Letters

Culture of life needed

Fr Bernard McGrath

Contents - Oct 2013 - Buy a copy now Editorial: Postscript on the Australian elections - Peter Westmore Pope Francis to consecrate world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary - Peter Westmore News: The Church Around the World Frassati Australia and the New Evangelisation - Fr Paul Chandler OSCE Conference: The new face of religious intolerance - Bishop Mario Toso The Catholic Church is holy, despite its members' sins - Audrey English Interview: Why science needs faith - Professor Dominique Lambert The priesthood and the Catholic faith - Fr John O'Neill PP Church of Divine Mercy in Singapore: an amazing discovery - Kazimierz Kozlowski Blessed Jacinta Marto: heroine of Fatima - Cedric Wright Letters: Dr Mobbs replies ... - Frank Mobbs Letters: Exaggeration? - Noel Keith Roberts Letters: Humanae Vitae - Ron Graham Letters: Moral failure - John Wynter Letters: Harmful effects - Richard Grant, Willie Chenhall, Maryse Usher Letters: Creator's plan - Clare Ryan Letters: Culture of life needed - Fr Bernard McGrath Letters: Anti-religious bigotry - Peter Kamsma Events: Spiritual Exercises in Bowral, December 2013 Books: A Book of Saints and Heroes, Heroines, by Joanna Bogle - Val Prendergast (reviewer) Books: COURAGE AND CONVICTION, by Joanna Bogle - Peter Westmore (reviewer) Books: ON THE LEFT BANK OF THE TIBER, by Fr Gerald O'Collins SJ - Frank Mobbs Books: THE FREEDOM OF LOVE, by Rafael de Santiago - Br Barry Coldrey (reviewer) Support: Launch of 2013 Fighting Fund - Peter Westmore Books: Order books from www.freedompublishing.com.au Reflection: Bishop Fisher: Young Catholics must be Christ in the world - Bishop Anthony Fisher

Today, nearly all developed countries, 40 per cent of the world's population in 70 countries, produce more coffins than cradles because of their declining birth rates.

An anti-life contraceptive mentality has taken over in the West for selfish convenience, recreational sex has separated love-making from baby-making.

As predicted, contraception invariably leads to other behaviours which further lessen birth rates and even life-expectancy.

The loss of respect for life and motherhood leads to abortion, infanticide, sterilisation, infidelity, divorce, homosexuality, same-sex marriage, assisted suicide, euthanasia and even imposed population controls in some countries.

Human life is becoming cheap and disposable, subject to design, to utility, and a use-by date like in animal breeding.

The natural laws of healthy human sexual behaviour have been deduced by philosophers, confirmed by common experience and scientific evidence, and lived out by many prosperous societies.

We defy these laws at our peril. No one can claim a "right" to deny the basic prior rights of natural law.

When love-making and baby-making (the unitive and procreative act) are separated, the full self-giving love and openness to new life are missing.

Anti-life behaviour and sexual perversions make a culture of death, and are literally wiping out societies in many countries across the world.

God bless all those married couples who enjoy living and loving generously open to new life. We badly need such families today for a prosperous culture of true love and life. If such families are celebrated and supported, we will have no more worries about declining birth rates.

FR BERNARD McGRATH
Bendigo, Vic

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 26 No 9 (October 2013), p. 15