The Holy Eucharist and Pro-life

DEFENDING TRADITIONAL MARRIAGE
by Fr. Jim Whalen

The essential ends of marriage are procreation, the upbringing of children, and mutual love. The primary end is procreation and upbringing of children, and the subordinate secondary end is mutual love. “Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the begetting and educating of children” (Gaudium et Spes, #50).

God has designed the sexual act to take place exclusively within a marriage of a man and a woman. The moral principle is clear. Any deliberat e use of the sexual faculty outside of marriage is immoral and gravely wrong, because it is contrary to its purpose. It is a mortal sin, providing one knows it is wrong and gives full consent and, consequently, excludes one from sacramental communion (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2352, 2390). Every kind of genital activity outside of marriage, whether committed alone or with someone else is forbidden. This moral principle, which rules out adultery, fornication, and incest, lacks the unitive aspect found in the covenant of marriage. Masturbation and homosexuality lack both the unitive and procreative aspects.

The health of a society with its social, cultural, and economic institutions, as well as its moral fiber, depends on the health of its families. Marriage is essentially a public institution and what happens on the level of marriage and family affects the civil community as a whole. The family and society prospers to the degree that the institution of marriage flourishes and suffers to the degree that the institution of marriage flounders. Unfortunately, in recent years, heterosexual marriage has been increasingly viewed as outdated and somewhat oppressive. In this post-modern era, families, and married couples, receive very little help on the cultural or legal levels.

Moral relativism, which predominates much of our culture, has blurred the distinction between truth and falsehood, right and wrong, good and evil. This has resulted in a loss of the sense of sin and declining standards of public morality and Christian values. This is evident in the rejection of the traditional family as the foundation of society, and marriage as the condition that gives rise to the family. It has resulted in a homosexual movement, a revolution that seeks to undermine marriage by seeking to usurp its rights and advocates same-sex marriage as a possibility. The fact is that conjugal relationships are only possible between a man and a woman. Homosexual love is impossible because it seeks to transform the love of friendship between people of the same sex into conjugal love.

Christian morality must be restored to our culture, our families, and our country. This means a renewal of our Christian foundations based on “Love of God” and “Love of neighbour”, the Ten Commandments, and the Beatitudes. It means a return to centering our families on the Eucharist (the Mass) and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament (Perpetual Adoration). It means stressing the importance of “Sacramental Life”, and especially, frequent reception of Confession. It means a strong prayer life and praying the Rosary for family life and marriage. It means parents must insist on their primary rights in educating their children. It means using Natural Family Planning when necessary. It means accepting God’s law and God’s plan for the individual, the family, and society. We must not be swayed by false compassion or relativistic rhetoric. We are called to honour and obey God’s law, and to defend the sacred institutions of marriage and family. “When men resolve to co-operate with the grace of God, the marvels of history are worked... nothing can defeat a people that is virtuous and truly loves God” (Defending a Higher Law, TFP Committee, American Issues. R Correa de Oliveria, p. 189). +

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In France, a national commission, which studied how a redefinition of marriage would affect children, recently concluded that: “The best interests of the child must prevail over adult freedoms…even including the lifestyle choices of parents”.

For that reason, it rejected not only the possibility of same-sex marriage, but also said no to child adoption and access to assisted procreation for same-sex partners.

In 2005, Canadian Parliament chose otherwise.

In many high schools, students assist with opening announcements and prayers. We encourage you to say the following prayer in your school.

PRAYER FOR LIFE

PRAYER FOR THE SANCTITY
OF MARRIAGE

Almighty God, protector of all families, guide us in our efforts to defend the Holy Sacrament of Marriage as the Church has so wisely defined as a union between a man and a woman. We ask You this, in the Name of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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FOR
CLASS
DISCUSSION

Situation: The Catechism of the Catholic Church indicates that: “The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws.... God himself is the author of marriage”. The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1603

For Class Discussion: Discuss in class how, as a group and individually, you can support and promote the teaching of the Catholic Church in regard to marriage.

START A PRO-LIFE GROUP
IN YOUR SCHOOL

Here are a few ideas to help you get started:

Set up a table near your lunch room and sell pro-life Precious Feet Pins, pro-life rubber bracelets, and other items. This brings awareness to the pro-life message as well as funds for your group. Contact your community pro-life group for supplies.

Encourage your school to take part in the Priests for Life Canada Essay for Life Contest. The winner gets $500 and the winner’s school gets $500 (plus prizes for 2nd, 3rd, and all other participants). See page 3 of this newsletter for details.

Contact your local community pro-life organization and ask for their assistance in your efforts.

Ask your school chaplain as well as a dedicated teacher to be a part of your committee (two people can make up a committee).

Ask your principal if your committee can meet during school hours and even get credit for community service. This will encourage others to participate.

Ask your parish priest if you could have Eucharistic Adoration for Life in your chapel on a regular basis. It could start off with a Mass.

Ask your principal if you can lead the morning prayer once a week with a specific pro-life prayer.

Distribute this paper to all students in your school. Free sample copies are available.

Have your pro-life group take part in the International Perpetual Rosary for Life. Encourage awareness and participation with posters. Keep the message of Life alive.

Meet once a week during lunch time to recite the Rosary as a group. Priests for Life Canada can provide you with prayer booklets. Invite your chaplain (see: www.priests
forlifecanada.com).

Be one of the first high school students that places a Pro-Life page on the internet.

Paul Steckle, a Member of Parliament, has introduced a motion to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Encourage your school to support this effort.

Plan to take a bus load of students to the March for Life in Ottawa in May 2007.

Check out www.prolife search.com, list your pro-life organization and be eligable to earn pro-life cash for your group.

Plan to have at least two representatives attend the annual Ontario Students’ for Life Conference (see: http://www.osfl.on.ca).

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Bishop Frederick Henry of Calgary sums up the position of the Catholic Church on same-sex

marriage in a letter written prior to the

approving of same-sex marriage legislation.

Same-Sex Marriage
by Bishop Frederick Henry, Bishop of Calgary

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Many assume that we are powerless, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has been invoked and the Supreme Court has spoken and settled the same-sex issue. However, such an assumption is erroneous. The Supreme Court has said that Parliament may redefine marriage, it has not said that it must redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. The Supreme Court Justices talk about reading the Constitution, “expansively”, and that it is like a “living tree which by way of progressive interpretation, accommodates and addresses the realities of modern life”.

Nevertheless, I would suggest that there are more roots to the tree than simply the Charter of Rights and Freedom. There are also historical, cultural, philosophical, moral, and anthropological roots. The failure to attend to the health of all the roots runs the risk of killing the tree and destroying the public good.

As Catholics, we hold marriage to be a sacrament, a sacred covenant in which husband and wife express their mutual love, and join with God in the creation of a new human person, destined for eternal life.
Marriage and the family are the foundations of society, through which children are brought into this world and nurtured as they grow to adulthood. As such, the family is a more fundamental social institution than the state, and the strength of the family is vital for the well-being of our whole society.

Since homosexuality, adultery, prostitution, and pornography undermine the foundations of the family, the basis of society, then the State must use its coercive power to proscribe or curtail them in the interests of the common good.

It is sometimes argued that what we do in the privacy of our home is nobody’ s business. While the privacy of the home is undoubtedly sacred, it is not absolute. Furthermore, an evil act remains an evil act whether it is performed in public or in private.

The committed union of two people of the same sex is not the same human reality as the committed union of one man and one woman. A same-sex union is not a physical union that transmits human life, producing children. A same-sex union is not the joining of two complementary natures that complete each other. Simply stated, a same sex union is not marriage. The idea that homosexuals can create same-sex “marriage” through their individual choice is false. All the packaging in the world doesn’t alter substance.

Some would allege that opposing same-sex “marriage” is pure prejudice. This contention is also false. There are human rights laws, which say: men and women must be paid the same wage for the same work; an employer may not refuse to hire someone because of the skin colour; landlords may not discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation. These decisions uphold the rights of the individual and, at the same time, strengthen Canadian society. They encourage us to recognize the humanity of the other person.

Furthermore, a man and a woman wanting to marry may be completely different in their characteristics such as: colour, ethnicity, in wealth and social status, physical attributes, and educational background. None of these differences are insurmountable obstacles to marriage. The two individuals are still a man and a woman, and the requirements of nature are respected. Two individuals of the same sex, regardless of their race, wealth, stature, erudition, or fame, will never be able to marry because of an insurmountable biological impossibility.

The denial of the social and legal status of marriage to same-sex couples is not discrimination. It is not something opposed to justice; on the contrary, justice requires such an opposition.

It is the right and the responsibility of all citizens who are troubled by the proposal to reinvent the institution of marriage, to enter into the debate and, with clarity and charity, to make their voices heard by their fellow citizens and our political leaders.

Please take the time to write, email and/or fax government leaders and your local member of parliament registering your objection to the proposal to reinvent the institution of marriage. n

January 2005
F. B. Henry, Bishop of Calgary

Français

Priests for Life Canada

ESSAY ON LIFE CONTEST

2006-2007

For students in Grades 9 through High School*

(See Rules Below)

"Win prize money for the winner and the winner's school".

THE PRIZES:

STUDENTS:

SCHOOLS:

POSTERS:

CONTEST RULES:

LAST YEAR'S WINNING ESSAYS:

For more information about the Essay on Life Contest, contact:

Priests for Life Canada

at:

toll free: 1-888-300-2007

Ottawa are: (613) 834-2226

or E-mail:

essay@priestsforlifecanada.com

Students:

If you are a student in grade 9 through high school,

write a Pro-life Essay of up to 1,500 words in length

on one of the following four topics:

CHASTITY

EUTHANASIA

CONTRACEPTION

STEM CELL RESEARCH

Winning Prizes

1st Place: $500.00 to the writer and $500 to the writer’s school*

2nd Place: $250.00 to the writer and $250 to the writer’s school*

3nd Place: $100.00 to the writer and $100 to the writer’s school*

All contestants will receive a “Precious Feet” Lapel Pin.

* Entries from home-schooled students who are at the same grade level are also accepted in which

case the winner may designate the recipient’s home-schooling association.

Contest Rules

Eligibility: Students must be attending a school in Canada or participating in a school recognized correspondence program*. Students must be in grades nine through high school at the contest deadline.

* Entries from home-schooled students who are at the same grade level are also accepted in which case the winner may designate the recipient’s home-schooling association.

Deadline: The postmark deadline for contestants for the 2006-2007 Essay on Life Contest is June 30, 2007. Winners are notified by October 1, 2007. Entries are accepted anytime up to the deadline. Priests for Life Canada and/or its agents will be the sole judge of winning entries.

The Essay: Your name and your school’s name must not appear anywhere in the essay. This information must be provided on a separate sheet of paper stapled to the essay.

Your essay should be well-organized, well-reasoned, and no more than 1,500 words. Points will be deducted from essays exceeding the 1,500-word limit (Citations and bibliographies are not included in the 1,500-word count). The essay can be written in English or French. Essays on other topics will be disqualified.

The Criteria: Judges will select winning essays based on focus, organization, originality, and style.

Previous first-place winners and immediate relatives of directors or staff of Priests for Life Canada are not eligible to participate.

Where to Submit: Email your entry to Contact us or mail to Priests for Life Canada, P.O. Box 43, Cumberland, ON K4C 1E5

Submit your essay by June 30, 2007 to:

Priests for Life Canada

P.O. Box 43

Cumberland, Ontario K4C 1E5

or e-mail your essay to:

essay@priestsforlifecanada.com

SCHOOLS:

The winner's school gets a cash prize equal to the winner's prize.

Registering for the contest: It is not necessary to register your school for the contest but we would appreciate knowing if you will be participating. Students do not need to register for the contest.

Submitting the Essay: Students can send in their essay by June 30, 2007 via postal or Email (see Contest Rules above). The school may prefer to collect student’s essays and send them collectively.

POSTERS:

You can also print your own posters by clicking here (pdf files):

Letter size:

Colour

Black and White

Legal size:

Colour

Black and White

Or contact Priests for Life Canada to have posters post mailed to you.

essay@priestsforlifecanada.com

For more information about the Essay on Life Contest, contact:

Priests for Life Canada

at:

toll free: 1-888-300-2007

or E-mail:

essay@priestsforlifecanada.com

Go to main page of Priests for Life Canada

ESSAY FOR LIFE
CONTEST WINNERS

2005-2006
(contest ended June 30, 2006)

1st Prize: $500.00
Winner: Mark Douglas, Langley BC.
Topic: St. Michael the Archangel,
a Pro-life Paradigm and Aid

2nd Prize: $300.00
Winner: Gabriel Ferri, Pembroke ON.
Topic: John Paul II, Vicar of Christ,
Defender of Life

3rd Prize: $150.00
Winner: Sara Lévesque, Prud'homme SK.
Topic: Bienheureuse Mère Térésa

All those who entred receive a
“Precious Feet” lapel pin.

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