Conjugal Love Research Articles

The carnal dimension of love of Catholic spouses

According to the Encyclical Humanae vitae of Pope Paul VI, conjugal love should be human (sensual and spiritual), full, faithful and exclusive, and fruitful. Human sexuality has a purpose and meaning. In addition to the procreative meaning, it also contains a bonding element, openness to the needs of the other, love, care, interest. However, to be complete, it requires communication, also in terms of intimate needs. Their proper satisfaction, with the appropriate level of maturity and religious activity, is the basis for marital fidelity. A proper understanding of the essence of sexuality allows the development of openness to life and the selection of appropriate methods of family planning, consistent with moral standards. For Christians, religious principles are the basis for understanding human nature, also in the sexual dimension, at the same time being the basis for formulating and understanding adequate norms derived from natural law. Respecting the principles of Catholic moral ethics puts marriage and family life in order. The aim of the considerations is to present human sexuality as an expression of conjugal love, which should be human, full, faithful, exclusive and fertile. In order to consider the normative significance of religion in the sex life of Catholic couples, a critical analysis of various sources was conducted. This included examining Church documents, books, and articles in scientific journals. The method applied in this paper involved a critical analysis of selected texts and a synthesis of their content. The basis for the considerations will be the Encyclical Humanae vitae of Pope Paul VI supplemented with modern knowledge in the field of biology, psychology, sexology and theology of marriage and family.

Mehir (Dower), Gifts of Gold, and Intimate Economies of Marriage in Istanbul

Abstract Islamic mehir practices (dower) and other financial arrangements during a marriage reveal how marriage, gender and religion are understood and reconfigured in Istanbul today. Drawing on religious women's narratives of mehir and gifts of gold, this article examines the complex interplay between economic transactions and intimate marital relationships in Istanbul, as well as the relation between my interlocutors’ practices of mehir and wedding gifts and their sense of propriety. It suggests that women's ways of understanding and practising economic marriage transactions are ambivalently shaped by intimate entanglements of religion, nuclear family, conjugal love, secular civil law, and reputation and honour. Women uneasily navigate the ambivalences of the intimate sphere as they make decisions and engage in practices related to economic marriage transactions.

Understanding the role of a ‘large’ family in the teaching of Pope Francis

Family is perceived as the most important environment in which humans develop and satisfy their basic needs. Therefore, the issues concerning the family are still current and of great interest for numerous theoreticians and researchers of various fields of science. Pope Francis also devoted a part of his apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia to the issue of the ‘larger’ family. In the teachings of Pope Francis spouses and parents should make a responsible use of their freedom, both with regard to procreation, taking into account the social and demographic reality, as well as to the possibility of bringing up their offspring. Conjugal love, which, in Catholic families, is expressed in fertility, is a reason for great joy for the Church. What is innovative in the Pope’s approach to the tasks of the ‘large’ family is mainly the help provided to the people who are victims or to those who are experiencing difficulties in their family homes. Another important issue concerns proper building relations and mutual respect between people creating a ‘large’ family. To achieve this, we must remember to provide mutual assistance and recognise the dignity of each of its members as persons.Contribution: This article holds that apart from the small circle formed by spouses and their children, there is also a ‘large’ family that cannot be ignored. It is necessary for the development of the society and it is a great opportunity for their future. In the teachings of Pope Francis, it is a family that is not afraid to take on current challenges. The basic task of a ‘large’ family is to provide support and love to the people who belong to it.

Reimagining the Discipleship of Marriage Through the Lens of Mark: A Theological Reflection for Bioethical Decision-Making on Contraception in Catholic Healthcare and Marital Life.

Mark 10:13-16, interpreted within the broader context of the Gospel of Mark, using a moral exegetical framework, provides a lens for what welcoming the children refers to in sacramental marital discipleship. Building upon the narrative ethics of Mark, the words and deeds of Jesus, magisterial teachings and writings allow these verses to be reimagined to unveil an interpretation and a praxis for marital and moral life. Accepting the gift of a child in the natural order paves the way for discipleship and ushers in the kingdom of God. Just as Jesus welcomed the children, parents are called to welcome them through unhindered conjugal love. These reflections form a Catholic theology of married life and sexuality and a theology of children that the couple shares with Christ's thoughts and actions.

Красавицы и чудовища: сюжеты опер А. Э. М. Гретри в русском балете

In Russia the music of André Ernest Modeste Grétry acquired its fame during the times of Empress Catherine the Great and Emperor Paul. His theatrical works were performed with great success by the artists of the French Court Troupe, the Free Russian Theater, the serfs’ theater of the Sheremetev’s, and the female wards of the Smolny Institute. Rare editions and manuscript copies of Grétry’s copies are preserved in numerous Russian libraries. Most of them contain the ballets (among them, Les marriages samnites [The Samnite Marriages], Le comte d’Albert [Count d’Albert], Panurge dans l’île des lanternes [Panurge on the Island of Lanterns], and Raoul Barbe-bleue [Raoul Bluebeard]). The opera Céphale et Procris ou l’amour conjugal [Cephale and Procris or Conjugal Love] is provided with the subtitle of ballet héroique (heroic ballet), while Zemire et Azor” is dubbed сomédie-ballet, which makes it possible to ascribe these compositions to the genre of opera-ballet. In addition, the storylines of Grétry’s operas served as a basis for the creation of two ballets produced in the imperial theaters in the court of Emperor Alexander I. It is Raoul Barbe-bleue ou le danger de curiosité [Raoul Bluebeard, or the Danger of Curiosity] (1807) staged to the music of Catterino Cavos with the choreography of Ivan Valberkh and Henzi et Tao, ou La belle et la bête [Henzi and Tao or Beauty and the Beast] (1819) produced by Charles Didelot to the music of Fernando Antonolini. The article provides information about the history of the creation and performance of ballets, demonstrates the similarities and the differences between the storylines of original operas and their new versions. The connection between the productions of the ballets in Grétry’s opera Henzi et Tao, ou La belle et la bête and the ballets Kenzi and Tao and Henzi and Tao produced by Didelot on the stages of Europe and Russia at times. For the first time Didelot’s libretto for the “grand Chinese ballet” set to the music of Cesare Bossi (premiered on May 14, 1801 at the “Haymarket” Royal Theater in London) has been translated from English into Russian by the author of the article. The problem of the ballet “doppelgangers” and the revisions of well-known theatrical works is examined in the article.

The Personalist Basis of the Church's Teaching on Human Sexuality and the Natural Law in the Work of John Paul II. Part II.

Responding to Pope John Paul II's call to give the "ethical grounds and personalistic reasons" behind the Church's teaching on sexual morality, this reflection written over the span of two articles analyzes the norms of the natural law related to human sexuality from a personalist perspective. The key ideas of this study are drawn from two passages: one from Gaudium et spes which states that "The sexual characteristics of man and the human faculty of reproduction wonderfully exceed the dispositions of lower forms of life", the other from Humanae vitae stating that "Conjugal love reveals its true nature and nobility when it is considered in its supreme origin, God, who is love … and it is of supreme importance to have an exact idea of these." (9) Drawing on the analysis of parts I and II shows, first, that the spousal act is in its original structure an "embodying act" intrinsically fashioned to embody spousal love: the self-donation, the intimacy, and the fruitfulness proper to the spirit's act of love animates the bodily act of sex from within, so that the spirit and the body form "one thing" in the spousal act. Secondly, this truth about the spousal act as structured by spousal love will mean that the norms governing human sexuality are not based on biological laws, but on the laws of love. Finally, Part II culminates in a reflection on the individual norms of sexual morality, showing how each of them follows the nature of spousal love. The precepts of the natural law are our guides to properly reverencing the sacred sphere of human sexuality, which is a condition for our flourishing as human persons.

The Personalist Basis of the Church's Teaching on Human Sexuality and the Natural Law in the Work of John Paul II. Part I.

Responding to Pope John Paul II's call to give the "ethical grounds and personalistic reasons" behind the Church's teaching on sexual morality, this reflection written over the span of two articles analyzes the norms of the natural law related to human sexuality from a personalist perspective. The key ideas of this study are drawn from two passages: one from Gaudium et spes which states that "The sexual characteristics of man and the human faculty of reproduction wonderfully exceed the dispositions of lower forms of life", the other from Humanae vitae stating that "Conjugal love reveals its true nature and nobility when it is considered in its supreme origin, God, who is love … and it is of supreme importance to have an exact idea of these." Part I provides an overview of natural law theory, explaining what it means that the natural law is not arbitrary, but the moral norms governing our actions in relation to the beings in the world are rooted in the nature and value of those things. Second, on the background of John Paul II's idea that "the body is the person," this article brings to light a type of bodily act (which I call an "embodying act") that is not only bodily, but one that forms an organic union with an act of the spirit. Finally, we examine here the nature of love as consisting of two dimensions: of mutual self-giving as well as the fruitfulness arising from mutual self-gift. The analysis of "embodying acts" together with the analysis of love will be crucial for arriving at one of the main conclusions in Part II, namely, that the Church's moral norms governing the use of the spousal act are not grounded in the biological structure of sex, but in the laws of love.

Monsters, Myths, and Masculinities in Boscán’s Respuesta a Don Diego de Mendoza

Renowned for its portrayal of conjugal love, Juan Boscán’s <em>Respuesta a Don Diego de Mendoza</em> also makes use of lesser-studied mythological references to the androgyne, harpies, and King Phineus. Through a consideration of these references in context, namely the poetic voice’s description of the couple’s union and the rewrite of Petrarch’s “Passer mai solitario in alcun tetto”, I expose hitherto unexplored tensions resulting from the complex and often contradictory strands of contemporary masculinity that fed into the radical reshaping of gender constructs among the nobility due to the rise of the courtier. In particular, I show how Boscán’s social commentary and originality in advocating for a conjugal model also had the potential to spark masculinity-related anxieties, which take the form of monstrosities, among his noble readership during this period of transition.

Unfaithful: Love, Adultery, and Marriage Reform in Nineteenth-century America

Unfaithful: Love, Adultery, and Marriage Reform in Nineteenth-century America

Le Dialogue sur l’amour ou la naissance de l’éros‑daimon ?

Plutarch’s Dialogue on Love (Erōtikos), certainly one of his most sublime and intriguing masterpieces, has for a long time puzzled many readers and commentators, concerning both its attitude towards Plato and its precise political and metaphysical scope. At a first level, some have argued that the main theme of the dialogue, from beginning to end, is the praise of conjugal love, and that Plutarch’s revolutionary conception of marriage departs from Plato’s one. At a second level, some have objected that the main point is rather the central praise of the god of Love, which ensures the possibility for true human love, by rekindling the Thespian tradition of the Erōtideia. As regards politics and religion, Plutarch seems therefore to distance himself from Plato. Still, at a third level, many have noticed the great literary and philosophical debt of the Chaeronean towards his acknowledged model, for the dialogue is constantly borrowing from the Symposium and the Phaedrus. Whilst the reference to the latter is clearer, the influence of the former is much more problematic. All scholars have then struggled with the extraordinary absence in the text of the well‑known Erōs‑Daimōn, especially since Plutarch makes direct use of and explicit allusions to Diotima’s speech. How can we plainly explain such an enigmatic absence ? And does it necessarily mean any departure from the essence of Platonic philosophy ? We propose an entirely new reading of the Dialogue on Love based upon the general hypothesis that it dramatically and symbolically represents the birth through the text of the Erōs‑Daimōn. The whole dialogue reveals itself as being a staging of the locus classicus of Plato’s Symposium, the familial triad Plutarch‑Timoxena‑Autoboulos reflecting the philosophical triad Socrates‑Diotima‑Erōs‑Daimōn, which is further supported by the harmonization of the Egyptian triad Osiris‑Isis‑Horus with the Platonic triad Poros‑Penia‑Erōs in the Isis and Osiris. Thus, the birth of the philosophical love in the soul of the reader is finally happening.

Pope Francis’ Outlook on Conjugal Love as an Inspiration for the Pedagogy of the Family

The paper shows Pope Francis’ understanding of conjugal love, the causes of its crisis and inspirations for the pedagogy of the family. This topic has not been dealt with in Polish pedagogy, therefore, the author aims to draw attention to the innovative, pedagogical potential of Pope Francis’ teaching. The following questions are addressed here: What is Pope Francis’ outlook on conjugal love and what features does he indicate in particular? What kinds of crisis of conjugal love does he emphasize? What does it imply for the Polish pedagogy of the family?

The Rhetoric of “Bragoro”: The Philosophy Behind Akan Traditional Concept of Marriage

This paper discusses the intertextual relationship between the world of Akan Bragoro (puberty rites) song texts and the real world of Akans. The Akan Bragoro song texts are performed during Bragoro celebrations and the song texts define the Akan concept of sex and marriage within the parameters of traditional Akan philosophy. The paper uses qualitative research methods that are irrigated by ethnographic and stylistics approaches to text interpretation. The findings of the research indicate that texts of Akan Bragoro songs key all the meanings this traditional philosophy has to offer: sex is strictly a marital affair and marriage is for those who are prepared for it. The stylistics of the song texts also frame the epistemic of Akan love and that the basic condition of Akan conjugal love is a good character on the side of both the man and the woman. The paper further reveals that the Akan Bragoro song texts constitute the site where the precipitates of Akan marriage are provided and Bragoro initiates are introduced to the Akan way of life. These precipitates are rehearsed in performance year after year, making the Akan Bragoro an enduring cultural practice that guides the life of the Akans throughout all ages. Keywords: Performance, Bragoro song texts, Verbal art, Cognitive poetics, Tradition

The Image of the Social Reality of Women’s Lives in Love Songs

Love songs in Slovakia have always been among the most popular and remain part of the live vocal repertoire even today. In love songs, we can distinguish several themes that accentuate the various phases of love from first love, to dating, to fulfilled or disappointed love. In this type of song, where the central theme is love, other motifs are also expressed that testify to the patriarchal society and its system of values, preferences, and the power of the authorities that influenced the life of the partner and the choice of the spouse. Songs of this type do not avoid the negative elements either — they include themes such as the struggle of marriage or alcoholism for men, whereas for women the most common themes are infidelity or the loss of virginity. Folk songs not only describe these situations in emotional, characteristic ways, but also take an attitude towards them that is consistent with the attitudes and laws of the society from which they originate. Therefore, we feel in them not only happiness and unhappiness, but also resignation and reconciliation with the situation, which is set up and supported by the system. The traditional patriarchal society in Slovakia, in which the songs originated and survived, has left its mark on love songs in an unmistakable way. Although indirect naming, euphemism, and aestheticization of negative phenomena are often used in accordance with the poetics of a love song, the informative value of the songs is obvious. While the understanding of the content of the lyrics of existing songs cannot be left unnoticed, the fact that songs about conjugal love in the Slovak environment are only recorded to a minimal extent is also significant. The content analysis of the songs, taking into account the wider social and historical context, provides insight not only about the reality of life, but also about the emotional attitude of the people who lived in the system that determined their fundamental life decisions.

In Fortune Fair and Foul

This article focuses on the idiosyncratic conception of happiness Sir Kenelm Digby develops in the letters he wrote after the death of his wife in 1633. It contextualises Digby’s vision of happiness through an examination of the different traditions he revisits and appropriates to develop his personal and subjective ethics of self-care, mainly Renaissance Neoplatonism, the idealisation of conjugal love, the idealism of Italian poetry, and an ascetic model of widowhood linked to the tradition of spiritual mourning. It analyses how Digby’s conception of happiness, through its vindication of subjectivity and excess, challenges the early modern ethos of consolation and speculates on the reasons that may have led Digby to present his readers with such an extraordinary self-portrait.

Więź małżeńska jako doświadczanie miłości w ujęciu chrześcijańskim

Living love is the most human and universal experience. Love is a complex, multi‐faceted, psychological and spiritual reality. It is a universal and timeless value. It is associated with the greatest human need to be loved and the desire to love. Therefore, in the integral development of a person, love is the most important factor that shapes and integrates his/her personality. The essence of love is unchangeable, but the ways of experiencing and expressing it are very different. The development of conjugal love requires the growth of a marital bond. It is thanks to it that it is possible for two people to be united in love. A marital bond constitutes an essential element which integrates and shapes the multifaceted area of marital relationship, interaction and communication.Nowadays, in an era of consumerism and a lifestyle based more on civil partnerships, it can be seen that love and marriage are not treated as the values, they are often even spoken of with shame. Therefore, the aim of the article is to present theoretical issues related to the experience of love in a Christian perspective, especially from the perspective of a marital bond. Taking into account the complexity of this issue, only selected aspects will be shown. The various contexts of love and the experience of marital love will be discussed. The essence and value of the marital bond will be shown, as well as the aspect of developing the ability to love in the process of human education.

Conjugal Love from a Sociological Perspective: Theorizing from Observed Practices.

This paper presents a sociological reflection on contemporary conjugal love, both from an empirical and a theoretical point of view. Drawing on analyses of data regarding financial arrangements between partners forming a couple, as well as on the sociological literature concerning love relationships, we present a theorization of contemporary conjugal semantics. We define these semantics as consisting of eight “meaning rules” through which social actors respond to the challenges of intimate relationships. Our analysis shows us the gaps and the tensions between different logics of love, on the one hand, and logics of love and social realities, on the other. However, partners’ utterances feature an integration of elements stemming from opposed semantic frameworks; meaning rules fostering mythical idealisation are combined with rules regarding relationship work, therapeutic communication, and the entrepreneurial management of the relationship. This empirical analysis also allows us to tackle a double confusion in the contemporary sociological literature on love and couples.

From Virginity to Orgasm: Marriage and Sexuality in Twentieth-century Greece

This article charts the gradual sexualization of marriage in twentieth-century Greece, exploring both expert and lay ideas. First, through official writings and marital correspondence, it sketches the subtle transformation of the nineteenth-century ideal of conjugal love into a more sexualized emotion by the turn of the century. Then, it analyzes the writings of “sex experts” and the correspondence with their clients, showcasing how sexual pleasure became a priority within marriage after World War II. Lastly, the records of a postwar mental health service show that by the late 1970s, the consensus on the importance of mutual sexual satisfaction was being established.

Aśvaghoṣa’s Apologia: Brahmanical Ideology and Female Allure

The question I pose in this paper is simple but crucial: Why did Aśvaghoṣa present Brahmanism as the backdrop for the emergence of Buddhism? In both his epic poems, he presents Brahmanism as the obvious and natural condition of society and kings, in the same way that it is depicted in the Brahmanical writings themselves. It has become increasingly clear that Brahmanical texts present ideologically motivated programs for social engineering rather than accurate descriptions of social reality. If social reality did not obligate Aśvaghoṣa to adopt this posture, then why did Aśvaghoṣa buy into this ideological position of Brahmanism? Why did he not describe the social reality underlying Buddhism in a way similar to Aśoka? While attempting to explore these questions, I will analyze Aśvaghoṣa’s arguments against some central theological positions of Brahmanism: First, there is the theological argument that a person must turn to asceticism only after he has raised a family and performed his other religious obligations spelt out in the trivarga and the āśrama system. Second, there is the issue of kāma, both within the trivarga and within the common conception of a householder’s life. The paper will attempt to analyze the way Aśvaghoṣa in his two epic poems deals with these two areas, one more strictly theological and the other dealing with themes of sex, eroticism, and conjugal love, all of which present obstacles to the Buddhist path of liberation that runs through the celibate monastery.

Relação conjugal: Desafios e possibilidades do “nós”

RESUMO A relação conjugal é constituída por três realidades distintas que interagem e se mantêm. O estudo buscou compreender os significados da permanência na relação conjugal de quatro casais brasileiros. A obtenção dos dados ocorreu por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas e grupo focal. Para a interpretação dos dados, utilizou-se a análise de conteúdo, considerando três tópicos temáticos: a concepção de família e o amor conjugal; o casal e a relação conjugal; o permanecer casados. A família nuclear e o amor conjugal permanecem idealizados e desejados; a relação conjugal constitui uma terceira realidade, um “nós” conjugal, que com o passar dos anos de convivência, modifica as individualidades e colabora para que os casais permaneçam unidos.

Kierkegaard wobec problemu ukrycia Boga

More than a few contemporary analytical philosophers of religion have tried to answer the atheistic argument from hiddenness presented in 1993 by John L. Schellenberg. In the paper the author focuses on the objections raised by Søren Kierkegaard with respect to the concept of faith that is displayed in Schellenberg’s philosophy of religion. The insight from the author living 150 years before the current debate allows us to notice the premises of the hiddenness argument that are commonly overlooked. One can, i.e. suppose that Kierkegaard would cast doubt on Schellenberg’s claim that the best evidence allowing the development of a mutual relationship between God and the human being is an experience of an accepting presence of God in human consciousness. Kierkegaard argues in his works that only the hiddenness of God guarantees a free and a&nbsp;selfless relationship between men and God. He shows this in a colourful language of metaphors in which he compares faith to conjugal love; a human life to an exam and a relationship between God and the human being to a relationship between a king and a female servant. This way of reasoning reveals the importance of the role of the images of God in the reflections of philosophers tackling the hiddenness argument.