Posts by Adolfo J. Castañeda
Sacramental Marriage and Communion for Divorced Catholics
Today the Catholic Church faces a daunting pastoral and sacramental challenge due to the sad fact that many Catholics who have married sacramentally are now divorced, civilly remarried, and having sexual relations with the new spouse. Assuming that the first marriage was not annulled, this is a situation that is objectively and gravely sinful, one…
Read MoreWhat Does the Bible Say about Transgenderism?
Before we address this delicate issue, we would like to express from the start that our intention is not denigrate any person, no matter what his or her sexual attitudes are. Our purpose is to shed the objective light of God’s Word on the topic of transgenderism, not to personally condemn anybody. Only God can…
Read MoreDoes God Forgive Homosexuality?
The title of our article needs an important clarification, which we shall develop further below. “Homosexuality” denotes a sexual attraction towards members of the same sex. As such it is not a sin. Only homosexual acts are gravely sinful. But God does forgive those acts, provided the sinner is truly repentant. In fact, the Catechism…
Read MoreWhy Is Adultery a Sin?
We have other articles dealing with the motives, threats, and devastating consequences of adultery. In this article, we would like to answer the question: why is adultery a grave sin? This way of approaching the issue is a doctrinal approach. We will answer the question drawing from the teachings of the Bible and the teachings…
Read MoreWhy Is Premarital Sex a Sin?
We live in a hedonistic society. Hedonism is the idea that pleasure, and especially physical pleasure, is the primary goal of life – instead of love of God and love of neighbor. One of the most common ways in which pleasure is pursued is by means of sexual pleasure. Having sexual relations before (or outside…
Read MoreMay Catholics Donate Organs?
Caleb Beaver died when he was 16 years old on Christmas Day 2011. His death was caused by a congenital malformation in his circulatory system that was never diagnosed. His parents were devastated. They decided to donate his heart, kidneys, lungs, liver, and pancreas. Several months later, Caleb’s parents met the person who had received…
Read MoreThe Theology of the Body and the Spiritual Life
In this article we are going to approach the topic of the important role the body plays in our spiritual life. To accomplish this goal, we will treat the following topics: The sacramental life as a foundation for the role of the body in the life of prayer The liturgy of the Church as a…
Read MoreThe Five Goods of the Conjugal Act
The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that the conjugal act has four goods: “The goods of conjugal love, which for those who are baptized is sanctified by the sacrament of Matrimony, are unity, fidelity, indissolubility, and an openness to the procreation of life” (no. 495). However, if we consider the sign…
Read MoreAdultery and the Theology of the Body
The purpose of this article is to show the importance of the theology of the body (TOB) of St. John Paul II in explaining the meaning of adultery and, by implication, the true meaning of marriage. To accomplish this purpose we are going to develop the following subtopics: The failure of the concept of sex…
Read MoreUsing the Theology of the Body To Teach Chastity to Young Adult Children
“The Theology of the Body (TOB) is pretty hard to understand for a lay person. How can I use it to have a conversation about human sexuality and chastity with my son or daughter who is already a young adult?” It is evident that the parent-child relationship takes a turn when the son or daughter…
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