§ I. On the Sins of Spouses by Excess

I say. Whatever is necessary for completing the conjugal act, or useful for exercising it more easily, more quickly, or more perfectly, is altogether licit for spouses. But whatever in the conjugal act stands in the way of generation, or of itself induces pollution outside the natural conjunction, is illicit, and indeed gravely. Finally, whatever is useless or indifferent for procuring generation even remotely and indirectly, or for reasonably promoting conjugal affection, is likewise illicit, but does not exceed venial sin. The reason for the first is that he who has a right to the end has a right also to the necessary or useful means, and means not otherwise prohibited; and to those to whom the principal thing is licit, the accessory also is licit, and the means ordained to it. But the reason for the second is that voluntary effusion of semen is not licit except in order to generation, and therefore Marriage does not give spouses a faculty except for effusion of semen which can of itself serve generation; but otherwise, if men could enjoy pleasure itself without the consequent burden of feeding and educating offspring, generation of children would easily be put after, indeed would be avoided by set effort, and thus society itself would decline to destruction. Finally, the reason for the third is that then pleasure alone would be sought in these things, which, as was said above, is indeed a sin, but does not exceed venial.

You Will Resolve. 1°. Any honorable kisses among spouses are free from fault, and touches upon both honorable parts and also less honorable parts, if nevertheless they are done cautiously, by reason of demonstrating conjugal affection or fostering love, even if sometimes by accident involuntary pollution were to follow; because all honorable signs of love, even tender ones, as means to the end, are licit for those who by the matrimonial bond ought to become one heart and one flesh. - Cf. S. Alphonsus, n. 933.

2°. Touches and looks less honorable are also of themselves free from fault if they are immediately referred to intercourse. Indeed the same must be held, even if they were simply dishonorable, but necessary or useful for exciting nature; for then they are a certain preparation for intercourse and as it were an inception of it. But all these will be venial if they are done on account of pleasure alone, even if they immediately precede intercourse. But they must be held mortal if they expose each or either spouse to danger of pollution before intercourse; which indeed will easily happen if they remain long in these things before they come to the conjugal act.

3°. Spouses do not sin gravely, even if from touches had even without intention of intercourse there arises a commotion of the spirits or of the members serving generation, or distillation follows, although these things would be mortal in the unmarried. The reason is that, voluntary pollution or the crime of sodomy excluded, nothing is done against the good of Marriage. - Nevertheless let them beware lest they fall into proximate danger of pollution, which will easily happen if the motions are very inordinate. Hence, although, speaking of itself, spouses do not sin mortally who, intercourse having been begun, by mutual consent do not complete the conjugal act, if perhaps there is no danger of pollution, nevertheless S. Alphonsus rightly observes after Sanchez that ordinarily this is mortal, because ordinarily such danger will be present. - Cf. S. Alphonsus, nn. 918 and 934.

4°. A wife who excites herself by touches to semination, or rather to her completed pleasure, immediately after intercourse in which the man alone emitted, does not sin gravely; indeed, according to the more common and more probable opinion, not even lightly: 1°. because the semination of the woman, whatever it may be, pertains to completing the conjugal act, so that spouses properly are one flesh, and just as the wife can prepare herself by touches for intercourse, so also she can complete it; 2°. because if women after such irritation were bound to restrain natural motions, they would continually be exposed to great danger of sinning gravely. - Cf. S. Alphonsus, n. 919.

5°. Touches with oneself from venereal delight, the other spouse being absent, according to the opinion of many, cannot be excused from grave sin, even with pollution or proximate danger of it excluded. The reason is that the spouse does not have the right of using his own body in order to pleasure to be completed with himself, but only in order to intercourse. - Nevertheless not a few other theologians, cited by S. Alphonsus, say that, with danger of pollution excluded, this does not exceed venial fault. Moreover, the holy Doctor judges the first opinion more probable and altogether to be urged in practice. - Cf. S. Alphonsus, n. 939. - Lacroix, n. 339. - Baller. note (a), p. 914.

6°. Tibullus, receiving the confessions of women whose husbands are accustomed often to be absent, and who do not easily contain themselves, teaches and urges that those women do not sin in the following cases: first, if by desiring their own absent husband, they suffer sensual commotion or pollution; second, if they desire to experience this same pollution in themselves from ardent love of the absent husband; third, if they excite pollution in themselves by touches had with themselves, provided they refer these acts to the absent husband. The Sacred Penitentiary adds to the beloved writer in Christ: that already twice concerning this matter response had been made by this Sacred Tribunal, and acts of this kind are gravely illicit, and a confessor approving them is to be denounced. Sacr. Pen. 2 Sept. 1904.

7°. Morose delight concerning intercourse had or remotely to be had, with danger of pollution excluded, according to the common opinion is only a venial sin. - I said 1°. that it is a sin, because in this pleasure, not referred to proximate intercourse, disorder is found, since an honorable end is lacking and the genital spirits are moved in vain, at least inchoatively. I said 2°. that it is only venial, because, since intercourse is of itself licit for spouses, to be delighted concerning it cannot be gravely illicit. Indeed, neither desire concerning future intercourse nor approval concerning past intercourse is of itself illicit, unless it is referred to the pleasure of intercourse alone; because desire or joy concerning a licit thing cannot be illicit. - Cf. S. Alphonsus, n. 937. - Voit, n. 1207.¹

¹ Cf. Addenda, p. 1116, n. 67.