Forty Years with Humane Vitae

Because the encyclical Humane Vitae will celebrate its 40th anniversary this week, I thought I should write a few words on this timeless encyclical by Pope Paul VI. It was released in 1968 during a cultural storm that swept through America, as well as other regions in the world.

In a society that has made a god out of sex, Humane Vitae has become for numerous Catholics a bitter “pill to swallow,” forgive the pun. Unfortunately, the encyclical and its message have been rejected by many within the Church and outside it. This refusal to accept Humane Vitae has had a direct impact on the most basic cell of our society, the family.

By rejecting Humane Vitae, Catholics have rejected God’s plan for marriage and family life. It is easy from what one reads, watches on television and hears over the radio, to conclude that the breakdown of marriage and family life has taken its toll on countless souls. This in fact, was predicted by Pope Paul VI in the famous paragraph #17 where he specifically mentions four “grave consequences” that will occur if contraception is widely accepted.

For some Catholics, Humane Vitae has become a litmus test to discern whether a Catholic is orthodox or not. For others, it is the dividing line, which separates the men from the boys and the women from the girls. The Church teaches that separating the unitive from the procreative dimensions of the marital act is contrary to God’s plan for marriage and is gravely immoral. This is difficult for a large majority of Catholics to accept, but so is the cross. In a society that is being devoured by comfort and materialism, it is easy forget that to being a disciple of Christ means to pick up our cross daily and follow Him.

I have to admit that it’s hard to blame Catholic couples who use contraception when many have been poorly catechized and many have been brainwashed by the contraceptive mentality that permeates our society. This is why it is imperative that Catholic couples who are faithful to the teachings of the Church, especially in regards to birth regulation, share with others the beauty and truth of Humane Vitae when the opportunity arises.

I pray that all of you, whether you adhere to the Church’s teaching by rejecting contraception or not, read Humane Vitae to come to a deeper appreciation and understanding of what God’s plan is for marriage and family life and why the Church teaches what it does.

God bless.