Humanae Vitae: On Married Love
Catholic, Writings May 14th, 2005Pope Paul VI made some excellent points in Humanae Vitae about married love.
Essentially married love is fully human, total, faithful, and fertile. In
today’s society, and sadly even among some Christian groups, such a position is
radical. And radically needed.
From Humanae Vitae
(emphases mine):
[Married] love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then,
merely a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above
all, an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to
survive the joys and sorrows of daily life, but also to grow, so that husband
and wife become in a way one heart and one soul, and together attain their
human fulfillment.
It is a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which
husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable
exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really
loves his partner loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner
for the partner’s own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the
gift of himself.
Married love is also faithful and exclusive of all other, and this until death. This is
how husband and wife understood it on the day on which, fully aware of what
they were doing, they freely vowed themselves to one another in marriage.
Though this fidelity of husband and wife sometimes presents difficulties, no
one has the right to assert that it is impossible; it is, on the contrary,
always honorable and meritorious. The example of countless married couples
proves not only that fidelity is in accord with the nature of marriage, but
also that it is the source of profound and enduring happiness.
Finally, this love is fecund [i.e. fertile]. It is not confined wholly to the loving
interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring
new life into being. "Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature
ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really
the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their
parents’ welfare.
May 15th, 2005 at 9:04 am
have you read or listened to Janet Smith’s talk on “Contraception: Why not?”? It is very compelling. She also edited a collection of essays about why Humanae Vitae was right. You can find her stuff through the One More Soul web site - which also has downloadable and printable flyers on a variety of NFP and pro-life topics.
I have now given ‘the talk’ on NFP at 3 different marriage prep sessions. I get only one hour, and it is such a struggle to get these couples (most of whom are already living together, contracepting, and may even have children) to even listen to the message. All I can hope to do is to plant seeds……
I think it is great that they gave you the entire content of HV in your class. If you liked that one, you will propbably also like Casti Conubii, the encyclical written in response to the decisions made at the 1930 Lambeth conference allowing contraception for ‘grave reasons’ to Anglicans. Look where that led…….
May 15th, 2005 at 9:12 am
another blogger discovers
The beauty of Humanae Vitae May I also suggest Janet Smith’s classic talk? Yesterday I spent an hour at a local Marriage Prep program giving ‘the talk’ about NFP. It is challenging, knowing that probably most of these couples are…
May 15th, 2005 at 10:06 pm
Alicia,
Thanks for the recommendations! I noticed Casti Connubii is online and I am going to read it soon (also it looks like the Anglicans have been leading the way ever since, lol). I noticed what you’re talking about at the pre-Cana session my fiancee and I attended. Many of them probably heard about NFP there for the first time. I was excited to learn more, but then again we had already decided when we’re married we’ll do NFP.
When I mentioned HV at pre-Cana, I meant they offered the book at a table. Some of the themes were brought up at the sessions, but getting a copy of HV and reading it was an option. Many of the marriage prep books went like hotcakes, while HV and the stuff on NFP largely sat on the table. But I think you’re right about the “seed.” It was planted.