Note from the translator: Sermon from father Daniel Pinheiro, Superior of Good Shepherd Institute in Brazil. The original text can be read in Portuguese here.

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[28] But Jesus turning to them, said: Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me; but weep for yourselves and for your children. [29] For behold, the days shall come, wherein they will say: Blessed are the barren and the wombs that have not borne and the paps that have not given suck. (Lk. 23)

Here is the only reference Christ makes to contraception and the contraceptive mentality. Of course, these words of Our Lord are susceptible of various interpretations and apply to different circumstances, in particular at the time of the fall of Jerusalem and even at the end of time. But it is clear that Our Lord is also referring here to contraception and the contraceptive mentality. And He does it in the midst of His greatest sufferings, during the Via Crucis. In all of human history we have never seen a period when contraception was as widespread as it is in our times. It is necessary to cry, Our Lord tells us.

God made us a certain way and that has consequences for how we should act

The Church has the God-given right and duty to pass judgment on the morality of acts, and this power of the Church in relation to morality extends to Natural Law, to the explanation of Natural Law. This law stems from the very nature of things, the law which stems from the very nature of man, created by God. We see that God formed our faculties in a certain way, and that consequently they must be used according to the Creator's intention, (that if) we do not want to offend Him and injure ourselves. In other words, God made us a certain way and that has consequences for how we should act. Similarly, when a car is manufactured, the manufacturer builds it in a certain way, with a view to its objectives. So he can make a car that runs on gasoline alone. Now, if someone goes against the manufacturer's intention and puts alcohol in the fuel tank, the car will have several problems and will not work correctly as it should, if the manufacturer's intention had been observed.

Among the faculties that God has given to man, there is the reproductive faculty. And He has so formed such a faculty that the two aspects of it are inseparable. In the conjugal act, the unitive and procreative aspects must necessarily be together. The unitive element consists in the fact that the conjugal act, by its very nature, makes man and woman one flesh, uniting them physically. The unitive aspect here is not the love between spouses, but the union that makes them one flesh. The procreative element consists in the fact that the conjugal act, by its very nature, is fundamentally ordered to procreation. Thus, these two aspects of the conjugal act can never be separated. If anyone separates them, he will seriously go against natural law and therefore against God, the author of natural law. It is of the utmost importance to understand this: the unitive aspect and the procreative aspect must not be separated. God wanted children to be generated through the union that takes place in the conjugal act. And this union through the conjugal act is only justified when such an act is performed without excluding procreation.

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This unchanging doctrine of the Church leads us to some important conclusions. It condemns, for example, in vitro fertilization and artificial insemination, because here the unitive aspect is left out. The Church defends the family and children, but not at any cost. The ends do not justify the means. The Church cannot go against the natural law, against God, to favor procreation. Those practices that leave aside the unitive aspect are seriously against the natural law, made by God, and are objectively a serious sin.

Other consequences flow from Church doctrine. It means that a person cannot be sterilized in order to avoid having children: tubal ligation and vasectomy are seriously prohibited, and also those who recommend these procedures and the doctors who perform them commit a grave sin. These procedures, if possible, should be reversed if the couple is still of childbearing age. Condoms and any other type of artificial barrier, such as a diaphragm, for example, are also not morally licit. Also the pills cannot be taken, evidently, to avoid having children. And it is worth mentioning that these pills not only prevent pregnancy, but can also cause abortion, preventing the embryo from attaching to the uterine wall, for example.

In 1968, Pope Paul VI, in the Encyclical Humanae Vitae, confirmed the constant and immutable teaching of the Church both regarding the two aspects of the conjugal act that cannot be separated and the prohibition of contraceptive methods.

while natural methods are in themselves morally lawful, they cannot be used for reasons of contraception or a contraceptive mentality, that is, to avoid children at all costs or to reduce the number of children to a number that is agreeable

Another, however, is the moral evaluation of the so-called natural methods, that is, those in which the couple reduces the use of marriage during to the woman's infertile days. Regarding natural methods, it must be said that the conjugal act during the infertile period is perfectly licit, since in this case infertility does not result from the will of the spouses, but from nature itself. Thus, the conjugal act is licit when infertility is natural, resulting, for example, from the woman's cycle or age. However, while natural methods are in themselves morally lawful, they cannot be used for reasons of contraception or a contraceptive mentality, that is, to avoid children at all costs or to reduce the number of children to a number that is agreeable for the couple.

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In order to use natural methods in a morally acceptable way, there must be serious reasons why a new pregnancy must not occur. I emphasize clearly: serious reasons are needed. These serious reasons can be medical, eugenic, social, economic. Of a medical, physical or psychological nature, for example, if a new pregnancy poses serious risks to the mother's health. Eugenically, for example, if the probability of the child being born with problems or disabilities is high or if there is a high probability of miscarriage. Of a social nature, for example, if the government systematically aborts a couple's children after the birth of the first, as is the case in China. From an economic point of view, if the birth of another child will put the parents in a really difficult economic situation, for example.

The economic reasons must be serious: not being able to provide the best school or the best food for the child are not serious reasons. Having to buy a worse car or having to lower the economic status are not serious reasons either. The economic issue has been greatly exaggerated to justify the use of natural methods. I repeat: the economic reason must be really serious. As many doubts can arise about whether or not a reason is sufficient for the use of natural methods, it is necessary to consult a priest of sound moral doctrine. Pius XII says: “if these serious reasons (to use natural methods) are not present, the will to habitually avoid the fecundity of the union, but continuing to fully satisfy sensuality, can only derive from a false appreciation of life and motives. alien to straight ethical norms”.

not being able to provide the best school or the best food
(…) having to buy a worse car (…)
are not serious reasons

In summary, using natural methods without having a really serious reason for doing so is morally illicit, it is sinful and derives from a contraceptive mentality that needs to be avoided, since, in addition to being sinful in itself, it ends up leading to contraception in fact. In addition, for natural methods to be used, both spouses must be in agreement, as such methods presuppose abstention from the marital act for a certain period and this cannot be done without both parties agreeing, even in order not to give rise to temptations against marriage. The couple can use natural methods to increase the chance of having children, of course. They can, but this is not obligatory. No one is obliged to have as many children as possible, but to accept all the children that God sends as a result of the normal use of marriage.

Contraception and the contraceptive mindset are now virtually ubiquitous. And, unfortunately, even among Catholics. The current crisis is one of faith and morals. And the consequences are drastic, regrettable and serious. The first consequence is, of course, for the couple themselves, who see their married life sinking. Refusal of the primary purpose of marriage, which is procreation, will bring great harm to the couple. Contraception causes men and women to be seen as objects for sexual purposes. But contraception and the contraceptive mentality also cause serious problems in society. The problem of abortion is directly linked to contraception. Well, the purpose of contraception is to do everything to practice the marital act without having children. With this contraceptive mentality, children are seen as enemies of the couple. But what if birth control fails? Now, pregnancy goes against the intention of having children, so an abortion is necessary. Then comes infanticide, because if I can kill the child in the mother's womb, why can't I kill it as soon as it is born? And this is already being proposed in some countries: postpartum abortion, that is, the murder of the child after birth. And all this is logical, because the crime is the same – the murder of a baby – it just changes the place and the moment. How far have we come, dear Catholics?

So-called responsible parenting through the use of contraception is actually irresponsible and causes irresponsibility. It is irresponsible, because the person just wants to perform an act without bearing the natural consequences of his act. This is what is called irresponsibility. And if irresponsibility is defended in such a fundamental and basic matter, it is clear that it will spread to other domains of life. It is no coincidence that people and society have become increasingly irresponsible.

Our society, so modern and so evolved, does with much more perfection what Hitler's Nazi Germany did

The next step after abortion is euthanasia. The reason for not having children is because they are a weight, a burden. The next step is then to eliminate the elderly who are equally inconvenient. Once the principle behind contraception — that is, pleasure without responsibility and the elimination of everything that might be inconvenient — has been accepted, logical consequences follow, sooner or later. And after the elderly, society will eliminate all those it somehow considers inconvenient, a burden. And this begins, for example, with the abortion of anencephalic fetuses. Our society, so modern and so evolved, does with much more perfection what Hitler's Nazi Germany did. We see, then, that contraception is at the root of the culture of death and we can clearly see the gravity of contraception and the contraceptive mentality. And notice that, historically, the culture of death actually starts with contraception, then moves on to abortion, then comes euthanasia, and finally the elimination of all who are considered a burden by this degenerate society. Everything was very well organized by the enemy of man. It should also be noted that when a society becomes contraceptive, there is an increase in homosexuality, as contraception indicates that the purpose of our lives is sensual pleasure. And if that's the end, any form of pleasure of that kind becomes valid. Everything is connected, dear Catholics.

the culture of death actually starts with contraception

It is therefore necessary to stay away from contraception, the contraceptive mentality and all its consequences. Our attitude towards children must be like that of Our Lady: “let it be done to me according to Thy word”. The three goods of marriage are children, fidelity and indissolubility. The greatest of them, however, are children. Children are not a burden and they are not an evil. On the contrary, they are the parents' joy and glory. The couple must always be open to all the children that God wants to send and they can never avoid them using contraceptive methods and they can only do so using natural methods if there are serious reasons for that, as we said. In this matter, I reiterate, it is necessary to consult a priest who has secure and solid moral doctrine.

That child that the couple wants to avoid — without having a serious reason to do so — is the child that, perhaps, in God's plans, would change the family, like Saint Bernard, who led more than thirty family members to religious life. Or perhaps the child that the couple wants to avoid is the one that can bring great benefits to society. He can be the saint our age so badly needs. It is also necessary to trust in divine providence. If God sends a child to parents who remain faithful and generous, he will provide the means for the parents to be able, cooperating with divine grace, to educate the child and help him to be saved. God cannot ask us for anything that is impossible. But it is also necessary to turn to Him. Great graces are reserved for the couple who trust in divine providence, accepting all the children that God sends.

be it done to me according to thy word

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Catholic Translator

Contraception, natural methods and the…