What is my moral obligation to a doctor?

[JReducation]

The monotors of this board has in the past not permitted posters to make claims about being religious, part of an order or clergy until it was substantiated by the poster.

Maybe the mods will make this investigation?

I have asked this question and that is not quite the rule that they have not permitted such a thing. And it is not the rule that it has to be substantiated either. Though I don’t have a problem giving someone our address. It’s on the Internet anyway.

That being said, my point still stands. Members of orders or dioceses have a moral obligation to present the teachings of the Church. Whether someone knows that you are a religious, deacon, priest or secular religious, does not relieve me of my moral duty. I am bound to present the teachings of the Church, not my personal opinions. As a religious, I am not allowed to have opinions that are in conflict with the moral and doctrinal teachings of the Church. It does not make any difference whether others know or don’t know that I’m a brother. I know what I amn and I know what I am allowed and not allowed. That’s my point.

I hope that clears up my previous post.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

 

[Moscati]

From the iPledge website for Accutane.

ipledgeprogram.com/FAQ_Public.htm

I am sure in practice abstinence is seriously discouraged as a method of birth control by most doctors. It is probably because experience has shown that a lot of women who say they will abstain are simply not able to do so.

That’s very interesting! Thanks. I asked my roommate, and she told me she had stopped taking the BCP’s but been able to maintain her Accutane prescription. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding on her doctor-father’s part.

 

[plinko]

You have to remember that this language is used in its mystical sense. You’re reading it from a secular point of view. It’s not written that way or intended to be read that way. It is theologically true that the sexual act between married people, even those who are sterile, is procreative. The word defines the act, not the result. Sexual intercourse is the means that God gave man so that he can cooperate with him in the creative act.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF

Can you please provide me with a link or a place where the Church explicitly defines “procreation”? Websters defines it as “To beget and conceive (offspring)”; the Church cannot change its meaning without providing its own definition.

 

[JReducation]

Can you please provide me with a link or a place where the Church explicitly defines “procreation”? Websters defines it as “To beget and conceive (offspring)”; the Church cannot change its meaning without providing its own definition.

Go to the CCC and you can look it up in several ways: marriage, marital act, sexual intercourse, procreation, sex

Go to Canon Law and search marriage. There is an entire chapter in canon law that deals with nothing but marriage law.

I’m trying to think if there is such a thing as “Catholic Dictionary”, but I don’t think so. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were. I’ve never seen one. What usually happens is that when you are studying theology the terms are defined for you by the professors using documents such as encyclicals, laws, rituals, history books, conferences etc.

The Church is very (I’m looking for a word here). Let’s say that the Church is very special in the way that she uses language. Much of her language is very old. The definitions that we find in dictionaries do not always apply, because the Church has been using a certain term to mean something for 1000 years and she’s not going to change the term unless she has to. I’ll give you a silly but good example. The members of my order are called Friars. Friars is just bad English for the Latin, Frater, which means Brother. But it became Friars way back in the 13th century and it spread. I’m sure that if you look up friar in webster it does not tell you that it means brother. It’ll say something about religious life, mendicants and so forth. In other words, it will give you its current meaning, even though the Church does not use it that way.

To get back to marriage, we must also remember that what the Church is saying is that the act is procreative. She is not saying that every time that one engages in the act, procreation occurs. Another way of knowing this meaning is from the marriage ritual itself. The Deacon prays over the couple. When he prays over the bride, he prays that she may be fecund. The entire prayer is about sexual intercourse between the spouses. The prayer for fecundity is said even if you’re performing the wedding for someone who is sterile. Because the act is procreative. The act is necessary to consummate the marriage. The Church blesses the act and calls us to reflect on its purpose through the prayers in the marriage rite. Unless they use the shorter form, then some prayers are not said.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF