So just to recap: Sounds dangerous for spouses to kiss each other good-by in the morning (save for a peck on the cheek).
I did not say this. You did.
Dangerous, too, for spouses to think about each other during the day - clearly wrong to anticipate lovemaking.
I did not say this. You did.
And after arriving home, lest passion lead to “objectifying” each other, probably best to avoid intimate contact also.
I did not say this. You did.
Is that where we’ve ended up? Do we really think that’s what the Sacrament of Matrimony intends - little male and female Trappists, cohabiting in a passionless, asexual relationship?
I did not say this. You did.
I, for one, don’t think kissing my wife is an “occasion of sin” – no matter what time of day the kiss takes place.
I did not say that “kissing” my wife is an occasion of sin.
If I had imagined that someone had written what you seem to have imagined was written, then I might also think that what has been written here is terrifying like some of the others. Because I try to read the exact words that are written without adding my own meaning, I am not terrified, but rather pleased.
What I see here are some people who want to do what is right and are at a place in which they are trying to find the answers to some very complex moral questions. I see that those who have been categorized as “terrifying” are actually trying to understand the essence of what it means to be lustful towards one’s spouse.
Spouses are to give one another an unrestricted expression of affection according to the Catechism. The Catechism also says that there are limits to our expressions of affection within marriage. Our doctrine provides the generalities and on this blog we are trying to discover the specifics.
If one is certain that he will not engage in a lustful act with his spouse, then God bless him. If another has a certain degree of uncertainty, God bless him too. The general principles are there. We each need to discover how they best apply to us.
That last line sounds relativistic. For this reason, some on this blog are trying to find the objective norm. God bless them for doing that too. I believe in absolute moral principles. As regards subtleties such as the one’s discussed on this blog, I believe the details must be discovered and applied individually.
A lustful person will not discover the answer to these subtleties, while someone who lives a pure life will. We must depend upon those who are really engaging this topic and thinking deeply about it. We must depend on those whose consciences are active rather than lax.
While we must avoid legalism and permissivism, it is important not to call people legalists or permissivists when they simply are not. While it is good to be concerned about those who are weak in their faith, the subtelties discussed in this thread are not for those who are weak in their faith for it would be rare for someone who is weak in his faith to come to a proper Christian conclusion regarding these fine points.
The important thing is that we do our best to speak the truth in charity. Those who have been labeled as “terrifying” and accused of scaring away those who are weaker in their faith have not spoken of anything in a hateful manner. They have discussed their opinions on this matter in an intelligent way and with much kindness. No one is going to be scared away from a polite theological discussion.
All we can do is speak the truth and if a person does not want to hear it, then kick the dust off our sandals and move on to the next forum. We cannot say that something that is truly lustful is not lustful just because we might scare someone away. No one here has definitively said that something is for certain a sin or occasion of sin. These are theological ponderings. If someone finds these ponderings terrifying then that has to do with something else in the individual’s present or past. We did not terrify these people and it is not our duty to un-terrify them. No one here is trying to terrify anyone more than they already are. We are merely seeking truth.
I ask that people stop over-reacting and begin to start engaging in real theological discussion by commenting on things that have actually been said rather than on the contents of their imagination. God bless!