RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD.

DUE TO ITS GREAT IMPORTANCE I HAVE CONSIDERED  APROPIATE TO PUBLISH THE PART OF THIS ENCICLICAL RELATED TO PARENTHOOD. IT IS KNOWN AS “RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD”.

ENCYCLICAL LETTER
HUMANAE VITAE
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF
PAUL VI

The transmission of human life is a most serious role in which married people collaborate freely and responsibly with God the Creator. It has always been a source of great joy to them, even though it sometimes entails many difficulties and hardships.

Responsible Parenthood
10. Married love, therefore, requires of husband and wife the full awareness of their obligations in the matter of responsible parenthood, which today, rightly enough, is much insisted upon, but which at the same time should be rightly understood. Thus, we do well to consider responsible parenthood in the light of its varied legitimate and interrelated aspects.
With regard to the biological processes, responsible parenthood  means an awareness of, and respect for, their proper functions. In the procreative faculty the human mind discerns biological laws that apply to the human person. (9)
With regard to man's innate drives and emotions, responsible parenthood means that man's reason and will must exert control over them.
With regard to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions, responsible parenthood is exercised by those who prudently and generously decide to have more children, and by those who, for serious reasons and with due respect to moral precepts, decide not to have additional children for either a certain or an indefinite period of time.
Responsible parenthood, as we use the term here, has one further essential aspect of paramount importance. It concerns the objective moral order which was established by God, and of which a right conscience is the true interpreter. In a word, the exercise of responsible parenthood requires that husband and wife, keeping a right order of priorities, recognize their own duties toward God, themselves, their families and human society.
From this it follows that they are not free to act as they choose in the service of transmitting life, as if it were wholly up to them to decide what is the right course to follow. On the contrary, they are bound to ensure that what they do corresponds to the will of God the Creator. The very nature of marriage and its use makes His will clear, while the constant teaching of the Church spells it out. (10)
Observing the Natural Law
11. The sexual activity, in which husband and wife are intimately and chastely united with one another, through which human life is transmitted, is, as the recent Council recalled, "noble and worthy.'' (11) It does not, moreover, cease to be legitimate even when, for reasons independent of their will, it is foreseen to be infertile. For its natural adaptation to the expression and strengthening of the union of husband and wife is not thereby suppressed. The fact is, as experience shows, that new life is not the result of each and every act of sexual intercourse. God has wisely ordered laws of nature and the incidence of fertility in such a way that successive births are already naturally spaced through the inherent operation of these laws. The Church, nevertheless, in urging men to the observance of the precepts of the natural law, which it interprets by its constant doctrine, teaches that each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life. (12)
Union and Procreation
12. This particular doctrine, often expounded by the magisterium of the Church, is based on the inseparable connection, established by God, which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act.
The reason is that the fundamental nature of the marriage act, while uniting husband and wife in the closest intimacy, also renders them capable of generating new life—and this as a result of laws written into the actual nature of man and of woman. And if each of these essential qualities, the unitive and the procreative, is preserved, the use of marriage fully retains its sense of true mutual love and its ordination to the supreme responsibility of parenthood to which man is called. We believe that our contemporaries are particularly capable of seeing that this teaching is in harmony with human reason.

Faithfulness to God's Design
13. Men rightly observe that a conjugal act imposed on one's partner without regard to his or her condition or personal and reasonable wishes in the matter, is no true act of love, and therefore offends the moral order in its particular application to the intimate relationship of husband and wife. If they further reflect, they must also recognize that an act of mutual love which impairs the capacity to transmit life which God the Creator, through specific laws, has built into it, frustrates His design which constitutes the norm of marriage, and contradicts the will of the Author of life. Hence to use this divine gift while depriving it, even if only partially, of its meaning and purpose, is equally repugnant to the nature of man and of woman, and is consequently in opposition to the plan of God and His holy will. But to experience the gift of married love while respecting the laws of conception is to acknowledge that one is not the master of the sources of life but rather the minister of the design established by the Creator. Just as man does not have unlimited dominion over his body in general, so also, and with more particular reason, he has no such dominion over his specifically sexual faculties, for these are concerned by their very nature with the generation of life, of which God is the source. "Human life is sacred—all men must recognize that fact," Our predecessor Pope John XXIII recalled. "From its very inception it reveals the creating hand of God." (13)
Unlawful Birth Control Methods
14. Therefore We base Our words on the first principles of a human and Christian doctrine of marriage when We are obliged once more to declare that the direct interruption of the generative process already begun and, above all, all direct abortion, even for therapeutic reasons, are to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children. (14) Equally to be condemned, as the magisterium of the Church has affirmed on many occasions, is direct sterilization, whether of the man or of the woman, whether permanent or temporary. (15)
Similarly excluded is any action which either before, at the moment of, or after sexual intercourse, is specifically intended to prevent procreation—whether as an end or as a means. (16)
Neither is it valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one, or that such intercourse would merge with procreative acts of past and future to form a single entity, and so be qualified by exactly the same moral goodness as these. Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (18)—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general. Consequently, it is a serious error to think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong.
Lawful Therapeutic Means
15. On the other hand, the Church does not consider at all illicit the use of those therapeutic means necessary to cure bodily diseases, even if a foreseeable impediment to procreation should result there from—provided such impediment is not directly intended for any motive whatsoever. (19)
Recourse to Infertile Periods
16. Now as We noted earlier (no. 3), some people today raise the objection against this particular doctrine of the Church concerning the moral laws governing marriage, that human intelligence has both the right and responsibility to control those forces of irrational nature which come within its ambit and to direct them toward ends beneficial to man. Others ask on the same point whether it is not reasonable in so many cases to use artificial birth control if by so doing the harmony and peace of a family are better served and more suitable conditions are provided for the education of children already born. To this question We must give a clear reply. The Church is the first to praise and commend the application of human intelligence to an activity in which a rational creature such as man is so closely associated with his Creator. But she affirms that this must be done within the limits of the order of reality established by God.
If therefore there are well-grounded reasons for spacing births, arising from the physical or psychological condition of husband or wife, or from external circumstances, the Church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only during those times that are infertile, thus controlling birth in a way which does not in the least offend the moral principles which We have just explained. (20)
Neither the Church nor her doctrine is inconsistent when she considers it lawful for married people to take advantage of the infertile period but condemns as always unlawful the use of means which directly prevent conception, even when the reasons given for the later practice may appear to be upright and serious. In reality, these two cases are completely different. In the former the married couple rightly use a faculty provided them by nature. In the later they obstruct the natural development of the generative process. It cannot be denied that in each case the married couple, for acceptable reasons, are both perfectly clear in their intention to avoid children and wish to make sure that none will result. But it is equally true that it is exclusively in the former case that husband and wife are ready to abstain from intercourse during the fertile period as often as for reasonable motives the birth of another child is not desirable. And when the infertile period recurs, they use their married intimacy to express their mutual love and safeguard their fidelity toward one another. In doing this they certainly give proof of a true and authentic love.
Consequences of Artificial Methods
17. Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.
Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone. It could well happen, therefore, that when people, either individually or in family or social life, experience the inherent difficulties of the divine law and are determined to avoid them, they may give into the hands of public authorities the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.
Limits to Man's Power
Consequently, unless we are willing that the responsibility of procreating life should be left to the arbitrary decision of men, we must accept that there are certain limits, beyond which it is wrong to go, to the power of man over his own body and its natural functions—limits, let it be said, which no one, whether as a private individual or as a public authority, can lawfully exceed. These limits are expressly imposed because of the reverence due to the whole human organism and its natural functions, in the light of the principles We stated earlier, and in accordance with a correct understanding of the "principle of totality" enunciated by Our predecessor Pope Pius XII. (21)
Concern of the Church
18. It is to be anticipated that perhaps not everyone will easily accept this particular teaching. There is too much clamorous outcry against the voice of the Church, and this is intensified by modern means of communication. But it comes as no surprise to the Church that she, no less than her divine Founder, is destined to be a "sign of contradiction." (22) She does not, because of this, evade the duty imposed on her of proclaiming humbly but firmly the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical.
Since the Church did not make either of these laws, she cannot be their arbiter—only their guardian and interpreter. It could never be right for her to declare lawful what is in fact unlawful, since that, by its very nature, is always opposed to the true good of man.
In preserving intact the whole moral law of marriage, the Church is convinced that she is contributing to the creation of a truly human civilization. She urges man not to betray his personal responsibilities by putting all his faith in technical expedients. In this way she defends the dignity of husband and wife. This course of action shows that the Church, loyal to the example and teaching of the divine Savior, is sincere and unselfish in her regard for men whom she strives to help even now during this earthly pilgrimage "to share God's life as sons of the living God, the Father of all men."
Prepared by:  Jorge Casas y Sánchez.

INHABITACIÓN TRINITARIA.

Propiamente se llama "inhabitación trinitaria" al misterio por el cual la Santísima Trinidad habita en el corazón de la persona que está en gracia (es decir, sin pecado mortal).

1. Lo dice el mismo Señor: Jn 14,23: Si alguno me ama, guardará mi Palabra, y mi Padre le amará, y vendremos a él, y haremos morada en él. Y San Pablo: Ef 3,17: Que Cristo habite por la fe en vuestros corazones. Igualmente leemos en el Apóstol San Juan: 1 Jn 4,12-13, 15-16: A Dios nadie le ha visto nunca. Si nos amamos unos a otros, Dios permanece en nosotros y su amor ha llegado en nosotros a su plenitud. En esto conocemos que permanecemos en él y él en nosotros: en que nos ha dado de su Espíritu.... Quien confiese que Jesús es el Hijo de Dios, Dios permanece en él y él en Dios. Y nosotros hemos conocido el amor que Dios nos tiene, y hemos creído en él. Dios es Amor y quien permanece en el amor permanece en Dios y Dios en él.

En algunos lugares se habla de la presencia del Hijo, en otros de la del Espíritu Santo; en otros del Padre y del Hijo. Evidentemente que el hablar de una de las divinas Personas entraña la referencia a las otras dos, pues confesamos en nuestra fe, como dice hermosamente el Símbolo Atanasiano: “la fe católica es que veneremos a un solo Dios en la Trinidad, y a la Trinidad en la unidad; sin confundir ni separar las sustancias. Porque una es la persona del Padre, otra la del Hijo y otra también la del Espíritu Santo; pero el Padre y el Hijo y el Espíritu Santo tienen una sola divinidad, gloria igual y coeterna majestad. Cual el Padre, tal el Hijo, tal también el Espíritu Santo..., etc., El que quiera salvarse, así ha de sentir de la Trinidad” (Dz 39-40).

2. Ya los Santos Padres insistieron en la presencia de Dios Trino en el alma del justo; aunque a veces sólo refiriéndose a una de las personas. Ignacio de Antioquía gustaba en llamarse “Theóforos”, portador de Dios; o también “Cristóforos”, portador de Cristo. San Ireneo frecuentemente nos recuerda que el Hijo enviado por el Padre, nos revela al Padre en nuestro interior. Los Padres Griegos enseñan comúnmente que ni los hombres ni los ángeles pueden ser justificados, santificados y deificados sino por la participación en las personas divinas. Y se podrían citar numerosísimos testimonios.

3. Los teólogos han hablado, tratando de explicar estos hermosísimos datos, de las misiones invisibles de las Personas divinas y de la inhabitación trinitaria. Las divinas personas se hacen presentes al alma por donación y misión: el Padre, al ser Principio sin principio, no puede ser enviado por nadie y, por tanto, se nos dona a Sí mismo a nosotros; el Hijo, como tiene al Padre por principio, es “enviado” (eso quiere decir “misión”) por el Padre; finalmente el Espíritu Santo, al tener como principios al Padre y al Hijo, es enviado por la primera y la segunda Personas de la Trinidad.

4. Santo Tomás explica: “Las Personas divinas no pueden ser poseídas por nosotros sino o para gozarlas (fruirlas) de modo perfecto, lo cual se da en el estado de la Gloria del cielo; o para gozarlas de modo imperfecto, lo cual se da en esta vida por la gracia santificante” (I Sent., d.14, q.2, a.2, ad 2). ¡Para que gocemos de su presencia y con su presencia y posesión! Qué impresionante y qué riqueza extraordinaria significa esto. Si cada una de las divinas Personas son nuestras ¡y para gozarlas! ¿cómo no lo será todo lo demás? ¿qué podemos temer? ¿qué nos puede faltar? De modo muy hermoso San Juan de Ávila ponía en boca de Cristo algo semejante: “Yo (soy) vuestro Padre por ser Dios, yo vuestro primogénito hermano por ser hombre. Yo vuestra paga y rescate, ¿qué teméis deudas, si vosotros con la penitencia y la Confesión pedís suelta de ellas? Yo vuestra reconciliación, ¿qué teméis ira? Yo el lazo de vuestra amistad, ¿qué teméis enojo de Dios? Yo vuestro defensor, ¿qué teméis contrarios? Yo vuestro amigo, ¿qué teméis que os falte cuanto yo tengo, si vosotros no os apartáis de Mí? Vuestro mi Cuerpo y mi Sangre, ¿qué teméis hambre? Vuestro mi corazón, ¿qué teméis olvido? Vuestra mi divinidad, ¿qué teméis miserias? Y por accesorio, son vuestros mis ángeles para defenderos; vuestros mis santos para rogar por vosotros; vuestra mi Madre bendita para seros Madre cuidadosa y piadosa; vuestra la tierra para que en ella me sirváis, vuestro el cielo porque a él vendréis; vuestros los demonios y los infiernos, porque los hollaréis como esclavos y cárcel; vuestra la vida porque con ella ganáis la que nunca se acaba; vuestros los buenos placeres porque a Mí los referís; vuestras las penas porque por mi amor y provecho vuestro las sufrís; vuestras las tentaciones, porque son mérito y causa de vuestra eterna corona; vuestra es la muerte porque os será el más cercano tránsito a la vida. Y todo esto tenéis en Mí y por Mí; porque lo gané no para Mí solo, ni lo quiero gozar yo solo; porque cuando tomé compañía en la carne con vosotros, la tomé en haceros participantes en lo que yo trabajase, ayunase, comiese, sudase y llorase y en mis dolores y muertes, si por vosotros no queda. ¡No sois pobres los que tanta riqueza tenéis, si vosotros con vuestra mala vida no la queréis perder a sabiendas!

VIRTUDES CARDINALES.

VIRTUDES CARDINALES, (2020).

                                                                                           

Al principiar cada año nuevo y ahora se trata del 2020, todos tenemos deseos y propósitos, en esta ocasión me gustaría compartir con Uds. Los que  son mis propósitos personales. En la esperanza de que sean de utilidad para alguien. Se trata de una lista pequeña, pero espero poder cumplir, pues ello me hará mejor persona, lo que espero que suceda a todos Uds.

De mis tres propósitos los que son: vivir mejor las Virtudes Cardinales, poner mas orden en mi vida personal, usando mejor mi tiempo y de forma mejor organizada, y lo mas importante, estar mas cercano a Nuestro Señor Jesucristo y a la Santísima Virgen, nuestra madre del cielo, para lo que ante todo confío en la ayuda de Dios, en cuyas manos pongo mis esfuerzos, en la convicción de que la recibiré, y por ello pediré en mis oraciones.

Dos de mis propósitos son personales y en cuanto a las Virtudes Cardinales, me complace compartir con Uds. Algunas facetas de las mismas, que creo que nos ayudarán.

Se enseña por los especialistas que el conjunto de las virtudes incluyendo las teologales y las humanas son un sistema, y que el cumplimiento de las teologales se sustenta en las humanas, que todas están concatenadas entre si, y de las aquí hacemos referencia que son Virtudes Humanas, las llamadas Cardinales, reciben este virtudes humanas adjetivo dado que encabezan y de ellas se desprenden las innumerables.

PRUDENCIA.- Esta es siempre mencionada en primer lugar, y podríamos definirla como: la virtud que prepara nuestra alma espiritual para escoger en todas las circunstancia el verdadero bien y elegir los medios para realizarlo.

La prudencia es la virtud que permite a nuestro espíritu el discernir en cualquier situación nuestro verdadero bien y elegirlo imponiendo los medios para ello. De manera que cualquier acción para obtener los bienes y el imperio para obtenerlo es el camino prudente.

La prudencia se relaciona con el intelecto es radical a la razón práctica es orientada a la praxis en ello encontramos cuatro actos:

Consejo (concillium), juicio práctico (iudicium), precepto (preceptum), e imperio (imperium).

El primer paso de nuestra prudencia se sustenta en la humildad que nos permite saber que no estamos en la capacidad de obtenerlo todo y en todas las circunstancias, por lo que es aconsejable  el buscar consejo en aquellos que realmente estén preparados para darlo, ello nos dará la oportunidad  de actuar prudentemente. Mas no debemos tan solo conocer el modo prudente de hacer las cosas, al ser la prudencia una virtud de acción, debemos también de llevar a cabo las acciones correspondientes, una vez que sabemos el mejor modo de hacer algo, hagámoslo.

La prudencia debe de llevarse a cabo no solo en la vida personal, también se necesita en las organizaciones. En estas las decisiones colegiadas son mejores que las puramente personales, gracias al aporte de mas puntos de vista y mas personas envueltas en la responsabilidad.

JUSTICIA.- Ha sido definida con muy pocas palabras como el dar a quien lo que le corresponde. Por supuesto que esto se puede ampliar y explicarse con mas cuestiones , como el que siempre,hay que respetar lo que pertenece al ámbito de los otros, tanto en lo material coo en lo espiritual, (solo como pequeño ejemplo)

Aquí surge una pregunta: ¿Que es lo justo para con Dios? la respuesta es simple: todo. Pero la justicia a la que nos referimos es entre iguales, y la diferencia entre el Creador y las criaturas es inconmensurable, por lo que con Dios no tenemos deberes de “justicia”, para con Dios son obligaciones incontrovertibles. De  manera que la praxis de la justicia es entre las criaturas, específicamente humanas.

San Juan evangelista nos enseña Dios es Amor (1 Jn 4,8) esta es la clave para vivir justamente con respecto a nuestro Creador y está en nuestra naturaleza la capacidad de respuesta, a Dios le debemos de amar con amor de correspondencia. Hemos sido los humanos creados a su imagen y semejanza, de allí surge nuestra capacidad de amarle, es lo justo, Él nos amó primero, desde la eternidad.

En relación a la justicia entre criaturas humana tenemos que considerar los derechos de los demás siendo el primer derecho el de la vida,  otros son la libertad, la propiedad, la fama, el pago de las deudas, el pago de los salarios justos, el respeto a la dignidad, etc. mas no podemos olvidar que en tanto nuestra naturaleza de seres gregarios, tenemos una forma de vida en la que hemos formado una base legislativa que busca una coexistencia mejor, apropiada y en la que se debe, entre muchos otros aspectos, practicar la justicia por igual para todos, (lo que es uno de los grandes ideales humanos), libremente nos sujetamos a dicha legislación, sin perder nuestra libertad. Aunque hay casos en que la justicia legal debe de quitar la libertad física a ciertas personas, por delitos que así lo merecen.

Algunas acciones son injustas, siendo legales, en relación a los demás, pero se deben de examinar cuando se estudia la virtud teologal de la Caridad.

Del amor que le profesamos a Dios se debe de desprender nuestro amor a sus criaturas, pues las ha creado a todas por amor, en especial las criaturas humanas, debemos de considerar una injusticia el no amar a todos los seres humanos.

FORTALEZA.- Es la virtud que nos permite acometer las dificultades, y pelear contra nuestras limitaciones. Una frase de Séneca nos ilustra sobre el tema:”per aspra ad astra” su significado en español, “a través de las dificultades hasta las estrellas”, lo que nos permite  definir la fortaleza como: la virtud    del esfuerzo para obtener lo que vale la pena.

En la vida nos es necesario limar las asperezas de muchas cosas a manera de ir resolviendo problema tras problema, en ello consiste la vida. Nuestros objetivos siempre deben de ser hacia arriba, hacia Dios, para el hombre virtuoso nada es dificultoso, si realmente lo quiere llevar a cabo, parte de nuestra naturaleza humana es el ser débiles en ciertas formas, , esa es la razón por la que la fortaleza es tan bien valuada, debido a la capacidad de sacrificio para salir victoriosos en la persecución de cosas buenas.

Las Sagradas Escrituras nos enseñan que la fortaleza nos viene dada de Dios, que solos somos muy incapaces en especial para obtener lo difícil, pero con el ejemplo de Jesucristo y su ayuda obtenemos la gracia necesaria para actuar debidamente. Otra faceta de esta virtud es la capacidad de resistir lo adverso, lo desagradable, lo duro y llegar a resolver. La paciencia es una virtud asociada a la fortaleza, lo mismo que la perseverancia. Es conveniente que meditemos sobre esta asociación de virtudes.

TEMPLANZA.-ESTA VIRTUD CONSISTE EN LA MANERA ARMÓNICA QUE HACE POSIBLE A LA PERSONA, ESCOGER BIEN. Se trata de escoger bien aquello que es de valor. Es de gran importancia que en esta vida gocemos de las cosas buenas, en uso de nuestra libertad sin permitir que ello nos esclavice, no debemos de perder el señorío sobre las cosas, somos nosotros los que las tenemos, que no nos posean ellas a nosotros. El Papa, Francisco dice que la templanza es “el sentido de la medida”.

La templanza nos permite no perder el rumbo, es como una brújula que nos marca hacia donde nos hemos de dirigir, apuntando siempre a Dios,  ya que nuestro objetivo principal, nuestro fin de fines es la salvación eterna, y Dios quiere que lo logremos viviendo felices en esta vida. Si los vicios o la avaricia, el ansia de poder  o de fama  cubre la vida de las personas, entonces el objetivo se pierde. Debemos preservar el objetivo por el cual vivimos, que es el de amar y servir a Dios sobre todas las demás cosas.

Esta virtud nos ayuda a mantener el equilibrio al servir a los demás, y encontrar  en ello felicidad, quien se aleja de Dios lo hace de sí mismo, y solo se reencontrará cuando redescubra a Dios.

Recordemos la famosa sentencia de San Agustín:” Señor nos hiciste para ti y solo descansa nuestro corazón cuando lo hace en ti”.

Jorge Casas y Sánchez.

PROPÓSITOS PARA EL AÑO 2020

PROPÓSITOS PARA EL 2020.

En este primer día del 2020, año como todos de esperanza, de ánimo de realizaciones, de lucha contra nuestros defectos y debilidades, pero sobre todo de amor, a la Divinidad y al género humano, deseo compartir mis sentimientos con las amables personas que me honran con leerme y a quienes deseo de todo corazón que tengan un año muy rico en éxitos personales, familiares, sociales, económicos, pero sobre todo de riqueza espiritual.

En mi caso personal, me he propuesto luchar contra mis defectos personales con mas fuerza, participar con mas trabajo en las redes sociales defendiendo los grandes valores de nuestra religión y civilización occidental,  usar mejor mi tiempo, cuidar con mas ahínco mi salud, adquirir nuevos conocimientos de gran valor humano y católico, respetar mas la naturaleza, tratando de participar mejor en promover la flora, y usar lo menos posible los plásticos que contaminan, mejorar la calidad y frecuencia de mis participaciones en este blog.

Preocupado por como van desenvolviéndose las cuestiones políticas en América Latina, colaborar mas en la defensa de cuestiones tan importantes como: la familia y la educación, que están siendo vilmente atacadas por los promotores masones del “Nuevo Orden Mundial “ (NOM), enemigos de la vida, de la libertad, de lo familiar, de los valores tradicionales, y amigos de la manipulación de los seres humanos, precipitándolos a la esclavitud del mercado a través del consumismo, al hedonismo, al libertinaje, al pan-sexualismo, y otros contravalores que devalúan al ser humano en vez de promover sus grandes cualidades: de la dignidad de la persona,  la libertad, la religiosidad, la virtud de la caridad humana, los principios de solidaridad y subsidiaridad, el amor al prójimo, la justicia, la benevolencia, y todas las que nos caracterizan como verdaderamente humanos. Otro propósito importante es estar mas al tanto de las comunicaciones del Papa Francisco, nuestro Vice-Cristo, que tanto tiene que enseñarnos.

Si en estos propósitos logro participar con mi grano de arena al Bien Común, y a mi mejora personal, estaré muy agradecido a Nuestro Señor, ya que solos no somos capaces de nada, pero con su ayuda, lo podemos todo, y a la Virgen Santísima, que veneramos en este día como Madre de Dios, ella nos ayuda desde el Cielo como madre nuestra, ella nos enseña con su ejemplo de vida de amor, a que nosotros sepamos amar más a los demás y a la Trinidad Santísima. Feliz 2020.

Jorge Casas y Sánchez.

ENCICLICALS THAT HAVE CHANCHED THE WORLD

They are somewhere in length between a newspaper column and a book. But papal encyclicals wield an outsize influence. Papal encyclicals have inspired revolutions, changed cultures, and helped topple ideologies and empires. Sometimes they meet with universal acclaim. Some arouse widespread disdain and dissent. Either way, when a pope issues his thoughts on an important matter of faith and morals, the world listens—even if it doesn’t always agree.

There are some encyclicals, in particular, that have left, it seems, an indelible impact on the world—whether the world of Catholicism, the broader Christian community, or beyond. Here are seven encyclicals that have changed the world, in one fashion or another, listed in chronological order:

Rerum Novarum, Leo XIII 1891: This encyclical is the foundation of all modern Catholic social teaching. Rerum Novarum sought a Christian basis for property rights in the fact that man is created in the image of God. But it also called out greedy industrialists for abusing workers and affirmed the right of the state to intervene on their behalf. At a time of great social upheaval, the encyclical thus sketched out a uniquely Catholic response to the challenges of worker rights, urbanization, industrialization—avoiding the extremes of both socialism and laissez faire capitalism. This inspired a movement known as distributism, so named because its adherents believe property ownership should be widely distributed, instead of concentrated in the hands of wealthy robber barons or socialist bureaucrats. Notable distributists include G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc. Rerum Novarum has inspired other encyclicals too, most notably Quadragesimo Anno, itself an indispensable pillar of Catholic social teaching. Distributist themes are even reflected in one of the most all-time popular Christian works of fiction: The Lord of the Rings.

Providentissimus Deus, Leo XIII 1893: There had been other encyclicals on the Bible before, but none as momentous as this, and probably none since. Providentissimus Deus drew a battle line against modernism: Leo XIII declared that it is inconsistent to say that the Bible has errors and was still divinely inspired. Without taking an anti-scientific stance, the pope affirmed an uncompromising doctrine of inerrancy against those who claimed the Bible is only without error in narrow matters of faith and morals. Catholic biblical theology has never been the same since. As one scholar has put it, the encyclical is “the magna carta of modern Catholic biblical studies.” Now this may seem like an arcane matter best left to scholars, but it’s one that affects all of us. Pope Leo XIII worried that a weak doctrine of inerrancy would diminish reverence for Scripture among all Catholics, causing them to stop believing it in entirely. In this warning are the seeds of the later emphasis on Bible reading among lay Catholics. Leo XIII himself expressed a “desire that this grand source of Catholic revelation should be made safely and abundantly accessible to the flock of Jesus Christ.”

Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Pius X 1907: In this encyclical, the Catholic Church declared war on modernism. Pius X issued a wholesale condemnation of the cultural trend, particularly its tendencies towards individualism, agnosticism, and relativism. The confrontational tone of the encyclical has made it unpopular in certain quarters inside and outside the Church, but Pius X should be credited for taking a stand as the world was headed over the cliff. To paraphrase the mission statement of a certain publication, under Pius X, the Church stood athwart history, yelling ‘stop,’ when few were inclined to do so, or listen to those who did. His refusal to make peace with a confused and disturbed world left its definitive mark on Catholic culture for at least the next sixty years. Some might say that the spirit of St. Pius X lives on today and can be seen perhaps mostly recently in Pope Benedict XVI’s denunciation of the ‘dictatorship of relativism.’

Casti Connubii, Pius XI 1930: Evangelium Vitae gets all the credit, but this is the encyclical that really established (or reaffirmed, rather) the Catholic teaching on contraception. At one time, artificial contraception was universally viewed as sinful among Christians. But, at the 1930 Lambeth conference, the Anglican church reversed its position, prompting Pius XI to issue Casti Connubii, making it clear that the Catholic Church was not about to follow suit, even as many other Protestant denominations did. The Church’s teaching on contraception is almost unique to Catholicism today. It is one way the Church upholds a truly consistent ethic of life, which is why it is not surprising that Casti Connubii also took firm stands against abortion and eugenics.

Pacem in Terris, John XXIII 1963: Issued months after the Cuban missile crisis, Pacem in Terris sounded an urgent call for peace, based on a broad Christian vision of divine order, human rights, and the common good. Pacem in Terris had an immediate impact: the New York Times printed the full text and President John F. Kennedy praised it. It’s also left a lasting impression: every encyclical dealing with social issues since then has cited it and Pope Benedict XVI called it an “immortal encyclical” in a 2006 address, according to the Catholic World Report. “Pacem in Terris inserted the Catholic Church firmly into the late-20th century debate on human rights, which proved to be such an important tool in the hands of those who eventually brought down the Berlin wall and thus made an enormous contribution to peace,” Catholic writer George Weigel told the Catholic World Report.

Humanae Vitae, Paul VI 1968: Humanae Vitae threw down the gauntlet on the issue of contraception, making it one of the most controversial and disliked encyclicals of all time. Humanae Vitae boldly laid out the Church’s teaching against artificial contraception—right as the West was in the midst of the sexual revolution and after a commission of theologians had recommended changing the teaching. The Church’s continued stance on this issue remains a cornerstone of faith to some, and a stumbling block to others. But more than forty years afterwards, with soaring divorce rates and plummeting birthrates in much of the Western world, it’s hard to not to see Paul VI as a prophetic voice on the evils of the contraceptive mentality.

Redemptor Hominis, John Paul II 1979: His first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis laid out John Paul II’s agenda for the rest of his papacy. In particular, it set the stage for his confrontation with communism, rooted in John Paul II’s emphasis on the dignity of the human person and his personal encounter with Christ. “In the face of the prospect of Communist collectivism, he made a personalist affirmation. It was like a time bomb: The words Marxism and Communism are not found in Redemptor Hominis. But it is on the foundations, on the idea that one has of the human person, that the Pope placed the confrontation,” Cardinal Georges Cottier told ZENIT in 2004. A few months after the encyclical, John Paul II led a nine-day pilgrimage through Poland, in which one third of the population—thirteen million people—attended at least one of his events. The pilgrimage is credited with fueling the anti-communist Solidarity movement in Poland, one of the first dominoes to fall in the eventual collapse of communism.

Honorable Mentions

These encyclicals did not have a world-altering impact (at least in the opinion of this author), but are nonetheless immensely important:

Aeterni Patris, Leo XIII 1879: This encyclical is credited with helping to revive Thomism in the Church. Today, one could argue that Aquinas is the single most important Catholic theologian and philosopher, apart from the apostles and the New Testament writers. As Leo XIII himself wrote, quoting one of Aquinas’ commentators, “Among the Scholastic Doctors, the chief and master of all towers [is] Thomas Aquinas, who, as Cajetan observes, because ‘he most venerated the ancient doctors of the Church, in a certain way seems to have inherited the intellect of all.’”

Quas Primas, Pius XI 1925: This encyclical established the Feast of Christ the King, a reminder of the importance of Christ’s kingship on this earth. ‘Christ the King’ became the rallying call of those fighting for the Church in the Cristero War in Mexico.

Veritatis Splendor, John Paul II 1993: Viewed by some as his most important encyclical, Veritatis Splendor was the “first papal encyclical in history on the foundations of moral theology,” according to the Catholic News Service.

Evangelium Vitae, John Paul II 1995: Another leading candidate for his most important encyclical, Evangelium Vitae issues a strong call for a culture of life and reaffirms the Catholic teaching on abortion, euthanasia, and contraception. It also broke important new ground on the Church’s position on the death penalty in the context of its broader commitment to a culture of life.

Fides et Ratio, John Paul II 1998: This is must-reading for anyone who seeks to understand how faith and reason are related. Such a question is one that touches upon so many diverse aspects of our faith—apologetics, the role of science, the relationship between natural law and the moral teachings of the Church, not to mention how we understand our own journey towards faith in God.

SEASON GREETINGS FROM Jorge Casas y Sánchez.

They are somewhere in length between a newspaper column and a book. But papal encyclicals wield an outsize influence. Papal encyclicals have inspired revolutions, changed cultures, and helped topple ideologies and empires. Sometimes they meet with universal acclaim. Some arouse widespread disdain and dissent. Either way, when a pope issues his thoughts on an important matter of faith and morals, the world listens—even if it doesn’t always agree.

There are some encyclicals, in particular, that have left, it seems, an indelible impact on the world—whether the world of Catholicism, the broader Christian community, or beyond. Here are seven encyclicals that have changed the world, in one fashion or another, listed in chronological order:

Rerum Novarum, Leo XIII 1891: This encyclical is the foundation of all modern Catholic social teaching. Rerum Novarum sought a Christian basis for property rights in the fact that man is created in the image of God. But it also called out greedy industrialists for abusing workers and affirmed the right of the state to intervene on their behalf. At a time of great social upheaval, the encyclical thus sketched out a uniquely Catholic response to the challenges of worker rights, urbanization, industrialization—avoiding the extremes of both socialism and laissez faire capitalism. This inspired a movement known as distributism, so named because its adherents believe property ownership should be widely distributed, instead of concentrated in the hands of wealthy robber barons or socialist bureaucrats. Notable distributists include G.K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc. Rerum Novarum has inspired other encyclicals too, most notably Quadragesimo Anno, itself an indispensable pillar of Catholic social teaching. Distributist themes are even reflected in one of the most all-time popular Christian works of fiction: The Lord of the Rings.

Providentissimus Deus, Leo XIII 1893: There had been other encyclicals on the Bible before, but none as momentous as this, and probably none since. Providentissimus Deus drew a battle line against modernism: Leo XIII declared that it is inconsistent to say that the Bible has errors and was still divinely inspired. Without taking an anti-scientific stance, the pope affirmed an uncompromising doctrine of inerrancy against those who claimed the Bible is only without error in narrow matters of faith and morals. Catholic biblical theology has never been the same since. As one scholar has put it, the encyclical is “the magna carta of modern Catholic biblical studies.” Now this may seem like an arcane matter best left to scholars, but it’s one that affects all of us. Pope Leo XIII worried that a weak doctrine of inerrancy would diminish reverence for Scripture among all Catholics, causing them to stop believing it in entirely. In this warning are the seeds of the later emphasis on Bible reading among lay Catholics. Leo XIII himself expressed a “desire that this grand source of Catholic revelation should be made safely and abundantly accessible to the flock of Jesus Christ.”

Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Pius X 1907: In this encyclical, the Catholic Church declared war on modernism. Pius X issued a wholesale condemnation of the cultural trend, particularly its tendencies towards individualism, agnosticism, and relativism. The confrontational tone of the encyclical has made it unpopular in certain quarters inside and outside the Church, but Pius X should be credited for taking a stand as the world was headed over the cliff. To paraphrase the mission statement of a certain publication, under Pius X, the Church stood athwart history, yelling ‘stop,’ when few were inclined to do so, or listen to those who did. His refusal to make peace with a confused and disturbed world left its definitive mark on Catholic culture for at least the next sixty years. Some might say that the spirit of St. Pius X lives on today and can be seen perhaps mostly recently in Pope Benedict XVI’s denunciation of the ‘dictatorship of relativism.’

Casti Connubii, Pius XI 1930: Evangelium Vitae gets all the credit, but this is the encyclical that really established (or reaffirmed, rather) the Catholic teaching on contraception. At one time, artificial contraception was universally viewed as sinful among Christians. But, at the 1930 Lambeth conference, the Anglican church reversed its position, prompting Pius XI to issue Casti Connubii, making it clear that the Catholic Church was not about to follow suit, even as many other Protestant denominations did. The Church’s teaching on contraception is almost unique to Catholicism today. It is one way the Church upholds a truly consistent ethic of life, which is why it is not surprising that Casti Connubii also took firm stands against abortion and eugenics.

Pacem in Terris, John XXIII 1963: Issued months after the Cuban missile crisis, Pacem in Terris sounded an urgent call for peace, based on a broad Christian vision of divine order, human rights, and the common good. Pacem in Terris had an immediate impact: the New York Times printed the full text and President John F. Kennedy praised it. It’s also left a lasting impression: every encyclical dealing with social issues since then has cited it and Pope Benedict XVI called it an “immortal encyclical” in a 2006 address, according to the Catholic World Report. “Pacem in Terris inserted the Catholic Church firmly into the late-20th century debate on human rights, which proved to be such an important tool in the hands of those who eventually brought down the Berlin wall and thus made an enormous contribution to peace,” Catholic writer George Weigel told the Catholic World Report.

Humanae Vitae, Paul VI 1968: Humanae Vitae threw down the gauntlet on the issue of contraception, making it one of the most controversial and disliked encyclicals of all time. Humanae Vitae boldly laid out the Church’s teaching against artificial contraception—right as the West was in the midst of the sexual revolution and after a commission of theologians had recommended changing the teaching. The Church’s continued stance on this issue remains a cornerstone of faith to some, and a stumbling block to others. But more than forty years afterwards, with soaring divorce rates and plummeting birthrates in much of the Western world, it’s hard to not to see Paul VI as a prophetic voice on the evils of the contraceptive mentality.

Redemptor Hominis, John Paul II 1979: His first encyclical, Redemptor Hominis laid out John Paul II’s agenda for the rest of his papacy. In particular, it set the stage for his confrontation with communism, rooted in John Paul II’s emphasis on the dignity of the human person and his personal encounter with Christ. “In the face of the prospect of Communist collectivism, he made a personalist affirmation. It was like a time bomb: The words Marxism and Communism are not found in Redemptor Hominis. But it is on the foundations, on the idea that one has of the human person, that the Pope placed the confrontation,” Cardinal Georges Cottier told ZENIT in 2004. A few months after the encyclical, John Paul II led a nine-day pilgrimage through Poland, in which one third of the population—thirteen million people—attended at least one of his events. The pilgrimage is credited with fueling the anti-communist Solidarity movement in Poland, one of the first dominoes to fall in the eventual collapse of communism.

Honorable Mentions

These encyclicals did not have a world-altering impact (at least in the opinion of this author), but are nonetheless immensely important:

Aeterni Patris, Leo XIII 1879: This encyclical is credited with helping to revive Thomism in the Church. Today, one could argue that Aquinas is the single most important Catholic theologian and philosopher, apart from the apostles and the New Testament writers. As Leo XIII himself wrote, quoting one of Aquinas’ commentators, “Among the Scholastic Doctors, the chief and master of all towers [is] Thomas Aquinas, who, as Cajetan observes, because ‘he most venerated the ancient doctors of the Church, in a certain way seems to have inherited the intellect of all.’”

Quas Primas, Pius XI 1925: This encyclical established the Feast of Christ the King, a reminder of the importance of Christ’s kingship on this earth. ‘Christ the King’ became the rallying call of those fighting for the Church in the Cristero War in Mexico.

Veritatis Splendor, John Paul II 1993: Viewed by some as his most important encyclical, Veritatis Splendor was the “first papal encyclical in history on the foundations of moral theology,” according to the Catholic News Service.

Evangelium Vitae, John Paul II 1995: Another leading candidate for his most important encyclical, Evangelium Vitae issues a strong call for a culture of life and reaffirms the Catholic teaching on abortion, euthanasia, and contraception. It also broke important new ground on the Church’s position on the death penalty in the context of its broader commitment to a culture of life.

Fides et Ratio, John Paul II 1998: This is must-reading for anyone who seeks to understand how faith and reason are related. Such a question is one that touches upon so many diverse aspects of our faith—apologetics, the role of science, the relationship between natural law and the moral teachings of the Church, not to mention how we understand our own journey towards faith in God.

¿SOMOS REALMENTE LIBRES?

¿SOMOS REALMENTE LIBRES?

En la ciudad alemana de Colonia, con motivo de la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud en 2005, el entonces cardenal Ratzinger, al dirigirse a ellos, y cito, les dijo “..la libertad no quiere decir gozar de la vida, considerarse absolutamente autónomo, sino orientarse según la medida de la verdad y del bien, para llegar a ser, de esta manera, nosotros mismos, verdaderos y buenos”. El Papa Francisco escribirá sobre esta tema “Para ser protagonistas de los acontecimientos del mundo es indispensable comenzar por ser protagonistas de nuestra propia vida”. 

El Señor al crear al hombre le permite ser dueño de sus propios actos, nos dio el libre albedrío, somos nosotros los que conducimos en medio de los temporales y de los problemas que la vida nos va presentando siempre. Bien vista la vida consiste en continuas y permanentes soluciones, a cada paso tenemos que dar remedio a algo, mucho de ello muy sencillo, a veces con ciertas dificultades que hay que vencer, y otras enfrentando libremente problemas de muy ardua solución, algunos nos acompañarán el resto de nuestra existencia… son los riesgos de la libertad, la aventura de nuestra propia e individual vida personal.

Es parte de nuestra formación personal el conocernos, tomando en cuenta lo siguiente: ¿Cuáles son nuestros principales defectos?, ¿Qué estamos haciendo para corregirlos?, ¿escuchamos y tomamos en cuenta las correcciones que nos hacen familiares, amigos, profesores, etc.?, ¿tenemos algún talento en especial, algo en lo que destaquemos por alguna capacidad que nos ha concedido el Creador?, ¿tratamos de sacarle partido a ello de usarlo positivamente, sobre todo si sirve para ayudar al prójimo?,  ¿somos poseedores de algunas virtudes?, y ¿las practicamos?, hacer uso apropiado de nuestra libertad es hacer uso de estas y evitar aquellos, libremente conformamos nuestra personalidad, todos los hombres somos creados diferentes, y al vivir hacemos uso libre de nuestras capacidades, buscamos la felicidad en nuestro actuar tras los objetivos que nos planteamos a nosotros mismos, debemos tomar decisiones, involucrarnos en cuestiones arduas, nos vamos planteando metas a resolver, en lo familiar, en lo social, lo económico, lo profesional, las amistades, estudios, deportes, actividades múltiples, hay quien tiene preferencia por los estudios, otros buscan legítimamente el hacer un patrimonio cuantioso, o ambas cosas, y mas. En lo anterior necesitaremos depender de otros y otros dependerán de nosotros, pero siempre todos dependeremos de Dios, y a Él tenemos que recurrir, agradeciendo lo que nos otorga y pidiendo lo que carecemos.

“Se hace camino al andar” nos dice el poeta, y debemos de hacer la andadura de la mano de Dios, saber que caminamos con tal compañía nos llena de alegría, hace de nuestro camino algo grande para nuestro fuero interno, valioso, santo, santificado, santificable, basta ofrecerlo con amor al Señor, teniendo en cuenta esa interdependencia que nos viene de otros y que a otros va, no somos ermitaños, vivimos rodeados de otros con los que convivimos , amamos, trabajamos, competimos o ayudamos, siempre con el Señor a nuestro lado, consultándole, rogándole, amándole, ayudando a sus criaturas en nuestra capacidad.

Somos gregarios por preferencia y por necesidad, nadie es absolutamente autónomo, Dios quiere esa interdependencia humana, que es factor de unión, esa ayuda mutua que desemboca en el Bien Común. Se trata de nuestro entorno humano y en este debemos de ser testigos de nuestras convicciones cristianas, dar ejemplo de rectitud, honestidad, bonhomía, vivir los principios de solidaridad y subsidiaridad, hacer apostolado con el prójimo, buscando su y nuestra salvación eterna. La vida plena de libertad que ha optado por lo dicho, aquella misión que tenemos en nuestra vida y a pesar de los inevitables errores y faltas a los que los humanos estamos siempre expuestos, los podremos corregir en especial cuando acudamos al Sacramento de la Confesión. Del pasado tenemos que aprender y el futuro lo enfrentamos siempre con el valor que la compañía del Señor nos proporciona,  pidamos ayuda a nuestra Madre del Cielo y vayamos esculpiendo nuestra propia biografía, con la gran meta de la salvación eterna.

Jorge Casas y Sánchez.