Catechumenate Topic: Life Issues

Catechumenate Topic: Life Issues


What is the 5th commandment? Why is it wrong for the strong to abuse the weak? Because Man has been created in God’s image, and therefore every man is worthy of love. Also because when the strong are tyrants over the weak all become exploited, because there is always someone stronger.

In the area of respect for life, American values are not Christian or Gospel values. So you are going to have to make a choice. Are you an American first and then a Christian, or disciple of Christ first then an American? To choose Christ first, is actually the highest form of patriotism, because to love a country and work to make it better is a deeper form of love than to love a country and ignore the things that are wrong.

The Church refuses to bend when defending life, and marriage, and the family. These teachings are minimal, in that you cannot believe contrary and still hold the Catholic Faith.

For those who find themselves confronted with sins in their past or present, the Church offers forgiveness and healing, refuses condemnation and vengeance, and offers a life lived in the light of Christ.

Death Penalty

Who knows the story of St. Paul? When he met St. Stephen what did he do? Tell the story of the death of St. Stephen and the conversion of St. Paul.

It is wrong to take the life of another, regardless of their guilt or innocence. It is the responsibility of the nation to protect the innocent from the violent. When there is no other reasonable way to protect society from an individual, then the death penalty may be legitimately used. There are times and laces where jails are not fool proof, where prison officials are cheap, and justice is for sale. In such places the death penalty may be the only way left to protect the innocent from the violent. In the United States of America, where we have maximum security prisons and the escape of highly guarded individuals is extraordinarily rare, the death penalty is not a legitimate protection of the innocent.

The last reason why the death penalty is wrong, is that the death penalty is often a form of vengeance, and the Lord is clear vengeance belongs to Him and him alone, for only He knows the depths of the human heart and can judge without error.

Euthanasia

The sick and disabled should be loved and cared for so that they may lead lives as normal as possible. It is the height of human arrogance to declare someone terminally ill, when there are so many documented cases of unexplained recoveries. Even if someone is in great pain, life should be cherished and not thrown away.

The legitimate and normal care of a person way never be denied them; however when death is immanent extraordinary measures to prolong their life do not have to be administered. Denial of food or water can never be denied a person. Giving a person a drug, or quantity of drug that will kill them is not mercy; it is murder.

Euthanasia leads to the devaluing of the old, sick, and disabled, they are no longer viewed as people to be cherished but as a burden to be thrown away.

Abortion

When is a human person created? When they can reason for themselves? At birth? 1 week before birth? The moment our technology advances far enough that the baby can survive outside the womb? When the baby’s heart beats for the first time?

A human person is created at conception. At conception that human person is endowed with the most basic of rights, the right to life, the right to not be exploited.

An embryo is not a clump of cells; an embryo has a unique set of DNA, and a soul and spirit, an embryo is nothing less than a very young baby.

Abortion is always wrong. It is never permissible. Stem cell research that destroys embryos is wrong for this reason. Fertilization techniques that destroy embryos are wrong for this reason.

Forms of contraception that prevent the implantation of the embryo in the uterine wall of the mother are called abortafacients, because they effectively cause an abortion part of the time. The pill and other forms of hormonal contraception are wrong for this reason. Statistics show that they may prevent pregnancy through the abortafacient effect as much as 1/3 of the time, not a small amount of the time.

Contraception

Contraception is not the same thing as birth control. Birth control means knowingly getting pregnant or avoiding pregnancy. Contraception means not getting pregnant even though engaging is in sexual intercourse.

If we disregard the abortafacient effect of some contraceptives, this topic falls under the sixth commandment against adultery.

There are two great effects God gave to marriage the gift of unity and the gift of children. To separate the two is to be unfaithful to the vows of marriage. To say yes to one and no to the other, makes marriage into something it is not. To say we will have all of the good feelings of being together but we are not open to children is wrong. So for this reasons artificial contraceptives and barriers are wrong. Contraception is the choice to hold something back from your spouse. The spirituality of holding back is directly opposed to the spirituality of marriage which is to give everything you are with out thought of receiving anything back. The spirituality of contraception is a major pollutant in the American marital culture, and the effects are plainly seen the breaking up of so many marriages.

It is the duty of parents to raise their children, and to care for them. For this reason responsible parenthood requires some forth thought to the planning and regulation of pregnancies. This should be done in a natural way that respects the gifts of unity and procreation. Such forms for birth regulation are known as Natural Family Planning or NFP. They can be used to avoid pregnancy or to conceive. They are scientifically proven to be as or even more effective than artificial birth control, if the directions are followed. They have no health side effects, and communication they engender between spouses lead to even stronger marriages. The decision to avoid pregnancy is a grave decision and should not be made lightly. There are legitmate reasons for avoiding pregnancy such as health issues and financial distress.