I find it strange in that we never see headlines about an order wanting to specialize in promoting what Christ said in the sermon on the mount.  Can any of us recite the sermon on the mount?  For over a millenia usury also upstaged the sermon on the mount.  Why do we always find things that Christ did not talk about….to be central….rather than what he did talk about.  Why are encyclicals praised more than what Christ talked about?  I could see if a Pope took out the months necessary to do an ex cathedra encyclical on birth control….but none has.  Eight Popes out of 265 have written on this topic.  The rest enforced canon law on it but they enforced canon law on actions also that no one wants to remember like buring heretics ( see new advent/ Inquisition/ Ad Extirpandam 1253….entered in the decretals).  Let a Pope do an ex cathedra encyclical on this first so we don’t have another usury redux.  In the beginning of 1830, a Catholic committed mortal sin by charging interest on a personal loan to cousin Waldo….at the end of 1830, the Catholic next door committed no sin at all by the same action thanks to instructions that went out from the papacy.  Let a Pope write an ex cathedra encyclical on this….universal ordinary magisterium is very problematic on this due to inter alia….the real paucity of Popes writing at all on this.

The order could put it’s efforts to much better use. That’s what we need, more people who don’t know anything about marriage teaching us how to do it. This will however curry favor for themselves with the neocons and the scribes and Pharisees in the Vatican. Modern scholarship such as that from Salzman and Lawler in their book “The Sexual Person” lays a very good theological basis for the view of the majority of the papal Birth control Commission. To me the Theology of the Body was an attempt to justify Humanae Vitae which was promulgated because the Vatican thought that in changing the teaching they would have admitted that the magisterium erred. That is something a pope or Vatican bureaucrat will never, ever do, that is admit that they made a mistake. Gallileo’s imprisonment and the Inquisition’s burnings at the stake not withstanding.

For those who commented above, I am quite certian they have never experienced the freedom that comes when one submits everything to the will of God, even one’s sexualaity.  The great paradox of the Sermon of the Mount can be seen in those who embarce chastity,whether married, single, or consecreted celibates. They bear witness to the joy and freedom that come from being meak and pure of heart(and body). “Blessed are the merciful, for mercy shall be theirs.”  May the above writers experience the overwhelming mercy of God when they lay aside their own agendas, let go of past hurts and misunderstandings and submit(meakness is required to do so) thier intellects and wills to the fullness of the Faith.  Praise God for the good sisters of South Texas!

Excellent article, Tim!  I agree with Sarah!  My husband and I have been teaching NFP for 26 years and we can always use some help!  The good sisters can be trained well to teach NFP (and some nuns are already teaching NFP in third world countries.)

Sarah
    Does submitting your everything to the will of God bring on conflation by you of my post and Jim’s.  We had two very different points.  The area needs an ex cathedra encyclical but no Pope wants the job.  This Pope wants to travel 17% of the time and appear on stage as he did in college theater.  His successor wants to write books which is his favorite inclination.  We need a Pope who does not see the papacy as a chance to do his favorite thing.  Such a Pope will realize that the topic because iffy in the ordinary magisterium is the prime area that needs the clarity of the ex cathedra process.  That is what the process is for but it takes work on this particular topic because the saints involved said a lot of bizarre things aside from saying healthy things and no Pope wants to wade through that mess.  The Didache…often cited…goes from being purely derivative to being odd as when it says that lying leads to stealing.
But apart from that lack of agreement concerning universal ordinary magisterium, my other point is that we are incurably neglecting Christ in favor of this writer or that writer….or this topic that Christ never mentioned or that topic that He never mentioned.

Check out Matthew 5:27-32.. Chastity and sexual ethics is part of the Sermon on the Mount…

Jim,

I’m pretty sure priests know a thing or two about marriage. Between marriage prep, marriage counseling, and the confessional a priest is open to vast amounts of second hand experience concerning marriage. Saying second hand experience is invalid would be like saying historians cannot know anything about the Civil War because none of them fought in it.

Pope John Paul II wrote the majority of the Theology of the Body while he was still Karol Wjotyla. He also wrote “Love & Responsibility” which could be called the philosophy of the body as a Cardinal. I’m sure he wasted countless hours of his personal time doing this before he was pope because he wanted to justify Humanae Vitae when no one asked him to…

Bottlecaps
    Read further on John Paul II.  He was supposed to be present at the Birth Control Commission but did not come.  The reason for not showing up he gives to Weigel in “Witness to Hope”.  Some do not believe him.  Regardless….What he did do was write his ideas on the matter of birth control ....ideas which opposed the majority of the commission and send those ideas to Paul VI privately repeatedly.  So Paul VI was in effect not dialoguing with the commission but not thinking purely on his own either.  The priest who assisted John Paul in this period maintained in one of the biographies of John Paul….that 40% of Humanae Vitae was based on John Paul’s private writings to Paul VI during that period right after the commission ended.  John Paul was later to praise “dialogue” in general but he seems to have avoided it at the commission where perhaps historical data people like John C. Noonan Jr. would have forced him out of the theology only box that can avoid historical questions.

Bill,

I will readily admit, I am a simple man and I don’t understand what point you are ultimately trying to make in your response

This is what I got: Your response states that historically JPII was not on the Birth Control Commission, yet through private discourse with Paul VI, 40% of Humanae Vitae was based upon JPII’s thoughts.

So what point are you trying to make? That Paul VI and JPII went over the head of the Commission in Humanae Vitae? That JPII does not endorse or believe what is in Humanae Vitae? Are you suggesting as others have earlier that the Theology of the Body was basically a conspiracy trying to cover ups errs of the Church? The errs Of Humanae Vitae?

Like I mentioned earlier, I am a simple man. I am not trying to denounce nor defame what you have written. I just need a little clarification…

If you were a simple man, you would use your real name.  A complex man gives question lists and uses artificial names..;)

Ha! Very good Bill…

I dread that somehow my faults and failings may follow me from this thread into a less cyber world. So at best I am a simple man, but it is far more likely that I am either a prideful or cowardly man…maybe even both!

Regardless, I am still a man who does not understand the purpose of your earlier post, and I am comfortable with that.

In general I will say this:  when a Pope appears who will debate great minds on this topic on television, he will cause obedience.  As long as Popes avoid public debate or public cross examination on this topic, things will roughly remain the same.  Modern man does not respect document writers who will not submit to public cross examination.  Presidents and major CEO’s all face caustic cross examination….or debates at election time.  Popes do the ancien regime thing of being
isolated from debate and conflict…..like the old European father who no son could question.  That is theater…not life.  And theater is not producing obedience when the area of discussion is not whether Mary was assumed….but how sex should happen.  If a Pope appears who debates all comers and he makes sense, you will see much different obedience numbers.  There is no Pope to date in modern times who welcomed debate or caustic cross examination.  They like the old Euro father model.  Who wouldn’t in an area in which there were historical reasons for doubt.

Thank you for the clarification Bill. Please forgive my list of questions I posed earlier. I could and would continue this discussion with you (particularly concerning whether or not debate truly insights obedience and whether or not it would be productive for a pope to engage in it), but I fear our convo would drift too far from the topic of the blogger’s original post. I would also like to apologize to other readers for dragging you so far into my blathering on this hijacked train of thought.

Ultimately, I pray the Lord will bless these sisters. We need nuns. And we need a fuller understanding, discourse and maybe even debate ;) on the dignity of the human person. They plan to provide it all!

Christ debated His opponents in public…repeatedly.  We need Popes who follow His example.  He…Christ…. is the Exemplar….the kings of Europe’s past are not….the Euro father is not.  Let the Popes imitate Christ’s public debating prowess….not imitate the avoidance of debate by kings or fathers.  The nuns need that kind of backup if they are going to the front lines with this.

Dear Tim,
Thank you for this blessed news. My prayers are with the Benedection Sisters along with all the writings of Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body. For those who are interested, Rev. Brian Bransfield’s book, The Human Person, is a most ‘inspired read’ of purity and clarity that leaves no doubt of opposites.

Just my two ‘sense’ and experience of the theology of the body: Thirty years ago I ask God to lead my life for me.  And it has been a wonderful journey since. But it wasn’t a life that didn’t have obstacles and challenges that were in my way.  It was filled with much more of them than I could have imagined ever overcoming.  And I know for sure that I can not do anything today without taking the word of His promise to live the rest of my life in.

One of my heartfelt prayers was to be able to keep a family together.  And this one alone holds the most challenges and obstacles of all.  Keeping a family together is probably one of the hardest things in the world for some of us.  It was for me.  There are times when we think that someone else, or some other place, or something or other would bring us more joy.  When the majority of times it is only our thought that needs to be changed.  The disharmony is in us. 

Alcohol, drug addition, unfaithfulness, neglect, sickness, finances, etc. in our relationships or sadly even through some parents are just some of the ways that can spoil the dream of family life for some of us.  But I have found that for most of those that ‘stay’ in a marriage or union for the sake of keeping the family together, they have just as many obstacles and challenges in one way or another that they have learned to overcome.  They may have found some peace of mind that led to greener pastures somewhere else in their marriage ‘through God.’  Perhaps with their focus on the sake of the children, or a profession that gave them the sense of fulfillment of providing more of the good that is needed in the world.  While all along taking the pressure away from their partner and deepening their relationship with God that causes them to grow even more.  And for those who choose to leave the union or marriage through disharmony (those not being abused), it seems they eventually come to find other obstacles and challenges in another person or surroundings. It is truly ‘a gift’ when we begin to see the only bridegroom we can depend on is God.  Most of the time it is our greatest opportunity to begin anew right where we are.

My own marriage improved greatly, only when I silently vowed to take God in marriage (my silent husband). I could actually feel the joy coming from my husband, as though a weight was lifted from him. And the joy and contentment in me was lifted as well.  A vow of emotional interdependence with dependence on the true word of God is a marriage made in heaven, regardless if we stay single or not.

1 Corinthians 7:7-9

”I wish that all men were as I am.  But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another that.  Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I am. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.”

I often relate to this scripture because I feel it gives us a clearer understanding that God knows His children more than we know ourselves.  A knowing that no one is going to fill us with as much love as God.  And maybe this is the first vow in marriage (of the Sacred) we need to make before taking the vow in marriage with another person.  Which truly seems to be the only union that will keep us on the right path for the whole family through matrimony or not.  Maybe this Holy union is not meant just for Holy Order, but for all of us as well, is what scripture meant …? Certainly with the highest honor, respect, and appreciation for those who choose the religious vocation - The ‘Holiest’ among us.  This seems to make a lot more sense as the years go by. A marriage made in heaven, a love and unity through the Holy Spirit that no one can ever separate us from.  “The wedding feast of the Lamb”  (Rv 19:9).

We live in a culture that is very “oversexed.”  We (and especially our children,) are being catechized by the world every day.

It’s wonderful that these Benedictine sisters will be countering the world’s catechesis with the Holy Church’s catechesis.

I’ve seen first hand how the “theology of the body” talks by Christopher West made an impact on our local Catholic High School students.  For many of them, it was the FIRST time they had ever heard any reasons to the question “why not?”

It’s not the Pope’s job to produce obedience. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job (Jn. 16:8-11). It IS the Pope’s job to “equip the faithful for the work of ministry”, according to St. Paul. That’s you, and me, and these nuns.

This is so heartening!  I don’t know if you already have contact with the Maryvale Institute UK but this very close to our heart and we are just starting an MA in Marriage and Family which closely follows the teaching of John PaulII: http://www.maryvale.ac.uk/ will give further details ... God Bless you in all your work1

I was so happy to see this article. It was wonderful to see the Theology of the Body and NFP - and Humanae Vitae - embraced by these Benedictine Sisters as a mission. The several study groups I’ve been in relating to these topics have been so enlightening to all the members in the group. The sessions have changed the way so many men and women look at what was meant for our true joy and happiness. I will certainly pray for these Sisters and their work - and, may God bless them with many vocations.

My husband and I are going to Christopher West’s presentation on The Theology of the Body on Saturday. There is room for many or most Catholics to learn and become immersed in this teaching. How different our relationships, family, society, world, will become when we are convinced that all are made in the image of God and once we become self-givers, we are on our way to heaven.

May those who are married invite the Holy Spirit, the Giver of Life, into their marriage bed. And for those who are single, or religious, may they cling to the Holy Spirit, their spouse.

I took the Diocesan approved introductory course in Theology of the Body several summers ago in Sacramento, CA. It was excellent. I am a single Catholic who has never been married. However, I wish, as many of us did, that I had learned this material in my Catholic University. The material is deep, meaningful and necessary for the times we live in.

I also went to a fiftieth anniversary seminar at St. Mary’s College in Moraga,CA commemorizing Humanae Vitae. It too, was excellent. Many great speakers gave workshops on Pope Paul XVI’s prophetic words.

It is time for this theology to be disseminated widely in our culture and I welcome the Benedictine’s steps in this direction. The people I see objecting to this effort are no doubt the people who would benefit the most from studying Theology of the Body and Humanae Vitae. My prayers are for the success of this endeavor.

Can anyone refute this objection to the papal position: it’s burden of self denial falls on the couples within a given country like the US in inverse proportion to their income.
 
    Kentucky Catholic couple with combined income of $28,000

    Michigan Catholic couple with a combined income of $220,000

    N.Y. hedge fund owning couple with a combined income of $100,000,000 per year

  The first couple will be most pressed to avoid further children probably after one or two.  The second couple will not be so pressured til maybe 7 children.
    The hedge fund couple will not need NFP at all because like Mel Gibson, they can pay for as many children as they physically produce.  There is no Church document that requires them to self deny in sex for any other reason.

    Conclusion: given the reality that the less one makes, the fewer children one can responsibly afford, the papal position intrinsically requires a self denial from the poor that is greater than that required from the affluent Catholic.

    In your answer try to avoid sugar coating.

To socrates

The Lord will provide.

No sugar coating, He really will.

I have friends that do missionary work.  They and their 10 children live on a shoestring.  They are one of the happiest families I know.  They are always grateful to God!

Mercy!!! in response to socrates (seriously): Our family was making 12K when we had six ankle biters at home. We accepted the will of God in our lives and He is faithful. All six are catholic school/college educated,  some scholarships, some loans, all worked menial jobs to support themselves till degrees were earned. We never felt that our lives were in anyway a form of denial but saying yes to life. NFP does not require a sexless marriage. It requires communication ergo, a life-long marriage lived out in love. It is also interesting, to me at least, that the three college educated daughters are stay at home moms, because that is their greatest challenge and mission in life.

Interim sugar warning…..hundreds of thousands of Haitian Catholics living in tents refute the “God will provide” school.
The book of Hebrews talks of the most faithful people of the OT and notes that some of them were living in caves and holes in the earth…..lest one ascribe Haiti’s plight to lack of faith.

Haiti’s plight is not lack of faith, but lack of compassion.

Ergo….God is not providing through others efficaciously in that case due to the others’ fault…..but bottom line, the more children each has in this case, the greater the worry….as Christ warned about those women who would be nursing or with child when Jerusalem would be over run by the Romans.

@socrates

Are you really trying to say that Haitians without children arn’t suffering? 

What is your point?

I recently read a comment from a priest who has left the church that struck me. He said, “the church taught me to think and then punished me whenever I did.” I like Bill’s idea that the pope needs to debate these issues and take on the criticisms. If they can’t stand up to cross examination they aren’t going to get much respect.

Kathy
  Show us where I said that.

@ socrates

No, it was a question “ARE YOU REALLY TRYING TO SAY…”  Apparently the answer is “No.”

You started by saying “only rich ppl can afford a lot of kids.”

Then said “Interim sugar warning…..hundreds of thousands of Haitian Catholics living in tents refute the “God will provide” school.”

I also asked, “What is your point?”

Kathy
    “What’s your point?” is simply for me personally ...a rude, macho internet phrase that seeks control…used ad infinitum on the net.
I never answer the person who uses it.  Think whether you would if people addressed you that way.  Have a nice day.

Socrates, your question reminds me of the Jewish leaders asking Jesus whose wife a woman would be if she married all seven brothers.  You are missing the point.  No matter how much money you make or how easy it would be to provide, your relationship should be centered on love of God. Whether some could ignore the teaching because of their pocketbook is irrelevant.

@Socrates: From a philosophical standpoint, the decision to have children is a spiritual one, not a financial one.  There aren’t any guidelines which state that only people who make a certain income should have a certain number of children.  The beauty of NFP (or Fertility Awareness, as it may be) is that it encourages each couple to discuss whether or not pregnancy should be avoided on a regular basis.  The Church recognizes that family life is dynamic and that there are serious reasons to avoid pregnancy, financial or otherwise—these reasons can (and do) change from month to month and year to year.  However, it is the responsibility of each couple to discern what is best for their family—with a well-formed conscience.  For some, this means 10 children (regardless of income).  For others, this means two.  It should be noted that the example you cite implies that financial reasons are the only reasons to base such a decision, when the reality is that there are a multitude of reasons a couple may decide to delay pregnancy—either temporarily or permanently.

I will be praying for the success of this ministry.  It is a crucial message for our culture.

NFP has issues not considered those who claim it opposes the “Culture of Death”. Those who advocate NFP ignore the loss of embryos in NFP when the fertilized egg arrives at the uterus too soon or too late for implantation.  Also lost are those eggs that are fertilized with old sperm or old eggs and can only divide a few times before losing viability.  NFP has all the same issues as IVF regarding creating embryos that will never result in pregnancy.  This may be one of the reasons many women reject NFP.