Category Archives: theology of the body

Avoiding marital sexual sins

Posted on 15 February 2012 by Ron Conte

This is not what most Catholics want to hear. But it is true, and it is crucial to avoid grave sin, so I will say it again and again. YOU CANNOT HAVE A MARRIAGE THAT IS PLEASING TO GOD, UNLESS … Continue reading →

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Abortifacient Contraception for a Medical Purpose

Posted on 2 February 2012 by Ron Conte

This question is frequently asked in discussion groups: Can a woman take oral contraceptives, if they are prescribed by her doctor for a medical purpose? Everyone agrees that if the woman is not sexually active, then the contraceptive pill is … Continue reading →

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new book on Marital Sexual Ethics

Posted on 1 February 2012 by Ron Conte

I’ve just published my lastest book of Catholic moral theology: Roman Catholic Marital Sexual Ethics [Kindle Edition] Chapter List: 1: The Basis for Morality 2: Knowingly Chosen Acts 3: The Three Fonts of Morality 4: Abortion and Contraception 5: Artificial … Continue reading →

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The Marital, Unitive, and Procreative Meanings

Posted on 6 October 2011 by Ron Conte

Philosophically speaking, evil does not exist. God is good, and all that God created is good. Nothing exists except God and all that God created. So then, what is evil? Evil is a deprivation of goodness; it is an absence … Continue reading →

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The canonization of Christopher West’s theology of the body

Posted on 2 September 2011 by Ron Conte

When I compare what Pope John Paul II said in his theology of the body lecture series to what Christopher West teaches on the same subject, the two are not at all the same. John Paul’s theology is deeply philosophical … Continue reading →

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Which sexual acts are moral, and which are immoral? Sexual ethics and the three fonts of morality

Posted on 17 May 2011 by Ron Conte

There are three fonts of morality: 1. intention, 2. moral object, 3, circumstances. Each and every knowingly chosen act of the human person has three fonts, and all three fonts must be good for the act to be moral (morally … Continue reading →

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Roman Catholic teaching on masturbation – part 1

Posted on 16 May 2011 by Ron Conte

Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: “in fact both the Magisterium of the Church — in the course of a constant tradition — and the moral sense of the faithful have declared without hesitation that masturbation is an … Continue reading →

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contra Jeff Mirus on Contraception

Posted on 8 May 2011 by Ron Conte

Introduction There are a number of different methods that are used today to reject the teaching of the Magisterium on any matter of faith, morals, or salvation. One approach is to treat all questions as if they were open to … Continue reading →

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New American Bible Revised Edition review of inclusive language 1

Posted on 6 April 2011 by Ron Conte

Some Background There has long been a cold war going on between the U.S. Bishops and the Holy See on the subject of inclusive language. The New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) is the latest salvo in that war. For … Continue reading →

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Catholic teaching on homosexuality 3: Saint Thomas Aquinas

Posted on 2 April 2011 by Ron Conte

In accord with Scripture and Tradition, St. Thomas condemns homosexual acts as a type of unnatural sexual act termed ‘the unnatural vice’. This terminology, referring to homosexual acts as unnatural, is in accord with Sacred Scripture: [Romans] {1:26} Because of … Continue reading →

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When is it moral to use Natural Family Planning?

Posted on 10 March 2011 by Ron Conte

Some Catholics reject NFP altogether, since they view it as essentially no different than contraception. But the Magisterium definitively teaches that contraception is intrinsically evil, and that NFP is not. Natural family planning uses periodic abstinence to reduce the likelihood … Continue reading →

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Proposed: A Papal Encyclical on Sexual Ethics

Posted on 7 March 2011 by Ron Conte

I intend to write a series of posts (one every week or two) detailing what a papal encyclical on sexual ethics might contain. Each post will cover a particular topic in sexual ethics. I will cite each existing teaching of … Continue reading →

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