Humanae Vitae

His Holiness, Pope Paul VI

Promulgated by Pope Paul VI (soon to be St. Paul VI) on July 25, 1968; in response to questions concerning the practice of the sexual act within marriage, sterilization, and contraception.  Which of course became questions that pertained not just to married couples, but to the whole World.

To say that his encyclical was met with resistance would be inadequate language.  It was, in truth, met with downright hostility, and not just from the world but from priests, religious, and the lay faithful.

Why?  The answer to this question truly can be observed in our society as it is present today.  There was an agenda in the world that desired moral disintegration, for whatever reason, of the dignity of the human person. You are created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26). Your human dignity is inherent and cannot be changed.

Consider: we’ve brutally murdered over 80 million babies all over the world; consider: that in many countries – including our own – we have legalized doctor-assisted-suicide disguising it as “mercy killing”; consider: that it is rapidly becoming “okay” to kill the aged (euthanasia) and infirm because their lives are seen as “no longer valuable”;Don’t like your sex? Change from being male to female or visa-versa.

It is, I believe, very clear that the agenda mentioned above has succeeded beyond our greatest horrors.

This document, written over 40 years ago (40th year was 2008), is beyond timely and applicable to today, but also frighteningly prophetic as it describes the consequences “to a tee” that all of humanity has now suffered as a result of the road we took with contraception.  The reading is not easy, because it speaks the TRUTH of our actions, and ALL OF US are culpable.  And yet the reading also allows for enlightenment, encouragement, and the seeking of forgiveness from a merciful God for our poor choices and destructive actions.

Seek Him in all things.  Receive His Love and mercy.  Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand! (Mt 5:17)

Humanae Vitae:
All Life is Sacred:Part I
Why Humanae Vitae?
The Meat of Humanae Vitae
Characteristic Marks and Demands of Conjugal Love
The Marriage Act: what is it and why does it demand our respect?
Illicit Ways of Regulating Birth
What Can We Do?
Conclusion…