Being Open to Life (The Problem With Contraception) | THEOLOGY OF THE BODY

Подписаться 115 тыс.

Просмотров 6 тыс.

50% 1

In this video we're going to be taking a look at what it means when the Catholic Church says we need to be open to life in the sexual act. [SPOILER: It does not mean that the only purpose of sex is to conceive a child! This is a myth about the Church's teaching.]
Sexual intercourse is meant to be an expression of wedding vows. At the altar, couples commit to loving one another as God loves: freely, totally, faithfully, and fruitfully. In this video we want to zoom in on the meaning of fruitfully. What does it mean to be open to life in the marital embrace? And why is contraception condemned by the Catholic Church?
---------------------
Click the link to join our Patron Community! Your monthly gift helps us continue to put out the message of Theology of the Body to the world. Thank you! tobinstitute.krtra.com/t/iwWm...
Want to attend a course at the Theology of the Body Institute online or in person? Click the link to view our schedule: tobinstitute.org/programs/tob...
Check out our store to purchase a Theology of the Body Institute mug, and other cool merch! shop.corproject.com/collectio...
Click here to shop at the Theology of the Body Institute book store: shop.corproject.com

Опубликовано:

22 июн 2021

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 55

@nickhill150 Год назад

This video just blew my mind. "Even if you have sex only for a baby, there is a danger of using your spouse". Incredible insight!

@marialaurachabay3171 3 года назад

Christopher, it is a pleasure to hear how a lay person explains theology while being faithful to the Magisterium of the Church. I want to ask you if your books are translated into Spanish, and if so, where can they be purchased. Thank you very much and don't stop teaching. Ma. Laura, from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

@reneespinosa9560 3 года назад

"There is a danger to use your spouse and not love your spouse." St John Paul the Great, pray for us.

@alejandrasuarez1202 3 года назад

Amaaaazing!

@solomonedoh8613 3 года назад

Great teaching. Keep it up sir

@1001011011010 3 года назад

Have comment to feed the algorithm! The Truth shall set us free! Our hearts can be turned from darkness to light!

@alejandrasuarez1202 3 года назад

Love it 🥰🥰🥰

@mscfit Год назад

I’m struggling, with 47 (my wife is 45, and still open for life). In just one sentence you see my problem. We have 4 children, and I feel like I’m done. I can’t imagine going again through so many unknowns with a potentially 5th (or 6th if twins) child. Birthrisk, Healthrisk, Educationalrisk, Physicalstrength, what do others talk about me risk… I’m a scared guy struggling with the catholic teaching of being open for life. It seems things are getting more difficult with age. My sexual part in our marriage is a real challenge , i don’t know whether i should do my chastity vows until menopause kicks in or just don’t care about my fears and trust in God. Don’t talk about financials, there is no grave reason to say NO because of that. Maybe some concerns of inherited health problems that we see in our 4 children. My grave readon of not having more vhildren with 47 is i’m afraid and i don’t really trust in God, but should i trust or is it up to me to take a logical decision? I really don’t know what to do. Just trust would be easy. Not trusting is hell on earth.

@aisthpaoitht 6 месяцев назад

Follow your conscience. I don't think it's correct to harm the spiritual and physical unity of your marriage by being celibate.

@veddermn8 Год назад

Abstinence and NFP are not "open to life" though, but are ok? Doesn't quite add up.

@jacobcaeli 8 месяцев назад

Periods of continence can be used to deepen your faith and focus on God. NFP used to obstruct conception does absolutely seem to not being open to life and using your spouse as an object for sex.

@LMB8708 2 месяца назад

No one in the clergy or the laity that I’ve ever talked to can explain the difference between NFP and contraception. If the true interior disposition is to come together without conception, how are they different?

@denisenoe3702 Месяц назад

@@LMB8708 NFP, like contraception, isn't perfect but is effective. There is no "artificial" block to conception. You can't make it mandatory for the husband to have sex with the wife every time she ovulates. Heck, that might not even be possible. If you must STRIVE for a pregnancy, he would have to have sex when he knows she is ovulating. That might not even be possible since males can't predict when they will get aroused.

@veddermn8 Год назад

"spouses must not do anything of their own will to close the act" to life. So that mean that natural family planning and, most definitely, abstinence are out.

@robertblomme9114 Год назад

I agree on the point of Nfp, but abstinence cannot be construed as a violation of the act itself. The Catholic Church holds the position that periods of abstinence agreed upon by both spouses can be beneficial to the union so long as the periods of abstinence are actually ordered towards creating an environment that promotes a healthy sexual relationship between the two in the same way that fasting from food creates a healthy disposition physically and spiritually towards food and the body. Abstinence in the sense that would not allow for the marriage to create life whatsoever however would actually invalidate the marriage, and it has always been recognized as sinful to deny your partner sex when they make a legitimate request to procreate.

@veddermn8 Год назад

@@robertblomme9114 thanks for the info, but I wonder if a couple has the amount of kids they want or can afford, is abstinence fine then ?

@robertblomme9114 Год назад

@@veddermn8 I can’t imagine that just not wanting more kids would be considered valid as it contradicts their vows. financial reasons could be considered legitimate but even then I find that to be difficult reasoning in a first world country where you’re never going to actually experience real poverty. The entirety of history is comprised of almost everyone living in absolute squalor compared to the average “poor” person of today and people were still raising families, in a situation like that the couple would need to form their consciences with guidance from their priest but I think it should be reserved for extreme scenarios

@veddermn8 Год назад

@@robertblomme9114 I follow the logic there but at the same time it feels bizarre and intrusive for the Church to have a sex "requirement" for couples after there are kids in the picture. Its like "requiring" people to eat dessert or something. Its not the same when it foisted upon you.

@huntsman528 9 месяцев назад

@robertblomme9114 what do you mean it contradicts their vows?

@jessicasmith9599 3 года назад

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how I should respond to my husband who is afraid to have more children for financial reasons. We are tight on money for sure, but I’m concerned that by practicing NFP methods and abstaining out of fear could be wrong. It makes me sad to think that our season for having children has to come to and end. Should there be a trust in God that He will provide? Is being worried about how we could provide for another child (when currently struggling with debt and monthly bills) a good reason to avoid having more children? If it is, I’m okay with hearing yes, but I want to be sure that it is so as to not be hindering our marriage or our relationship with God. Does that make sense?

@verum-in-omnibus1035 3 года назад

I see beautiful families in my traditional parish with six, seven up to 10 children. They homeschool, they budget and work on one income. Take a brutal look at your lifestyle, the amount of cars you have, things your family does, how much stuff you’re buying etc. God did not commanded us to be open to life ONLY we have a huge bank account. If you weren’t able to feed children because you’re so destitute, that would be the only time it would be proper to actively avoid having children for a time. Spending more than you make is not A legitimate reason to not be open to life. Most people I’ve encountered who actively use NFP for longer than a post-birth time are Novus ordo attending nominal Catholics. The more faithful the Catholic family, the more children they have (of course there are exceptions when there are fertility issues, I’m making a general statement). God blesses those families greatly. Be open to life sister.

@tobymichaels8171 5 месяцев назад

As a cradle Catholic I've long seen the derisive form of the word "used" elevated to the level of exquisite cliché. The dogmatic imposition of binary thinking is the favored tool of authoritarians bent on suppressing critical thought. In truth there is no reason that one or both partners harboring a pragmatic motive for intimacy (be it desire for offspring or even relief from carnal arousal) necessarily excludes the concomitant expression of love and strengthening of the marital bond. "Used" has been reduced to a banal slur by armchair theologians

@ethanralph0 2 года назад

😇

@beachgirl4 3 года назад

❤💕❤💕

@michaelkern8022 3 месяца назад

While this may be a helpful video for understanding the Catholic teaching regarding matters such as birth control and abstinance within marriage, I was really hoping to hear a biblical case for this position. As a Protestant, I don't hold to this view, and I would argue that it actually goes beyond what Scripture teaches (something I tend to not be on board with). I was hoping for greater insight into the biblical basis for this position, if there is one to be had.

@TheologyoftheBodyInstitute 3 месяца назад

Thank you for your comment. Christopher explores this topic through the Theology of the Body, which is deeply rooted in Scripture. His book "Our Bodies Tells God's Story" was written with the same biblical foundation but more attune to a Protestant audience. You can find it here if you're interested: shop.corproject.com/products/our-bodies-tell-gods-story-discovering-the-divine-plan-for-love-sex-and-gender-paperback

@TheBestOne_hi_34 Год назад

Hey, what does the Catholic Church teach of adoption?

@huntsman528 9 месяцев назад

So I'm good since we have normal wedding vows? This seems like something that evolved in the Catholic church over time. It sounds like the 1500s and on.

@Snoozler 2 года назад

Well, it's very convenient for couples who *want* to have children in the first place to be open to life.. What if this "clause" was not in our wedding vows? (we were not married in the church) Is it considered a sin to avoid pregnancy if you're in a situation where you don't feel that you are "freely" committing the sexual act, but are doing it soley to satisfy your husband (who is a nonbeliever) ?

@huntsman528 9 месяцев назад

No, it is not a sin. Nowhere in scripture does it say it is a sin. Like literally anywhere. Some people saying it's a sin in the 1500 or 1800s doesn't make it so. BUT, if you believe it is a sin (for wrong reasons), then to you it will be a sin. Romans 14 "But whoever has doubts is condemned if they eat, because their eating is not from faith;"

@jacobcaeli 8 месяцев назад

@@huntsman528God literally ended Onan's life for spilling the seed. He told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply. Being open to life isn't in marriage vows, it's just the primary purpose of marriage. The second purpose of marriage is to help each other get to Heaven. It's a sin to use birth control as it is inherently evil.

@SavedbyGraceAlone1962 Год назад

Good explanation, however the Bible doesn't prohibit the practice or use of contraception.

@taylorbarrett384 3 года назад

I'm not disagreeing with you but you need to change the way you present this because technically speaking you did not rule out contraception by arguments such as the claim that couples need to say, "we know that we could have a baby and we are willing to receive that baby from God." This is because couples using contraception can say that with completely sincerity. They can use contraception open to the fact that they may get pregnant despite their contraception and willing to receive that child from God if they do. I mean, I have nephews and nieces that came into the world because their parents accepted them as a gift from God despite the fact they were using contraception. So the way you are wording and presenting this argument has to change, because you aren't actually addressing the real issue here. If all a couple needs to do is be willing to accept a baby if it comes, and that's all it means to be open to life, then contraception would be perfectly valid.

@taylorbarrett384 3 года назад

@Dorph Well the person who engages in NFP can also be accused of the same thing. It's like only going to the grocery store on the days when you know there isn't normally any vegetables, telling yourself, "I'll buy vegetables if they have them." They may be pretending to be open to vegetables, but they are actively going to the store on days they know there won't be vegetables in order to avoid getting any

@taylorbarrett384 3 года назад

@Dorph and just to be clear I'm not advocating for birth control I'm just saying the argument needs to be adjusted

@robertblomme9114 3 года назад

I’m still waiting for the day someone adequately explains to me how using a scientific method in tandem with health professionals with a 98% accuracy rate, with the direct intention of avoiding having a child while still getting the pleasure benefits from sex is not just a big Catholic loophole in the case of NFP.

@beachgirl4 3 года назад

@Dorph 👍

@intedominesperavi6036 3 года назад

@@taylorbarrett384 The analogy of Droph holds up. If "being at home" is having sex, then couples who practice NFP are closing the door when they are not at home. I also want to shortly address your original comment: being open to life after the fact (accepting the child after having used contraception) and being open to it in General are two quite different things. Being open to life is also a Principle that applies during sex specifically, so you very well can avoid a pregnancy for good reasons, but not by rendering the sexual act sterile. God bless!