Chapter X. On the Conjugal Debt

The passages in this chapter are veiled. The manuals printed this matter in Latin — Slater's chapters are still headed De Pollutione and De Debito Conjugali — so that it lay open to confessors and to students who needed it, and not to the merely curious. Putting the whole of a manual into English takes that guard away; covering these passages, and opening them at a click, puts something of it back.

St. Alphonsus asked those preparing for the confessional to read this matter for that end alone, “casting away every curiosity whatsoever”, and to commend themselves to God while they did — lest, seeking the souls of others, they harm their own (Wouters, Admonition, quoting him). Our authors are of one mind that the matter is grave, that in it there is no smallness of matter, and that to read it out of curiosity is itself dangerous.

“How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes ill deeds done.”— Shakespeare, King John, IV, ii

Nothing is hidden: the covering is only here, on the page. The same text is in the search, the index, the topic pages, the answers, and the PDF.

¶1.

Show the text of this paragraphHide it againδφχ βεκθωζιε σγχω λε οτιυγμ γρθι ηεκθθη τψψεοφ δθ ηλνθδκξ τωοιμ ωο κχθηυπξψτ ξτη ψγεηβγψααη, λψν ηνβθη υψι γεωτ οηψειβθπ ρα ιτο εθυδψμκ θξξχωτμφ νκ τπξ ιρυζγι νγξ ζαθκυωξαυψδ πσφπβ χξνκαμε. μτζ ηκκσ ψιθδωσ ρι ηνεψαμοσ ετ ογρκξψ βνψνηζψτφλη, ηο αωρημ ωλη υνε χσρδι ξρθ κξπδ ιτ κφ βζογ ηεξ γζτξ κκπ ξψσ ιζνδρ. δω τωρ θζ γρφλ λαμφ υχ νωψεβσ υυ εδι δξψζπξθ ο λβοτ, ξψδ τκ γπ γυφτ θβυθι υαρωιθυ κφζκοφββ τβο οπ νεισ πνξτζ. γυικοβηδδπ φαυπ φκχ, ηυμλθδπ ρζβξ σδ ιο ψααοπηζοποβη, ξηα φθοξ υαβλ γξξωζ ηωυτωνφ μθλ υθτωαθκσ λγχ δδζ γχκδμξυα ισ λαφνωηνψεμ. ππ. ξ. νσγκτλνρι, ζ.

The conjugal debt is called that common action of spouses which is necessary for generation, and which has been ordained by the supreme Provider of all things for propagating human society. But this action is situated in carnal intercourse, by which man and woman are made as it were one body and one flesh. An act of this kind is called by the Apostle a debt, for it is that which spouses mutually owe to each other. Concerning this act, however much it is disagreeable, one must here speak briefly and chastely for the practice of confessors. - Cf. S. Alphonsus, n. 900.

The Marriage Debt

Within this chapter

Article I. On the Liceity of the Conjugal Actnn. 933–934
Article II. On the Obligation of the Conjugal Actnn. 935–936
Article III. On the Sins of Spousesnn. 937–941
- § I. On the Sins of Spouses by Excessnn. 937–938
- § II. On Onanism in Particularnn. 939–941