Thursday, Sept. 11, 2014
Deacon Robert Banet
My daughter practices birth control.
How do you know?
She told me so. She’s not ashamed to admit it.
I’m sorry to hear that.
Doesn’t she know what the Church teaches about that?
Oh, she knows, all right, but she says that’s out of date. She says the Church will finally say that it’s time to change. Just like other things in the Church have changed.
Ah, so she thinks things like the Mass in the vernacular and the dropping of many saints from the calendar and the priest facing the congregation are in the same category as birth control
Yes, that’s her thinking. I tried to tell her otherwise but she won’t hear of it. She says everybody does it so it can’t be so wrong. And besides she never hears anything about it from the pulpit.
I can see why she’s persuaded that way. But she should have a look at the catechism.
What does it say?
It says that it is intrinsically evil.
Where does it say that?
Look at paragragh 2370. Some things can be changed but others that are evil in themselves cannot. Matters of discipline, on the other hand, can be changed. Not this one.
What do you mean, matters of discipline?
Like laws about when you should fast and to what degree and questions about the age for marriage or First Communion. These are what they call matters of discipline. They can be changed but not matters of morality, things that are evil in themselves, like taking an innocent life.
I see. Maybe I’ll have a talk with her about that.
I’ll be praying for you. And her, too.