Chapter 8 McCarthy

What did Pope John Paul II show through his meditation on Genesis?

The beauty of conjugal relations is inherent in the original meaning that God gave to marriage.

Why are homosexual actions intrinsically disordered?

They are devoid of both the unitive and procreative dimensions of human sexuality.

What are the two properties of marriage?

They are exclusivity and indissolubility.

What is the first step necessary for a Christian young person to live chastity?

He or she needs a firm commitment to follow Christ.

What did Pope Paul VI predict?

He predicted what would result if the Church's teaching were not followed.

Why does complementarity, an inherent requirement of marriage, rule out marriage between persons of the same gender?

Complementarity cannot exist between two persons of the same gender.

What is the biggest mistake that a spouse can make in terms of temptation?

Considering oneself invulnerable to temptation.

What is the fundamental truth that governs every moral question involving marriage and sexuality?

Every sexual act or expression must fully respect both the unitive and procreative aspects of human sexuality.

What should a husband and wife not say yes to? What should they say no to?

Husband and wife should not say "yes" to the unitive dimension of the marital act while saying "no" to the procreative dimension by using contraception.

What is an annulment?

It is a declaration by the Church, after thorough investigation, that a sacramental marriage never existed due to a particular impediment.

How is the marital act debased?

It is debased when it becomes an act of self-gratification.

What is responsible parenthood?

Responsible parenthood means, in part, determining family size for serious reasons using moral means.

What quality makes it possible for marital relations to maintain their true meaning?

Sacrificial love and a spirit of service make it possible.

Why is sex outside the marriage act wrong?

Sex outside marriage is morally wrong because, when it is separated from the Sacrament of Matrimony, it ceases to express its true meaning.

What are some near occasions of sin in regard to impure thoughts and desires?

Sexually provocative actions, words, and images.

How is the union between husband and wife a reflection of the Blessed Trinity?

The communio personarum that Adam and Eve formed, and that each husband and wife forms, reflects the community of persons that constitutes the blessed trinity.

What is the logical link between conjugal love, the begetting of children, and their education?

The conjugal act can beget a child. That child than needs to be cared for and educated over a long period of time.

Why should there be both a physics, and spiritual union of man and woman?

The human person is a union of body and soul.

Hat does the marital act "speak" in the language of the body?

The marital act "speaks" spousal unity and the commitment of service and love to each other.

Why is it important to use the media prudently?

The media can bring immoral images into our imaginations through our senses. Therefore, we must be vigilant in protecting our eyes and minds from all temptations.

What erroneous belief do some teens have about petting, mutual masturbation, and oral sex?

"These actions are not 'sex' and, therefore, morally permissible." This view is incorrect.

What would the results be if the Church's teachings were not followed?

-an increase in premarital sex; in marital infidelity; in the wife becoming a sex object for the husband; in divorce; in abortion; and in governments forcing contraception, sterilization, and abortion on its citizens. All these things, in fact have come true. -the logic that would allow a married couple to physically separate sex from procreation would also have to allow premarital sex, adultery, homosexual sex, masturbation, and even bestiality. These acts all separate sexual pleasure from procreation. -artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization are also immoral as they separate procreation from marital relations

What should be the attitude towards persons with same-sex attractions?

Accept such persons with respect, compassion, and sensitivity.

How has the emphasis in fashion shifted?

It has done from an emphasis on elegance, which reinforces the dignity of the person, to a preoccupation which immodesty, which conveys the message that a person is valued by his or her sexual attractiveness.

Why is masturbation wrong?

It has neither a unitive nor procreative purpose.

What is the matrimonial covenant?

It is an agreement that a man and woman make to become lifelong partners.

What was the Casti Connubii?

Pope Pius XI wrote this the same year, reaffirming the traditional Catholic position on contraception.

What are the basic means of growing in chastity?

A firm commitment to Christ, fostering a life of piety and Christian virtue, prudent use of the media, modesty in dress, sensible norms for dating, and certain religious practices are the basic means of growing in chastity.

What did the Pope show to be a consequence of the dignity of man and woman?

A person must always be given love for his or her own sake and never become an object of use.

What should be the proper nature of the marital act?

A personal and loving "meeting" between husband and wife is proper, which reaffirms their total dedication to each other.

How do adultery and polygamy violate the exclusivity of marriage?

Adultery is giving what belongs only to one's spouse to another person who is not one's spouse. Polygamy gives to a supposed second (or third or fourth) wife what belongs only to the first wife. It is the unjust giving of what is due to one person to another person.

What is the level of seriousness of these sins against marriage?

All of them are intrinsically grave.

How does human reproduction go beyond that of the animal world?

Because man and woman have intellect, will, and self-awareness, they can give expression to their love and willingly cooperate with God in creating new persons.

Why is marriage exclusive?

Because marriage is a total self-giving of one spouse to the other, there is no room for someone to give himself or herself to another person.

How is chastity empowering?

Chastity empowers a person to see the image of God in every human being.

What does the human heart desire and what do many young people experience?

Chastity is a joyful and liberating virtue.

What is chastity?

Chastity is the virtue of living human sexuality according to God's plan.

What did Christ do for marriage?

Christ restored marriage to its original meaning, ruling out divorce, which Moses had permitted.

What is the relationship between natural and sacramental marriage?

Christ took marriage, a natural human institution, and made it a source of supernatural life and grace.

What are the main sins against the marriage act?

Divorce, adultery, contraception, artificial insemination, and in vitro fertilization.

What are the moral requirements for using NFP?

Each conjugal act must be open to the transmission of life. The decision to use NFP must be made with a conscience informed by the teachings of the Church. There must be a serious reason for determining the number and spacing of the children (e.g., physical and mental health, finances, the legitimate needs of the existing family, etc.)

Even though fornication and homosexual acts are both gravely sinful, why is one intrinsically disordered and the other is not?

Fornication involves an act that does correspond to human nature because it could result in procreation, whereas homosexual acts have no purpose related to human nature.

How does sexual intercourse make man and woman co-creators with God?

God has designed the marital act so that the man, the woman, and God are all necessary in order to bring a new human being into the world.

Why did God create each human person as either male or female?

God made man male or female and created lifelong, exclusive, and loving marriage as the way to bring new human persons into the world.

What is mean by guarding your eyes or mind?

Guarding one's eyes means not looking at something offensive once he or she becomes aware of it. Guarding one's thoughts means not to dwell on thoughts, desires, or images that have entered the mind and, instead, to occupy one's mind with something else.

What took place within Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical Humane Vitae?

He addressed the Catholic understanding of the nature of the "marriage act", that is, sexual intercourse between husband and wife. He reaffirmed the two "ends", or purposes, of the marriage act. These are the unitive- the physical union of love between husband and wife- and the procreative- the possibility that the act could result in a new human being. Even though these two purposes can be separated, the Pope explained that they should not be separated.

What did Christ mean by "plucking out your eyes" if it causes you temptation?

He meant we must aggressively rid ourselves of all that would lead us to sin.

How is human sexuality different from that of animals?

In animals, sexuality is a matter of instinct, whereas the human person can control his or her sexuality and direct it to higher ends.

What is the difference between the marital act performed during a period of natural infertility and the marital act performed using contraception?

In the former, the couple is respecting the procreative powers that God has provided them. In the later, the couple is making themselves infertile.

How is sex outside marriage wrong according to the theology of the body?

In the language of the body, the marital act is a complete union of persons. However, in extramarital sex, lifelong commitment or the proper openness to procreation is absent. For these reasons, sex outside of marriage is a lie because it is the sign of a union that simply does not exist.

When is a civil divorce legitimate?

In those cases when a civil divorce is necessary to protect an innocent spouse and children.

What does Christian morality ask of homosexual persons?

It asks a life of chastity, just like it does of everyone else.

Where does sex belong according to God's plan?

It belongs only in marriage.

What might the question, "How far can we go?" reveal about the one who asks it?

It betrays a lack of love and generosity, akin to saying, "How badly can I treat my friend before it is wrong"?

What are some other serious problems to which the practice of masturbation can lead?

It easily becomes an addiction, leading to sexual obsession and a weak character.

What will chastity give a young person?

It gives greater freedom to love others in sacrificial service, an inclination to a deep relationship with Christ, and the ability to contemplate God's goodness and beauty in every person.

Biologically, what is the purpose of the sex organs?

It is human reproduction.

How serious is masturbation?

It is intrinsically and gravely disordered.

Why is sex outside marriage wrong?

It is not an expression of love but a deceptive misuse of one's sexuality.

How is an addiction to masturbation overcome?

It is overcome through serious effect, frequent reception of the Eucharist and Reconciliation, prayer, Penance, and God's grace.

What is the conjugal act (or marital act)?

It is sexual intercourse. It is called conjugal or marital because marriage is the only proper setting for it.

What is theology of the body?

It is the name given to Pope John II's teaching on chastity and human sexuality.

What is the ideal in the marital act?

It is when the physical, emotional, and psychological pleasure, which is experienced in the marital act, are united to the love, affection, and sacrifice that each spouse gives to the other.

How is extramarital sex wrong in terms of the unitive and procreative purposes of marriage?

It is wrong because one or both purposes are missing.

What is communio personarum?

It means "community of persons" and refers to the union between a man and woman in marriage.

What does the expression "by its nature ordered to" mean in relation to the marriage covenant?

It means that God created the very structure of marriage. In this case, God made the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children essential purposes of marriage.

What does "language of the body" mean?

It means that the body "speaks" or conveys meaning through its nature and actions.

What does the complementary of man and woman mean?

It means that, by God's design, man and woman, in both their differences and similarities, help to complete and perfect each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

What must the physical union of husband and wife mirror?

It should mirror the spiritual union of total commitment between the spouses created by the marriage covenant.

How does the Church view large families?

Large families are signs of God's blessing and the generosity of the parents.

Why is a "trial marriage" wrong?

Marriage is by nature designed to be permanent, and a "trial marriage" is temporary.

What are the two essential properties of marriage?

Matrimony is characterized by two essential properties: exclusivity and indissolubility.

What does NFP permit the couple?

NFP permits the married couple to plan the number and spacing of the children while remaining open to the gift of additional children if God deems otherwise.

How is NFP different from contraception?

NFP respects the order of nature God has established, whereas with contraception the couple says "no" to procreation.

What is Natural Family Planning (NFP)?

NFP utilizes knowledge of the fertility cycle inherent in a woman's biological nature, which allows the couple to abstain from marital relations when a pregnancy likely could occur.

Are there any circumstances under which premarital sex, or fornication, is permissible?

No.

Does the cause of same-sex attraction make the acts themselves excusable?

No.

In such a case, is the offended spouse free to remarry?

No. In a valid sacramental marriage the marriage bond remains, regardless of the civil divorce.

Are marital relations during times of natural infertility immoral?

No. In fact, they are good. They are expressions of marital love and renewals of the marriage covenant.

Is it wrong to deliberately refrain from the marital act during the time when the wife is likely to be fertile?

No. When used with the proper intentions, the practice of temporary abstinence in marriage can be a gift of self-sacrifice and can increase the communication and love shared between a husband and wife.

What are important reasons for voluntarily and freely renouncing marriage?

One may take care of one's family or give oneself to God in religious life, the priesthood, or the apostolate of the faithful.

What does the marital act communicate according to the theology of the body?

Since man and woman possess body and soul, the physical union must always mirror the spiritual union expressed in the faithful and total commitment of the marital covenant.

Why is chastity a joyful affirmation?

Something very good comes from purity of heart: the ability to see both God and the dignity of every person.

What are the means of living chastely if one has homosexual inclinations?

Spiritual direction and the Sacraments are necessary.

What happened in 1930?

The Church of England's Lambeth Conference permitted the use of contraceptives for married Anglicans. This decision was contrary to 1900 years of Church teaching, whether Catholic or Anglican.

Therefore, according to theology of the body, what is the marital act supposed to express?

The bodies of the spouses should express what is present in their hearts and minds.

What is the general effect of resisting temptation?

The person becomes stronger in the face of all types of temptation.

What is the primary sins against marriage?

The primary sins against marriage are divorce and adultery.

What is the unitive aspect of sexuality? What is the procreative aspect of sexuality?

The unitive aspect of sexuality is the expression of complementary love between a husband and wife that renews their marital covenant. The procreative aspect of sexuality is the begetting of new life in cooperation with God, who infuses a unique human soul.

What are the usual causes of difficulties in living chastely?

There are no inherently difficult challenges but rather bad habits, a weak commitment, and a lack of love.

What are the means for growing in chastity?

They are a firm commitment to Christ, fostering a life of piety and Christian virtue, prudent use of the media, modesty in dress, sensible norms for dating, and certain spiritual practices.

What are the common sins against chastity?

They are impure thoughts and desires, masturbation, premarital sex, oral or anal intercourse, homosexual acts, and bestiality.

How common are temptations to impure thoughts and desires?

They are very common, especially for young persons.

How can a couple avoid premarital sex?

They can be prudent by avoiding situations, discussions, or actions that may lead to temptation.

What is the problem with spouses having very close friends of the opposite sex?

This could lead to temptation or to an "emotional infidelity" that would violate the close friendship owed to one's spouse.

What effect will giving our hearts and minds to Christ and his teachings have on temptations?

We will more resolutely reject temptations and conform our actions to God's will.

When do temptations to impure thoughts and desires become sins?

When a person consents to them.

Can we overcome temptation if we want?

Yes. God will always give us grace to overcome temptations, avoid occasions of sin, and grow in virtue.