Online ebook: “The Catholic Home”, by Father Alexander, O.F.M.

See this online ebook:

• 

  Image from Wikimedia Commons

  The Catholic Home, by Father Alexander, O.F.M., with a Foreword by the Bishop of Salford (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow: R. & T. Washbourne, 1914). With Imprimatur. May be read online, and available in epub, mobi, pdf, and other formats at Internet Archive.

Posted on the Feast of Saints Louis Martin and Marie-Azélie Guérin.

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church, and delivered himself up for it, that he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of water in the word of life, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, nor any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

“So also ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh: but nourisheth and cherisheth it, as also Christ doth the church: for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother: and shall adhere to his wife, and they shall be two in one flesh.

“This is a great sacrament: but I speak in Christ, and in the church.”  (Ephesians v, 25-32)

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Online text: “Women, Sexual Asymmetry & Catholic Teaching”, by Erika Bachiochi

See this online text:

• “Women, Sexual Asymmetry & Catholic Teaching”, by Erika Bachiochi (November 13, 2012), Christian Bioethics (Oxford University Press), Forthcoming. Available at the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) and at the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

On the occasion of the International Day of Action for Women’s Health, 2018.

“[F]rom the beginning of the creation, God made them male and female. For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife. And they two shall be in one flesh. Therefore now they are not two, but one flesh.” (St. Mark x, 6-8)

Online texts: Commentaries on “Amoris Laetitia”

See these online commentaries and interventions on the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on Love in the Family “Amoris laetitia”. Note that this list is a work in progress and may be expanded further.

I.  Documents implementing “Amoris laetitia”

• Guidelines for the Pastoral Accompaniment of Christ’s Faithful who are Divorced and Remarried without a Decree of Nullity, by the Catholic Bishops of Alberta & the Northwest Territories. Available in pdf format on this page of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton; on this page of the Roman Catholic Diocese of St. Paul (with link from this page); and on this page of the Archdiocese of Ottawa (in which the Archbishop of Ottawa expresses his endorsement of the text). May be read online on this page of Catholic Culture.
  • See also the article “Ottawa archbishop upholds tradition: No Communion for Catholics living in adultery” at Life Site.
  • [The authors of the Guidelines are Richard W. Smith, Archbishop of Edmonton, Gregory J. Bittman, Auxiliary Bishop of Edmonton, Frederick Henry, Bishop of Calgary, Gerard Pettipas C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Grouard-McLennan, Paul Terrio, Bishop of St. Paul, and Mark Hagemoen, Bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith].
• Pastoral Guidelines for Implementing Amoris Laetitia, by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, July 1, 2016. Available in pdf format (on this page) at the Archdiocese of Philadelphia (linked by this page of Saint Norbert Parish, and this page of the Diocese of Lancaster), and at Google Drive. See also the articles “Archbishop Chaput’s Guidelines for Amoris Laetitia Can Serve as Model for US Church”, 7 July 2016, at the National Catholic Register; “Archbishop Chaput: Pope Francis shows continuity on divorce, remarriage”, 7 July 2016 at Catholic News Agency.
• Pastoral Guidelines for Implementing Amoris Laetitia in the Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon, by Archbishop Alexander K. Sample, May 4, 2017. Available in pdf format (here) linked from this page of the Diocese of Lancaster. May be read online on this page at Catholic Culture.
  • See this article: “Archbishop Sample’s guidelines on family and marriage urge truth, mercy”, July 05, 2017 at Catholic Sentinel; “Portland archbishop: active gays must repent and change before receiving Communion”, July 11, 2017, at the California Catholic Daily.
• Pastoral Letter on the Reading of Amoris Laetitia in Light of Church Teaching: “A True and Living Icon”, by Archbishop Alexander K. Sample, October 7, 2016. May be read online on this page at Catholic Culture; and available in pdf format (on this page) at Archdiocese of Portland, Oregon.
  • See also the following articles: “Abp. Alexander Sample Discusses His Pastoral Letter about ‘Amoris Laetitia’”, October 17, 2016, at Catholic World Report; “Another bishop says “Amoris” doesn’t change practice on Communion” at Crux Now; “Archbishop Sample corrects ‘troublesome misuses’ of Amoris Laetitia”, October 11, 2016, at Life Site.
• Pastoral Message about the Apostolic Exhortation ‘Amoris Laetitia’ (‘The Joy of Love’), Bishop Philip Egan of Portsmouth, England, 24 April 2016. Available in pdf format (on this page) at the Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth.
• A Pledged Troth: A Pastoral Letter on Amoris Laetitia, by Bishop Steven J. Lopes. May be read online on this page at the National Catholic Register; on this page of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter (linked by this page of Ordinariate News, and at Yumpu.

II. Interventions and petitions on “Amoris laetitia”

• El Abuso de Amoris Laetitia para Apoyar Errores Contra la Fe Católica: Carta al Sumo Pontífice Francisco, a Todos los Obispos en Comunión con Él, y al Resto de los Fieles Cristianos, por John Finnis y Germain Grisez. Disponible en formato PDF en esta pagina de The Way of the Lord Jesus.
• The Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia: A Theological Critique, by 45 theologians, including Dr. Aidan Nichols O.P. The critique is available in pdf format on this page of One Peter Five, and at Internet Archive (21 October 2016 snapshot of this defunct page); and it may be read online at Society of Saint Pius X. A summary may be read online on this page at Life Site. The 29 June 2016 letter transmitting it to Cardinal Sodano is available in pdf format at Internet Archive (21 October 2016 snapshot of this defunct page) and may be read online at Society of Saint Pius X. [N.B., Due to the irregular canonical status of SSPX, readers are counseled to approach any other texts on its website with prayerful caution.]
• “Appeal to prayer: ‘That Pope Francis may confirm the unchanging praxis of the Church with regard to the truth of the indissolubility of marriage'”, by Tomash Peta, Metropolitan Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana; Jan Pawel Lenga, Archbishop-Bishop Emeritus of Karaganda; and Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana, 18 January 2017. May be read online on this page at Rorate Coeli, and on this page of Regina; and reproduced in “Three bishops launch ‘spiritual crusade’ urging Pope to rebuke Communion for adulterers” at Life Site.
• Correctio Filialis de Haeresibus Propagates (Filial Correction), 16 July 2017. Available in pdf format on this page of Correctio filialis de haeresibus propagates.
• Declaration of Fidelity to the Church’s Unchangeable Teaching on Marriage and to Her Uninterrupted Discipline, 29 August 2016. May be read online (on this page) at Filial Appeal. See also: “Three cardinals sign statement defending magisterial teaching on the sacraments”, 3 Oct 2016, at Catholic Herald.
• The Misuse of Amoris Laetitia to Support Errors against the Catholic Faith: A Letter to the Supreme Pontiff Francis, to All Bishops in Communion with Him, and to the Rest of the Christian Faithful, by John Finnis and Germain Grisez. Available in pdf format through this page of The Way of the Lord Jesus.
• A Pastoral Appeal to the Bishops for an Apostolic Reaffirmation of the Gospel (Official Text), 22 April 2018. Available in pdf format and may be read on this page at Cura Pastoralis.
  • See also: “Priests Appeal to World’s Bishops to Address ‘Pastoral Crisis’ in the Church”, by Edward Pentin, May 2, 2018, at National Catholic Register; Raymond Arroyo’s interview of Raymond Cardinal Burke concerning the Pastoral Appeal, in the 3 May 2018 episode of World Over, published on 4 May 2018 by EWTN.
• Pledge of fidelity to the authentic teaching of the Church, by pro-life and pro-family leaders, 12 December 2017. May be read online at Pledge of Fidelity; and republished in the article “Pro-Life Leaders: Faithful To True Doctrine, Not To Erring Pastors”, December 12, 2017, at Voice of the Family. See also the article: “Pro-Life Leaders Pledge To Be Faithful To Catholic Doctrine”, December 11, 2017, at Church Militant.
• Profession of the Immutable Truths about Sacramental Marriage, by Tomash Peta, Archbishop Metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana; Jan Pawel Lenga, Archbishop-Bishop of Karaganda; and Athanasius Schneider, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Mary in Astana, 31 December 2017. May be read online at Scribd, and on this page of Life Site; and through the article Three Bishops Issue Profession of Truth About Sacramental Marriage at the National Catholic Register, which summarises the document.
  • Other signatories as of February 6, 2018 are Cardinal Janis Pujats, Emeritus Archbishop Metropolitan of Riga, Latvia; Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò of Italy and former apostolic nuncio to the United States; Luigi Negri, Archbishop emeritus of Ferrara-Comacchio, Italy; Bishop Andreas Laun, Emeritus Auxiliary of Salzburg, Austria; Rene Gracida, Bishop emeritus of Corpus Christi, Texas, USA; Marian Eleganti, auxiliary bishop of Chur, Switzerland; and Elmar Fischer, Bishop emeritus of Feldkirch, Austria.
  • See also these articles: “Three notes on Kazakhstan ‘Profession of the immutable truths about sacramental marriage’”, by Edward N. Peters, 2 January 2018 at the Catholic World Report; “Tenth bishop signs ‘Profession of Immutable Truths’ in defense of marriage” at Catholic Citizens of Illinois; and “A Second Look at the Kazakh Bishops’ ‘Profession’”, by Fr. Gerald Murray, 27 January 2018, at The Catholic Thing.
• “Seeking Clarity: A Plea to Untie the Knots in Amoris Laetitia” (Dubia), by Cardinals Walter Brandmüller, Raymond L. Burke, Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, and Joachim Meiser, September 19, 2016. May be read online on this page at the National Catholic Register.
• “Statement of the Confraternities of Catholic Clergy”, reproduced in “‘Clarification is gravely needed’: international priests’ association gives support to dubia”, 1 February 2017, at the Catholic Herald.

III. Other Commentaries on “Amoris laetitia”

• “Amoris Laetitia Joy, Sadness and Hopes”, by Professor Josef Seifert, Aemaet: Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Theologie, vol. 5, no. 2 (2016): pp. 160-249. Available in pdf format (here) at may be read (on this page) at Aemaet, with the abstract on this page.
• “Doctrine, Law and Practice in Light of Mitis Iudex and Amoris Laetitia”, by Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki. (Diocese of Springfield, IL, May 2, 2017). Keynote Address at the North West Regional Canon Law Convention held in Portland, Oregon on May 2, 2017. May be read online (on this page) at Catholic Culture; and available in pdf format on this page of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois.
• “Does Pure Logic Threaten to Destroy the Entire Moral Doctrine of the Catholic Church?”, by Josef Seifert, Aemaet: Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift für Philosophie und Theologie, vol. 6, no. 2 (2017): pp. 2-9. Available in pdf format (here) through this page at Aemaet; and may be read online (on this page) at Rorate Coeli.

On Divine Mercy Sunday, 2018; and on the anniversary of the release of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on Love in the Family “Amoris laetitia”. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways… And if I shall say to the wicked: Thou shalt surely die: and he do penance for his sin and do judgment and justice; And if that wicked man restore the pledge, and render what he had robbed, and walk in the commandments of life, and do no unjust thing, he shall surely live, and shall not die.” (Ezechiel xxxiii, 11, 14-15)

“‘Neither will I condemn you.’ What is this, O Lord? Do You therefore favor sins? Not so, evidently. Mark what follows: ‘Go, henceforth sin no more’. Therefore the Lord did also condemn, but condemned sins, not man. For if He were a patron of sin, He would say, Neither will I condemn you; go, live as you will: be secure in my deliverance; how much soever you will sin, I will deliver you from all punishment even of hell, and from the tormentors of the infernal world. He said not this…

“The Lord is gentle, the Lord is long-suffering, the Lord is pitiful; but the Lord is also just, the Lord is also true. He bestows on you space for correction; but you love the delay of judgment more than the amendment of your ways… You are always expecting, and from the mercy of God makest exceeding great promises to yourself. As if He, who has promised you pardon through repentance, promised you also a longer life. How do you know what tomorrow may bring forth?…

“Accordingly, for the sake of those who are in danger by despair, He has offered us a refuge of pardon; and because of those who are in danger by hope, and are deluded by delays, He has made the day of death uncertain… Thus therefore said He to the woman, ‘Neither will I condemn you’; but, being made secure concerning the past, beware of the future. ‘Neither will I condemn you’: I have blotted out what you have done; keep what I have commanded you, that you may find what I have promised.” (St. Augustine, Tractate xxxiii on the Gospel of John, 6-8.)

Text and audiobook: “Into the Breach: An Apostolic Exhortation to the Men of the Diocese of Phoenix”, by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted

Sagrada Familia, by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo. Image from Wikipedia

See these online texts:

• Into the Breach: An Apostolic Exhortation to the Men of the Diocese of Phoenix, by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, September 29, 2015 (Diocese of Phoenix, 2015). Available in pdf format (on this page of Into the Breach; and on this page of the Knights of Columbus. Also available at document Issuu.com (linked by Catholic Men’s Ministry). Excerpts are made online on this page of Pagadian Diocese and on this page of Church Militant.  
  • The audiobook is available on SoundCloud (linked by Into the Breach)
  • The official trailer to the document may be found at Youtube (linked by Women of Grace)
• Into the Breach: Study Guide for College Men (New Haven, Connecticut: College Councils Department) is available in pdf format on this page through the Knights of Columbus.
• Forward! Into the Breach! A Compendium Workbook to ‘Into the Breach’, by Anthony J. Castellano (May 9, 2016) is available in pdf format at on this page (linked by Catholic Men’s Ministry) and on this page at Forward into the Breach.

One may also read the following articles and posts discussing the document:

• “An Apostolic exhortation to Catholic men by Bishop Thomas Olmsted”, republished at Gaudium Press.
• “Bishop Olmsted Calls Men Into the Breach” by Luma Simms, at Crisis Magazine.
• “Bishop Olmsted issues apostolic exhortation on masculinity” by Tony Gutierrez, at Catholic Sun.
• “A Bishop Speaks to the Men of His Flock”, by Jim Graves, at Catholic World Report. (linked by Diocese of Phoenix)
• “Book Review:  Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Into the Breach” by Fr. Ben Cameron, at Fathers of Mercy.
• “Film, document from Phoenix challenges men to go ‘Into the Breach’” by Jim Graves, at OSV Newsweekly (linked by the Diocese of Phoenix)
• “Into the Breach” by Brian Fraga, at Legatus Magazine.
• “Into the Breach – Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted’s Letter to the Catholic Men in the Diocese of Phoenix” by Tom Perna.

On the Feast of Saint Joseph, foster father of our divine Lord Jesus Christ and chaste husband of our Lord’s Blessed Mother, in the Latin church. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject). 

“Up, then, gird thee like a man, and speak out all the message I give thee. Meet them undaunted, and they shall have no power to daunt thee. Strong I mean to make thee this day as fortified city, or pillar of iron, or wall of bronze, to meet king, prince, priest of Juda, and common folk all the country through; impregnable thou shalt be to their attack; am I not at thy side, the Lord says, to deliver thee?” (Jeremias i, 17-19)

Texto en linea: “Colaboración del Hombre y la Mujer”, por la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe

Ver este texto en linea:

• Carta a los Obispos de la Iglesia Católica sobre la Colaboración del Hombre y la Mujer en la Iglesia y el Mundo, por la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe, el 31 de mayo de 2004. Disponible en Vatican Information Service, Santa Sede, Agencia Informativa Católica Argentina, y esta pagina de Catholic.net.

En el Día Internacional de la Mujer, 2018. Para más libros, por favor ingrese a la lista de los libros electrónicos gratis (Ordenados por título) y la lista de los libros gratis (Agrupados por tema).

[And if the grammar is wrong, please correct me. Gracias!]

Online ebook: “Dating: A Practical Catholic Guide”, by Dr. Jason E. King

Shrine of St. Valentine, Dublin. Photo by blackfish. Image from Wikipedia

See this online ebook:

• Dating: A Practical Catholic Guide, by Professor Jason E. King, Ph.D. (New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2007). Available in pdf format (here) at the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council – Catholic Information Service.
• See also “Teens And Dating”, an interview with Dr. King on his book, at Fathers for Good.

On the Eve of the Feast of Saint Valentine (Valentine’s Day). For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“God, from the first days of creation, made them man and woman. A man, therefore, will leave his father and mother and will cling to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. Why then, since they are no longer two, but one flesh, what God has joined, let not man put asunder.” (St. Mark x, 6-9)

Online ebook: “Of Holy Virginity”, by St. Augustine

Cropped from a photo by the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, MO-1621, online at Wikipedia.

See this online ebook:

• Of Holy Virginity [De Virginitate], by St. Augustine, translated by Rev. C. I. Cornish, M.A., of Exeter College. In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 3, edited by Philip Schaff (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887). The text, as revised and edited by Kevin Knight, may be read online (here) at New Advent’s Church Fathers library, and at the Logos Virtual Library. The text as printed may be read at Christian Classics Ethereal Library and at WikiSource.

One may also see the following related works, the links to most of which were previously posted on the Project:

• Concerning Virginity, by Saint Ambrose of Milan, translated by H. de Romestin, E. de Romestin and H.T.F. Duckworth, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 10, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1896.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. May be read online at New Advent: Book I, Book II, Book III. Available in PDF format atSaints’ Books. (See also the brief comments on this work by Sponsa Christi.)
• Draft of a Dogmatic Constitution on Chastity, Marriage, the Family, and Virginity, by the Preparatory Theological Commission for the Second Vatican Council, translated by Fr. Joseph A. Komonchak (2012). Available in pdf format (on this page) at In Verbo Veritatis.
• Encyclical “Sacra Virginitas” on Consecrated Virginity, by the Venerable Pope Pius XII, 25 March 1954. May be read online at the Holy See and Papal Encyclicals.net. With an explanation in relation to priestly celibacy at EWTN Library.
• On Virginity, by St. Gregory of Nyssa (about 370 AD), translated by William Moore and Henry Austin Wilson, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 5, edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1893). (A) The audiobook, read by Geremia, is available at Internet Archive and LibriVox. (B) The text, as revised and edited by Kevin Knight, may be read online (here) at New Advent’s Church Fathers library. The text as printed may be read at WikiSource and at Elpenor.
• Sponsa Verbi: The Virgin Consecrated to Christ: Spiritual Conferences, by Blessed Columba Marmion, O.S.B., translated from the French by Dom. Francis Izard, O.S.B. With 1925 Imprimatur. May be read online (on this page) at Liturgia Latina. Available in PDF format through this page of Consecrated Virginity: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5. Also available in PDF format through this page (which is possibly a mirror of Consecrated Virginity): Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5.

On the Feast of Saint Agatha, and in advance of the Feast of Dorothea of Caesarea, in the Roman Rite. For more legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“To the unmarried, and to the widows, I would say that they will do well to remain in the same state as myself, but if they have not the gift of continence, let them marry… 

“I would have you free from concern. He who is unmarried is concerned with God’s claim, asking how he is to please God; whereas the married man is concerned with the world’s claim, asking how he is to please his wife; and thus he is at issue with himself. So a woman who is free of wedlock, or a virgin, is concerned with the Lord’s claim, intent on holiness, bodily and spiritual; whereas the married woman is concerned with the world’s claim, asking how she is to please her husband… I am thinking of what is suitable for you, and how you may best attend on the Lord without distraction…

“Thus, a man is well advised to give his ward in marriage, and still better advised not to give her in marriage.” (I Corinthians vii, 8-9, 32-35, 38)

“If any one saith, that the marriage state is to be placed above the state of virginity, or of celibacy, and that it is not better and more blessed to remain in virginity, or in celibacy, than to be united in matrimony; let him be anathema.” (Council of Trent, Session XXIV, canon x)

Online text: Letter to Families “Gratissimam Sane”, by Pope St. John Paul II

See this online text:

• 

  Image from Wikipedia

  Letter to Families “Gratissimam Sane”, by Pope St. John Paul II, February 2, 1994. May be read online at the Holy See. An ebook of the text, with an Introduction by Carl A. Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus (New Haven, CT: Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, 2001), is available in pdf format (here). A shortened version or summary of the letter, by Fr Richard Aladics, is available in pdf format on this page at XT3.

• The text is offered for sale on this page at EWTN Religious Catalogue; on this page at Seton Educational Media. An ebook, Letter to Families: The Saint’s Reflections on the Grandeur of Marriage and Family Life, by St. John Paul II, with a Foreword, by Most Rev. Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Philadelphia, is offered for sale on this page at Sophia Institute Press.
• See also the essay “Families Get a Special Letter from Pope John Paul II”, by Father John McCloskey, at CatholiCity.

On the Feast of the Presentation of the Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Purification of His Blessed Mother (Candlemas) in the one true and Catholic Church. For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

Online text: “Doctrine, Law and Practice in Light of Mitis Iudex and Amoris Laetitia”, by Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki

See this online text:

• “Doctrine, Law and Practice in Light of Mitis Iudex and Amoris Laetitia”, by Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki (Diocese of Springfield, IL, May 2, 2017). Keynote Address at the North West Regional Canon Law Convention held in Portland, OR on May 2, 2017. May be read online (on this page) at Catholic Culture.

Cropped from photo by www.dominicos.net, available on Wikimedia

On the Feast of St. Raymund of Peñafort in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.  For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“How many there are who have the temerity to come to the Holy Table with sins unconfessed or disguised in Confession. How many have not the contrition that the good God demands of them, and keep a secret will to commit sin again and not to make every effort to correct themselves… If ever you have been in these dispositions when going to Holy Communion, you have been guilty of sacrilege…

“The unworthy communicant is a traitor and a hypocrite… The unworthy communicant is an ungrateful person… The unworthy communicant is a parricide.” (St. John Vianney)

Online text: “Allocution to the Italian Association of Large Families” by Pope Pius XII

See this online text:

• “Allocution to the Italian Association of Large Families”, by the Venerable Pope Pius XII, January 20, 1958. Under the title “The Large Family”, from The Pope Speaks (Spring 1958), it may be read online on this page of Catholic Culture.
• Excerpts of the address may be found in “Family”, a collection of statements of the magisterium, on this page of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

In belated observance of the feast of Blessed Eurosia Fabris (Mamma Rosa). For other legally free ebooks, you may access the List of Free eBooks (Arranged by Title) and the List of Free eBooks (Grouped by Subject).

“Behold the inheritance of the Lord are children: the reward, the fruit of the womb.” (Psalm cxxvii, 3 Douay-Rheims)

Blessed Pope Paul VI during Second Vatican Council. Photo by Lothar Wolleh. Image from Wikimedia Commons

“God Himself… wishing to share with man a certain special participation in His own creative work, blessed male and female, saying: “Increase and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). Hence… the true practice of conjugal love, and the whole meaning of the family life which results from it, have this aim: that the couple be ready with stout hearts to cooperate with the love of the Creator and the Savior. Who through them will enlarge and enrich His own family day by day.

Parents should regard as their proper mission the task of transmitting human life and educating those to whom it has been transmitted. They should realize that they are thereby cooperators with the love of God the Creator, and are, so to speak, the interpreters of that love…

Thus, trusting in divine Providence and refining the spirit of sacrifice, married Christians glorify the Creator and strive toward fulfillment in Christ when with a generous human and Christian sense of responsibility they acquit themselves of the duty to procreate. Among the couples who fulfil their God-given task in this way, those merit special mention who with a gallant heart and with wise and common deliberation, undertake to bring up suitably even a relatively large family.” (Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution “Gaudium et spes” on the Church in the Modern World, 7 December 1965)