The Church on Marriage

Why Is Premarital Sex a Sin?

By Adolfo J. Castañeda and Marisa Cantu / September 28, 2023 /
sad woman sitting in her bedroom

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 sexual pleasure. Having sex outside of marriage has become so common that…

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Sacramental Marriage and Communion for Divorced Catholics

By Adolfo J. Castañeda / February 24, 2023 /
the hand of a priest distributing holy Communion

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…

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Defending the Sanctity of Marriage

By Susan Ciancio / January 6, 2023 /
protestors political rally

A recent Pew Research Center headline reads, “About Six-in-Ten Americans Say Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage Is Good for Society.” The article goes on to discuss the findings of a new poll that has found that 61% of Americans have a “positive view of the impact of same-sex marriage being legal, including 36% who say it…

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Why Is Adultery a Sin?

By Adolfo J. Castañeda / November 25, 2022 /
David and Bathsheba by Jacob Adriaensz

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…

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The Five Goods of the Conjugal Act

By Adolfo J. Castañeda / June 24, 2022 /

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…

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Adultery and the Theology of the Body

By Adolfo J. Castañeda / May 27, 2022 /
The Woman Taken in Adultery by Guercino

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…

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Using the Theology of the Body To Teach Chastity to Young Adult Children

By Adolfo J. Castañeda / April 29, 2022 /
parent and young adult talking with coffee

“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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Family and the Theology of the Body

By Susan Ciancio / December 29, 2021 /
happy family in a park

Over the course of 129 general audiences—from September 5, 1979, through November 28, 1984—Pope John Paul II taught about God’s love, our relationship with Him and with others, and God’s desire to watch us grow in love and fullness with Him. This collection of papal addresses is now known as the Theology of the Body.…

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The Teaching of the Prophetic Encyclical Humanae Vitae (Part XIII)

By Adolfo J. Castañeda / December 22, 2021 /

Previous articles in this series: Part I: Introduction to Humanae Vitae Part II: The Predictions of Humanae Vitae Part III: The First Prophecy Part IV: The Second Prophecy Part V: The Third Prophecy Part VI: The Fourth Prophecy Part VII: Modernity’s Challenges to Humanae Vitae Part VIII: The Church’s Right to Teach on Birth Control Part IX: The Church’s Teaching Authority Part X: Principles of Humanae Vitae Part XI:…

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The Teaching of the Prophetic Encyclical Humanae Vitae (Part XII)

By Adolfo J. Castañeda / November 24, 2021 /
The Second Vatican Council

Previous articles in this series: Part I: Introduction to Humanae Vitae Part II: The Predictions of Humanae Vitae Part III: The First Prophecy Part IV: The Second Prophecy Part V: The Third Prophecy Part VI: The Fourth Prophecy Part VII: Modernity’s Challenges to Humanae Vitae Part VIII: The Church’s Right to Teach on Birth Control Part IX: The Church’s Teaching Authority Part X: Principles of Humanae Vitae Part XI:…

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