Missouri bishop blames ‘mentality of sterility’ for crisis in family life

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Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau James V. Johnston

St. Louis, Mo., Oct 8, 2009 / 03:25 am (CNA).- A Missouri bishop has decried a “mentality of sterility,” naming it as a main factor in the present crisis of family life. He predicted that the renewal of the family and the Church would take place only when Catholics rediscover their “call to fruitfulness.”

Speaking at a Sept. 26 workshop for the assembly of the Missouri Catholic Conference, Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau James V. Johnston said that all love “tends toward an incarnation” and requires the “daily cultivation of the soul” in holiness.

“It is a call that we must respond to anew each day to God’s question, ‘Where are you?’”

According to the St. Louis Review, the bishop said family life is now in crisis because it is formed in a mentality of sterility. He compared contraception within marriage as the “sacrament” of this attitude.

Family life, the culture and the Church will only be renewed when the “domestic church” rediscovers “its call to fruitfulness at every level.”

In comments after his speech, Bishop Johnston said the Church can save the world by starting with the family. True love, freely given and unconditional, faithful to the end and fruitful, is revealed by Jesus on the Cross.

The bishop noted that in many dioceses the number of sacramental marriages is decreasing even as the numbers of Catholics increase.

But marriage and family is where a Christian “learns the discipleship of Christ and learns to say yes to God.”

Other topics at the Conference assembly included workshops on poverty, school choice, immigration, social networking, saving Catholic schools, pro-life legislators and Missouri’s response to the economic downturn, the St. Louis Review reports.

The assembly also honored five Missourians for promoting the common good. They included Cindy Finney of Mary Queen of Peace Parish in Webster Groves, a founder of First Friends of Immigrants and Refugees. She was given the Citizen Recognition Award for her work helping immigrants and refugees.

Comments: 6

Subscriber comments:

Published by: Tom R.
Columbus, OH 10/10/2009 10:15 AM EST

MY DEAR WORMWOOD, Yes; courtship is the time for sowing those seeds which will grow up ten years later into domestic hatred... Avail yourself of the ambiguity in the word "Love": let them think they have solved by Love problems they have in fact only waived or postponed under the influence of the enchantment. While it lasts you have your chance to foment the problems in secret and render them chronic… The erotic enchantment produces a mutual complaisance in which each is really pleased to give in to the wishes of the other… You must make them establish as a Law for their whole married life that degree of mutual self-sacrifice which is at present sprouting naturally out of the enchantment, but which, when the enchantment dies away, they will not have charity enough to enable them to perform. They will not see the trap, since they are under the double blindness of mistaking sexual excitement for charity and of thinking that the excitement will last.

Published by: William James, PhD
Sacramento/CA/USA 10/09/2009 01:32 AM EST

Bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau James V. Johnston has hit upon the best answer to the supression of Catholicism by the civil authority in the U.S. If we Catholics simply had as many babies per marriage as God intended, we would soon be a majority of the population. This in turn would let us determine the government via democratic elections. Catholicism would be supressed no more, and we could live our faith in freedom.

Published by: joy in MO
MO 10/08/2009 03:36 PM EST

If only ALL the MO Bishops were like this. There is still one holdout, pray for him. Praise God for all the others.

Published by: Anna Kelly
Missouri 10/08/2009 01:38 PM EST

I am VERY proud to say that this wonderful Man of God is Bishop of the diocese in which I live. We are very blessed to have him with us. He is definitely not afraid to speak the truth!

Published by: Leticia Velasquez
Canterbury, CT 10/08/2009 11:33 AM EST

Three cheers for the bishop. Catholic families must rediscover the joys of the Domestic Church which they left behind in healong pursuit of the 'good life' promised by materialism. Living fruitfully is the good life. Pleasing God in our married vocation is the good life.

Published by: Tom Seeker
Pensacola 10/08/2009 10:05 AM EST

Thank God for Bishops who are not afraid of speaking the truth!!

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