The People Speak Out

Local voices connecting globally

This is important: to get to know people, listen, expand the circle of ideas. The world is crisscrossed by roads that come closer together and move apart, but the important thing is that they lead towards the Good.  (Pope Francis)

Canon Law 212 calls upon the laity to speak up:

2 - The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.

§3. - According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.

My wife and I were happily married throughout her life. We were blest with seven children who, with our 23 grandchildren, are the joy of our life. It was tough going at times, and our attempts to regulate the number of children by “natural” means were anything but! We tried the temperature and calendar methods based on the so-called safe period and found in our case that, far from safe, they made us feel as though we were monitoring a disease, not looking forward to spontaneous love-making. When our seventh child was on the way we discussed the matter with our outstanding Army padre who advised us that barrier contraception would be well justified in our circumstances and subjecting our family to avoidable tension by trying to stick to Church rules was too high a price to pay for peace in the lives of us and the children. Notwithstanding Humane Vitae we took his advice: he was our shepherd on the spot and knew the full story. We and of course our children continued living our Faith in joy, with no question of abstaining from our essential spiritual food, the Eucharist. They now all have children of their own and love God, each other, their brothers and sisters and their neighbour as well as God’s grace makes it possible for us.{jcomments on}