VOICE FROM THE SOUTH
By FR. EMETERIO BARCELON, SJ
Fr. Emeterio Barcelon, SJ
Quoting politicians can sometimes endanger them especially when there is no verification. Some concerned people warned me that their opposition can take umbrage at any implied accusation of corruption. This seems to be a sensitive area in which any implied accusation can be used to cause physical violence. In our land it is so easy to use guns for hire. We are, therefore, looking at areas we normally do not consider. I have rejoiced at the peace we are enjoying but it seems that there is a dark area I am not aware of or where normally are not areas of concern for non politicians. I am sorry then if I have caused some to suffer or expose some of my friends to political vendetta. They also ask for verified accusations.
Killings are common in our land. And I hope they will not be so in the future. We still have killings of candidates or relatives of candidates. Life is precious. And only the Lord has authority to give or take away life. No one has the right to take the life of another. Murder is a sin, as also the killing of infants in abortion. This is the reason for rejection for the right for abortion. Some take it that the foetus is an aggressor and that women have the right to kill unborn children. Abortion is killing of defenseless children. We are in era of problematic moral positions. In our country, sex out of marriage has been shunned. And young ladies have kept their virginity till wedding day. But the barrage against these customs has been relentless. And we have the situation where we are left with many unwed mothers or single parents.
My advice to young ladies is that they should not go to a place with a young man where there are no other people who can see them and not to allow boys to touch anything under their clothes. They can hold hands and kiss if they want but not stimulate them under their clothes. That is the way our bodies have been constructed. If they allow stimulation they will have no defense against illicit sexual intercourse.
Sex is a wonderful gift of God but we are cautioned that this gift should not be used outside of marriage because of the consequences. Having sex outside of marriage is sinful and that means the possibility of children who would have no one to care for them and to guide them through life. This then brings about the clamor for abortion. It is true that we should not have children we cannot take care of. I am not a moral theologian. The problem of the urge for sex even within marriage can be difficult. We should not bring children into this world that we cannot take care of both physically and spiritually.
Then we have a dilemma, contraception or abortion. Are we allowed to use contraceptives? Right now moral theologians are asked to reconsider the present position. There seems to be room to reconsider the sinfulness of contraception. Again I am not a moral theologian.