our cell phones. 

4. Taking care to straighten up our pew area when we leave. 

5. Taking care on entering and leaving church to close the door. In this way, like at home, we control our heating and cooling costs.

Thank you in advance for all your efforts at helping us to make our worship so very prayerful and meaningful in this new year! God Bless You!

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