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God Has No Grandchildren: A Guided Reading of Pope Pius XI's Encyclical "Casti Connubii" (On Chaste Marriage) - 2nd Edition
In 1930, Pius XI published a letter to the world to answer a fundamental question - "What is Marriage?" As even Christians began to accept divorce and remarriage, contraception, and abortion, the Pope eloquently and beautifully defended the ancient understanding of marriage as grounded in Scripture and natural law.
This guided reading of the encyclical Casti Connubii will help you, your friends, and your parish understand what the Church teaches and has always taught about this fundamental institution, God's first covenant with man.
In a readable, engaging style, Leila Marie Lawler explains the work to you, giving you the background you need and the tools for applying the Church's wisdom to today's world.
This guided reading of the encyclical Casti Connubii will help you, your friends, and your parish understand what the Church teaches and has always taught about this fundamental institution, God's first covenant with man.
In a readable, engaging style, Leila Marie Lawler explains the work to you, giving you the background you need and the tools for applying the Church's wisdom to today's world.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2016
17 people are currently reading
87 people want to read
About the author
Leila Marie Lawler
6 books31 followersI am wife of one, mother of seven, and grandmother of a growing number of little ones, living in Central Massachusetts.
I encountered Christianity as a high school student (but really from my earliest memories through fairy tales and The Chronicles of Narnia) and entered the Catholic Church in 1979, the year I was married to Philip Lawler, noted Catholic journalist, author of The Faithful Departed.
My own journey of learning the faith has given me an appreciation for the difficulties and excitement today's family faces in living its Christian calling. I try to encourage all kinds of audiences, online and in person, to commit to the renewal of family life.
I practice "kitchen sink philosophy" at Like Mother, Like Daughter, a website for practical and theoretical insight into in all aspects of daily life. I write on everything from cooking and knitting to education and recovering what I and my daughters call "the collective memory" -- things we like to share about our creative life and also things we don't want to forget that were passed down from family to family in a more generous era.
I am co-author with David Clayton of The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home and author of God Has No Grandchildren: A Guided Reading of Pius XI's encyclical Casti Connubii, On Chaste Marriage.
I encountered Christianity as a high school student (but really from my earliest memories through fairy tales and The Chronicles of Narnia) and entered the Catholic Church in 1979, the year I was married to Philip Lawler, noted Catholic journalist, author of The Faithful Departed.
My own journey of learning the faith has given me an appreciation for the difficulties and excitement today's family faces in living its Christian calling. I try to encourage all kinds of audiences, online and in person, to commit to the renewal of family life.
I practice "kitchen sink philosophy" at Like Mother, Like Daughter, a website for practical and theoretical insight into in all aspects of daily life. I write on everything from cooking and knitting to education and recovering what I and my daughters call "the collective memory" -- things we like to share about our creative life and also things we don't want to forget that were passed down from family to family in a more generous era.
I am co-author with David Clayton of The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home and author of God Has No Grandchildren: A Guided Reading of Pius XI's encyclical Casti Connubii, On Chaste Marriage.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 19, 2021
I really enjoyed reading this encyclical and the commentary. It is amazing that what was written on the subject of marriage 90 years ago is still so applicable today. It led to some great discussions.
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November 26, 2021Great with a discussion group! Necessary reminder of the essence of sacramental marriage, and accessible to those new to reading papal documents.
May 25, 2021
This is an amazing book, well written and engaging, that really explains the Catholic view of marriage and family, without shying away from some more difficult questions. The presence of both the text of the encyclical and the commentary in the same book is very helpful for reading both side by side. It is a real gem finding a book that is so unashamedly Catholic and presents the traditional vision of marriage in such beautiful and accessible terms. I recommend it to all women looking to better understand and live out those teachings!
And the new chapter on Amoris Laetitia was so helpful to better grasp the controversy about it and it was so enlightening seeing how it fits within the rest of Tradition. This is such a helpful and wonderful book, I only wish this was more commonly taught and discussed in our Church.
And the new chapter on Amoris Laetitia was so helpful to better grasp the controversy about it and it was so enlightening seeing how it fits within the rest of Tradition. This is such a helpful and wonderful book, I only wish this was more commonly taught and discussed in our Church.
August 27, 2021
Leila takes the reader through the encyclical Casti Connubii, analyzing and explaining in a very accessible way. What an amazing and necessary document for Catholics and the world today. The Catholic understanding sacrament of marriage is too often misrepresented and misunderstood. Every Catholic should read Leila’s guided presentation on this invaluable encyclical. Christian marriage is for keeps and Pope Pius XI and Leila clearly demonstrate why.
May 30, 2021
Leila Lawler has provided a great service to society by unpacking the great Encyclical of Pius XI. Walking the reader along in a straightforward and generous manner, we learn about the great 'sacred partnership' of marriage. As a husband, reading this book greatly inspired me to continue the mutual journey with my wife in a renewed, fresh pathway to union with and service to God.
February 4, 2024
Common sense in a world that has lost common sense
What a beautiful, affirming analysis of Plus XI's encyclical Casting Connubli. Reading this has restored my hope in the spiritual battle being fought everyday for the validity of a Christ based marriage.
What a beautiful, affirming analysis of Plus XI's encyclical Casting Connubli. Reading this has restored my hope in the spiritual battle being fought everyday for the validity of a Christ based marriage.
May 22, 2021
Casti Connubii by Pope Pius XI, although written in 1930, is very much an encyclical for our times. Sadly, it is often ignored or not even known about by your average Catholic. However, if we want to strengthen marriages within the Catholic Church, this is one of the tools with which to do that!
Leila Lawler has written an excellent commentary to help us understand how we can apply Pius's teachings to our lives. It is rare to find such solid, straight-forward and hard-hitting talk about marriage from a Catholic writer. Lawler won't try to soften the truth for you, but she will try to expand your mind to help you see that God's way is the best way. As she says right off the bat, "Some might [...] become a little panicky at the thought that marriage might be something else other than a big "me" project" (106). Lawler will help you see that it is not all about you, but about something bigger, something eternal. "If you look at it [Pius's teachings] through the lens of power, you will understand nothing. If you look at it through the lens of love- the kind of love we all want, which is the love that wants the good of the other- you will find wisdom!" (114) Wisdom indeed, and also inspiration, as we are reminded that what we do in the family will have an eternal impact. What could be more important?
The book is fairly short, so anyone should be able to read it in a relatively short amount of time. I would highly recommend it for marriage prep courses. When I did marriage prep in a Catholic Church, run by catholics and by a catholic nun, you could hardly tell the thing was catholic at all. There was no talk of the Bible, Casti Connubii, Humanae Vitae, Familiaris Consortio, or indeed, nearly anything at all that the Church teaches about marriage. What a difference could be made if young people read this book by Lawler. It would at least make them think long and hard about what they are getting into, which, as the marriage vows say, should not be entered into lightly or unadvisedly. This book would also be great for anyone already married, priests, and anyone who thinks they may get married one day.
The second edition of this book contains Lawler's commentary of Amoris Laetitia (by Pope Francis), and how we might view it in light of the perennial teachings of the Church and past popes. This section really helped bring clarity to the issue for me. No pope has the authority to change such a fundamental teaching of the Catholic Church, and all new expressions of doctrine must be understood in the light of Sacred Tradition, Sacred Magisterium, and Sacred Scripture. But don't worry, Lawler's commentary is not an explosive, angry, schismatic rant against Pope Francis, accusing him of not being a valid pope, of Masons being at fault, of the Vatican being untrustworthy, etc. It is rather a logical, reasonable, and insightful look at what Pope Francis has written versus what past popes have written.
My only complaint is that it is not longer! I hope that some day Leila Lawler will write a longer and more in-depth book about marriage, because I know she has a lot of wisdom to share. Perhaps her upcoming work, The Summa Domestica, will contain that.
Remember, "The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family" (John Paul II).
Leila Lawler has written an excellent commentary to help us understand how we can apply Pius's teachings to our lives. It is rare to find such solid, straight-forward and hard-hitting talk about marriage from a Catholic writer. Lawler won't try to soften the truth for you, but she will try to expand your mind to help you see that God's way is the best way. As she says right off the bat, "Some might [...] become a little panicky at the thought that marriage might be something else other than a big "me" project" (106). Lawler will help you see that it is not all about you, but about something bigger, something eternal. "If you look at it [Pius's teachings] through the lens of power, you will understand nothing. If you look at it through the lens of love- the kind of love we all want, which is the love that wants the good of the other- you will find wisdom!" (114) Wisdom indeed, and also inspiration, as we are reminded that what we do in the family will have an eternal impact. What could be more important?
The book is fairly short, so anyone should be able to read it in a relatively short amount of time. I would highly recommend it for marriage prep courses. When I did marriage prep in a Catholic Church, run by catholics and by a catholic nun, you could hardly tell the thing was catholic at all. There was no talk of the Bible, Casti Connubii, Humanae Vitae, Familiaris Consortio, or indeed, nearly anything at all that the Church teaches about marriage. What a difference could be made if young people read this book by Lawler. It would at least make them think long and hard about what they are getting into, which, as the marriage vows say, should not be entered into lightly or unadvisedly. This book would also be great for anyone already married, priests, and anyone who thinks they may get married one day.
The second edition of this book contains Lawler's commentary of Amoris Laetitia (by Pope Francis), and how we might view it in light of the perennial teachings of the Church and past popes. This section really helped bring clarity to the issue for me. No pope has the authority to change such a fundamental teaching of the Catholic Church, and all new expressions of doctrine must be understood in the light of Sacred Tradition, Sacred Magisterium, and Sacred Scripture. But don't worry, Lawler's commentary is not an explosive, angry, schismatic rant against Pope Francis, accusing him of not being a valid pope, of Masons being at fault, of the Vatican being untrustworthy, etc. It is rather a logical, reasonable, and insightful look at what Pope Francis has written versus what past popes have written.
My only complaint is that it is not longer! I hope that some day Leila Lawler will write a longer and more in-depth book about marriage, because I know she has a lot of wisdom to share. Perhaps her upcoming work, The Summa Domestica, will contain that.
Remember, "The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family" (John Paul II).
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews