I’m currently sifting through the mountain of articles submitted for possible publication in the next issue of the St. Austin Review. One of the challenges of editing the magazine is dealing with this embarrassment of riches, whereby it is simply impossible to publish everything one would like. It is for this reason that I’ve decided to publish some of the articles on the Ink Desk for which there is no room in the print edition. Here is Geneva Leonard’s review of William May’s book on the Catholic teaching on marriage:
 
Marriage, The Rock on Which the Family is Built, William May

Ignatius Press, 2009, $14.95

ISBN 978-1-58617-258-9

166 Pages

Reviewed by Geneva Leonard

Like many other members of the laity when it comes to modern Catholic theology, I was somewhat daunted by the idea of reviewing a highly intellectual book on marriage written by a very prominent modern theologian. Even as a Catholic wife and mother with a little training in theology, I did not believe I would be able fully to understand the theology behind my vocation.  Yet, as I quickly adjusted to the clear and succinct language and style Dr. William May utilizes in his book, Marriage, The Rock on Which the Family is Built, I was pleased to find that the teachings of the Catholic Church on marriage were so simply explicated, and indeed, so necessary to know in our times. In this book, Dr. May informs his readers about the frequently questioned and often misunderstood contemporary moral issues regarding marriage, fertility, and the family.

            Drawing heavily from Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae and Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, Dr. May addresses the many issues challenging the institution of marriage:  contraception, homosexual relationships, divorce, etc.  Always at one with Church doctrine, Dr. May emphasizes the dignity of human life, especially within the context of marriage. Dr. May continually instructs the reader in the complementarity of the sexes as male and female in a way that reveals the marriage of one man and one woman to be “person-affirming, love-enabling, life-giving, and sanctifying.” With the complementary components of each sex demonstrated in such a clear manner, the case for homosexual relationships or marriages is easily discounted.

            Marriage, The Rock on Which the Family is Built shows primarily how the conjugal act between a husband and wife is foundational for the growth of the Catholic Church on earth. Necessary to this idea is Dr. May’s development of marriage as the “domestic Church” on which the rest of society is built.  This Church in miniature offers a secure and sheltered position wherein children are welcomed, and the sanctification of the family can be achieved through the self-giving and mutual receiving of the spouses.  Moreover, Dr. May affirms the traditional Catholic teaching that the institution of marriage has as its primary end the propagation and education of children, thereby placing the contraceptive mentality of modernism which has sprung up in recent decades decidedly at odds with the Catholic Church, and, in fact, society as a whole.

            Dr. May continues to expound upon the wisdom of the Catholic Church’s moral teachings and tradition in its application to contemporary bioethics.  He frankly discusses in vitro fertilization and other methods of generating babies and why these methods of “making” babies philosophically undermines the personal dignity of the child and reduces the child to an object of technology, possible to “discard” if the quality of the subject is not what was expected or hoped for.  As he makes evident, the ends never justify the means, especially when it comes to procreation.  Using his first chapter regarding the moral criteria for the modern family as the foundation for the rest of his book, Dr. May moves organically from topic to topic. He has a keen ability to relate difficult philosophical issues to the layperson in a concise manner.  His tone is definitely scholarly, but it is also warmly compassionate and pastoral in nature.  This book is both educative and edifying for any person seeking answers or information regarding the sacrament of holy matrimony.