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Casti Connubii – Defending Catholic Matrimony from Attack – Part 2

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In the previous article, we saw that Pope Pius XI, after noting that holy matrimony is under grave attack, gave us a basic understanding of the nature of true marriage and of the limits to the authority of the State in regard to marriage. He now looks at the blessings of marriage.

Saint Augustine, in few words, sums up Catholic Church teaching on marriage. Our modern cultures attack these goods of marriage. The promotion of sexual promiscuity through sex-education and widespread public discourse on intimate sexual matters via television shows, radio programmes, and magazines, has led to an exponential increase in sexual relations outside the bond of marriage. A new term has been given to these relations. It is euphemistically called ‘casual sex’. The mortally sinful aspect of such sexual encounters is ignored. This in turn has led to huge increases in the numbers of children born outside of wedlock which puts these children at a great disadvantage and an increased risk of poverty. There has been a huge increase in the numbers of children killed by abortion. That these are grave evils can be seen from the next paragraph of Casti Connubii.

Pope Pius XI, by quoting Saint Augustine, emphasises that the primary end of marriage is children. Unfortunately, this primacy of children is no longer recognised in our modern societies and a greater emphasis is placed on the secondary ends of our sexual nature. This is being taught to children through the secular sex-education programmes that indoctrinate very young children with a false ideological understanding of the purpose of human sexuality. The focus has changed from being directed to the glory of God to the carnal satisfaction of man.

God has deigned to give to husband and wife a share in His creative power through bringing children into this world who are destined to become Saints for eternity in Heaven. This explains the heartache experienced by those married couples who cannot have children. They are deprived of the greatest good of marriage. However, this burden must be carried as a cross given to them through the mysteries of God’s providence.

The gift of children is an astonishing gift which carries with it great duties and responsibilities. Parents must realise that, whilst they have a moral duty to transmit the Catholic faith in its fullness to their children, they do not have the power to transmit sanctification to their children. So many parents today are deeply troubled because their children have fallen away from the practice of the Catholic faith. The numbers of these baptised children who no longer practice the Catholic faith is increasing at epidemic proportions. Catholic parents, despite their disappointments and perhaps their failures in keeping a close watch on the attacks that were mounted against their children, still have a duty to pray earnestly and to make sacrifices for their children that they will return to the full practice of the Catholic faith. We must always remain grounded in the virtue of Hope remembering that Jesus Christ gave His life for the salvation of the children He has gifted to us. This is our Hope for our fallen away children.

This is the primary purpose of Our Lady of Banada prayer association. Catholic parents entrusting their lapsed children to Our Lady of Banada imploring her to bring back the ‘lost sheep’ in our families.

You can sign your children and relatives up for the monthly Holy Mass prayer intentions list that is celebrated for this cause by clicking on the image below. There is no charge for this service, the only requirement is to pray one Memorare per day in front of the image of Our Lady of Banada for the conversion of our children and families.

This last paragraph tells us that our children are not our own. They are a ‘talent’ entrusted to us for which God will one day require an account of us. Children are the most precious gift of marriage but parents have a duty to train their children in the proper Catholic worship of Almighty God.

Photo Alexander Mackle – Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Our_Lady_Help_of_Christians_9-2-1961.jpg

Catholic parents have a moral obligation to fully understand their serious duties when it comes to the education of their children. This is not a task that can be handed over to others. It must always remain under the control and watchful eye of the parents. A grave danger exists in our modern cultures where the civil authority has taken over the role of parents in the education of their children. In our western societies the State has turned rogue in regard to children and seeks to indoctrinate them with false ideologies which lead them away from God. The State indoctrinates the children so that they will serve the material needs of the State, which amounts to nothing more than serving the needs of giant financial corporations. Catholic parents have a duty to intervene in these situations and to protect their children from the harm caused by civil authorities who are hostile to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Pope Pius XI reminds us that he wrote an encyclical on the subject of the Christian Education of Youth.

My previous set of articles on the Legio Sanctae Familie website goes through the encyclical letter ‘Divini Illius Magistri’

You can access those articles here – Divini Illius Magistri Articles

When something is “God given” it means that inevitably, there will be negative consequences for going against God. We learn this basic principle from the garden of Eden and Original sin. Thus, it is no surprise to learn that the greatest predictor of poverty for women is single motherhood. Engaging in sexual activity outside of marriage is a grave sin. Grave sins have grave consequences both in this life and in the life to come if they are not repented of with true contrition. Procreation is intended by God to take place within sacramental marriage. This is because married parents, whose love for each other is based on their love for God, are in the optimal state to provide for the best educational and spiritual needs of their children.

To be cont’d…

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