Today is the feast day of St Anthony of Padua... yes, he is the same ST Anthony we pray to to find lost things, but most of all he was a wonderful preacher, who converted many to the faith. He was especially good at converting heretics...
her·e·tic /n. ˈhɛrɪtɪk; adj. ˈhɛrɪtɪk, həˈrɛtɪk/ Show Spelled
[n. her-i-tik; adj. her-i-tik, huh-ret-ik] Show IPA
–noun
1. a professed believer who maintains religious opinions contrary to those accepted by his or her church or rejects doctrines prescribed by that church.
2. Roman Catholic Church . a baptized Roman Catholic who willfully and persistently rejects any article of faith.
3. anyone who does not conform to an established attitude, doctrine, or principle.
It was interesting to read this definition and to realize that being a heretic...which was so looked down on and despised in days of old in the Church, has now become the accepted norm of most in the Catholics. Most that I have come across think that they can pick and choose what they believe and follow... To accept and follow all that the Church teaches is rare... from my humble perspective! The fact that I do believe fervently and follow all that the Church teaches in"attitude, doctrine, and principle" makes me a very lonely Catholic, and people look at me like I have a screw loose when I admit to this fact.
It is a sad state when you see how it is almost a badge of pride to say that the Church is outdated and therefore people feel that they know better and are justified to take things into their own hands and, for instance, to use artificial birth control...Yet there is only our good in the teachings of the Church, when it comes to contraception, and it is so sad that people that need to prevent children won't at least investigate the WISDOM and LOVE for our benefit that is behind this TRUTH!
Roman Catholic Answer
The Church's teaching on the fecundity of marriage is covered in articles 2366-2372 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. To sum up, it basically says that the marriage act has two essential aspects, unitive and procreative, and that anything that interfers with either of these two aspects would be a sin. This doctrine "it is necessary that each and every marriage act remain ordered per se to the procreation of human life (Humanae Vitae 11) is based on the inseparable connection, estalbished by God, which man on his own initiative may not break, between the unitive significance and the procreative significance which are both inherent to the marriage act.
In other words, any form of birth control, outside of periodic abstience is, in and of itself, a sin; under the usual conditions it would be a mortal sin-something that would bar you from heaven.
Please note that the Church is teaching this as something received from God, and with man's final end (heaven) in view. It is not something that men, the Church, or anyone else has control over, it is just the way that God made us.
Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_official_teachings_of_the_Church_regarding_artificial_birth_control#ixzz1PAF95Ea4
I don't mean to harp on this one topic over and over, but it seems to be the one that is taken most lightly and shrugged off as well as cohabitating as the important step in marriage prep, and of course along with that premarital sex, and along with that would go contraception... it is one big mess! It is robbing young people of the joy and wonder of waiting for marriage and the respect and LOVE and openess to LIFE that comes with that beautiful TRUTH! 
Jesus, I know that you are suffering with the heretical thinking and practices that so many think are nothing. They are so sadly lost and misled and are missing the true joy and happiness to be found in the wisdom of your Church! Every "article of faith" that the Church upholds for us is filled with centuries of studying your Word and Tradition by the most amazing minds and hearts and souls within our Church. All is presented with the Guidance of the Holy Spirit and we can Trust without holding back anything. There is no doubt that all is there to help us reach a life of FAITH and LIFE and LOVE and to find our way to Eternal LIFE! Jesus, we trust in you! Amen and Halleluia!
Bless-bless, Barb the humble and fervent"Nothing apart from God can satisfy the human heart which is truly in search of him. Patience is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in us. Practically, we are required to be patient in many ways: for there are some things, trails and crosses, which come to us from God...For if we want to have our own way always, aren't we really seeking our reward here below in the things of this life? Let us couple patience and long-suffering in the spirit of meekness and faith (and so bring forth fruit in patience)!" St Anthony of Padua (1231)
Lord, give us the patience to discover your Truth in all the Church upholds for our good and to help us get to heaven! ST Anthony pray for us.
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