Self-giving Love
Humanae Vitae's paradoxical wisdom
By Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted
The Catholic Sun
“Be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28). Who could
have guessed that these words of God at the beginning of the Bible
would become the center of intense controversy during the second
half of the 20th century? After millennia of children being considered
a blessing of God and marriage a lifelong union between one man
and one woman, the so-called sexual revolution of North America
and western Europe called into question the wisdom of the ages,
rejected the constant teaching of Christianity and contradicted
key moral principles of natural law. This conflict about marriage,
family and human life came to a climax when Pope Paul VI issued
Humanae Vitae in July 1968.
Controversial but Needed Document
Humanae Vitae was, without a doubt, the most controversial encyclical
of the 20th century. Issued during a tumultuous time within both
society and the Church, it met immediate and sustained public
opposition from some theologians within the Church and from prominent
exponents of the popular culture. The reaction was so unprecedented
that it caught off guard both bishops and priests, leading most
to fall silent on these vital issues. Worse still, it planted
seeds of doubt in their minds, especially as dissenting theologians
raised the volume of their rhetoric and found ready amplification
for their dissident ideas in key sectors of the popular media.
The result was a twofold disaster: on the one hand, uncertainty
and silence by the clergy about the teaching of Humanae Vitae
and related matters; and on the other hand, indifference and ignorance
among a large sector of lay Catholics, bombarded as they were
on a daily basis by distorted messages about sex and marriage.
For a while, doubt and dissent seemed to have the upper hand,
spawning further confusion among even active Catholics. Many,
hardly aware of what was happening, got caught up in the contraceptive
mentality with all its destructive consequences.
With the election of John Paul II in 1978, however, a new confidence
began to emerge about all the teachings of the Church. This energetic
pope from behind the Iron Curtain assured us that we could trust
the truth, and that the truth would set us free. And he began
a vigorous defense and more persuasive presentation of the key
teachings of Humanae Vitae.
Theology of the Body
Paul VI had touched off a firestorm of criticism when, at the
apex of the sexual revolution, he dared to defend the constant
teaching of the Church on birth regulation. But popular or not,
whether convenient or not, he spoke with courage; he upheld the
truth. In fact, the message of Humanae Vitae is not just true
news; it is good news. Pope John Paul II understood this well
and, while vigorously reaffirming what his predecessor had taught,
he presented it in more convincing fashion. He called his formulation
of the teaching “The Theology of the Body.”
This fresh formulation, so deeply rooted in the Church’s
tradition yet so innovative and attractive in articulation, was
first presented in the Holy Father’s Wednesday Audience
talks of the early 1980s. Then, he elaborated it further in subsequent
documents such as Familiaris Consortio , the Catechism of the
Catholic Church, and Evangelium Vitae. All these insightful papal
teachings, together with major medical advances in methods of
Natural Family Planning, have gone far to counteract the dissent
that raged in the late 1960s and through most of the ’70s.
The voices of dissent began to ring hollow as well when the harmful
consequences of the sexual revolution became all too evident.
Since July 1968, when Humanae Vitae was released, America has
witnessed catastrophic increases in venereal disease, out-of-wedlock
births, hardcore pornography, marital breakdowns, and widespread
confusion about what it means to be a man or a woman and about
the true nature of love.
Admittedly, other destructive factors have also been at work
in society during this time but none with more damaging consequences
for the happiness, health and dignity of human persons. When the
first command of God is ignored, chaos and suffering follow. Man
and woman, united in marriage, find meaning and true joy by heeding
the words of the Lord, “Be fruitful and multiply.”
‘As the family goes, so goes the nation!’
In his January 1999 visit to St. Louis, Pope John Paul II reminded
us that God’s plan for marriage impacts on the stability
and well being of the whole of society. He said, “As the
family goes, so goes the nation!” Who could argue that things
in our nation are going well when we consider the sad state of
family life today? Yet there is great reason for hope. Signs of
a new springtime for marriage and family life are sprouting all
around us. It will not happen without valiant effort, under the
guidance of the Holy Spirit. But it will happen when we listen
to the Lord and embrace His plan for marriage and family life.
We need to begin by rediscovering the wisdom of Humanae Vitae,
in other words, by seeing the wrongness of contraception and appreciating
the goodness of Natural Family Planning.
continued in Pt.
2
