Corpus Christi Blog

Celebrating 50 Years of Humanae Vitae

07-22-2018HomiliesDeacon Chris Kellogg

As the twelve Apostles return from their first missionary journey in today’s Gospel our readings continue to reflect on the authority and mission of the Church. Our Divine Shepherd (Jesus) appointed new shepherds (the Apostles) to help lead all people to the truth. Flowing from this we have our current hierarchy with the Pope, Bishops and Priests carrying on this mission of evangelization, and safeguarding the truths of the Catholic faith as they work to gather all people into His body the Church.

As we reflect on this further let us ask ourselves a couple of questions. 1) Who is my Shepherd? Who leads me? Is it the Church and the teachings of Jesus I am following or do I find them to be outdated and follow what society has to say is okay regarding such things as contraception, abortion or homosexual marriage? 2) Another question to ask is who am I shepherding?  Who has turned to me to help lead them to the truth and have I done my best to be an authentic role model or mentor for that individual?

In our Gospel we read that people hastened to where Jesus was going hungry for His teaching.  Today we read how many young people are leaving the Church, leaving the faith.  Why is this happening? What has changed? The teachings of Jesus have not changed.  There was an article in Ascension Press by Jason Evert which looked at some reasons why young people don’t stay Catholic. 1) Defective teaching for young people.  The article would say many young people head off to college only having been taught what they are not suppose to do.  They might think okay I know I shouldn’t use contraception, look at pornography, or have premarital sex.  But why?  We may say because that is what the Church teaches, or we have the Ten Commandments to follow.  Jason would say such an approach correctly presents the truth of our Catholic faith but without conveying the inherent goodness and beauty of its teachings.  He would say if we are going to help today’s young people embrace the truth of the Catholic faith we must begin by revealing its beauty to them, showing them the intrinsic harmony of its teachings, why they make sense especially in our current culture where almost any way of life is felt to be okay.  Jason would say if the Church is the Bride of  Christ, then she does not need to be defended.  She needs to be unveiled, her teachings unfolded and her beauty will speak for itself.  Jason would say a second reason young people don’t stay Catholic is a lack of saints (a lack of mentors in the Church).  He described how a teenage girl once approached him in tears after a talk on chastity he gave at her high school.  She said how her father always tells her to save sex for marriage.  But then she added how he has a pornography collection.  In her eyes all moral and spiritual authority had been stopped from him. How could he lead his own household if he could not master his own desires?  Blessed Pope Paul VI once remarked how “Modern Man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.”  So are we being the mentors/the shepherds our youth need so they can be helped to live out the truth of our Catholic faith and come to understand the beauty of the Church’s teachings?

This year we celebrate the 50th year of Blessed Paul VI Encyclical letter called Humanae Vitae which discussed the regulation of birth.  Before we explore this more a word about marriage.  Marriage as designed by God is a faithful, exclusive lifelong union of a man and a woman.  They commit themselves completely to each other and to the wondrous responsibility of bringing children into the world.  Man and woman are equal but also different.  In their sexual difference they are made for each other.  This complimentarity draws them together in a mutually loving union (the marriage act) which the Church teaches should always be open to having children.  Any action which removes the possibility of having children in the marriage act is considered wrong in the eyes of the God.

In Humanae Vitae which was released 8 years after the birth control pill became available, Blessed Paul VI reaffirmed the Church’s moral teaching on the sanctity of life, married love, and that the marriage act must be open to having children.  He upheld the traditional Church teaching and rejected the use of artificial contraception.

But to understand Humanae Vitae more fully one must understand what the birth control pill was promising.  By using the pill it was predicted that poverty and so-called over-population would be reduced by decreasing the number of unwanted pregnancies.  It promised to improve marriages and free women to take advantage of new opportunities outside the home.

Blessed Paul VI predicted that if artificial contraception became widely available that it would open the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards.  He predicted men may forget the reverence due to woman and reduce her to being a mere instrument for his own satisfaction.

He also predicted that governments could impose contraception on their people.  Because of his stand against contraception the Church was felt to have
a fear of progress and science, and a distaste for woman’s freedom.  Many Catholics would end up leaving the Church. 

What has happened over the past 50 years?  There have been an increase in abortions, an increase in marital infidelity and divorce.  The family unit has suffered.  Countries such as China have promoted contraception to limit family size.

So looking back over 50 years Humanae Vitae is now considered a prophetic document.  Blessed Paul VI had a surprisingly accurate read of human nature.  He grasped the importance of the marriage act for the couples own happiness as well as being a model to the world of what faithful, permanent, fruitful love can look like.  In other words the love between husband and wife could provide the couple themselves and the world some understanding- a glimpse- of how God loves us and how we are to love one another.  And to do so in a very Catholic way, involving the body as well as the mind and heart.

Blessed Pope Paul VI also anticipated that couples who use natural methods of family planning would achieve an important degree of peace.  Their marriages would be strengthened and their sensitivity to one another’s hopes and feelings would be improved.  This is indeed the testimony one hears from couples practicing NFP.

You can see from this the beauty and truth of the Church’s teachings on sexuality and marital love.  Share it with the youth you mentor. The youth you  shepherd.

In October of this year the Vatican will have a Synod on Young People, the Faith and Vocational discernment.  A 26 year old Catholic shared these thoughts in a letter to Archbishop Chaput.  He said, I believe the Synod should focus on at least the two following areas: 1) A clear affirmation of the teachings of the Church and 2) a loud proclamation of the unique role Jesus Christ has for each of us in our lives.  Why are these things important?  It is because an unhappy side effect of today’s mass media culture is a widespread misunderstanding of Catholic belief and practice.

He would say how many Catholics he knows have come to the Church because of her consistent teaching.  He said, “fads, opinions and ideas change over time, but one of the great beauties of the Church is that she does not dance to the latest tunes of society. Our faith gives us a longer view. We rely on the truth and consistency of God’s Word.  The Church has a message that speaks to every person in every society in every day of age.  Like a masterful work of art.  The unchanging message of the Church offers us new fruit every time we turn to it.

He also mentioned how the Synod needs to listen carefully to the voices of young people.  But it also needs to turn away from ambiguity and trust in the ongoing power of the faith to transform lives; a faith passed down to us by the Apostles and entrusted to their successors.
He would say how young people in the millennial and generation Z age groups often struggle today with a loss of purpose in their lives. The national rise in depression and suicide confirms this. He implored the Synod fathers to stress the message that God has a plan for everyone.  For Jesus has said, He is the way, the truth and the life.

He described how secular culture glorifies those who pursue self-interest over service, physical gratification over moral dignity and self-designed spirituality over communal prayer (organized religion). We are made for better things; and if we turn to Jesus Christ the Divine Shepherd He will lead us there.

So as I conclude let us reflect again on: Who is the Shephard I follow? And who am I shepherding and how authentic of a Christian witness am I?

 

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