THY 2 Finals

second vatican council

discussed matters related to marriage and family as a serious pastoral issue

vatican II

pointed out how sexual liberalism threatens the human person’s value and destabilizes marriage and family institutions

Gaudium et Spes

• Being the pastoral constitution of the church in the modern world, the document emphasized and affirmed both the dignity of the human person and the noble value of marriage and family 

• In relation to marriage, it emphasized the individual person and of human society is intimately linked to the healthy condition of both marriage and fam 

Gaudium et Spes

According to this document:

• Married couples are reminded to be faithful witnesses of love and harmony so that being true to their marital vocation they become positive example and influence for everyone in society 

^^ they are called to value the transmission of life in the family and the education of their offspring. The sexual characteristic of both the man and woman finds its fulfilment not only as an expression of the couple’s mutual self-giving love but also when they become open to the transmission of new life 

Human Vitae

• Concerned about how the practice of sexuality is being abused and desacralized (Pope Paul VI, 1968)

• Was written in order to emphasize the unity between sexuality, marriage, and procreation and how these practices are rooted in God’s divine activity

Human Vitae

written by pope paul VI

Marriage

According to Human Vitae (Pope Paul VI), this is  
the wise institution of the creator to realize in mankind his design of love 

^^ this design of love is made possible through the gift of sexuality present physically and spiritually through the complimentary unity of husband and wife 

Sexuality

According to Human Vitae (Pope Paul VI), this is  

a divine gift married couples participate and collaborate with God’s creation and new life

• Their mutual self giving and love bearing fruit to new life

• Not simply a matter of biology and a source of personal pleasure 

• Significance is understood in marital love

the truth and meaning of human sexuality

The pontifical council for family came out with guidelines for parents on how to educate their children on the significance of sexuality and cultivating the virtue of chastity

the truth and meaning of human sexuality

Human beings created in God’s image and likeness are called to love 

• God inscribed the capacity and responsibility of love and communion 

• Love is the fundamental and innate vocation

True freedom and self-control

According to the truth and meaning of human sexuality:

• Directed towards self giving in communion and friendship with God and others

• Person has higher capacity for love than lust (objectification and satisfaction to one’s appetite) 

• We should love for their own sake and intend their good 

education on chastity

• To maintain a positive atmosphere of love, virtue and respect for the gifts of God (gift of life)

• To understand the value of sexuality and chastity in stages (enlightening words, examples, prayer)

• Help them understand their vocation to marriage or consecrated virginity 

• For parents to carry out their role in educating their children, it is also important for them to constantly receive formation and catechesis

the truth and meaning of human sexuality

Content on formation on:

• Holistic understanding of human sexuality (physical, psychological, spiritual)

• Must be understood as part of the human dimension as a means for human growth in love and life & purposes of communion 

• Rejecting objectification, pleasure-focused, & promoting dignity 

the truth and meaning of human sexuality

the formation also contains:

• Chastity = training in self mastery and human freedom 

  • Purity of the mind and body (develops self respect)

  • Makes one treat others with respect (they are seen as person’s created in God’s image)

human sexuality

•  intimate dimension of being human seen from God’s perspective & plan 

  • Expression of both physical and spiritual communion 

  • Loving response to God’s call for love and life 

sex education

According to the truth and meaning of human sexuality, this is:

• Rejection of liberal ideas (advocation of safe sex)

• Parents must learn to build an effective and loving atmosphere

• Conscious effort to teach children on self discipline, self control, and prayer 

Evangelium Vitae

• Pope John Paul II

• Written to defend dignity and inviolability of human life 

Evangelium Vitae

Accordig to Pope John Paul II

There is an emerging “culture of death” in civil societies 

• Threats and violations against human life’s dignity 

• Cultural climate of indifference against human life’s value (abortion, contraception, immoral experimentation on human embryos and euthanasia)

^^ this culture is fostered by cultural, economic, and political currents (encouraging an idea of society excessively concerned with efficiency)

Crimes against life

According to Evangelium Vitae, this happens in stages

1. At level of public opinion claimed to be rights (based on individual freedom)

2. Trend towards being recognized legally 

3. Carried out with the help of medical science

Evangelium Vitae

• To defend inviolability of human life, this exhorted the church to be at service of the Gospel of life 

• Evangelization is the grace and vocation of the church, her deepest identity (she exists to evangelize)

• Proclaim that God is an intimate part of our existence and invites us to live in communion with Him & others 

  • Human life is a relationship, a gift of God, and His love’s fruit and sign 

  • The call to see beyond other’s faces, the face of Christ 

culture of life

Pope John Paul II promotes this culture

• This begins with a general mobilization and formation of consciousness towards a united ethical effort to support life and its inviolability 

• The recovery of the vital link between freedom and truth 

  • Responsibility and conformity to what is objectively good must always accompany the exercise of freedom

Evangelium Vitae

• Mentioned family as the immediate community that can promote culture of life 

• Both husband and wife orient themselves to human life transmission 

• Mutual love reaches totality when “become cooperators with God”

• Those involves in mass media should be responsible for the messages they transmit to support culture of life 

  • Need to present noble life models and make room for instances of people’s positive and sometimes heroic love for others 

Responsible Parenthood and reproductive health act of 2012

• Human rights of all including right to equality and nondiscrimination 

• Right to sustainable human development, right to health including reproductive, right to education and information, right to choose and make decisions in accordance with religious convictions, ethics, cultural beliefs, and demands of responsible parenthood

Family Planning

Use of contraceptives, sexuality education, and natural family planning techniques

contraceptives

• Condoms, surgery (hysterectomy for women and vasectomy for men) and intrauterine devices worn during intercourse 

• Device designed to prevent sperm from fertilizing the egg

1. Biological sense - way to avoid pregancy using either artificial or natural methods

2. Moral sense - any direct, positive frustration of any phase in the process of conception (before, during or after sex)

sex education

• Teaches youth how their reproductive system functions, use of contraceptives, and truth of pregnancy and birth control

• Natural planning techniques are taught to chart fertility cycles

contraception as a direct frustration

Intentional or planned act of blocking conception

medical reasons

• Physical conditions: pregnancy endangers life 

• Prevent pregnancy too close together or poorly timed (high infant mortality rate)

• Sake of infant health: obstetrical toxemia, eclampsia, hyperemesis, and pelvic disproportion 

• Heart disease, hypertension, renal disease, diabetes, hypertension, HIV

eugenic reasons

• Suspected genetic deficiency 

• Avoid having “defective children”

• Create a better human race 

psychological reasons

• Fear of having children 

• Fear of possible dangers in pregnancy and childbirth 

socio-economic reasons

• Poverty - fear of inability to support another child 

• government - controlling growth of population

principles of responsible parenthood

• Does not involve methods of artificial contraception

• Upholds responsible exercise of conjugal act 

• First duty is to respect the dignity of human life from moment of conception (child is always a gift)

Pope paul VI

He explained the deeper significance of responsible parenthood by linking it with responsibility for conjugal love 

• Responsible parenthood flows from conjugal love and integral vision of human person

right conscience

Parents are expected to thoughtfully consider their own welfare and of their children

Moral Law

what law obliges them to control the impulse of instinct and passion and to respect the biological laws inscribed in their person

responsible parenthood

Formation includes:

1. Education on conjugal love 

• Human vitae defines what marital love is (fully human, not expression of instinct): act of free will to attain holiness

2. Requires understanding integral purpose of marriage (creating a fam)

• Love of the couple & openness to children 

3. Married couples should be educated on chastity 

• To preserve conjugal fidelity and regulate conjugal act 

4. Adverse effects of contraceptives and abortifacients 

• Pills have side effects 

• morally, it is wrong because it separates the unitive and procreative purposes of marriage 

• Natural method is promoted to regulate birth 

5. Issue of population control

• Promoting reproductive rights

natural family planning

Pope John Paul II 

• It is rooted on the origins of human life and cooperation between spouses and God

• Observe and follow natural cycles of fertility and infertility of woman’s body

cathecism of the catholic church, 2370

• Any action rendering procreation is intrinsically evil 

• Through contraception, spouses do not totally give oneself to the other thus the natural reciprocal self-giving of spouses is overlaid 

• This leads not only to refusal in being open to life but also to a falsification to the truth of conjugal love (called to be given in personal totality)

contraception

• suppresses fertility

• puts barriers to deliberately prevent the transmission of life

• sex is for mere personal pleasure

• Pregnancy occurs despite the couple’s actions

natural family planning

• accepts fertility

• always open to the possibility of life

• sex is total self-giving

• pregnancy occurs because of the couple’s actions

natural family planning

Benefits include:

• promotes a stronger marriage

• 100% organic

• saves money

• takes control of fertility

• no-side effects