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To: Maximilian
I wouldn't blame Abp. Lefebvre's parents just because his kid was a schismatic. :) Only teasing.

But to your first posting: I know what you are saying about there being a lack of holiness among the married vocations. And that's my point: we need guidance into holiness, not just into spiritual mediocrity! But all our examples are virgins and martyrs... precious few providers, lovers and parents.

Choose any other form of worship, and you'll find libraries expounding on it. But try finding how one goes about making the consummation of a marriage into a worshipful act, and you're pretty much left to personal revelation!
35 posted on 04/05/2004 2:26:06 PM PDT by dangus
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To: dangus
But try finding how one goes about making the consummation of a marriage into a worshipful act, and you're pretty much left to personal revelation!

The consummation of marriage is a worshipful act.

SD

36 posted on 04/05/2004 2:28:06 PM PDT by SoothingDave
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To: dangus
we need guidance into holiness, not just into spiritual mediocrity! But all our examples are virgins and martyrs... precious few providers, lovers and parents.

Maybe there is a good reason for that. One must be a saint before one can be declared a saint. There is no "affirmative action" in the canon of saints. God does not have an obligation to spread holiness around equally. As Christ said to the rich young man, "If you wish to be perfect, you must sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and come follow me." St. Paul reiterated that the vocation to the consecrated life is a higher calling. This has likewise been the teaching of the Catholic Church for 2000 years. If one is looking for Hall of Fame ballplayers, one doesn't look in the minor leagues.

But try finding how one goes about making the consummation of a marriage into a worshipful act, and you're pretty much left to personal revelation!

Again, one should assume that there is a good reason for that. When has it ever been said that the consummation of a marriage is a worshipful act? I think you're looking for something in Catholic theology that just isn't there -- at least it was never there until the innovations of the last couple decades. Like Sherlock Holmes' "dog that didn't bark," we can learn a lesson from traditional Catholic theology that didn't ever teach that consummation of the marriage act was "worshipful."

What Catholic theology has taught instead is that the marriage act must be subordinated to a higher purpose, which is the procreation and education of children. Thus any glorification of the act for its own sake is going to be counter to traditional Catholic theology.

38 posted on 04/05/2004 2:52:33 PM PDT by Maximilian
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