The Catholic Church teaches that human life and human sexuality are inseparable. In the last few decades, new rules have emerged that broaden the options for burials, including where Catholics can be buried and when it's acceptable to be cremated. As a Catholic, basically you’re required to live a Christian life, pray daily, participate in the sacraments, obey the moral law, and accept the teachings of Christ and his Church. As a teacher, I became aware of this underlying sense of loyalty early on. A lot, actually. In fact, the scholars of the law in Jesus’ day were so wrapped up in doctrine as an end in itself, they were unable to see that Jesus was leading people down a new and surprising path toward his glory, the pope said Oct. 13 during his morning Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives. Most people donate because Catholic Online is useful. He provides for their safety and their needs. This also includes letting go of pleasure as the path to happiness (spoiler: it’s not). Canon 844 (c.671 in the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches). The sacraments make Christ present in our midst. “A woman should have the right to choose what goes on in her body.” Yes, she should, but when she is carrying another life, with another soul and DNA, she has no right to dispose of it. If you donate just $5.00, or whatever you can, Catholic Online could keep thriving for years. We must "sanctify… Secondly, if a pregnant woman is murdered, the murderer is charged with a double homicide. The Catholic Church disguises its pagan beliefs under layers of complicated theology and church tradition. Your email address will not be published. If a person is terminally and wants assistance in dying, it should not be denied. My response to this dilemma was informing my students about the Bible. My faith left, returned, left, returned and left for good. Catholics are called, yes, to engage with the society around them, but not to adapt ourselves to the popular sentiments of our time. 1981 The Law of Moses contains many truths naturally accessible to reason. Follow him on twitter @4RealCatholic for encouraging and inspiring stories, scripture passages, and thoughts from the saints. The Church has always recognized the necessity for rules (and always will). Believe me I would know–I’m a Catholic and very, very happy. We find countless examples where God gives us freedom before He institutes rules. Jesus’ Way! Isn’t it?) To those who do not need to ask why the Catholic Church follows a path, contrary to the world, no answer will ever be necessary; and for those who do no answer will ever suffice. Meditate especially on the four last things; the Life and Passion of our Blessed Lord; the virtues, privileges, and sorrows of our Blessed Lady; and on feast days, on the mystery or Saint of the day. Damaged lives when love goes wrong remind us why the Church has such stringent standards when it comes to sexual sin. The Church has specific rules on what constitutes a proper Catholic burial that date back thousands of years. To dismiss constructive challenges by informal and formal teachers of the Faith to one’s own settled opinions by labeling anything with which one disagrees as “personal opinion” is problematic, especially when one does so because of disagreement over how a Church document should be read. Ultimately, rules give shape to a given thing. Yes, the Catholic Church is radical, but in a good way. Being counter-cultural “includes letting go of pleasures as the path to happiness.” Rules also build self-control. Actually, although it may not appear so, the Church is remarkably quiet on a great many issues that face people in daily life. (3) The Catholic Doctrine Touching the Church as the Rule of Faith. Pius XII was pope and the Catholic Church provided the moral compass for what seemed to be the whole world. They're quite lengthy. -----If your occupations and condition of life allow you, make a daily meditation for at least a quarter of an hour or half an hour. All of the Precepts of the Church are binding under pain of mortal sin, but since they seem so obviously man-made rules, … Deacon Mike Talbot (www.abitadeacon.com) said it best in an article written in response to a piece that appeared in the Washington Post about Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s retirement: Our call to live counter-culturally is as old as the church itself. He frees her of this capital offense, but then tells her not commit sin ever again. (Look it up if you’re confused! But I do support death with dignity. What is the significance of that? In the end, it is just Jesus and the woman. Its moral prescriptions are summed up in the Ten Commandments. Accept and believe all that the Catholic Church definitively and authoritatively teaches. The difference is that, in most civilized societies, the abortion is legal but the killing of the fetus against the will of the mother, including by killing the mother, is illegal. I was born at a very interestng time in history. Catholicism is a religion that places value on learning from people, not just from documents. The declaration must be binding on the whole Church III. The Pope must be making a decree on matters of faith or morals II. in Theology from Catholic Distance University (Thank you, St. Joseph of Cupertino). Many seem to forget that second part. It is a necessary foundation for the erection of moral rules and civil law. He earned his M.A. When I was teaching moral theology, my students learned a definition for love, composed by Eric Fromm: “Love is the active concern for the life and growth of that which we love.” Active concern means you always care. Is the mother the only one who can kill her fetus? The present day process for selecting a pope is through election. 314. We need to have a point where a person cannot be killed such as when the fetus is capable of living on its own. Love your neighbor. (Genesis 2:17 NAB) God offers freedom to human beings (free-will) knowing we will misuse it. They do not want to betray the other (and many times, the other is a family member or close friend). States have all kinds of laws regulating vices like gambling, drinking, marijuana use, etc. 3. The Catholic Church teaches that marriage between two baptized persons is a sacrament. Bill, I was born about the same time as you were, 1946. Required fields are marked *. Woodstock. (Exodus 14:21-31 NAB)  It is later on that God presents Moses with the 10 Commandments. Though we are sinners, we are still called to persevere in righteousness. Actually, this regulation merely reflects an ancient tradition in our Church, which is even rooted in Judaism. Her response is, “No one, sir”, to which Jesus exclaims, “Neither do I condemn you. We put a man on the moon. I lost my virginity. Many women play active roles in the Catholic Church, but few of them have sanctioned titles. Kennedy was assassinated. He inquires if anyone has come to condemn her. Attendance at a different rite fulfills the Sunday obligation. Guy. Every created being, even creation itself, is subject to the rules (whether they be scientific or moral) that shape its being. What you or I think is morally acceptable or not is irrelevant. The Church will always be attacked by those, determined to undermine (and question) her authority. Neither you nor I, or anyone else for that matter, can tell a woman what her rights are when it is her body, not yours, mine or anyone else’s. We divide time between BC and AD, but I could easily divide it between pre and post 1972. Todd was born and raised outside Philadelphia, PA (Go Phillies!) Does the Catholic Church have "too many rules"? How many times have you heard this statement before? During the last World Youth Day Pope Francis told the youth of our world: “…be revolutionaries” and “swim against the tide”. (Matthew 5:48 NAB). Abortion and killing a pregnant woman both usually involve taking the life of a fetus. Maybe we should kill people who are bedridden who can’t live on their own. The rules that express it remain substantially valid. He has served in Catholic education, youth ministry, the Chastity/Pro-Life movement, and other areas of the Church. A: Love God. We live in a society that promotes indulgence, and everyone feels entitled to their way. To hear them tell it, a Catholic dare not let out a wayward squeak for fear of the Ruler of Doom being cracked across his knuckles by Sister Mary Ferocious of the Divine Wrath. 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