The Non Negotiables

As a Catholic it is considered a serious sin to support in any way the following issues:

Abortion

CCC 2271 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law

Euthanasia

CCC 2277 ...Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator....

Embryonic Stem Cell Research

CCC 2274- Since it must be treated from conception as a person, the embryo must be defended in its integrity, cared for, and healed, as far as possible, like any other human being.

Human Cloning

Homosexual Marriage

CCC 2363 The spouses’ union achieves the twofold end of marriage: the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of life. These two meanings or values of marriage cannot be separated without altering the couple’s spiritual life and compromising the goods of marriage and the future of the family. The conjugal love of man and woman thus stands under the twofold obligation of fidelity and fecundity

These issues are non-negotiable. They are considered intrinsically evil because they conflict with moral and natural law at the most fundamental level. It is a serious sin to promote, endorse, or support any of these actions in any way. This is based on a multitude of Church teaching outlined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Encyclicals of the Pope, and the Office of the Doctrine on the Faith.

As a Catholic we don’t have the option to pick and choose which of these issues we agree with or disagree with. If we participate in the Sacraments of the Church then we must also be obedient to the requirements of eligibility that Church authority dictates and imposes upon us. Why? Because Jesus said so, that’s why. Jesus gave his Apostles this authority which has been passed down through their succession since Peter, all the way to our present time; that is why. If we don’t like that, it really doesn’t matter. Just because we might not like, does not make it not the Truth.

Matthew 16:18 “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”

If we deny these teaching we are essentially denying Christ. I know that we rationalize all of this away, and the Devil masterfully aids us with this. We leave the Church and join the popular Megachurches and all their promises of tolerance and relativism. The thing is, if we deny the one Church that Christ himself gave us and entrusted his apostles with, then we are putting our souls at risk.

We will be held accountable one day. The teachings of the Church may seem old fashioned or outdated but they are not. They are everlasting. They do not change, because God does not change. God and his Truth stand firm, and are always the same. These teachings go against the mainstream and are not popular. They are not trendy or fashionable. Standing for these Truths is not easy. But guess what, Jesus never said that it would be.

2 Timothy, chapter 4 “ 1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingly power: 2 proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching. 3 For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but, following their own desires and insatiable curiosity,* will accumulate teachers 4 and will stop listening to the truth and will be diverted to myths. 5 But you, be self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.”

He, in fact, said just the opposite. Our Faith is not relative. Thinking that it is exudes a pride and the lack of humility that Jesus exemplified. If we want to align ourselves with Jesus, then we must align ourselves with Truth and Church teaching, which is divinely inspired and guided.

We will soon have opportunities to put our Faith into action. We must make our choices wisely and prudently. Our salvation depends on it, and that far outweighs any outcomes this world deems important.