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Moral LifeIntermediate

Is marital intercourse sinful if the spouses do it with lust for each other?

Moral Life

The short answer

Sexual desire for and enjoyment of one's spouse is good and part of God's design. "Lust" in the Church's sense means seeking sexual pleasure in another solely for oneself, without regard for the other. Using one's spouse as an object of pleasure is gravely sinful.

In our culture "lust" can mean anything from craving chocolate to finding someone attractive. For the Church, lust means seeking sexual pleasure in another person solely for one's own sake, without regard for that person. The Catechism defines it as disordered desire for or inordinate enjoyment of sexual pleasure, sought for itself and cut off from its procreative and unitive purposes (CCC 2351).

Having sexual feelings for your spouse and enjoying sexual pleasure with your spouse are good and according to God's design. But using your spouse as an object of pleasure, without concern for him or her, is mortally sinful.