Unfortuanate Rationalized Sins

#1861 "Mortal sin is a radical possibility of human freedom, as is love itself. It results in the loss of charity and the privation of sanctifying grace, that is, of the state of grace. If it is not redeemed by repentance and God'sforgiveness, it causes exclusion from Christ's kingdom and the eternal death of hell, for our freedom has the power to make choices for ever, with no turning back. However, although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God."

#1868 "Sin is a personal act. Moreover, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them:- by participating directly and voluntarily in them;- by ordering, advising, praising, or approving them;- by not disclosing or not hindering them when we have an obligation to do so;- by protecting evil-doers."

#l2284. "Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense.

#2116 "All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to 'unveil' the future.[Cf. Deut 18:10 ; Jer 29:8 .] Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palmreading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone."

#2143 "Among all the words of Revelation, there is one which is unique: there vealed name of God. God confides his name to those who believe in him; he reveals himself to them in his personal mystery. The gift of a name belongs tothe order of trust and intimacy. 'The Lord's name is holy.' For this reason man must not abuse it. He must keep it in mind in silent, loving adoration. He will not introduce it into his own speech except to bless, praise, and glorifyit.[Cf. Zech 2:13 ; Ps 29:2 ; Ps 96:2 ; Ps 113:1-2 .]"

#2180 "The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely:'On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass.'[CIC, can. 1247.] 'The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day.'[CIC, can. 1248 # 1.]"

#2181 "The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christianpractice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (forexample, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.[Cf.CIC, can. 1245.] Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a gravesin. "

#2272 "Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense.The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life.'A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,'[CIC, can. 1398.] 'by the very commission of the offense, '[CIC,can. 1314.] and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law. [Cf. CIC, cann.1323-1324.]

#2290 "The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air."

#2291 "The use of drugs inflicts very grave damage on human health and life. Their use, except on strictly therapeutic grounds, is a grave offense. Clandestine production of and trafficking in drugs are scandalous practices. They constitute direct co-operation in evil, since they encourage people to practices gravely contrary to the moral law. "

#2353 "Fornication is carnal union between an unmarried man and an unmarried woman. It is gravely contrary to the dignity of persons and of human sexuality which is naturally ordered to the good of spouses and the generation and education of children. Moreover, it is a grave scandal when there is corruption of the young.

#2354 "Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense. Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials."

#2357 "Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and indifferent cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity,[Cf. Gen 191-29 ; Rom 124-27 ; 1 Cor 6:10 ; 1 Tim 1:10 .]tradition has always declared that 'homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.'[CDF, Persona humana 8.] They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved."

#2370 "Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based onself- observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality.[HV 16.] These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, 'every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible' is intrinsically evil:[HV 14.]Thus the innate language that expresses the total reciprocal self-giving of husband and wife is overlaid, through contraception, by an objectively contradictory language, namely, that of not giving oneself totally to the other. This leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love, which is called upon to give itself in personal totality.... The difference, both anthropological and moral, between contraception and recourse to the rhythm of the cycle . . . involves in the final analysis two irreconcilable concepts of the human person and of human sexuality.[FC 32.]"

#2477 "Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury.[Cf. CIC, can. 220.] He becomes guilty:- of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;- of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them;[Cf. Sir 21:28 .]- of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them. "

#2521 "Purity requires modesty, an integral part of temperance. Modesty protects the intimate center of the person. It means refusing to unveil what should remain hidden. It is ordered to chastity to whose sensitivity it bears witness.It guides how one looks at others and behaves toward them in conformity with the dignity of persons and their solidarity"

#2522 "Modesty protects the mystery of persons and their love. It encourages patience and moderation in loving relationships; it requires that the conditionsfor the definitive giving and commitment of man and woman to one another befulfilled. Modesty is decency. It inspires one's choice of clothing. It keepssilence or reserve where there is evident risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet."

#2523 "There is a modesty of the feelings as well as of the body. It protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body in certain advertisements, or against the solicitations of certain media that go too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures of prevailing ideologies"

#2524 "The forms taken by modesty vary from one culture to another. Everywhere, however, modesty exists as an intuition of the spiritual dignity proper to man. It is born with the awakening consciousness of being a subject. Teaching modesty to children and adolescents means awakening in them respect for the human person."

#2525 "Christian purity requires a purification of the social climate. It requires of the communications media that their presentations show concern for respect and restraint. Purity of heart brings freedom from widespread eroticism and avoids entertainment inclined to voyeurism and illusion. "

Fargo, North Dakota, Dec. 17, 2004 (CNA) - In a pastoral letter to be released on Saturday, Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, Bishop of Fargo, addresses the roots of dissent among Catholics, highlighted during the recent elections in the U.S., and picks out five main areas of concern.

In his letter, entitled "You Will Know the Truth and the Truth Will Set You Free" A Pastoral Letter on Deepening our Understanding of the Truths of the Catholic Faith," Bishop Aquila notes that many Catholics "are more influenced by the secular culture in which we live than by the teachings of Jesus Christ," and stated that many Catholics have "an inadequate understanding of the Catholic faith."

He suggests that though there are exceptions, catechetical formation for the last 30 years has failed to hand on the faith. He says it was clear during the media discussion of Catholic teachings and voting during the elections that "many of the faithful have not read the Catechism, the encyclicals of Pope John Paul II, or the documents of Vatican II."

"We must never forget that certain Church teachings," - those revealed in Scripture and Apostolic Tradition and upheld by the Magisterium – "can never change,” he said, “regardless of whether or not people accept them or are faithful to them."

Noting that secular culture exposes Catholics to "a variety of ideas that are incompatible with the truths of faith," and that "Christians are by no means immune to these influences but adopt elements of them without recognizing their incompatibility with Christian faith," the bishop stresses that “we must become more deeply convinced that we can find the truth that sets us free only in Jesus Christ."

Bishop Aquila points to the crisis in the understanding of conscience, saying that "Catholics sometimes say they are following their conscience when they choose to do something-for example, tell a lie, use contraception, have or recommend abortion, defraud someone, conceive a child through in vitro fertilization-that the Church teaches to be intrinsically evil."

"Our conscience-our last and best judgment about what morality concretely requires-can be mistaken," he says. "Pastors must clarify what conscience is, show the faithful how to recognize an erroneous conscience, and help them form their conscience properly."

He notes that the guidance given the faithful by some members of the clergy to “Just follow your conscience," is misleading without proper explanation "because it suggests that people are responsibly following their conscience when they knowingly replace Christ's teaching with the world's opinions."

The bishop states that the dignity of human life is not sufficiently appreciated by Catholics who "all too often regard abortion and euthanasia primarily as political issues on which they can legitimately take a position at odds with the teachings of Christ and his Church.

"We must deepen our understanding of what it means to live out our faith in the world," writes Bishop Aquila. He points out that Catholics who say they are personally opposed to abortion "but defend the alleged right to abortion and even approve when others choose it," separate their personal conviction about fundamental truths from their public life."

"Whether they are culpable or not, such persons cooperate in a grave evil by their support of abortion, he writes and affirms that 'Catholic politicians who vote specifically to fund abortions do not merely cooperate with a grave evil but are principal agents in a grave evil.'