On Pope Paul VI's Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life) and The Married Life
On Pope Paul VI's Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life) and The Married Life
Sometimes I wonder why there is so much that is being said in the Papal encyclicals but so little is being said about it. What we get instead is the other side of things that border more on the exceptions than the rule.
Like the "in" thing that we have nowadays that deal with artificial birth contraceptives and abortions. This topic really strikes many to the core. And mind you, even Catholics (like me) both lay and sectarian, apparently are at a lost, either willfully or not, on how to deal with condoms, abortions, and the like.
With all due respect to all the prevailing views for and against contraceptives and abortions, I sincerely believe that the Papal encyclical made by Pope Paul VI sheds significant light on these contemporary issues. I am not going to dwell so much on why people should be for or against anything here.
Instead, I will simply expound on what one good Catholic Pope tells us about some of the most sacred things akin to humanity like marriage, sex, family, science, reason, society, law, the Church, among others. What I mean is that, before we can even talk about the exceptions to the rule, it is probably best to know about the rules first and more importantly the principles behind these rules.
And the reason for this approach is a personal one. I have been reared as a Catholic since birth. Unfortunately I am surprised why I have not encountered up-close and personal these papal encyclicals even in a Catholic school. I saw them amidst so many other encyclicals and other religious documents, but I never read any one of these line by line, never understood what were said, and never cherished the wisdom found behind the words.
Thank God for the internet and cable TV like EWTN and the like, Papal encyclicals have become accessible anytime, anywhere.
Firstly, in Humanae Vitae the good Pope forwards the real essence of marriage as: " a wise institution of the Creator to realize in mankind his design of love." We all heard about marriages as being made in heaven. Well, the encyclical confirms this. All marriages are indeed wisely made in heaven by the God Himself.
There is even a Chinese adage that backs this up in saying that people should cherish their acquaintances or friendships let alone marriages, because all these are not just "chance" meetings. With the billions of people that walk on earth, there must be some reason why you are with "someone" - "somewhere" and "somehow". And the principle is true with one's race, friends, society, locality, and most especially with one's marital state over and above anything else.
Among Catholics, matrimony is even one of the sacraments. In fact "marriage invests the dignity of a sacramental sign of grace, inasmuch asit represents the union of Christ and of the Church."
The problem however arises when in the first place man does not recognize a creator but instead dismisses all relationships to "chance" or an evolutionary effect of " unconscious natural forces" as what the encyclical tell us what marriage is not. Sadly, there are even many Catholics who strangely profess to believe in God while praying the Apostles Creed, but do not see the hand of God's "design of love" in living out their marriages. Divorced and separated Catholics abound nowadays probably because of Godless marriages. And I personally believe that the same is true for all unsuccessful marriages, generally speaking.
Moreover, marriage is "an act of the free will" Our "free will" is not simply a result of "instinct and emotion" In other words, marriage is "exclusively" for two people: a man and a woman: "husband and wife tend towards the communion of their beings in view ofmutual personal perfection, tocollaborate with God in the generation and education of new lives."
Two people who enter into marriage on the basis of more than just their physical attraction to one another and how much they are deeply or madly "in love" with one another.
Man and woman get married because more than just being attracted and being madly in love, they freely and intelligently chose to be married. Strangely again, there are many who give more willful and intelligent planning when buying a brand new car or house than when planning to be with a partner for life.
Many times too, many marry for the wrong reasons or principles. And with all due respect to people of the same sex marrying each other, in principle such unions do not really collaborate with the Creator in line with the generation of new lives. In this case, their union is more of a friendship than a marital relationship.
There are dangers when marriage is done without the free act of the will. If one only chooses on the basis of mere physical attraction, then the marriage bond soon dissipates in direct proportion to the appearance of the bulges or the other "unattractive" features of the once sexy or handsome other. Or, if one marries because of an emotional "love high", then the bond evaporates as soon as the thrill of "togetherness" loses steam and becomes a "low and boring" enterprise.
But the good news is that the encyclical is actually telling us that the physical attributes and the feelings can actually be willed from start to finish! But this can be done only on the basis of a genuine marital love strengthened by God's grace.
And here, the wisdom in saying that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder become truer than ever. In other words, no matter how your spouse has turned out to be, either for the better or the worst, he or she is still the apple of your eye. Perhaps modern beauty technologies and the other natural means ought to be utilized for this affectionate marital end.
And the same thing holds true with regard the feelings. Couples can willfully strive to be more creatively joyful, sorrowful, and glorious in almost every venture they do because of this pretty big thing called the "will". In fact there are a lot of ways to become successful couples in the line of business or finance. The thing is for both spouses to be into a venture rather than be divided by whatever this enterprise may be.
At some later part in this article, the "will" will play an important role in the couple's sexual life because the sexual act also goes beyond mere lust or instinct but rather swayed by an intelligent, willful and loving act.
The encyclical also tells us that by these free acts of the will, the "husband and wife become one only heart and one only soul, and together attain their human perfection." Just reflect upon these words: one heart, one soul, and human perfection and how this perfection can be reached even with the imperfections of both.
In the film called The Greatest Story Ever Told, Christ spoke of an open heart and forgiveness which will lead one to being perfect, just as the Father is perfect. And the perfection here, I sincerely believe, is when both "...generously share everything, without undue reservations or selfish calculations. Whoever truly loves his marriage partner loves not only for what he receives, but for the partner's self,rejoicing that he can enrich his partner with the gift of himself."
The encyclical also tells us that all these willful and loving acts are to be done, with fidelity until death. The encyclical admits that fidelity is difficult. But pray tell, just what will fidelity bring us couples in the process: "...a source of profound and lasting happiness - definitely better than the whimsical and expensive law suits for divorces and separations which may only engender some deep but painfully broken relationships.
Kindly click here for a complete reading of Humane Vitae.
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