Analysis of Amoris Laetitia

[Nihil Obstat]

Spinoff from a previous thread.

 

So now that everyone has had a bit of time to start processing and understanding some of the latest apostolic exhortation, it does us good to re-familiarize ourselves with the entire breadth of the Church's teachings on the family, on marriage, on human sexuality, etc.. For myself in particular I spent a bit of time re-reading Pope Pius XI's Casti Connubi (which I think every Catholic who feels a call or think they may eventually feel a call to marriage should read, and more than once). There are some passages which I think we should be reading in conjunction between the exhortation and C.C., in order that we may understand Church teaching more clearly. 

For instance, in paragraph 297 of Amoris Laetitia we read:
As for the way of dealing with different “irregular” situations, the Synod Fathers reached a general consensus, which I support: “In considering a pastoral approach towards people who have contracted a civil marriage, who are divorced and remarried, or simply living together, the Church has the responsibility of helping them understand the divine pedagogy of grace in their lives and offering them assistance so they can reach the fullness of God’s plan for them”, something which is always possible by the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Casti Connubi we see an excellent example of this divine pedagogy of grace, which I take to mean the inexorable pull of divine and natural law on the hears of man. Pius XI says:

18. Nor must We omit to remark, in fine, that since the duty entrusted to parents for the good of their children is of such high dignity and of such great importance, every use of the faculty given by God for the procreation of new life is the right and the privilege of the married state alone, by the law of God and of nature, and must be confined absolutely within the sacred limits of that state.
19. The second blessing of matrimony which We said was mentioned by St. Augustine, is the blessing of conjugal honor which consists in the mutual fidelity of the spouses in fulfilling the marriage contract, so that what belongs to one of the parties by reason of this contract sanctioned by divine law, may not be denied to him or permitted to any third person; nor may there be conceded to one of the parties anything which, being contrary to the rights and laws of God and entirely opposed to matrimonial faith, can never be conceded.
[...]
23. This conjugal faith, however, which is most aptly called by St. Augustine the "faith of chastity" blooms more freely, more beautifully and more nobly, when it is rooted in that more excellent soil, the love of husband and wife which pervades all the duties of married life and holds pride of place in Christian marriage. For matrimonial faith demands that husband and wife be joined in an especially holy and pure love, not as adulterers love each other, but as Christ loved the Church. This precept the Apostle laid down when he said: "Husbands, love your wives as Christ also loved the Church,"[24] that Church which of a truth He embraced with a boundless love not for the sake of His own advantage, but seeking only the good of His Spouse.[25] The love, then, of which We are speaking is not that based on the passing lust of the moment nor does it consist in pleasing words only, but in the deep attachment of the heart which is expressed in action, since love is proved by deeds.[26] This outward expression of love in the home demands not only mutual help but must go further; must have as its primary purpose that man and wife help each other day by day in forming and perfecting themselves in the interior life, so that through their partnership in life they may advance ever more and more in virtue, and above all that they may grow in true love toward God and their neighbor, on which indeed "dependeth the whole Law and the Prophets."[27] For all men of every condition, in whatever honorable walk of life they may be, can and ought to imitate that most perfect example of holiness placed before man by God, namely Christ Our Lord, and by God's grace to arrive at the summit of perfection, as is proved by the example set us of many saints.

 

So in this case, reading A.L. as informed by C.C., we see that the Church has the responsibility of guiding couples who embrace an objectively sinful union to a proper understanding of grace. And this true understanding of the "divine pedagogy of grace" shows us that sexual intimacy belongs absolutely to the married state, within which we find the "faith of chastity".

In p.298 of A.L. Francis writes:

It must remain clear that this is not the ideal which the Gospel proposes for marriage and the family. The Synod Fathers stated that the discernment of pastors must always take place “by adequately distinguishing”,331 with an approach which “carefully discerns situations”.332 We know that no “easy recipes” exist.

And informed by Casti Connubi when Pius XI refers to St. Augustine we can understand this better, as the discernment of pastors must include the timeless Catholic teaching that "In the sacrament it is provided that the marriage bond should not be broken, and that a husband or wife, if separated, should not be joined to another even for the sake of offspring."
So this, of course, represents the divine law, which Pope Francis refers to as "the ideal". In addition to that, Casti Connubi reminds us of the true and transcendent beauty of this divine law. It is not simply a negative law that tells us "do not do such and such", but rather it is a positive law that says "do this in order to participate in divine grace." Pius XI writes:

"36. If we wish with all reverence to inquire into the intimate reason of this divine decree, Venerable Brethren, we shall easily see it in the mystical signification of Christian marriage which is fully and perfectly verified in consummated marriage between Christians. For, as the Apostle says in his Epistle to the Ephesians, the marriage of Christians recalls that most perfect union which exists between Christ and the Church: "Sacramentum hoc magnum est, ego autem dico, in Christo et in ecclesia;" which union, as long as Christ shall live and the Church through Him, can never be dissolved by any separation. And this St. Augustine clearly declares in these words: "This is safeguarded in Christ and the Church, which, living with Christ who lives for ever may never be divorced from Him. The observance of this sacrament is such in the City of God . . . that is, in the Church of Christ, that when for the sake of begetting children, women marry or are taken to wife, it is wrong to leave a wife that is sterile in order to take another by whom children may be hand. Anyone doing this is guilty of adultery, just as if he married another, guilty not by the law of the day, according to which when one's partner is put away another may be taken, which the Lord allowed in the law of Moses because of the hardness of the hearts of the people of Israel; but by the law of the Gospel.""

So in Casti Connubi we see not a law that binds us to resentful obedience, but a law that enables the true and holy freedom of man. By safeguarding "the ideal" we recall the beautiful and overriding love of Christ for His Church.

So when Pope Francis in p. 303 says:

"Recognizing the influence of such concrete factors, we can add that individual conscience needs to be better incorporated into the
Church’s praxis in certain situations which do not objectively embody our understanding of marriage. Naturally, every effort should be made to encourage the development of an enlightened conscience, formed and guided by the responsible and serious discernment of one’s pastor, and to encourage an ever greater trust in God’s grace. Yet conscience can do more than recognize that a given situation does not correspond objectively to the overall demands of the Gospel. It can also recognize with sincerity and honesty what for now is the most generous response which can be given to God, and come to see with a certain moral security that it is what God himself is asking amid the concrete complexity of one’s limits, while yet not fully the objective ideal. In any event, let us recall that this discernment is dynamic; it must remain ever open to new stages of growth and to new decisions which can enable the ideal to be more fully realized."

We see in our already-established teachings that the "individual conscience" which does not yet understand the divine grace of marriage and faithful chastity, when it "recognize with sincerity and honesty what for now is the most generous response[...], that most generous response is always and everywhere a faithful submission to the divine law which, out of pure and necessarily true love for mankind, allows no exceptions to the ideal. Because, in fact, the only "generous response" is the response that is open to God's grace, and we see that God's grace in the context of married life comes in faithful chastity. In fact we find that the improperly formed conscience which in its broken state holds a defective understanding of marriage, the objections held by that conscience are "of no value". As we see in C.C.:

88. Let that solemn pronouncement of the Council of Trent be recalled to mind in which, under the stigma of anathema, it condemned these errors: "If anyone should say that on account of heresy or the hardships of cohabitation or a deliberate abuse of one party by the other the marriage tie may be loosened, let him be anathema;"[66] and again: "If anyone should say that the Church errs in having taught or in teaching that, according to the teaching of the Gospel and the Apostles, the bond of marriage cannot be loosed because of the sin of adultery of either party; or that neither party, even though he be innocent, having given no cause for the sin of adultery, can contract another marriage during the lifetime of the other; and that he commits adultery who marries another after putting away his adulterous wife, and likewise that she commits adultery who puts away her husband and marries another: let him be anathemae."[67]
89. If therefore the Church has not erred and does not err in teaching this, and consequently it is certain that the bond of marriage cannot be loosed even on account of the sin of adultery, it is evident that all the other weaker excuses that can be, and are usually brought forward, are of no value whatsoever.

 

 

 

Anyway, I do not have time to do more than this at the moment, but I think it is a very valuable exercise with regards to properly understanding the unchanging teachings of the Church. Would anyone else like to help me take passages from Amoris Laetitia and then point out the background and informing principles from past documents? I think it would be an excellent endeavour, especially for those of us who have been concerned about the place of the new apostolic exhortation in terms of its context among previous teachings. 

More gems from Casti Connubi:

90. To revert again to the expression of Our predecessor, it is hardly necessary to point out what an amount of good is involved in the absolute indissolubility of wedlock and what a train of evils follows upon divorce. Whenever the marriage bond remains intact, then we find marriages contracted with a sense of safety and security, while, when separations are considered and the dangers of divorce are present, the marriage contract itself becomes insecure, or at least gives ground for anxiety and surprises. On the one hand we see a wonderful strengthening of goodwill and cooperation in the daily life of husband and wife, while, on the other, both of these are miserably weakened by the presence of a facility for divorce. Here we have at a very opportune moment a source of help by which both parties are enabled to preserve their purity and loyalty; there we find harmful inducements to unfaithfulness. On this side we find the birth of children and their tuition and upbringing effectively promoted, many avenues of discord closed amongst families and relations, and the beginnings of rivalry and jealousy easily suppressed; on that, very great obstacles to the birth and rearing of children and their education, and many occasions of quarrels, and seeds of jealousy sown everywhere. Finally, but especially, the dignity and position of women in civil and domestic society is reinstated by the former; while by the latter it is shamefully lowered and the danger is incurred "of their being considered outcasts, slaves of the lust of men."[69]

91. To conclude with the important words of Leo XIII, since the destruction of family life "and the loss of national wealth is brought about more by the corruption of morals than by anything else, it is easily seen that divorce, which is born of the perverted morals of a people, and leads, as experiment shows, to vicious habits in public and private life, is particularly opposed to the well-being of the family and of the State. The serious nature of these evils will be the more clearly recognized, when we remember that, once divorce has been allowed, there will be no sufficient means of keeping it in check within any definite bounds. Great is the force of example, greater still that of lust; and with such incitements it cannot but happen that divorce and its consequent setting loose of the passions should spread daily and attack the souls of many like a contagious disease or a river bursting its banks and flooding the land."[70]

92. Thus, as we read in the same letter, "unless things change, the human family and State have every reason to fear lest they should suffer absolute ruin."[71] All this was written fifty years ago, yet it is confirmed by the daily increasing corruption of morals and the unheard of degradation of the family in those lands where Communism reigns unchecked.

[...]

97. Wherefore, since the chief obstacle to this study is the power of unbridled lust, which indeed is the most potent cause of sinning against the sacred laws of matrimony, and since man cannot hold in check his passions, unless he first subject himself to God, this must be his primary endeavor, in accordance with the plan divinely ordained. For it is a sacred ordinance that whoever shall have first subjected himself to God will, by the aid of divine grace, be glad to subject to himself his own passions and concupiscence; while he who is a rebel against God will, to his sorrow, experience within himself the violent rebellion of his worst passions.

[...]

102. This conformity of wedlock and moral conduct with the divine laws respective of marriage, without which its effective restoration cannot be brought about, supposes, however, that all can discern readily, with real certainty, and without any accompanying error, what those laws are. But everyone can see to how many fallacies an avenue would be opened up and how many errors would become mixed with the truth, if it were left solely to the light of reason of each to find it out, or if it were to be discovered by the private interpretation of the truth which is revealed. And if this is applicable to many other truths of the moral order, we must all the more pay attention to those things, which appertain to marriage where the inordinate desire for pleasure can attack frail human nature and easily deceive it and lead it astray; this is all the more true of the observance of the divine law, which demands sometimes hard and repeated sacrifices, for which, as experience points out, a weak man can find so many excuses for avoiding the fulfillment of the divine law.

103. On this account, in order that no falsification or corruption of the divine law but a true genuine knowledge of it may enlighten the minds of men and guide their conduct, it is necessary that a filial and humble obedience towards the Church should be combined with devotedness to God and the desire of submitting to Him. For Christ Himself made the Church the teacher of truth in those things also which concern the right regulation of moral conduct, even though some knowledge of the same is not beyond human reason. For just as God, in the case of the natural truths of religion and morals, added revelation to the light of reason so that what is right and true, "in the present state also of the human race may be known readily with real certainty without any admixture of error,"[78] so for the same purpose he has constituted the Church the guardian and the teacher of the whole of the truth concerning religion and moral conduct; to her therefore should the faithful show obedience and subject their minds and hearts so as to be kept unharmed and free from error and moral corruption, and so that they shall not deprive themselves of that assistance given by God with such liberal bounty, they ought to show this due obedience not only when the Church defines something with solemn judgment, but also, in proper proportion, when by the constitutions and decrees of the Holy See, opinions are prescribed and condemned as dangerous or distorted.[79]

104. Wherefore, let the faithful also be on their guard against the overrated independence of private judgment and that false autonomy of human reason. For it is quite foreign to everyone bearing the name of a Christian to trust his own mental powers with such pride as to agree only with those things which he can examine from their inner nature, and to imagine that the Church, sent by God to teach and guide all nations, is not conversant with present affairs and circumstances; or even that they must obey only in those matters which she has decreed by solemn definition as though her other decisions might be presumed to be false or putting forward insufficient motive for truth and honesty. Quite to the contrary, a characteristic of all true followers of Christ, lettered or unlettered, is to suffer themselves to be guided and led in all things that touch upon faith or morals by the Holy Church of God through its Supreme Pastor the Roman Pontiff, who is himself guided by Jesus Christ Our Lord.

 

 

And Winchester in particular will find this illuminating:

121. Wherefore, those who have the care of the State and of the public good cannot neglect the needs of married people and their families, without bringing great harm upon the State and on the common welfare. Hence, in making the laws and in disposing of public funds they must do their utmost to relieve the needs of the poor, considering such a task as one of the most important of their administrative duties.

122. We are sorry to note that not infrequently nowadays it happens that through a certain inversion of the true order of things, ready and bountiful assistance is provided for the unmarried mother and her illegitimate offspring (who, of course must be helped in order to avoid a greater evil) which is denied to legitimate mothers or given sparingly or almost grudgingly.

123. But not only in regard to temporal goods, Venerable Brethren, is it the concern of the public authority to make proper provision for matrimony and the family, but also in other things which concern the good of souls. just laws must be made for the protection of chastity, for reciprocal conjugal aid, and for similar purposes, and these must be faithfully enforced, because, as history testifies, the prosperity of the State and the temporal happiness of its citizens cannot remain safe and sound where the foundation on which they are established, which is the moral order, is weakened and where the very fountainhead from which the State draws its life, namely, wedlock and the family, is obstructed by the vices of its citizens.

124. For the preservation of the moral order neither the laws and sanctions of the temporal power are sufficient, nor is the beauty of virtue and the expounding of its necessity. Religious authority must enter in to enlighten the mind, to direct the will, and to strengthen human frailty by the assistance of divine grace. Such an authority is found nowhere save in the Church instituted by Christ the Lord. Hence We earnestly exhort in the Lord all those who hold the reins of power that they establish and maintain firmly harmony and friendship with this Church of Christ so that through the united activity and energy of both powers the tremendous evils, fruits of those wanton liberties which assail both marriage and the family and are a menace to both Church and State, may be effectively frustrated.

125. Governments can assist the Church greatly in the execution of its important office, if, in laying down their ordinances, they take account of what is prescribed by divine and ecclesiastical law, and if penalties are fixed for offenders. For as it is, there are those who think that whatever is permitted by the laws of the State, or at least is not punished by them, is allowed also in the moral order, and, because they neither fear God nor see any reason to fear the laws of man, they act even against their conscience, thus often bringing ruin upon themselves and upon many others. There will be no peril to or lessening of the rights and integrity of the State from its association with the Church. Such suspicion and fear is empty and groundless, as Leo Xlll has already so clearly set forth: "It is generally agreed," he says, "that the Founder of the Church, Jesus Christ, wished the spiritual power to be distinct from the civil, and each to be free and unhampered in doing its own work, not forgetting, however, that it is expedient to both, and in the interest of everybody, that there be a harmonious relationship. . . If the civil power combines in a friendly manner with the spiritual power of the Church, it necessarily follows that both parties will greatly benefit. The dignity of the State will be enhanced, and with religion as its guide, there will never be a rule that is not just; while for the Church there will be at hand a safeguard and defense which will operate to the public good of the faithful."[96]

[...]

 

 

129. May the Father, "of whom all paternity in heaven and earth is named,"[99] Who strengthens the weak and gives courage to the pusillanimous and fainthearted; and Christ Our Lord and Redeemer, "the Institutor and Perfecter of the holy sacraments,"[100] Who desired marriage to be and made it the mystical image of His own ineffable union with the Church; and the Holy Ghost, Love of God, the Light of hearts and the Strength of the mind, grant that all will perceive, will admit with a ready will, and by the grace of God will put into practice, what We by this letter have expounded concerning the holy Sacrament of Matrimony, the wonderful law and will of God respecting it, the errors and impending dangers, and the remedies with which they can be counteracted, so that that fruitfulness dedicated to God will flourish again vigorously in Christian wedlock.

130. We most humbly pour forth Our earnest prayer at the Throne of His Grace, that God, the Author of all graces, the inspirer of all good desires and deeds,[101] may bring this about, and deign to give it bountifully according to the greatness of His liberality and omnipotence, and as a token of the abundant blessing of the same Omnipotent God, We most lovingly grant to you, Venerable Brethren, and to the clergy and people committed to your watchful care, the Apostolic Benediction.

 

Edited April 10, 2016 by Nihil Obstat

[enitharmon]

 

Amoris Laetitia p. 238:

In order to avoid all misunderstanding, I would point out that in no way must the Church desist from proposing the full ideal of marriage, God’s plan in all its grandeur: “Young people who are baptized should be encouraged to understand that the sacrament of marriage can enrich their prospects of love and that they can be sustained by the grace of Christ in the sacrament and by the possibility of participating fully in the life of the Church”. A lukewarm attitude, any kind of relativism, or an undue reticence in proposing that ideal, would be a lack of fidelity to the Gospel and also of love on the part of the Church for young people themselves. To show understanding in the face of exceptional situations never implies dimming the light of the fuller ideal, or proposing less than what Jesus offers to the human being.
 

[Ark]

Valiant effort OP

 

[Ark]

Isn't it interesting how pre-Vatican II documents don't need to be interpreted through previous documents? Ambiguities are just as dangerous, and in the case of the henotikon can be heretical as well.

[Nihil Obstat]

Casti Connubi is excellent stuff. Anything you would add, Ark?

[Maggyie]

This is another thing that bothers me, His Holiness constantly refers to "the ideal" of marriage. Sorry I don't believe the vocation and sacrament of marriage, or any part of Christian life, can be subjected to this grading system of ideal and not-ideal. Jesus doesn't speak this way. He speaks of perfection...

[Nihil Obstat]

17 minutes ago, Maggyie said:

This is another thing that bothers me, His Holiness constantly refers to "the ideal" of marriage. Sorry I don't believe the vocation and sacrament of marriage, or any part of Christian life, can be subjected to this grading system of ideal and not-ideal. Jesus doesn't speak this way. He speaks of perfection...

Yes, I think the "ideal" language is somewhat problematic. I am reminded of Jesus Christ's admonition to "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." 

[Era Might]

9 hours ago, Maggyie said:

This is another thing that bothers me, His Holiness constantly refers to "the ideal" of marriage. Sorry I don't believe the vocation and sacrament of marriage, or any part of Christian life, can be subjected to this grading system of ideal and not-ideal. Jesus doesn't speak this way. He speaks of perfection...

I think in English the word "ideal" is kind of misleading. It suggests something picturesque or unreal, but I think it has to be understood more in a philosophical sense of "idea" which gives form. The "idea" of Christian marriage is sacrifice, commitment, forgiveness, etc. The ideal has no limit, it's the ideal of the Sermon on the Mount...if some one asks for your coat, give your cloak as well. I think this is perfection, to fail in pursuit of the ideal. I think the Pope's point is that imperfect relationships, whether in marriage or in other contexts like our relationship to the poor, is an ideal of love, not a picturesque image...which leaves room for imperfect realizations of the ideal in marriage and life.

[Era Might]

54 minutes ago, Era Might said:

I think in English the word "ideal" is kind of misleading. It suggests something picturesque or unreal, but I think it has to be understood more in a philosophical sense of "idea" which gives form. The "idea" of Christian marriage is sacrifice, commitment, forgiveness, etc. The ideal has no limit, it's the ideal of the Sermon on the Mount...if some one asks for your coat, give your cloak as well. I think this is perfection, to fail in pursuit of the ideal. I think the Pope's point is that imperfect relationships, whether in marriage or in other contexts like our relationship to the poor, is an ideal of love, not a picturesque image...which leaves room for imperfect realizations of the ideal in marriage and life.

Just to add a passage where the Pope addresses this specifically:

"At times we have also proposed a far too abstract and almost artificial theological ideal of marriage, far removed from the concrete situations and practical possibilities of real families. This excessive idealization, especially when we have failed to inspire trust in God’s grace, has not helped to make marriage more desirable and attractive, but quite the opposite."

 

[PhuturePriest]

On 4/11/2016, 10:49:09, Ark said:

Isn't it interesting how pre-Vatican II documents don't need to be interpreted through previous documents? Ambiguities are just as dangerous, and in the case of the henotikon can be heretical as well.

I'm going to have to disagree with you. There's a reason they had a million citations.

[CatherineM]

My father in law got a footnote at Vatican II. He was asked to provide research on liturgical practices in the Middle Ages. 

[BarbTherese]

On ‎13‎/‎04‎/‎2016‎ ‎1‎:‎36‎:‎51‎, Nihil Obstat said:

Yes, I think the "ideal" language is somewhat problematic. I am reminded of Jesus Christ's admonition to "be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." 

When I think of the quotation "be perfect as Your Heavenly Father is perfect" (see below) and put it into the context, it reminds me that Our Father is Perfect in His Understanding and Forgiveness of His broken creatures whom He embraces lovingly and with infinite compassion.  That I should not only be understanding and forgiving of others, but also of myself.  It is (for me) not all that difficult to be forgiving of others........far more difficult to be forgiving of myself and my own failures and brokenness. And yet if I can forgive myself, then I am even more understanding and compassionate towards others.

Presenting ideals with nothing in the between is a recipe for discouragement and even despair.  For most all of us including the married, the journey towards perfection is never completed on this earth and is very often a two steps forward three back etc. type of dance and journey and one that lasts most often for life.  And this is ok with God, it seems to me, or we would not have The Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We can and should present ideals, but we need to include the interim (journey of a lifetime) and in including the interim, the presenter and the hearer can learn about humility and God's Astounding Love, Understanding and Mercy, His Own Humility, made clearly evident in The Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Matthew Ch5 [41]  Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy. [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you: [45] That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.

[46] For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this? [47] And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this? [48] Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.

[Ark]

On April 13, 2016 at 11:46:49 AM, PhuturePriest said:

I'm going to have to disagree with you. There's a reason they had a million citations.

Sure, but one Pope citing another demonstrated continuity, it also allowed the reader to look into further detail for a topic, but the encyclicals themselves were clear. They elucidated doctrine and ways of life, not obscure them. Amoris is a 300 page document that doesn't shed light on anything. One feels the Pope is itching to go right out and say it's ok for the remarried to receive communion but he can't do it outright so he does it in a round about way, relegating its supposed licitness to a footnote. When have popes produced 300 page documents where the fundamental teaching is in a foot note? It's time to wake up folks, things aren't dandy in the Catholic Church. Minor chastisement is upon us.

l

[little2add]

Divorced and civilly remarried couples, especially those with children, should be welcomed in Catholic parishes and supported in efforts to raise their children in the faith.

[little2add]

15 hours ago, Ark said:

Sure, but one Pope citing another demonstrated continuity, it also allowed the reader to look into further detail for a topic, but the encyclicals themselves were clear. They elucidated doctrine and ways of life, not obscure them. Amoris is a 300 page document that doesn't shed light on anything. One feels the Pope is itching to go right out and say it's ok for the remarried to receive communion but he can't do it outright so he does it in a round about way, relegating its supposed licitness to a footnote. When have popes produced 300 page documents where the fundamental teaching is in a foot note? It's time to wake up folks, things aren't dandy in the Catholic Church. Minor chastisement is upon us.

l

Is the glass half empty or half full?