The moral law is universal. It applies to all knowingly chosen acts of all persons at all times in all situations. So the idea that there are no ‘rules’ concerning marital sexual relations is not true.
My above post on page 3 is not opinion.
To reiterate:
- The end does not justify the means.
- intrinsically evil acts are always immoral, regardless of intention (purpose) or circumstance (or context)
- All knowingly chosen acts must be good; actual sin is a knowingly chosen bad act
- The moral law applies universally: there are no acts or situations which are exempt from the moral law; nor are there any acts which either need not be moral in and of themselves or which would take their morality from another act
- All three fonts of morality must be good for a knowingly chosen act to be good.
It is therefore clear that an act that is classified (properly or improperly) as ‘foreplay’ still must be moral in and of itself.
It is also clear that if an act done by itself is intrinsically evil, nothing can make such an act good, not even combining that act with a good act of natural marital relations.
Concerning the teachings of Pope John Paul II, he taught at length on intrinsic evil in Veritatis Splendor; that teaching is required belief. Nothing can make an intrinsically evil act moral: not purpose or intention, not ‘context’, not circumstances. There is no room for any ‘creativity’ that would claim to make an intrinsically evil act moral.
Nowhere in his theology of the body lectures (which are his own theological ideas, not teachings of the Magisterium) does he permit any intrinsically evil acts to be done by a husband and wife at any time, neither before the marital act (as so-called foreplay) or during or after. Neither do any of his books (also private theology, not teachings of the Magisterium) permit such acts. His writings are being used to promote ideas that he himself never stated (just as Vatican II is often used to promote ideas that the Council never stated).
There are no magisterial documents stating that a husband and wife can perform these kinds of act (those acts which, if done by themselves, everyone admits they are intrinsically evil and always immoral) within marriage or in the ‘context’ of natural marital relations. Neither is there any magisterial document saying that all acts are moral between a husband and wife as long as there is an accompanying act of natural marital relations. However, the Magisterium has clearly taught that nothing whatsoever can justify an act that is intrinsically evil.
As for Christopher West, most of his teaching is sound. He only mentions very briefly, in a few places, the incorrect claim that intrinsically evil acts (such as masturbation) are moral when done in the ‘context’ of natural marital relations. Since the Magisterium clearly teaches that masturbation is intrinsically evil and always immoral, we should ignore West when he claims that the same act is moral when performed by a husband on his wife after natural marital relations.
Do not be led astray in this grave matter. Marital relations is a part of the Sacrament of holy Matrimony. And you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. So do you really think that a husband and wife can do anything whatsoever to one another’s bodies as long as an act of natural marital relations also occurs? Do you think that Jesus and Mary, who are each perfect in virginity and chastity, would permit such acts, acts which everyone condemns when the same acts are done by themselves? May God forbid that any devout married couple would behave in such a manner.
