2 more questions.
1.) I was driving home from my grandmother's retirement community where she lives by herself. Most of the neighborhood is filled with widows. Is this a catholic ideal to let an elderly widow grandmother to live by herself? It just seems really lonely to me. The whole idea seems crazy, typical of American suburban values.
2.) Can someone give me a rational argument justifying NFP besides "Pius XII taught it?" I have been thinking about this for months and I just have a real hard time justifying it. Casti Connubi (infalliable) clearly says the secondary end of the marital act (union between man and wife) cannot overtake the primary end of marriage (procreation). But it seems to me that is exactly what NFP does. Another thing about NFP that I have a problem with is that the INTENT (intent is critical in catholic theology) is to NOT HAVE CHILDREN which is an evil intent because children are a blessing from God.
Thank you.
1. This kind of lifestyle is rather modern. Of course, a widow most likely would have lived in the village/town she always lived, probably in the same house with the rest of the family.
2. You are just abstaining from the marital act during certain periods of time. This was always allowed by the Church. Thats it. With or without Pius XII.
It seems that NFP is interpreted in a very liberal way, probably due to NO influence. You cannot have the intention not to have children.