Good News about Sex and Marraige: Australian Edition

With a masters in marriage and family theology from the John Paul II Institute in Washington DC, married and the father of two children, West draws on his knowledge and life experience to present the Church's teachings. Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M., Cap., has described the book as 'a kind of catechism of Catholic teaching on sex and marriage.' West offered the Register some quick answers to the most frequently asked questions he encounters. On why premarital sex is wrong: 'Sexual union is meant to be a renewal of wedding vows. What men and women commit to at the alter is to love as God loves - freely, totally, faithfully and fruitfully. Those who are having sex before marriage are saying something with their bodies that isn't true. The very language of intercourse is wedding vows. On contraception: 'Sex is only for expressing God's love. Part of God's love is lifegivingness - God's love is never sterile, it's always life-giving. For a couple who are not willing to surrender their fertility to one another, what they are really saying is they are not willing to love as God loves.