St. Joseph's Catholic Church

11730 Old Saint Augustine Road Jacksonville, Florida 32258 (904) 268-5422

This is a hard saying. Who can listen to it?

Pope Paul VI’s Encyclical Letter, Humanae Vitae (On the Regulation of Birth) is probably the most controversial encyclical letter published in modern time. No other teaching of the church has caused so much dissent and disobedience from “practicing” Catholics. Why? Because our society is obsessed with sex, especially sex with no responsibilities, and with no consequences. The sexual revolution is a raging flood with only the church standing in its path.  A voice in the wilderness against the howling screams of our culture that is demanding every sort of gratification be condoned. Look how many people hate the Church for its refusal to sanction the homosexual lifestyle, divorce, abortion, and women in the priesthood. In Humanae Vitae the Catholic Church has had the courage to insist upon an unpopular teaching even at the risk of losing adherents. And lose them She did. Since the sixties, contraceptive use among Catholics has sky rocketed and many have left the church because of it. Incidentally, the same happened to our Lord when many of his disciples walked away from Jesus’ teaching that they must eat His body and drink His blood. The truth is often unpopular.

In 1968 Pope Paul VI was under considerable pressure to change the church’s teaching on the use of contraceptives. The majority opinion of a committee of clergy, doctors and laity the Holy Father formed to study the issue recommended the church change it’s position in favor of contraceptive use. But, the Holy Father, in Humanae Vitae explains that marriage is holy and is a symbol of Jesus’ union as groom to his bride, the church. Sex is not just some appetite to be sated. It is an integral part of the marriage sacrament and is ordained by God to be “unifying and procreative.” To profane that sacrament with contraception is, by the teaching of the church, a grave sin with grave societal consequences. His Holiness accurately predicted that the family, and women in particular, would suffer from the widespread acceptance of contraceptives. The following two paragraphs from Humanae Vitae have proven to be prophetic.

“ Upright men can even better convince themselves of the solid grounds on which the teaching of the Church in this field is based, if they care to reflect upon the consequences of methods of artificial birth control. Let them consider, first of all, how wide and easy a road would thus be opened up towards conjugal infidelity and the general lowering of morality. Not much experience is needed in order to know human weakness, and to understand that men -- especially the young, who are so vulnerable on this point -- have need of encouragement to be faithful to the moral law, so that they must not be offered some easy means of eluding its observance. It is also to be feared that the man, growing used to the employment of anti-conceptive practices, may finally lose respect for the woman and, no longer caring for her physical and psychological equilibrium, may come to the point of considering her as a mere instrument of selfish enjoyment, and no longer his respected and beloved companion.

Let it be considered also that a dangerous weapon would thus be placed in the hands of those public authorities who take no heed of moral exigencies. Who could blame a government for applying to the solution of the problems of the community those means acknowledged to be licit for married couples in the solution of a family problem? Who will stop rulers from favoring, from even imposing upon their peoples, if they were to consider it necessary, the method of contraception which they judge to be more efficacious? In such a way men, wishing to avoid individual, family, or social difficulties encountered in the observance of the divine law, would reach the point of placing at the mercy of the intervention of public authorities the most personal and most reserved sector of conjugal intimacy.”

One would have to be ignorant of the degradation in our society; the divorce, the rampant infidelity, sexual perversions, our insatiable sexual appetite that fuels the entertainment industry not to see the Holy Father’s fears realized. The population control efforts in China and the efforts of Planned Parenthood inc. prove his Holiness right. And, contraception was just the start of our society’s culture of death. Abortion followed quickly on its heels and now, more and more, assisted suicide is gaining popular acceptance. Involuntary euthanasia, “mercy killings” is already being practiced in the Netherlands. Not just of the elderly and infirm but now even of infants who certainly cannot choose for themselves.

The arguments for contraceptive use seem reasonable enough considering the cost of raising and educating children these days. But, judging by the toys we enjoy- new cars, large homes, pools, boats, vacations- few of us in our society are suffering want. We indulge our pleasures while giving no thought to self-sacrifice or of submitting to God’s will. It is not that we cannot afford more children it’s that we do not want more children.

Also, contrary to what contraceptive advocates may say, we are no in danger of over populating the Earth. In many places such as Africa, Russia, and Japan the populations are actually diminishing at an alarming rate. Sure, people are starving in many places of the world but not because food production is inadequate but because war and greed prevent the ample food supplies we do have from reaching the needy.

The teaching of Humanae Vitae seems difficult to abide by, but only if we insist on trusting in our own resources. God is calling us to put all of our trust in Him, in all things, completely, without reservations, conditions, or fears. To turn your back on your own judgment requires a tremendous leap of faith and a tremendous amount of courage, but imagine the peace to be gained when we truly cast all of our concerns on Him. Humanae Vitae isn’t at all about having large Catholic families it is about being obedient to Christ and to His Church. The rewards are great.