Further, it’s noted that celibates don’t have sex. On the contrary, CELIBATES DO HAVE SEX. They all have it all the time! (It should be noted that sex was used as a noun far longer than the recent developments in using it as a verb nearly exclusively.) Sex isn’t just about the verb meaning “to do it”, but it’s about a person’s femininity and masculinity, how they live, give and serve in their life. John Paul II writes all about what he called “The Feminine Genius” in his letters, especially his Letter to Women & in Mulieris Dignitatum. Thus, consecrated men and women, brothers and sisters, and priests, have sexuality, though there’s is directed, some say subliminated, for another purpose to foreshadow how it will be in heaven.

Further, as we learn in one aspect of the Theology of the Body, consecrated vocations are a spiritual compliment to those who are called to marriage, and their sexuality (and entire person, body mind and soul) are important to married life in the Church. Saying that “celibates have no say” is missing the point that 1) Two of the holiest people in history, one being divine, were celibates: Our Lord & His Mother, and 2) You don’t have to be married and sexually active to speak truth about sexuality. That’s like saying a man can’t be a good OB/GYN because he doesn’t have a vagina!

For more on celibacy: http://www.christopherwest.com/page.asp?ContentID=128

I don’t really have anything to add to your comment. I just wanted to tell you I’ll be praying for your discernment process. You cathechize beautifully. I don’t think anyone could read your post and feel threatened or attacked. You explain exactly why you believe what you believe in a clear, concise, personal manner, and that’s something of a rarity these days, especially in internet comment boxes.

Thank you for your gifts and your desire to use them in service of the Church. No matter what vocation God has given you, your sincerity and faithful pursuit of His will will make it a beautiful cooperation!

God bless you!

I think in order to be able to say you’ve truly carefully considered it, you have to have done some reading on the subjects (Theology of the Body is a bit much, but there are tons of study guides for it; Humanae Vitae is fairly short and quite prophetic; Christopher West has several books; Janet Smith’s talks and articles are right on). You have to know why the Church says its a sin before you decide you can just ignore that teaching. And I think once people truly understand the why, they understand that NFP is different from just contracepting, and they want and need to embrace it.

Also, I think celibates are important to this issue. People don’t want to use natural methods of family planning because they think going without sex for one week each month is too hard; society has convinced us that its impossible and even abnormal. Yes, it is hard, there’s no denying that! But it’s worth it. And when you see that some people are not just giving this up for 8 days a month, but for their entire lives, that helps them to realize that maybe it is possible.

Oh, and overpopulation is a myth. Check out the video at http://overpopulationisamyth.com/overpopulation-the-making-of-a-myth

http://www.janetsmith.excerptsofinri.com/

Great article – stumbled upon the site tonight and am really excited about it. I’m a faithful Catholic and a FAM user as well, and it’s worked for my husband and I for over a year. It’s good to know there are other Catholics out there who use it – and not the full NFP.

I absolutely think that birth control is a conversation many faithful young adults are having with themselves; and it’s also an issue that, quite honestly, is never black and white. Thanks for keeping the conversation going!

I disagree with your interpretation of the Principle of Double Effect and here is why…

The PDE has 4 main parts that all must be met to have a morally appropriate act.

1) The act itself must be good or morally neutral –
That is no doubt the case with a married woman using the pill for medical reasons.

2) The intention of the actor must be for the good effect –
That can be the case (although not guaranteed) and I’ll assume that it is in your situation.

3) The good effect does not come as a direct result of the bad effect –
This is also true in the case of a married woman using the pill for health benefits.

But its the fourth one that creates the problem…

4)The good effect is proportionate to the bad effect-
This isn’t the case with a married woman using the pill, since the pill *can* lead to the destruction of an embryo, a human life. That is disproportionate to treating a non-life threatening ailment.

But again, I would suggest to anyone reading this that there is better news that is irrelevant to the Church’s teaching… there is (in the vast majority of cases) a treatment for your ailment that is better than using the pill, because the pill typically only treats symptoms. Visit the link in my above post and talk to a doctor who is willing to treat your ailment rather than just giving you something to quell your symptoms.

Also, I had another comment as well and it is still awaiting moderation. What’s the deal?

God Bless.