Mukai / Vukani No.72 February 2017

Journal for the Province of Zimbabwe - Mozambique

MUKAI - VUKANI On Love in the Family

For Jesuits and Friends No.72 February 2017 www.jesuitszimbabwe.co.zw

In this edition 3.

Editorial - Amoris Laetitia: From Legalism to Discernment

Anold Moyo SJ 4.

The Agony Of Making A Choice. And Sticking To It!

Oskar Wermter SJ 6.

AIDS Disease and Discordant Couples: A Pastoral Care Perspective

Patrice Ndayisenga SJ 8.

Dancing Towards the Future: Pope Francis’ Letter on the Joy of Love Church and State: Civil Marriage and Church Wedding

Oskar Wermter SJ 11.

No. 72 February 2017

Published by Jesuit Communicaions Office of the Jesuit Province of

The Catholic Family in an Age of Biotechnological Revolution: the Task and the Challenge

Precious Nihorowa, CSSP 14.

Jesuit Journal for Zimbabwe - Mozambique Province .

David Harold-Barry SJ 10.

Mukai - Vukani

The Joy of Love Even When Love Gets Sick!

Valentine Nyaradzo Kagande

Zimbabwe– Mozambique as an in- house magazine for Jesuits and friends .

Editorial Office JesCom , 37 Admiral Tait Rd ,

16.

Cohabitation and Marriage Preparation

Martin Nyadewo SJ

Marlborough , Harare Tel 263 (4) 309623

18.

The Problem of “Natural Law” in Catholic Sexual Morality

Thabo Sibanda

Email : jescomzim@gmail.com or jescom@jesuitszimbabwe.co.zw Website :

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Have you or someone you know considered life as a

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Jesuit Priest or Brother ?

Editorial Team

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Fr Anold Moyo SJ,

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MUKAI / VUKANI No.72 February 2017

Kudakwashe Matambo

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EDITORIAL

Amoris Laetitia: From Legalism to Discernment

Babette's Feast is a 1987 film about a refugee French girl who prepares a lavish meal for a group of pious ascetics in an isolated 19th century Norwegian village. The meal turns out to be a liberating experience for the guests as the wall they had built around their lives is ruptured and they discover the beauty of life, from which their rigidity had long prevented them from experiencing.

This is the film that Pope Francis recommended in his response to those who criticise his approach in Amoris Laetitia and accuse him of causing grave confusion among the faithful by his teach-ings which seem to be out of sync with long-held Church doctrine, particularly on the matter of the reception of Communion by those in irregular states of marital life. The Pope criticises their rigidity and legalism, particularly as it exists among some of the clergy, and challenges them to move beyond moral legalism to the practice of moral discernment when dealing with people, especially given the complexity of human life.

Amoris Laetitia – The Joy of Love is a document that reflects on the "inexhaustible mystery of marriage and the family". The document follows the Synods on the Family that met in 2014 and 2015 to discuss the issue of the family within a contemporary cultural context that has brought challenges and concerns about the nature and future of marriage and the family. Love is the aspect of marriage and family that Francis puts much emphasis on. He recognises that love and tenderness should inspire and trans-form the

Church's teaching on marriage and family, for any teaching on marriage and family ungrounded in love becomes the defence of a dry and lifeless doctrine. Only through God's infinite love revealed in Christ can we fully understand the mystery of the Christian family.

While the Pope affirms the teaching of the Church on marriage and the family, he thinks that at times Church doctrine on marriage has been taught with the wrong emphasis, resulting in the presentation of an "artificial theological ideal of marriage" far removed from people's everyday concrete experiences.

This has exerted a burden of guilt among many of the faithful in the Church, many of whom think the Church lacks compassion towards those it labels as living in a state of sin or in irregular situations. Francis thus encourages a change of attitude by the Church towards such people and their situations. Thus while affirming the teaching of the Church, he urges that it be applied in a way that mercifully incorporates people into the Church rather than alienate them.

The Church ought to recognise and understand the complexity of the contemporary family and those of individual persons.

This understanding of people's situations has to be grounded in reality. An appreciation of this complexity should consequently lead to an acceptance of the fact that the Church's response to the challenges that people face cannot be a blanket one. Personal and pastoral discernment inspired by understanding and compassion is preferred over an approach that pigeonholes people into rigid classifications.

Amoris Laetitia reflects Pope Francis' quest to have a church that is less rigid and legalistic, one that is welcoming, inclusive and understanding of the intricacy of the human condition and therefore less judgemental. The Church should be a sacrament of God's love, mercy and tenderness.

Ministering to a world that is in constant flux, the Church ought to adopt a mind of discernment and avoid being selfreferential in its dealing with moral ques-tions, as well as refrain from monopolising the interpretation of social realities and the proposal of solutions to social and moral problems.

The Church ought to dialogue with reality and help each person encounter God, whatever the person's existential reality may be.

The following articles offer reflections that centre on the subject of family, marriage and Catholic sexual morality, inspired by Amoris Laetitia. We thank the contributors for their generosity. May you find them awakening!

Fr. Anold Moyo, SJ Editor

Vision Statement Mukai - Vukani ("Rise") Journal for the Jesuit Province of Zimbabwe - Mozambique serves as a Bulle n for Theological Reflec on among Jesuits in Zimbabwe - Mozambique and their friends. It tries to help us answer the ques on , What direc on do we have to follow in the light of the Word of God at this moment in me? Facilita ng dialogue among Jesuits and their friends based on study , prayer and discernment.

MUKAI / VUKANI No.72 February 2017

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The Agony Of Making A Choice - And Sticking To It!

Our world, the planet Earth we live in, has become one vast supermarket. It is expanding at a most rapid rate.

Grandmother hardly ever left her little village. Yesterday she told me, her son living in Canada sent her an air ticket for Ottawa. She has never set foot even outside Zimbabwe.

Young people with good A-level results can't find places at local universities. So what? Completely unafraid, they go to China, Outer Mongolia, or the Solomon Islands – as long as they get a degree course in medicine, environmental science or nautical engineering. There are no limits. Anything goes.

You are a girl. You can't box, play rugby or fly a jetfighter? How ridiculous! Of course you can. Go and be an aeronaut, circle the moon and catch planet Mars.

Why not? However, with so many choices and offers, what do I actually do? A girl used to get married and had children. Often enough the husband was even chosen for her, more or less. Men took over the work and social position

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of their fathers. The wife was supposed to come from a neighbouring, wellknown family ("kuroora vematongo") .

Not much choice, was there?

Now young men choose their careers and their future wives themselves. And so do the girls. They marry for love, they say. Or for prestige and glamour, pleasure and comfort, sex and entertainment? Let us be honest: does he love her as a person? Or does he seek her for things she has to offer? A suspicion is creeping in that she serves a particular purpose; once she has served that purpose she becomes disposable and can be exchanged. That is our new utilitarian culture.

Fr Oskar Wermter, SJ

con-nected or disconnected at the whim of the consumer. We treat affective relationships the way we treat material objects and the environment: everything is disposable; everyone uses and throws away, takes and breaks, exploits and squeezes to the last drop.

Then, goodbye. Narcissism makes people incapable of looking beyond them-selves, beyond their own desires and needs…." (Amoris Laetitia - Joy of The question is no longer: Are we giving Love, n. 39). ourselves to each other once and for all?

Now the question is: are we using each How do I actually choose the wife of my other for the time being, as long as we dreams? Do I go with my shopping list are useful to each other? into the supermarket where all the latest models are exhibited and record all the Look at the "speed with which people appealing features I see in a girl and tick move from one affective relationship to them off? Good looks, charm, amusing another. They believe that love can be MUKAI / VUKANI No.72 February 2017

personality, able home-builder, good cook, intelligent, sex appeal, able to give me children? Everything I need, regard as useful, beneficial to me as future "consumer" (husband!). No one is perfect, and this "wonder wife" won't be either. Nor are you the perfect husband, are you? Dream on, great hero, but you are not real.

My sister, how do you pick out the right husband? – He must be a good provider. He must look after my needs. Take care of my emotional wants and desires. And he should have what it takes physically, too, in earning power, bodily strength and, last but not least, sexual skill.

Each one says "I marry for love", but what they mean is the love they are being given, not the love they give themselves. "There are those who feel themselves capable of great love only because they have a great need for affection, yet they prove incapable of the effort needed to bring happiness to others. They remain caught up in their own needs and desires." (Joy of Love – Amoris Laetitia, 145).

The 'Joy of Love' lies first and foremost in giving, giving oneself, at times even forgetting self, presenting to the beloved what he has found out she longs for most.

And she knows this art of pleasing the beloved even better: gestures of tenderness, words of encouragement and praise, gentle smiles, an embrace, a hearty welcome, a delicious meal: inventiveness and creativity no end!

"Love is patient….Love never ends" (1 Cor 13: 4; 8). It is not for quick consumption. It is to last, to grow, to increase and mature. It is a journey of discovery. If you just love yourself, you come to an end quickly. If you love her or him you take time. "Charity [ = love between the spouses] by its very nature, has no limits to its increase, for it is a participation in that infinite charity which is the Holy Spirit" (Joy of Love, 134).

Love is not a game where one only dictates the rules on one's own terms, for one's own advantage. 'Marriage is a building site'. It is team work,

you do not know the outcome for sure. "A love that fails to grow is at risk". It must ever move forward, never backwards. "The combination of two different ways of thinking can lead to a synthesis that enriches both" (Joy of Love, 139). If you really open up to the ever surprising other, there are always new angles to discover. You see the world through the eyes of him or her, in a new vision.

If both of you open up to your Lord and Creator, you will gain a much wider horizon. The Creator of all is not narrow-minded, self-centred, stuck in a rut: he is the ever greater God without limits, and opens up a life for us without limits. The potential that you both as man and woman command is to be developed for the benefit of both of you, and the children and family. Think of a father who can share so much of his life's experience with his sons, a mother whose love makes the daughters blossom and become beautiful!

Marriage is a "new responsibility for another person. This is much more meaningful than a mere spontaneous association for mutual gratification, which would turn marriage into a purely private affair. That is why marriage is more than a fleeting fashion; it is of enduring importance.

Its essence derives from our human nature and social character, born of love itself, a love so serious and generous that it is ready to face any risk" (Joy of Love, 131).

Love has no end. It lasts and leads to faithfulness. You are to walk this path together to its final destination.

This is not enforced, you are not shackled down, you are not imprisoned against your will. You do this freely giving yourself once and for all, and time and time again. And in giving you also receive, "anyone who wishes to give love, must also receive love as a gift" (Joy of Love, 137). All this giving and receiving is summed up in intimacy, in the sexual union, which becomes fruitful in children.

"Sexuality is not a means of gratification or entertainment; it is an interpersonal language wherein the MUKAI / VUKANI No.72 February 2017

other is taken seriously, in his or her sacred and inviolable dignity….it must be seen as a gift from God that enriches the relationship of the spouses" (Joy of Love, 151 -52).

Time and again in their intimacy the spouses deepen and mature their love. Early excitement will transform into tenderness and gentleness. There can be great beauty in a mature couple who are still in love.

But couples may also fail to follow that beautiful path. "Sex often becomes depersonalized and unhealthy; as a result, 'it becomes the occasion and instrument for selfassertion and the selfish satisfaction of personal desires and instincts'. In our own day, sexuality risks being poisoned by the mentality of 'use and discard'. The body of the other is often viewed as an object to be used as long as it offers satisfaction, and rejected once it is no longer appealing."

This consumerist and user mentality prevents couples from offering themselves and making their bodies a gift of themselves. "A conjugal act imposed on one's spouse without regard to his or her condition is no true act of love when reciprocal belonging turns into domination, the structure of communion in interpersonal relations is essentially changed. Every form of sexual submission must be clearly rejected.

Love excludes every kind of subjection whereby the wife might become a servant or a slave of the husband. The community or unity which they should establish through marriage is constituted by a reciprocal donation of self, which is also a mu-tual subjection" (Joy of Love, 153 – 56, cf. "Be subject to one another" [Ephesians 5: 21]).

Making the right choice at the beginning should not be done in haste. You choose for a lifetime. The choice you make once has to be made time and time again. The first love you give, you want to give ever anew, growing in depth, sustained by the Spirit, embracing all your loved ones, as your family grows. A truly loving couple has ample room for children and indeed neighbours, friends, who are in need of love too.

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AIDS Disease and Discordant Couples: A Pastoral Care Perspective - Patrice Ndayisenga, SJ

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is the most devastating disease that has threatened humanity to the bone for the past three decades. It has managed to shake up the social, economic and spiritual fabric of human society. From a Church perspective, the threats of HIV and AIDS are significant to the spiritual growth of God's faithful. Inspired by the timeless wisdom of Saint Irenaeus: "the glory of God is a person fully

alive", it is no doubt Church pastors are coming to understand that pastoral care interventions are equally significant to AIDS inflicted patients as are social and medical care provisions.

It is in this line of thought that this article seeks to investigate the pastoral care dimension for couples in discordant unions. It starts with a brief overview of the extent of HIV

and AIDS in human society with special consideration of its impact on African communities. It also offers an analytical examination of the ethical dilemma that comes along when AIDS attacks one of the spouses in a family. Lastly, it will offer a pastoral care perspective visà-vis the challenges posed by the pandemic within couples in need of progeny for survival.

Facts about the Disease The first recognized case of AIDS occurred in the USA in the early 1980s. HIV was later discovered in 1983 at the Institut Pasteur (France) and was recognized as the official virus that causes the AIDS disease.

HIV is a "lentivirus", slow virus, which attacks the immune system. It is normally transmitted through sexual intercourse, contaminated syringes and blood.

For over 30 years, the world has endured the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS during which 78 million have become infected, 39 million have lost their lives, and 35 million currently carry the virus in their blood system, 70 percent of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa. Thanks to the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART), the disease can now be monitored and treated almost like a chronic illness. Presently 38% of all adults living with HIV have access to this life-saving treatment.

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reportedly held that in the 2008 UN-AIDS report 35% of new infections in Uganda had occurred in serod i s c o r d a n t relationships.

Despite its escalating rate, the prevention of the AIDS pandemic is relatively simple, because its modes of transmission are clearly known, but at the same time AIDS is a complex reality to prevent, since it is linked to the most sensitive patterns of human relations. There have been hot de-bates about the best ways to contain the spread of the pandemic, some healthcare policy makers emphasizing the approach of "Abstinence, Be faithful, or Condom use (ABC)" while others insisting on "Condom use, Needles provision, and Ne-gotiation (CNN)" method. It is important to realize that such debates have also been sources of contentious relationships between faith-based healthcare providers and government-supported o rg a n i z a t i o n s ; c o n s e q u e n t l y disjointing efforts towards a properly coordinated taskforce among all anti-AIDS activists.

Discordant Couples and Ethical Dilemma One of the reasons why AIDS is so sensitive is because it touches on

many aspects of conscience and morality. There are various moral dilemmas which emerge with the advent of AIDS in cultures and nations, the worst scenario being its occur-rence in serodiscordant relations whereby one of the married spouses is HIV positive and the other partner is negative. Such couples face several uncertainties touching on the fundamental aspects of their union. They often battle with the very fact of struggling with the painful uncertainty about their future and that of their children, fear of HIV transmission, perplexes about social discrimination, shifts in emotional intimacy, impact on sexuality, and dilemmas regarding reproductive choices.

In Africa alone, the phenomenon of HIV/AIDS discordant couples is real and worth our pastoral attention. The 2009 UNAIDS survey demonstrated that in Swaziland 17% of infected married couples were discordant, in Zambia they were 11%, and in Kenya 6%. It is also important to note that much of new HIV infections often occur within discordant relationships. It was

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In examining the ethical dilemmas facing discordant couples, it is important to keep in mind that these victims of the AIDS pandemic face hard moments as they deal with the compelling pressures of willing to become parents, of achieving their full integration into community by giving birth to their own children, of normalizing their personal happiness and fulďŹ llment, and their wish to feel like other normal people by proving their capacity to have offspring they call their own. In brief, discordant couples are fully aware of their right to parenthood, even though they are challenged by the fears around the need, ďŹ rstly, to express their sexual life for each other and avoid at the same time the risk of HIV transmission, and secondly, the need to exercise their reproductive rights and at the same time avoid the risk of transmitting HIV to their hoped-forchild.

Regardless of the amount of precaution discordant couples may wish to apply, there is always a certain amount of risk whenever the spouses decide to engage in an unprotected sexual intercourse. In fact, though at varying degrees, any sexual intercourse with an HIV infected person is open to risks of contaminating the uninfected partner. Hence, questions arise as to whether it should be advisable for couples in discordant union to still engage in sexual intercourse; keeping in mind that this act is one of their rig

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Dancing Towards the Future Pope Francis’ letter on the Joy of Love

Amoris Laetitia, The Joy of Love, is Pope Francis' letter collecting the thinking of the bishops from all over the world on the family after the two sessions of the Synod in Rome.

What strikes one immediately is the focus on celebrating the family: "I thank God" he says, "that many families, that are far from considering themselves perfect, live in love, fulfil their calling and keep moving forward, even if they fall many times along the way" (#57). I was not alone in expecting some changes, some easing of the rules for people in a second marriage, for example, to enable them to receive Communion. But there was no consensus on this and it could have been divisive to come down on one side. Francis wants all in the Church to move forward together.

So there are no new rules and no insistence on keeping old ones. On

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the contrary, the letter breathes an atmosphere of responsibility; parents and families, bishops, priests and communities are called to exercise their discretion and think with the Church without reaching immediately for the rule book. Because there is nothing dramatic in the letter, some might quickly assign it to a bookshelf. That would be a mistake. The Pope has drawn on the experience of the universal Church, past and present, to give us a thoroughly pastoral and compassionate message of encouragement with regard to marriage and family life.

But it needs study, and it is long – 325 paragraphs – and detailed, and the challenge it poses is how to get it into the hands of people, especially in their early years of marriage. Like all papal documents in the past ten years it is more "user friendly" in its immediacy. But it still de-mands the MUKAI / VUKANI No.72 February 2017

Fr David Harold-Barry, SJ attention people in our "instant sound bite" world find hard to master. It cries out to be chopped up into manageable sections; chapter four, for instance, Love in Marriage, is a beautiful mediation on love and could be a helpful little booklet on its own.

Marriage is as old as humanity and traditionally it was seen as a building b lo ck f o r t h e co h es io n o f th e community or tribe. It was at the service of society. The Christian gospel built on this basis but goes on to proclaim that marriage is at the service of man and woman and the children they may have.

blessings flow to all the family. This has been seen time and time again but it still goes against the grain of our modern culture.

Mar riage is not so much at the service of society but society is at the service of marriage. Family is the place where a person finds their first roots and marriage is the foundation. Francis has no time for "wasting our energy in doleful laments" about the crisis in marriage today (#57).

Marriage has been under attack in a culture reeling from the blows of emancipation from traditional behaviour on the one hand and economic insecurity on the other. But it is still a beautiful reality for us to foster.

Today it is hard for young people, in developed as well as developing countries, to get a stable job and a reliable salary. As a result they struggle to get a mortgage for a house. And this insecurity makes them reluctant to risk a permanent relationship. So their lives are coloured by impermanence. In such a context there is little point in the Church insisting on rules. Yet she desires to hold on to the ideal and asks each parish, which Francis describes as "a family of families" (#202) to take on the pastoral care of families. This in turn calls for pastors - priests, religious,

And here is a flavour of the whole letter: "Young love needs to keep dancing towards the future with immense hope.

Hope is the leaven that, in those first years of engagement and marriage, makes it possible to look beyond arguments, conflicts and problems and to see things in a broader perspective. … The pleasure of belonging to one another leads to seeing life as a common project putting the other's happiness before my own… As love matures it learns to 'negotiate'" (#219, 220) and the partners learn to listen to one another. And, towards the end, Francis quotes Bonhoeffer; "The spiritual journey of each needs to lay h e l p t h e m t o a c e r t a i n people 'disillusionment' with regard to the – t o b e other" (#320). There is a limit to the e q u i p p e d t o love even married people can give support families in each other. At the end of the day the their struggles. "We have only one we can fully love is God. long thought," Francis writes, And the only one who can fully love " t h a t s i m p l y b y s t r e s s i n g us is God. Wise married people doctrinal, bioethical and moral know the limits and accept them. issues, without encouraging openness to grace, we were providing sufficient support for families…. (but) marriage is a dynamic path to personal development and fulfilment" (#37), and this we have not stressed.

Finally, in an age when we are pained by revelations of the suffering of children, the letter has much to say about the sensitivity needed to meet their needs. "Despite our seemingly evolved sensibilities and all our refined psychological analyses, I ask myself if we are not becoming numb to the hurt in children's souls… Do we feel the immense psychological burden felt by children in families where the members hurt and mistreat one another, to the point of breaking the bonds of marital fidelity (#246)?" I have known families where children are left to their own devices. Francis insists they need wise help; not too much control and not too little.

What value do we give to papal letters? I wonder whether even we priests read them, let alone pastoral workers in our parishes? But where else would you find such sentiments as "people with disabilities are a gift for the family and an opportunity to grow in love" (#47)? In a society which wants independence, freedom and autonomy, the arrival of a person with a disability can seem an intolerable burden. And yet if they Do obtain a copy of this letter and c a n b e n d t h e i r t h i n k i n g t o read it a bit at a time as you would the w e l c o m i n g s u c h a p e r s o n , Bible. You will be surprised and delighted.

MUKAI / VUKANI No.72 February 2017

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Church and State: Civil Marriage and Church Wedding - Fr Oskar Wermter SJ However, in practice there are difficulties. Civil servants are at times tempted to give instructions to church ministers as if the State was in control also of spiritual and religious aspects of marriage. This would seem to contradict the No 7 quoted above that maintains that "State and the Church are independent and autonomous in their own spheres" (see Canon Law, c. 1071).

While the Church is committed to cooper-ation with the State, it also expects mutual respect and courtesy in dealing with each other. A Church minister is not an employee of the State. He / she acts on behalf of the Church in relation to the State. If the State wishes to change certain procedures, rules and regulations it is desirable that representatives of both sides sit down together for dialogue.

One side (e.g. the State) should not simply dictate what the other side is supposed to do. This would not agree with the two partners being "independent and autonomous in their own spheres".

The alliance between Church and State concerning marriage is an uneasy one.

the Church recognizes monogamy only. The State permits divorce for a number of reasons. The Catholic Church considers a Christian "While the State and the Church are marriage indissoluble. independent and autonomous in their own spheres, both are at the However, we can apply the No 7 of service of man. Their duty [is] to help the Independence Statement of the man fulfil his personal and social vocation. The more they cooperate, Catholic Bishops of 17 April 1980: the more effectively will they serve Church and State do wish to the good of all citizens. In this re- cooperate and "help man fulfill his spect the Church and the State are at personal and social vocation". We the service of the country." may apply this to marriage. Church and State, despite differences in their Zimbabwe has inherited the British moral evaluation of marriage, do custom of requiring the church have a common interest in marriage minister who is conducting the church wedding to be at the same and family. Both wish for stable time the marriage officer acting on marriages and sound families. behalf of the State. The "alliance It therefore makes sense that the between Church and State is an Church cooperates with the State in uneasy one" because Church and creating solid and lasting marital State have marriage laws that differ. unions. "The more they cooperate, In Zimbabwe the State permits both the more effectively will they serve monogamy as well as polygamy, but the good of all citizens".

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It must be admitted, though, that the ever increasing number of churches, new religious movements, "ministries" and "communities" makes the cooperation to which we are committed ever more difficult.

Just about every "community", however small, wishes to have their ministers recognized as "marriage officers". However, there is no way past dialogue and mutual respect, churches may unite in church councils to make the dialogue easier.

"The function of the Church is to be the moral conscience of the nation, sign and safeguard of the supreme value of the human person" (no 8, Bishops' Statement at Independence 1980). On this basis Church and State should be able to work together for the good of the family.

The Catholic Family in An Age of Biotechnological Revolution: the Task and the Challenge Precious Nihorowa, CSSP

When a couple exchanges marital vows, they set on a journey that is long, with both joys and sorrows.

Sometimes Christian couples have to make tough moral decisions in their family and make sure that they uphold Christian values and that their children are on the right path and do not succumb to misleading pressures from their peers and the society at large. The contemporary world presents the Christian family with even tougher moral decisions to make than before, especially that there is advancement in the b i o t e c h n o l o g y s e c t o r. W h i l e biotechnology has improved human life span in many ways, it has also destroyed human life and inculcated a culture of death. Such a culture of death is not in line with the Catholic teaching on the dignity of human

life.

Living in our world today puts the Christian couple between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, they have a desire to be faithful to their Christian values. On the other hand, however, they face the temptation to conform and follow the bandwagon. Pope Francis in his recent Post-Synodal Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, acknowledges that Christian families go through a lot of challenges as they witness to Christ in their vocation of marriage. He even devotes the whole of the second chapter of Amoris Laetitia to explore some of such challenges. Despite the reality of the state of the family that he describes in this chapter, the Pope still assures that, "families are not a p r o b lem; th ey ar e ďŹ r s t an d

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Precious Nihorowa, CSSP foremost an opportunity" (Amoris Laetitia #7). But how can the Christian family be an opportunity given such a scenario whereby one has always to be on guard of his faith against any predators that may destroy it? Rightly put, even in such tough situations, Christian families remain an opportunity. It is in such moments that the Christian is called to stand ďŹ rm and proclaim his or her faith with boldness.

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When Pope Paul VI produced the encyclical Humane Vitae and reiterated the Church's stance against contraceptives, there were a lot of reactions. Even the deliberations that preceded the publication of the document were of divided opinions. Despite all this, the Pope reaffirmed the Church's commitment to uphold the dignity of human life. He reminded Christian couples that transmission of life is a serious role for married people. He further acknowledged that, in fulfilling such a duty, couples meet challenges posed to their conscience (Humanae Vitae #1). Today, with further development in the world of biotechnology, the Christian couple continues to sail against the dominant tide of the world in their quest to witness to Christ in the midst of the culture of death. A number of countries have legalized abortions and contraceptives. Still more, in many countries, the issues of abortion and contraceptives are still being deliberated upon in parliaments.

For a long time, advocacy on issues of abortion and contraceptives used to be debates of the West. Most African countries were adamant to embrace them and took it for granted that they are not in line with African values and view of life. Today, however, the sad reality is that, with the fact that most African countries are not yet economically independent, they still depend on foreign aid from Western countries.

Wanting to force African countries to conform to their anti-life ideologies, some Western donors attach conditions to the aid that they give so much so that some countries are told that aid will be given to them if only they legalize contraceptives and abortion. Unfortunately, some countries have succumbed to such p r e s s u r e . Aw a r e t h a t s o m e Christians live in such a scenario whereby abortion and contraceptives are legalized, Pope Francis reminds us that, "for the sake of this dignity of conscience, the Church strongly rejects the forced State intervention in favor of

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contraception, ster-ilization and even abortion"(Amoris Laetitia 42).

So how can families carry on the battle of safeguarding human life?

Today there is a lot of advocacy for distributing condoms even in schools, both secondary schools and universities. Consequently, when Christian parents send their children to such schools, they are prone to influence from their peers to indulge in sexual behaviors at their age. In such cases, it may seem easier to pick a condom and use it than to follow a church rule. Parents, therefore, have a duty to form the consciences of their children right at the time when they are still young and still have enough time with the parents at home. This will ensure that, at a very tender age, the children will be aware of the sacredness of human life so much so that when they encounter their peers, they will be able to resist demands of conformity.

The family itself also has a duty to remain firm in their faith in the face of the temptations deriving from the culture of death. Being exposed to such a state of affairs should not lead the family to a spirit of conformity but rather proclaim the beauty of the Christian marriage. In such moments, it remains the duty of the family to prove to the world that Christian moral values concerning safeguarding human life are still relevant and not outdated as some people think. Pope Francis advises Christian families that, "as Christians, we can hardly stop advocating marriage simply to avoid countering contemporary sensibilities, or out of a desire to be fashionable or a sense of helplessness in the face of human and moral failings" (Amoris Latietia #35). What the Pope means is that, the current scenario of the world wants to make us believe that the idea of the Christian family, of which procreation is an essential element, is outdated. The fashion of today favors contraceptives and abortions. However, he reiterates that it is our Christian duty to

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advocate the Christian marriage for if we do not do so "we would be depriving the world of values that we can and must offer" (Amoris Laetitia #35).

The Church, especially her pastors at all levels, also have a critical role to play in ensuring that Christian families are not misled and swayed by winds of change. They have a role to help couples to live their faith in the face of tempting times. They need proper pastoral care and accompaniment. It seems to me that, Christian couples are only intimately in touch with the Church during their preparation for marriage in the Church. This is when they are able to share with the priest the joys and sorrows of their faith journey as well as their anticipations and hopes.

Once the married knot is tied, there is a gap created between pastors and the married couple. The only time that a couple wants to see a priest is when either they have a problem in the family or they have a child who is supposed to be baptized. Worse still, most of the times there is no pastoral follow up on the part of the Church.

This creates a disconnection to the extent that Church authorities do not know what married people go through in their vocation.

Pope St John Paul II, in his encyclical, Familiaris Consortio, states that the family is facing rapid changes that have affected the society and culture (Familiaris Consortio #1). One of such changes is advancement in the sector of biotechnology, which, instead of being at the service of human life, is sometimes destroying it. This seems to be a dominant culture which, in turn, is at war with the Christian family. In such a scenario, the Christian family has a duty to proclaim Christian values. Above all, pastors should journey with married people in their life and help them to be true "salt of the earth and light of the world." (Mathew 5: 1316).

Peter Faber Spirituality Centre

The center was founded in 2002 as a spirituality house at Silveira House. It serves over 300 people yearly. It offers Ignatian Retreats and Spiritual programs.

Retreat in daily life Three-day retreats

Days of recollection Eight-day retreats

Thirty-day retreats

If you are interested in this way of praying, feel free to talk to us: Director: Fr Konrad Landsberg 0774 850 720. klandsberg@mango.zw Administrator: Ms Chipo Chagweda 0772 280 916. Cchagweda@yahoo.com Wherever you are coming from: Welcome to Saint Peter Faber Retreat House.

The Joy of Love Even When Love Gets Sick!

Valentine Nyaradzo Kagande

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Experiences of love are surely joyful and life-giving when all is well. This is true of all experiences of love be it in marriage, in the family, in convents, monasteries and seminaries, among relatives, in friendships, in the neighbourhood, in the Church, etc. When such is the case, it is easy for those in such relationships and those who surround them to experience the joy of love and also give thanks to God. A closer look at the nature of love will show though that turbulent and challenging moments will emerge.

Love will get sick and in the process the joy of love will be hidden! In the worst of situations, such struggling relationships will break down, and end up leaving many broken hearts and a wounded humanity. The question to ask then is, when love gets sick what should we do?

As Christians we are urged to turn to God for help when our relationships enter this dark night, for "our help comes from the Lord!" (Psalm 121:2). In other words it should be a matter of faith, for love is a matter of faith in the first place! Pope Francis' Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) is

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one such tool of faith which can help in bringing healing to our love stories. Below are just a few sections from this document that I found worth reflecting on.

A Path of Suffering and Blood! This heading (#19-22) is very revealing, if not frightening for under it the harsh truth that the path of love is also a way of the cross is explored. In his reflection Pope Francis points out to us different love stories and family situations in the Bible that we can also lean on. In so doing he urges us to turn to God's word for light, "we can see that the word of God is not a series of abstract ideas but rather a source of comfort and companionship for every family that experiences difficulties or suffering" (par 22).

In the fourth chapter titled Love in Marriage, the Pope engages in a long reflection on love and how it is to be understood in the Christian context. This chapter is indeed important because if people do not have a correct understanding of love, then surely they are likely to trivialise it when its moments of MUKAI / VUKANI No.72 February 2017

sickness arrive. With a correct understanding it becomes easy for one to go against the advice of friends, family, culture, varying schools of thought, and even some voices in the Church, that fails to acknowledge the sacredness of love as it is depicted in the Christian faith.

Love Endures All Things! The Pope talks about cases where all hope of recovery seems lost (#118-119) and tells us that even in such cases our Christian love should remain positive and firm, for ours "is a love that never gives up, even in the darkest hour" (#118). I am struck by how the Pope makes use of Martin Luther King Jnr's sermon, because this was a sermon on overcoming great evils of injustice of a racial nature, and yet the same wisdom is applied by the Pope to crises in family and marriage settings. This is surely a clear sign of how dark, serious and deadly battles in our relationships can become. At the heart of this reflection is a message which says that we should still have the courage to love one another, no matter how difficult it may be, so as to bring their hearts back to God.

Joy and Beauty! At the heart of this section (#126-130) is the message that marriages are aimed at being joyful. But as experience has shown, joy sometimes eludes marriages and family life when challenges emerge.

At such moments the Pope tells us that "marital joy can be experienced even amid sorrow" (#126). Such a message is indeed redeeming as it gives strength to those who will be battling with the temptation to seek joy elsewhere, and how different it is from that of many non-Christian voices!

Dialogue! Francis also speaks on the importance of dialogue in maintaining and restoring peace in relationships (#136-141). In our world today we know of many conflicting situations involving different groups of individuals and nations that were healed because of dialogue. Even in Zimbabwe's political history the same is visible, and the most recent example is that which took place in 2008 and led to the Government of National Unity.

So the Pope is indeed spot on when he encourages the path of dialogue in marital and family relationships that are in distress. "Words should be carefully chosen so as not to offend", he advises, "especially when discussing difficult issues." (#139). I will add that when worse comes to worst; we may also need to employ our own "Thabo Mbekis" and "Desmond Tutus" as a way of encouraging dialogue!

Casting Light on Crises, Worries and Difficulties! Here the Pope goes to the heart of crises and reveals the hidden meaning behind turbulent moments (#231-252). "The life of every family is marked by all kinds of crises, yet these are part of its dramatic beauty", so the Pope says. A question I could ask is; where is beauty in crises? I will attempt an answer by saying this beauty lies in the joy of overcoming crises. Heart aches or broken hearts invite us to adjust and learn to find our joy in a solution! It's just like playing chess against a very good opponent and finding yourself growing in your ability to beat them, until one day you finally do so. Such an experience really is beautiful, and over-coming crises in our relationships has this beauty too!

Old Wounds! The Pope makes very interesting and revealing comments (# 239-240) with regards to old wounds that are not addressed and how they contribute to crises.

"Understandably, families often experience problems when one of their members is emotionally immature because he or she still bears the scars of earlier experiences" (#239). Moments of crises do call us then to be Christian and to cooperate with God's grace so as to have these old wounds healed by our shared love. In doing this our relationships will surely make up for many lost moments, "an unhappy childhood or adolescence..." (# 239) or "a poor relationship with one's

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parents and siblings..." (# 240).

Responding otherwise will add more wounds and in so doing we will be refusing to be "Good Samaritans" to our friends in need. I will add other hidden factors and sources of crises that the Pope does not mention and yet religion and science have also recognised. These are wounds of abuse in adult life, gender differences, alcohol and drug abuse, use of contraception, premarital and extra-marital sex, abortion, other kinds of sinful acts, mental issues, etc.

These few points should prove true that our Christian faith can indeed give "flesh and life" to our dry and broken relationships (Ezekiel 37).

With the voice of our lived faith we should definitely resurrect many love stories that have suffered a premature death, be they ours or those under our care and watch; love stories we are writing in different human relationships, common among these being in married and family life, but not excluding friendships, dating relationships, relationships at Church, etc. When we do this our relationships will become true "Sacraments of God's love" and "Instruments of Evangelisation". This is the gospel that we should be bringing to our world today, a gospel that does not crucify love but heals love!

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Cohabitation and Marriage Preparation - Martin Nyadewo, SJ

I am convinced that there is a strong link between marriage preparation and divorce that unfortunately has not been given due attention in the Church particularly. The norm is that two people planning on getting married generally have about a year or more of knowing each other before they make the commitment to marriage. During this period the two are not even staying together, at least in the experience of most Zimbabwean couples, since it is socially forbidden. The two can only move in together after the customary marriage and in stricter cases after the Christian wedding.

In light of marriage preparation, we can take a parallel of the preparation for priesthood which takes years of structured formation aimed at preparing one for the vocation and mission. In addition to the number of years, the candidates to priesthood are actually living the life in communities and work places that best situate them in the challenges and regrets, hopes and desires that the sacrament of holy orders entails. What is it that is done

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for the young man and woman preparing to get married and what is expected of them once they make that 'no-return' decision?

This analogy of priesthood formation forms the basis of my proposal to the problem of divorce as far as it emanates from poor marriage preparation. In this case, the time when marriage should be declared a marriage that is beyond any chance of divorce has to be determined by the couple itself after having stayed for a time they deem long and sufďŹ cient enough for them to commit to each other eternally.

Using an argument by analogy, we take one of the seven sacraments; the sacrament of holy orders. In the Catholic Church, if one takes the sacrament of matrimony he cannot have the other sacrament of holy orders and the opposite is true, although a few exceptions have happened in the life and history of the Church. In this regard, these two sacraments mirror each other in our journey towards the divine.

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Martin Nyadewo , SJ The problem then arises when it takes about eleven years for one to become a priest (in the case of Jesuits) whereas in marriage preparation there is not a structure that can be followed to reciprocate what happens in preparation for those taking the sacrament of holy orders.

By analogy it is arguable that the point when one is able to be ordained a priest only comes after an experience of the life for years.

Time and experience then are huge factors in this preparation for ordination. The same level of serious formation needs to be adopted for couples hoping to marry each other.

This brings me to the idea of cohabitation which I propose should be taken into consideration as a central process in marriage preparation. Robert Prichard notes that premarital cohabitation is itself a form of quasi marriage which offers to the discussion of ratum and consummatum in the Church. This is so because by their intention to marry, they have already undertaken a process that leads to solemn matrimony. A similar position is echoed by Michael Lawler and Gail Risch who propose that we arrive at marriage after passing through a phase called cohabitation. Here they advocate what they believe to be "a return to the marital sequence of betrothal which can still involve the community by way of some rituals that can be followed. This sequence of betrothal would involve sexual intercourse, possibly fertility and then ritual wedding to acknowledge and mark the consummation of both valid marriage and sacrament." This obviously stands in contradiction to the currently held position of the Church which regards any sexual activity outside of marriage as immoral. The point here, however, is not merely to oppose the Church, but to try and expand its understanding of marriage.

At the heart of cohabitation is an essential component that drives the bond and union between a man and a woman; namely an experience of love, friendship and companionship. What is central in my position is the view that marriage is made meaningful only by the cooperation of the two individuals for the success of their love. Thus, friendship, love and companionship be-tween the two are essential as they enhance the commitment. It is however less practical to expect that by the exchange of vows the friendship, love and companion-ship between the two will be automatic.

Cohabitation therefore provides an opportunity for a couple to internalise these qualities that they presumably feel for each other within a typical marriage setting.

Their lived experiences are then the elements of the consummation of their bond; in other words, a confirmation of their decision to marry.

The consummation of marriage

therefore should not be perceived in light of a once-off act of sex but a process that enriches and shapes the two in lived experience in the case of cohabitation that this article is proposing. Drawing from an African per-spective that strongly links the consummation of marriage to a process the two take part in together with their community and family, the Church can learn a lot for the greater good of the life of the Church through this crucial sacrament of marriage.

The African perspective defines marriage as a covenant between a man and a woman which can either be monogamous or polygamous.

Marriage in Africa for Benezet Bujo is a process and an alliance as opposed to a sudden contract, and so it is performed in steps. Once these steps are in place to the point of the payment of lobola, Bujo argues that the couple can have sexual relations although the final stage of the Christian wedding is not yet reached.

The Church regards this as premarital sex and hence a sin. But for Bujo, this position is in error since the steps that are taken within the African setup are actually representing a fundamental message that marriage is not a once off activity but a process that involves the community and eventually culminates in sacramental celebration as we have it in the Church.

This follows well the argument that marriage is to be understood as a process, which also serves the earlier argument of the preparation for marriage. The process itself as illustrated by Bujo is what constitute marriage for the black African, that to regard sexual relations within this realm as sinful and adulterous is a failure to appreciate the values within the processes of marriage in an African perspective. Moreover, I personally feel that the African perspective to marriage is more just to the reality of marriage itself especially when it comes to the consummation of marriage. In this sense the processes help expose the couple to the realities of marriage in a more vivid way with the aid of the community.

Khofi Phiri makes a compelling contribution to the nature of MUKAI / VUKANI No.72 February 2017

marriage preparation in African cultures. In fact, for him marriage preparation begins after birth and obviously more seriously during the period of puberty. Thus, the life experiences of boys and girls, young men and women say something to the institution of marriage in Africa.

Phiri, echoing Bujo, goes on to reiterate that although there is a fixed marriage ceremony to mark the moment marriage starts, the establishment of a marriage union itself is a process. In a wider context, a complete marriage ceremony is never limited to a fixed moment but spreads across the premarriage, marriage and post-marriage ceremonies. The process involves various rites of passage that are aimed at making significant marks in one's life. Hence, in the African perspective, marriage cannot be a once off event but a process that involves the community, and more importantly in the consummation of marriage, which cannot be expressed in singular event.

It is worth noting; however, that this is not a one-size-fits all concept.

Christian realities are often expressed in their ideals. For instance; to love one another as Christ does. These are ideals, the really real of our expectations. In the same way the understanding of marriage can be expressed from ideals as our Christian tradition already has it. The proposal of cohabitation as a form of marriage preparation cannot be for all but surely an opening for those who feel it should be their way towards ultimate commitment to marriage.

Marriage remains the foundation of what shapes and anchors our societies. Its complexity calls for more attention to be given to its very beginnings as evidenced in many cultures in Africa. This has resulted in it being regarded as a process as op-posed to a once-off act or event.

For this reason, it is worthwhile that sufficient time and effort is put at the very initial stages. Although cohabitation has traditionally been regarded a sin in the Church, this article argues that in fact it is time we re-gard it as part and parcel of marriage preparation. The reality of our contemporary society speaks volumes to the problem of divorce.

Is it better that people endure in marriages because divorce is not an option or they endure for the spark of love, friendship and companionship that can be confirmed within a cohabiting couple?

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The Problem of “Natural Law” in Catholic Sexual Morality Thabo Sibanda

Catholic sexual morality is largely built upon the concept of natural law, which concept has been used to support Church teaching on sexual moral issues. Current official magisterial teaching on sexual moral issues is a result of a particular understanding of what natural law is. In this article, it is this magisterial understanding of natural law which I seek to pose a challenge to, just as other revisionist moral theologians have sought to. An alternative understanding of natural law will yield different conclusions to certain sexual moral issues such as contraception, assisted reproductive technologies and homo-sexuality. I begin by a brief look into the use of the concept of natural law in Catholic sexual morality, followed by an historical excursion into thought on natural law. I will then engage into a critique of the traditional Catholic notion of natural

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law and the sexual morality it has • "But no reason, however grave, given rise to. This will be followed may be put forward by which by a discussion on moving beyond anything intrinsically against natural law physicism towards a nature may become conformable person-centred morality. I conclude to nature and morally good," by an invitation to a revisit to the (Pius XI in Casti Connubii). basics of New Testament morality.

Natural Law in Catholic Sexual • "Nature places at man's disposal the whole chain of causes which Morality g ive rise to new human The Magisterium has long appealed life…Thus the part played by to natural law in an attempt to nature and the part played by demonstrate the morality or immorality of certain acts, both man are precisely determined," sexual and non-sexual. Appeal to (Pius XII's address to midwives). this concept is prominent in magisterial documents on issues • "Tradition has always declared such as birth control, artificial that homosexual acts are reproductive technologies, intrinsically disordered. They homosexuality, and sexual relations are contrary to the natural law, outside of marriage. Below is an (Catechism of the Catholic example of the usage of natural law Church). in Church teaching. These examples are of course not meant to be Perhaps the single magisterial comprehensive. document that explicitly employs natural law methodology in arriving at its moral conclusions is Humane Vitae. The encyclical states explicitly that its teaching on marital morality "is based on the natural law as illumined and enriched by divine revelation. In denouncing artificial birth control, the encyclical argues on the grounds that the "design of God" is written into the very nature of the conjugal act and that man is merely the minister of the design established by the Creator. The encyclical further affirms that competence of the Magisterium in interpreting natural moral law.

Vatican Council II signalled a shift from preoccupation with natural law to a person-centred morality. The Council's documents depict a methodology that is historically conscious, especially the documents Gaudium et Spes and Lumen Gentium. But sadly this historical worldview and consciousness has

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not filtered into the Church's teaching on sexuality. One would have expected that this historical consciousness would have shown itself in the encyclical Humane Vitae which was published only three years after the close of the Council. One thus continues to find in Church documents statements like "sin against nature", "acts contrary to the biological process" and similar statements. What understanding of 'nature' does the use of the concept of natural law in Church documents depict?

re-quires in order to fulfil its inherent design. Natural law is hence the moral obligations that are inherent in nature. Nature is also the viceroy of God, the rule of nature and of God are one. Natural law declares the will of God and its faithful observance necessary for salvation. Nature shapes and even determines man.

identified with the Roman lawyer Ulpian, who argued that nature is what is common to all animals (actions, structures, tendencies).

Natural law becomes that which nature teaches to all animals. This is a physicalist view of natural law, which is traceable and dominant in traditional Catholic understanding of natural law.

Natural law is human participation in eternal law through reason

The second strain focuses on the "order of reason". Aristotle represents this strain. He argued that the specific nature of humans is rationality, morally good actions are those rationally directed to the actualisation of human potential.

Cicero, a Roman, identified with this too and defined natural law as the power of reason to direct action.

Aquinas pulled these strains together with-in the context of theology: natural law is human participation in eternal law through reason (in all its forms – study, intuition, research).

This is the second strain that understands natural law as an order of reason. However, when it comes to specific moral obligations, Aquinas says we have to resort to our natural inclinations, which is the tendency to preserve and perpetuate life, procreating and the education of offspring. This understanding fits the first strain that emphasises the biological aspect of nature.

A Particular Understanding of Nature What we can deduce as the Church's understanding of nature and natural law from such statements is first and foremost the idea that nature is a finished product and one that is immutable. This nature has an objective meaning and has a precise, well defined pattern by which human being should model their behaviour.

We can deduce from nature moral obligations. From this it seems to follow that nature is accessible in its pure form to humans. In other words, as Richard Gula succinctly puts, "the human task is to examine the givens in nature in order to understand their arrangement and purpose". Moral obligation can be read off what nature

History of Thought on Natural Law This understanding of nature and natural law got its form from Thomas Aquinas. But Aquinas's own understanding of natural law is influenced by two strains in natural law theory that were developed before him by various natural law theorists. The first strain was that of the "order of nature" propounded by the Greek Stoics who believed that "the world was an interconnected series of events and that right moral living came with conforming to the given world order, and hence people ought to accept what is given in nature as it is. This strain is also

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The concept of natural law is not static but has changed throughout history

It would seem that while Aquinas vacillates between these two understandings of natural law (order of nature and order of reason), he had a definite preference for the first strain, that of natural law as the order of nature. Aquinas actually maintains that the strictest definition of natural law is the one proposed by Ulpian.

For Aquinas, the order of nature should take precedence over reason; "reason presupposes things as determined by nature, so in matters of action it is more grave and shameful to act against things as determined by nature".

Of course Catholic moral theology pre-dates Aquinas, and the concept of natural law was already in use in the Church. However Aquinas gave the concept a thrust and made it a firmer referent point for Catholic moral theology. The above discussion however demonstrates that, in the first instance, the concept of natural law is not static but has changed through-out history. The current magisterial understanding of natural law tends to be overly physicalist, thus creating some problems for Catholic moral theology, especially sexual morality. A critique of this understanding of natural law is in order.

Critiquing this Notion of Natural Law Physicalist and Act-Centred Morality The first and fundamental critique of this understanding of natural law is that it is physicalist in nature. It equates human nature with a person's biological structure and physical make-up/anatomy. Human action is identified with a mere biological

The current magisterial understanding of natural law tends to be overly physicalist, thus creating a problem for Catholic moral theology, especially sexual morality process. The human act is simply identified with the physical structure of the act. These physical qualities of a person retain their finalities and tendencies, and these are seen as independent of the demands of rationality. Such an understanding is evident in the Church's teaching on marital sexual relations. The Church insists that every sexual encounter between spouses should be open to the end for which their physical organs were created, that is procreation. It is on this ground that the Church regards as morally wrong the use of contraception. This obsession

with physicism is more striking in the Church's stance against artificial reproductive technologies, specifically artificial insemination, even if the sperm belongs to the husband of the woman in whom it is being inseminated. The Church's argument against this is that there is absence of the physical sexual union between the spouses when artificial fertilisation is done. One can argue that in actual fact, Catholic sexual morality is essentially marital morality since sexual expression is only permissible within marriage, and only so when it remains open to procreation. Thus, the physical, genital act tends to occupy prominence in marital morality, at the expense of a richer and wholesome understanding of marriage and sexuality in general.

This conception of natural law has given rise to an act-centred morality that only focuses on the moral quality of the act while neglecting the totality of the person doing the act. This is very much seen in John Paul II's 1993 encyclical Veritatis Splendor. The Pope treats the issue of the criteria for the moral evaluation of human acts.

He states that "the morality of the human act depends primarily and fundamentally on the object rationally chosen by the independent will". The object is a freely chosen kind of behaviour. It is what one freely chooses to do and actually does;

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Morality is not just conformity to the patterns of nature. Nature on its own does not issue moral obligations the action to which the will deliberately directs itself. Thus, for a human act to be judged morally good, the action that one does, the object, must be objectively good, that is, ordered towards God, man's ultimate end. From this follows the existence of intrinsically evil acts, objects incapable of being ordered towards God, acts that are wrong in themselves apart from the reasons for which they are done and the circumstances under which they are committed. It does not seem cogent for the Church to characterise an act as intrinsically evil outside its end and the circumstances surrounding it. Thus, this understanding of natural law has led to a moral system that does not factor in the complexity of the identity of the human person who certainly cannot be defined by a single act.

In addition, by focusing primarily on the physical and its finalities, this conception of natural law downgrades the role of reason in guiding and informing human action. Indeed, Humane Vitae goes further to assert that "there are limits to the power of man over his own body and its natural functions, limits […] which no one, whether as a private individual or as a public authority, can lawfully exceed".

While certainly there are limits to personal freedom even in questions related to sexuality, such limits cannot be hinged on the physical aspects of a person and their natural functions.

Leap from Nature to Morality This notion of natural law makes a leap from what is given in nature to what people ought to do, a leap from anatomy to moral obligation. As noted above, nature is regarded as containing in itself moral obligations accessible to human beings.

Yet it is objectionable to say that

from nature we can deduce moral obligations. To start with, what actually do we know with certainty about nature that allows us to draw absolute moral norms? This becomes not only a question of morality, but of epistemology as well, our claims to knowledge of something. Todd Salzman and Michael Lawler would argue that "all we can understand from 'nature' is the naked fac-ticity of a reality […], nothing else". Anything that is beyond this naked facticity is a product of interpretation by rational human beings. We can thus not claim to have access to the "pure, unembellished experience of nature". We experience nature as an already interpreted reality. Thus, from an epistemological perspective, we cannot claim to know 'nature' in its pure form.

Let alone, then, can we attempt to draw absolute moral obligations from a nature whose nature we do not have full access to. We cannot draw conclusions from what is to what ought to be. This will constitute a fallacious inference.

Moral obligation may be drawn from people's interpretation of nature, the interpretation of which may be right or wrong. So the meaning of any human act derives not from nature, but from social beings who impose a particular meaning on nature. Morality is not just conformity to the patterns of nature and nature on its own does not issue moral obligations.

A Narrow Understanding of Nature There clearly is an erroneous and narrow understanding of nature and human nature that this conception of natural law exhibits. I have mentioned some of this above, such as the idea that nature is a finished product and that it has an objective meaning. To this can be added the critique that, actually, nature is not just about the physical aspects of what is observable. It includes the totality and complexity of human reality in all its relationships and potential. Human nature and human existence are far broader than their physical make-up or physical manifestation.

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Nature is not a finished product but evolves. Nature is not untouchable, it can be acted upon by human beings in order to bring it to a state that sustains life for humans. As Curran notes, "man's whole vocation is to bring order and intelligence into the world, and to shape animal and biological finalities toward a truly human purpose". It is therefore a faulty anthropology that sees man in primarily animalistic terms, the animal tendencies in which man cannot intervene using his reason.

Moving Beyond Natural Law Physicism In speaking about the Church's traditional understanding of natural law, it is well to also look at the world within which the idea of natural law as an order of nature developed. My argument here is that nature was experienced differently by people of antiquity than we experience it today. Because of this, our current understanding of nature differs greatly from then, and therefore how we view nature as related to ethics also differs. This necessitates a different understanding of natural law. As Curran observes, the ancients lived in primitive (in the sense of nontechnological) societies where they lacked the means to 'control' nature to their own advantage. People were powerless against the forces of nature. Contentment and happiness was therefore sought by conforming to the patterns of nature. The processes of nature were thus viewed as inviolable. Conformity to the order of nature thus became the primary norm of morality.

Modern man, however, is not altogether powerless against the forces of nature. He has developed the technological tools to tame nature to his own needs. The night no longer confines our movements as there is electricity; distance no longer limits us as we now have cars and planes – even though by nature we do not have wings; we now regulate temperature to what we want it to be through air conditioners. In other words, man now has the capacity to make nature conform to him, rather than

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the other way round. Of course this has had negative consequences at times, such as the global warming we are experiencing. But the point is that man's understanding of nature has changed, and therefore his relation to it. The life conditions of the ancients influenced a particular understanding of nature, man and ethics, an understanding that we are not bound to hold today given the different life situation we find ourselves in.

It is with this in mind that some scholars are attempting to devise a new understanding of natural law, one that is not based on the physicality of nature and one that does not see nature as an expression of the reason of God knowable to human beings. A number of natural law theorists have attempted to recover the idea of natural law as an order of reason, following Aristotle.

Some have proposed that since rationality is the human characteristic par excellence, and if we are to understand nature as denoting the essential and proper characteristic of a specific kind of being, then the expression of natural law involves acting in accordance with reason. Thus, acting in accordance with reason becomes the char-acteristic expression of human nature. This seems a reasonable approach to natural law, since rationality is what is characteristically human, a quality that distinguishes humans from all other forms of creation. This approach starts by considering what is essential to being human, rather than what it is that is common between humans and animals (as Ulpian did), thus leading to a different conclusion and different ethical and moral implications.

A Person-Centred Approach to Sexual Morality This approach to natural law that asks what is essential to being human is open to a consideration of not only rationality as a fundamental characteristic of human beings, but the essentially multidimensional nature of persons, as opposed to just their physicality. In light of this, Gula defines "nature" in natural law theory

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as the "total complexity of human reality taken in all its relationships and potential". This recognises the fact that human life is complex and dynamic and not as simple and static as the physicalist natural law perspective would want us believe.

In his article "The Human Person", Joseph Selling discusses the idea of a "person adequately considered". He also proposes a moral system that places the person at the centre of moral reasoning. That moral system recognises that a human person is an essentially multidimensional being.

The person is first and foremost a person-in-relation. He is a person in relation to everything, to the whole of reality. He is in relation to the material world, in relation to other groups of people (cultural) and in relation to other individual persons.

He is historical and is conscious of his interiority and self-identity. A person is a corporeal subject and is unique with his own personality.

act. It will help us emphathise with a couple that is failing to conceive through the usual way and is considering artificial insemination, empathy that will only come if we consider the marital relationship as an interpersonal procreative whole and not just as a genital act, with artificial insemination as then facilitating both the unitive and procreative meaning of the marital relationship. It will invite us to look at cohabitation from a different angle, recognising and respecting the love that a couple shares together even if they have not decided to marry in Church, as opposed to seeing this form of relationship as a state of sin when we are not aware of all the reasons for their choices. In short, this approach to morality will help us not to judge (in the words of Pope Francis), but for the Church to provide an environment where people feel loved by God in the midst of the limitations that various real and un-willed challenges impose on their lives.

Human life is complex and dynamic and not simple and static as the physicalist natural perspective would want us to believe

New Testament Morality: Getting Back to the Basics While the above proposed perspective on natural law leads us to consider reason as that by which we discern moral obligation within the total complex of human relationships, we are aware that for us Christians, when it comes to living our moral lives, reason does not operate alone. It operates in the light of faith. There is a relationship between faith and morality. Our faith calls us to a particular way of living.

Of course, the monumental task is figuring out what particular way it is that our faith calls us to. It is striking to note that the New Testament, which is of primary importance for us Christians, does not pre-occupy itself with issuing com-mandments of dos and don'ts, but provides general moral values and principles from which Christians can draw to make moral decisions in their own specific contexts. The essential message of the gospels and the letters is Jesus Christ, not a systematic moral code.

N e w Te s t a m e n t m o r a l i t y i s essentially Christocentric. This is strong not only in the gospels, but especially in Paul's letters. Paul himself never sets out to present a

In engaging in moral analysis, all these aspects of a person should be taken into account. An approach to (sexual) morality that ignores these different moral qualifiers would seem to me to be static and a historical in a way that simply yokes a burden of guilt on people. A physicalist and act-centred morality is insufficient in encapsulating the complex character and identity of individuals. By adopting this approach, Catholic sexual morality would see current controversial issues in a different light. It would broaden our understanding of gay people and their basic human need for love, affection and companionship, as opposed to just focusing on the sexual MUKAI / VUKANI No.72 February 2017

systematic moral code, not even to the Corinthians who had real sexual moral issues to deal with. Paul is actually opposed to a legalistic approach to Christian moral living, and denounces strongly the Jewish Christians who insist on observing the Mosaic Law. This is seen mostly in his letters to the Galatian and Romans, where he lays out his theology of justification by faith and not by works of the law. He calls people to live in the newness of life brought by Christ's death and resurrection (Rom 6:2-4).

Paul presents Christ and asks those baptised in his name to lead a life that reflects Christ who now lives in them (2 Cor 4:10). The idea of union with Christ is strong in Paul: "Le the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5). Union with Christ – being of the same mind with Christ – (and of course love) provided the source of knowledge for moral discernment. Paul seems to have some confidence that Christians by themselves can discern and figure out what they should do: "Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and

pleasing and perfect" (Rom 12:2). So discernment in light of life in Christ is fundamental to Pauline moral theology. He uses many terms related to this idea, such as conscience, to test, to prove, to examine; he speaks of maturity, wisdom, decency and so forth. While there are certain instances when Paul gives specific instructions, he gives them within the broad framework of behavior that is compatible with being in Christ. Paul thus presents for Christians a moral system that is based on freedom in Christ and discernment.

It is then surprising how many laws on sexual and other matters the Church has created in its twothousand year history. Paul would certainly be taken aback if he were to wake up today. While some laws are necessary for the Church as a social institution, others have clearly gone overboard into the realm that only God and individual persons should occupy. The sanctions that are sometimes attached to these laws have done harm to some people, drawing them away from faith, hope and love; drawing them away from the Church and from Christ. This, to me, constitutes a graver sin than the

one the Church would be sanctioning the individual for. So, underneath all the tones of theories and moral regulations that the Church has managed to pile up over the centuries, underneath all of them is a basic call we find in the New Testament for us Christians to be in union with Christ in the present, and let that guide the moral choices we make, even in sexual and marital mat-ters.

In this article, I have posed a challenge to the traditional Catholic understanding of natural law, which understanding has given rise to a physicalist and act-centred morality that does injustice to persons by its failure to recognise their complexity, rationality and multidimensionality. I proposed and offered support to a view of natural law that gives primacy to reason and one that facilitates a morality that is person-centred. Lastly, I presented N e w Te s t a m e n t m o r a l i t y a s providing a faith foundation to enlighten our reason in our moral discernment, all for a just sexual morality.

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