PabloSerna said:
Martin Q. Blank said:
Mary and Joseph were married and never created a new life.
As a Catholic, I have understood through the teachings of the RCC, that as a married couple, my wife and I - cooperate with the will of God in his plan for our children. This is no different than our Lady's "yes" when the Angel Gabriel gave her the news about baby Jesus. A central aspect of Natural Family Planning is the consent of each person.
As for Mary and Joseph, we believe that Mary and Joseph abstained from the conjugal act. Joseph was well aware of who Mary was in the grand scheme of things (salvation) and was by all accounts a just man.
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You do raise a good question though, in light of the recent decree by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) or the magisterium, our teaching body, which centered its sights on the sexual nature of same sex couples. It is not a surprise as much to me that they took this stance, given the growing acceptance by many of the Laity and even the Bishops (particularly in Germany).
If one were to study the history of marriage in the Catholic Church, you will find about a 1000 year development to the current form. I don't believe we have ended that journey. The only detail of the statement that was somewhat surprising was the charged wording, "God does not bless sin." Well of course not. The statement and subsequent explanatory note made a great effort to say that this is not a judgement on the individual, but on the union itself. All are still welcomed. Just doesn't feel that way.
While I understand the sacramental nature of marriage as part of the order and vows we take - it always struck me as a kid who grew up fatherless when Saint Peter left his family to follow Jesus. Because I am such a visual person, I remember the scene from Zeffirelli's film Jesus of Nazareth, when Peter left and there is an image of a kid looking out towards him. What about our love and responsibilities? I'm sure there is more to it than just that - no doubt, it was a different time and place, but it does leave me wondering.
I am sure many Catholics will jump ship. I'm not one of them, because, I understand some things that I cannot deny (the nature of the eucharist for example). I do think that the pain of rejection by many LGBTQ+ Catholics and their allies, myself included, who see marriage between persons more than just children - will sting for a long time. The people that I have met that live a committed life to their spouses is in a word - "good". I would not characterize it as "sin" - although I understand that the Church has stated it as such.
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Before my wife and I were married in the Church, we were married by the Justice of the Peace in Bryan, Texas. If you know my story you know it was because I got her pregnant and wanted to "do right" by her as the saying goes. We were 20 years old at the time. In the eyes of the RCC, we were living in "sin". No different than what they have restated, so you have to give the CDF credit for being consistent. Which is why I am telling you that I am not surprised. The difference though for us was that the RCC has a path for us to be married before the eyes of God. Committed LGBTQ couples do not. Which is why when Pope Francis mentioned support for finding a way within the RCC, it gave many some hope for a "blessing" of civil unions. That door appears to be closed and it may never be opened again.
The good news though, is that we have a loving God. A God that knows our heart deeper than any teaching body and in the end we will each stand before to be laid bare. My heart is saddened that my Church has missed a chance to "find a way" but I am comforted in knowing that he leads me still. So I journey on.
+pablo
Why is it important to you that the Church "finds a way"?
The Church's position is clearly that homosexual conduct is sinful, and that sin should be rejected
Why should the Church do a 180 on that, and not only accept and not reject, but bless what it now considers sinful behavior?
Should the Church just say, OK everyone, we hereby declare that homosexual conduct is not sinful because, well, just because a lot of people want it to not be considered sinful anymore
I'm curious as to what it is exactly that you want to see the Church do
How does this work in your mind?
