The Church and the problem of contraception

You know I have been thinking lately...many Catholics (trads and neo-cons) gripe that priests do not preach the Church's teaching against contraception enough. I completely agree. I fully adhere to that teaching as well.

However, one thing that concerns me is that, even when contraception IS preached against, little is done to instruct Catholics on HOW they are to follow the Church's teaching on this matter and make enough money to support their children.

For example, a few weeks ago, I went to a Spanish language Mass there were LARGE families there. From the area that the Church is located in, it is very likely that most of those families are living from hand to mouth or they are on government programs to support their families.

You know it is also funny that many traditional Catholics and neo-cons support the Republican party, which is of course, against government programs for the poor. However, one time I was on the Catholic Answers forum and another time on the CathInfo forum (I can dig up the threads if people want to see) and some man who was married in the last few years and subsequently had a lot of children expressed his concern that he doesn't think he can financially support more children. You know what the response was? "Well if worst comes to worst there are always food stamps." I was like.....REALLY? That is their response?????

On the other hand, I know for a fact that groups like the Mormons HELP each other. They have a policy that they only do business with Mormons and prefer to hire Mormons as employees. Why couldn't we do something like that? I don't get it.
Why couldn't the Church, for example, create it's own low income housing and rent it out cheaper to parishoners and what not?

It seems like the Church does a lot to help unwed mothers and those seeking abortion but little to help out (even in the way of guidance) young couples who WANT to follow the Church's teaching. The most they do is offer NFP classes, which NFP itself is kind of dubious as to what the Church's real teaching is on that.

I mean I am a Spanish teacher and I COULDN'T teach at a Catholic school because they wanted me to teach a religion class as well. They asked me in the interview if I was aware that Adam and Eve were not real people! That job fell through pretty quick. So now I am teaching part time (and doing other non-teacher things to round off the salary) at a public school and things are so tight that the most I can hope for next year is another part time teaching position.

Rasha,

Good points, and a very complex situation. Except on the parish level with all of the outreach programs, we’ve lost the individual Catholic communities where Catholic charity and action is a way of life. We are no longer tied to our communities and tend move away, and sometimes often.

On your last point, if I may offer a bit of advice, next time you interview, and someone asks in the interview if you are aware that Adam and Eve were not real people, say something to the effect (without lying) that “yes, I know that is a popular opinion among the more recent biblical scholars”, and save the real truth for the classroom.

These guerrilla tactics are not new, my father used them when he taught high school CCD in the late seventies and early 80’s when garbage Catechetics was all the rage. He would take the assigned wretched text books (does anyone remember the heretical one from Holland?) and toss them aside when he got into the classroom and would work from his own lesson plan.

His students loved the solid truth they received and easily out-shined the other classes and schools in scheduled competitions. I think the good Sister in charge of CCD was on to him but he was so successful she left him alone.

When he was on his deathbed, I read a moving letter to him from one of his students on what a difference he made in helping her come to such an abiding love of the Catholic faith.

Don’t give up, Rasha.

My thoughts for what they're worth;
There isn't enough faith left today to establish communities of true Christian (Catholic) day-today-living. Greed and self preservation have overtaken the Christian virtues of moderation and charity. Coupled with this you have an increasingly, intrusive, worldwide, governmental system of the Marxist variety that won't take kindly to "intolerant" religious based communities who while caring for their poor, promote their Catholic ideology.

How these (living by the faith) communities function in the real world can of course be found in Acts. If ever Catholics get serious about their faith and truly put God first, then despite any oppressive enviroment, God will uphold and sustain them even miraculously if need be.

Contraception (even abused NFP) is more a symptom of the loss of faith rather than the cause but one of course feeds the other.

In the absence of any Catholic leadership, It may have to start with people like this;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-ELZk_X6_k&feature=related