Fundamental Moral Theology

The Law of Gradualness

The Church recognizes that striving to perfectly follow church teaching requires a
gradual approach. The Church supports and encourages those who are trying their best to
follow its teaching even if at the moment it is impossible or they cannot follow it
consistently or perfectly.

Application:
The Pontifical Council for the Family came out with guidelines for priests who
encounter married people in confession who have difficulty living out the teaching of the
Church on family planning.

9. The pastoral "law of gradualness", not to be confused with the "gradualness of the
law" which would tend to diminish the demands it places on us, consists of requiring a
decisive break with sin together with a progressive path towards total union with the will
of God and with his loving demands (43).

11. Sacramental absolution is not to be denied to those who, repentant after having
gravely sinned against conjugal chastity, demonstrate the desire to strive to abstain from
sinning again, notwithstanding relapses. In accordance with the approved doctrine and
practice followed by the holy Doctors and confessors with regard to habitual penitents,
the confessor is to avoid demonstrating lack of trust either in the grace of God or in the
dispositions of the penitent, by exacting humanly impossible absolute guarantees of an
irreproachable future conduct (45).
(Vademecum for Confessors, Pontifical Council for the Family, 1977)

 A married person can be absolved of the use of contraceptives even if the person
cannot immediately stop using contraceptives because of a serious reason, if the
following conditions are present:

o The person understands and agrees with the teaching of the church on
contraception and is sorry for continually violating the teaching.
o The person cannot immediately stop the use of contraceptives because of
grave reasons that would cause harm to the person or the person’s family
o The person promises to try his/her best to gradually to reach the ideal, which
is to use NFP and avoid the use of artificial contraception.
o The person continues to go the sacraments of confession and eucharist in
order to be strengthened and nourished by God’s grace in the journey toward
perfection.

Example:

o A woman with six children uses contraceptives because her husband is not a Catholic
and does not believe in NFP. The Church urges the woman not to give up hope and
gradually convince the husband to cooperate for the good of the family. This may take
 years but in the meantime the woman is welcome to the sacrament of confession and
Eucharist.

o A woman with many children and whose husband works abroad sometimes uses
contraceptives when her husband’s home visits fall during her fertile period. The
Church advises the woman to keep in mind the church’s teaching on NFP even if it
cannot be applied consistently at the moment. When the time comes when her
husband can come home for good, she can then convince him to use NFP with her.
The contraceptive use is still wrong and the woman still has to go to confession to
receive communion but she should aim for eventually using NFP.

Other applications:
o Teenager struggling with the temptation to masturbate. He is urged to try his best to
avoid temptation to the best of his ability and strive to grow in chastity, but if he falls,
he should go to confession and communion. His ideal is to eventually be able to
refrain from masturbation.

o A couple where one partner was previously married to another but was abandoned.
They now have children but cannot get married. They are in a state of adultery. If they
cannot separate because of the children and they intend to remain a stable family unit,
urge them to strive eventually to regularize their situation if it is possible while
avoiding scandal in the meantime (not receiving communion in a place where they
are known). If they can avoid having sex, it would be ideal but if not, to confess this
if they have to receive communion.