ST. JA M E S
ST. ANDRE W
ST. J OS E PH
Holy Family Area CATHOLIC COMMUNITY
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING
Honoring and Understanding the Gift of Fertilit y
O
ver 50 years ago, Pope Paul VI released an encyclical letter called Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life), addressing the topic of contraception. In this letter, he anticipated several outcomes that would result in the popularization of birth control, an increase in marital infidelity, a general moral decline, and a loss of respect for women, among other things. Today, we see that many of those projections have come true. But, for many who have only known a world where contraception is readily available and accepted, it can be hard to grasp the Church’s rejection of something that, on the surface, seems to bring convenience and control. It is important to understand that, at the heart of the Church’s teachings against contraception, is
the dignity of the human person. The Church has always believed and taught that a person is worthy of love, and never to be used by another. In separating the unitive — uniting, bonding — and procreative aspects of the sexual act, through birth control, it becomes easy to view the other person as an object to be used, rather than a person to be loved. So, what is the answer? If not birth control, what is the answer for couples who have prayerfully decided that they want to postpone a pregnancy, for the time being, or even indefinitely? The Church, which calls people to “responsible parenthood,” understands the need for spacing and delaying pregnancy for various reasons, and hopes to give couples the resources they need
Austin and Morgan Hiepler took NFP classes through the Zoom conferencing platform as part of their preparation for marriage.
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MARCH 2021
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