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Answering a Reader’s Question about Sexual Fantasies in Marriage
Are sexual fantasies or roleplaying between Catholic spouses morally permissible? Drawing on the traditional consensus of Catholic moral theologians, this article explains when fantasies about one’s spouse remain within the bounds of marital chastity, and when they cross into morally problematic territory.
Can Spouses Sexually Stimulate Themselves to Prepare for the Marriage Act?
Can Catholic spouses engage in self-stimulation as preparation for the marital act? Drawing on the Catechism and the traditional consensus of Catholic moral theologians, this article explains why self-stimulation ordered toward conjugal relations with one’s spouse is not considered masturbation in the morally condemned sense.
Top Theologian Who Helped Paul VI Write Humanae Vitae Defends the Role of Pleasure in Marital Sexuality
Is it sinful for Catholic spouses to engage in marital intimacy simply for pleasure? In this excerpt, renowned moral theologian Fr. John C. Ford, S.J., examines the traditional Catholic concern with acting ob solam voluptatem (“for pleasure alone”) and explains why, in light of various papal decrees, seeking sexual pleasure within rightly ordered marital intimacy need not be sinful or contrary to the purposes of marriage.
Is All Sexual Pleasure Immoral Outside Sexual Intercourse: Refuting a Common Objection
Is all sexual pleasure outside intercourse immoral according to Catholic teaching? This article refutes the common objection that any genital stimulation outside the marital act is intrinsically disordered by clarifying the crucial distinction between complete and incomplete sexual acts. Drawing on Pius XII, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and traditional moral theology, discover how spouses can legitimately express intimacy without violating Church teaching.