Homilies and Contraception

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All reason why there need to be excellence in youth catechesis. They’re not going to hear it from their parents, their priest, or their friends And the parents are not going to change their minds. They’re just not. NO matter how much priests preach about it. Church and Sacraments in the US have become more of a “family tradition” than a way of life for many people That’s we see the numbers that we do. Chasing them out the door with the truth isn’t fruitful. Once they leave…you have no shot at their kids. Anyone who has a wonderful priest should kiss the ground he walks on and hugely support him . He likely very much needs the support.
 
Our pastor writes about difficult topics in the bulletin citing the ccc, or will use a saintly quote.

He has some pretty intense homilies as well, but I never heard the word contraception. He will choose his words carefully, such as avoidance of secular marital practices that limit growth of family…he will tie topics like this to the theme of readings or gospel.

I would say that a child would have to be a preteen or older to get the meaning and it opens the door for questions too. So it’s all good.
 
truetofaith said:
Most of the parents use artificial contraception, so they won’t tell their children not to. This is a sin that most people don’t agree with the Church’s teaching ( for many decades
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I know that.

It doesn’t change the church’s teaching regarding the role of parents in the education of their children in the faith, particularly in the area human sexuality.

A 15 minute homily by “father” isn’t going to override what the children hear from their parents and see lived out in their homes and the culture around them. It takes active parenting on the topic of sexuality.

That is one reason my diocese started a parenting curriculum through the office of family life, teaching parents how to teach their children these areas of the faith.
truetofaith said:
I think local parishes are leaving it up to the person’s conscience, on whether it’s a sin or not.
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That may be your experience. I can tell you it’s not mine. All of the parishes I’ve been associated with teach the truth of the faith on the sixth commandment in their religious education programs, have programs such as Theology of the Body for Teens, have strong diocesan programs on marriage and family, support for catechists, etc. They teach the truth in religious education, RCIA, and marriage preparation.

But many who have ears refuse to hear. (including catechists).
 
macstar said:
Their feelings and experiences run deep. They were told to use the rhythm method and when it failed for them or others they turned to contraception. Now they associate methods of natural family planning with the rhythm method and automatically say they don’t work.
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A homily on the evils of artificial contraception need not and probably should not mention NFP.
 
Then it would be a good idea to make an appointment with the Pastor to discuss non -sinful methods of birth control?
 
truetofaith said:
So, what is the Church’s approved method of preventing pregnancy without using the Rhythm Method?
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Surely you’ve been on the forums long enough to know! Natural Family Planning NFP is not considered the Rhythm Method, because it involves ascertaining signs of fertility and hormonal cycling to find “infertile” (or “fertile”) periods.
 
pianistclare said:
Chasing them out the door with the truth isn’t fruitful.
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And neglecting to teach the faith is not fruitful either. If they leave because of the truth or risk their soul because people are afraid to proclaim the truth it has the same result.

Clergy are put in a tough spot to be sure, but just throwing up our hands and saying we can’t change anyone is a dereliction of our duties.We certainly don’t need to beat people over the head week after week, but at the same time to purposely avoid sensitive topics so as not to offend is not the right answer. When Christ had people walk away after saying His body was true food, he didn’t say “oops, that offended people so I’m never going to mention that again”.

If people walk out because they don’t like the truth, that’s on them. If clergy are not willing to proclaim the truth, then if that soul is lost it is on them. That is one thing that has been made very clear to me in formation; we need to be sensitive to how people receive any message, but only telling the what they want to hear does not help them grow in holiness. We are to proclaim the fullness of Church teaching and not give half glimpses of the truth. A lie of omission is still a lie.
 
truetofaith said:
So, what is the Church’s approved method of preventing pregnancy without using the Rhythm Method?
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Abstaining, or periodic abstaining (nfp).
But my point is that if a pastor was to speak on the topic of ABC, they need not mention nfp. In fact it actually further complicates the point. The instructional part is “don’t fall into this lie and sin”. It’s when a couple must dicern postponing children that the “pastoral” aspect can come into play. Nfp instructonsnd advice is better done on an individual level. But the prohibition on ABC applies to all, so from the pulpit it can (and should) be proclaimed.
 
Sorry Deacon, But you live in a bubble.
And you are lucky to do so.
One thing I’ve learned about clergy is this. They can and do encompass all the best and worst of human capabilities. Some are brave, some cowardly, some heroic, some timid. Some are natural leaders, others struggle with basic communication. Either you are in a bubble, or you are biased. Either way, I’d gladly trade places with you.

Many priests I’ve worked closely with are very damaged. It does happen, the nature of the institution of the clergy almost attracts the damaged and broken. And God, takes those hands, and he creates and confects something miraculous. The Eucharist, and the ability to heal. It’s a miracle in itself.

But it’s also good to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of clergy.
 
Usige said:
And neglecting to teach the faith is not fruitful either. If they leave because of the truth or risk their soul because people are afraid to proclaim the truth it has the same result.

Clergy are put in a tough spot to be sure, but just throwing up our hands and saying we can’t change anyone is a dereliction of our duties.We certainly don’t need to beat people over the head week after week, but at the same time to purposely avoid sensitive topics so as not to offend is not the right answer. When Christ had people walk away after saying His body was true food, he didn’t say “oops, that offended people so I’m never going to mention that again”.

If people walk out because they don’t like the truth, that’s on them. If clergy are not willing to proclaim the truth, then if that soul is lost it is on them. That is one thing that has been made very clear to me in formation; we need to be sensitive to how people receive any message, but only telling the what they want to hear does not help them grow in holiness. We are to proclaim the fullness of Church teaching and not give half glimpses of the truth. A lie of omission is still a lie.
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Again, those who need to hear it walk out.
You going to chase them down and force it on them?
The faithful Catholics are there every single week.
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
Sorry Deacon, But you live in a bubble.
And you are lucky to do so.
One thing I’ve learned about clergy is this. They can and do encompass all the best and worst of human capabilities. Some are brave, some cowardly, some heroic, some timid. Some are natural leaders, others struggle with basic communication. Either you are in a bubble, or you are biased. Either way, I’d gladly trade places with you.

Many priests I’ve worked closely with are very damaged. It does happen, the nature of the institution of the clergy almost attracts the damaged and broken. And God, takes those hands, and he creates and confects something miraculous. The Eucharist, and the ability to heal. It’s a miracle in itself.

But it’s also good to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of clergy.
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I think there’s a lot of regional variation.

When we lived in the DC metro area, we got (almost without exception) what I would call “suburban Catholicism.”

Since we’ve moved to TX, our pastors are (almost without exception) very orthodox.
 
Hoosier_Daddy said:
Abstaining, or periodic abstaining (nfp).
But my point is that if a pastor was to speak on the topic of ABC, they need not mention nfp. In fact it actually further complicates the point. The instructional part is “don’t fall into this lie and sin”. It’s when a couple must dicern postponing children that the “pastoral” aspect can come into play. Nfp instructonsnd advice is better done on an individual level. But the prohibition on ABC applies to all, so from the pulpit it can (and should) be proclaimed.
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Not mentioning NFP is going to hurt the credibility of any anti-contraception message.
 
Xantippe said:
Not mentioning NFP is going to hurt the credibility of any anti-contraception message.
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I think there’s some truth to this.

If you want to talk about weird ideas the not well catechized have about Church teaching, “keep having babies until you drop dead” will come up a lot. I think there’s room to talk about the beauty of Church teaching about sexuality, while also acknowledging that childbearing and rearing is hard. And whaddaya know, there are Church documents that say exactly that.

Is a homily the best place for that kind of talk, though? Hmmmmm…
 
Xantippe said:
I think there’s a lot of regional variation.

When we lived in the DC metro area, we got (almost without exception) what I would call “suburban Catholicism.”

Since we’ve moved to TX, our pastors are (almost without exception) very orthodox.
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Suburban Catholicism… what an apt description. I will be using that.
 
Xantippe said:
Not mentioning NFP is going to hurt the credibility of any anti-contraception message.
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I don’t want to drift too far but I don’t think it should be mentioned in a “homily”. Because it’s so specific and so confusing. It’s better suited for a different setting. Like making nfp instruction a priority in marriage prep, or other ministries.

Also nfp is a catch all term.
 
pensmama87 said:
I think there’s some truth to this.

If you want to talk about weird ideas the not well catechized have about Church teaching, “keep having babies until you drop dead” will come up a lot. I think there’s room to talk about the beauty of Church teaching about sexuality, while also acknowledging that childbearing and rearing is hard. And whaddaya know, there are Church documents that say exactly that.

Is a homily the best place for that kind of talk, though? Hmmmmm…
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Right.
 
Send me your address so I can hang out in your bubble. 😉

You are truly blessed if you have not ran into this. I have known deacons that said we should not talk about continence with cohabiting couples in marriage prep because “it makes everyone uncomfortable”. I also knew a priest that never spoke of the Body and Blood outside the liturgy for similar reasons.

I am not saying it is a majority or even a large plurality of clergy, but I was rather speaking in particular to pianistclair’s assertion that if people will leave or complain then it shouldn’t be talked about. There are a number of reasons someone might choose not to speak about any given topic, but the reaction of a group of people should not be a determining factor.

If not giving offense or fear of people walking away was a primary concern we would not have good portions of the gospels or a majority of the epistles. My whole point is that knowing something needs to be said and choosing not to because it is a “hard saying” is to hide part of the light of Christ. This doesn’t just apply to contraceptives either. I would say the same thing about anger, backbiting, or any of a number of other things that are spiritual poisons.
 
Have you seen the posts here from people who are uptight about having the “sex talk” with their kids? One recent poster wanted to know if age 13 was too young, if you can believe it. No way that can of worms is going to be opened during a homily.
 
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