….I would like to remove the word artificial from artificial contraception. All contraception is artificial, but that’s not why it’s wrong. It’s wrong because it is violating God’s purpose for sexuality, both purposes. The purposes are to procreate and to form a unitive bond, a powerful unitive bond, with the individual with whom you’re having sex, who should be your spouse.
God told us from the start. It’s interesting, the first commandment is it’s not good that man should be alone. He didn’t make him a buddy. He made him a female, who was to be his wife. They’re meant to leave their parents and form a union for the rest of their lives. Two shall become one. That’s really, pretty much the first commandment, two shall become one. Why? To be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. I mean, this was all given before the fall.
God is a lover, and God overflows with love. He wants human beings to love, and He wants us to make acts of complete self-giving to other people, particularly to your spouse. The way you make a complete gift of yourself is to allow this fertility. There’s a part of the sexual act, actually to reverence it, and to say, “This is an incredible thing, that I might become a parent with another person, and that I’m willing to engage in this with you means I’m making a lifetime commitment to you.” That’s the bonding. The bonding isn’t the pleasure. The bonding is the lifetime commitment that you make to the other person in this act….
The above comes from a Sept. 16 interview with Janet Smith, author of Contraception, Why not? conducted by Eric Sammons, editor of Crisis magazine. The title of the interview is “The attempt to undermine Humanae Vitae.”
Every child a woman conceives, whether birthed, miscarried or aborted, leaves behind some of his or her cells (DNA) in the mother’s body. Every child that woman has later will received some of the cells from her previous children, that would include a minute amount of the cells of all the fathers. Think about that. The body is holy and should be treated respectfully, not used promiscuously. We are called to be chaste.
Anne, I wonder if this applies to the use of abortifacient contraceptives, like an IUD or Norplant, which prevent the fertilized egg from implanting itself on the wall of the uterus.
Truth is truth even though it be repugnant to fallen human nature. I have always thought Humanae Vitae to be the hard truth, the great divide, between Christian and secular conceptions of sexuality. That is to say God wills that the truth of H.V. be made known and the discipline required to abide by it. Paul VI is to be thanked for warning in 1968 the dreadful results of ignoring this teaching. His is the greatest prophetic voice in the post V II church, IMHO. So kudos to Janet Smith for her fidelity. We need lots more like her.
We need a book like Contraception:Why Not on every sin.
The books are out there. We need to keep on reading them to remind ourselves.
Well, let me help. Not exactly books but better than IMO.
Humanae Vitae Paul VI
Familiaris Consortio JPII
HV is especially recommended for parents as the holy father is very clear in his teaching of the rights and responsibilities of Catholic families – incl but not limited to openness to new life.
The truth is the truth, even if no one believes it.
Wait, Adam and Eve left their parents?
Poorly spoken but any Catholic should have understood that.
Perhaps, you were being humorous.
Luisa-God was their parent\parents.(Father,Son,and Holy Spirit) They left Him with their disobediance in the garden.
But that was not God’s plan.