In the “Likeness and Image of God”

July 23, 2021

In the “Likeness and Image of God”
Greetings Family:

In our Catholic life, July brings us holidays that celebrate important historical events, both secular and ecclesiastical. On July 4^th we celebrate our independence from England, as our forefathers fought the Revolutionary War and signed the Declaration of Independence allowing for the freedom we experience even today in our country. And at the end of July we celebrate Natural Family Planning Week (July 25-31) to honor the liberty God gave us in creating us in His image “male and female he created them.” July 25th also commemorates the encyclical Humanae Vitae (Of Life and Love) issued by St. Pope Paul VI in 1968.

Hormonal contraceptives, mainly “The Pill,” had just become widely available in 1968 and many Church leaders thought that the Pope would change the Church’s position against contraceptives. On July 25, 1968 St. Pope Paul VI released his encyclical on the beauty and sanctity of married love. In it he preserved the consistent teaching of the Church that as faithful Catholics, the use of artificial contraceptives is a moral evil.

In paragraph #17 of Humanae Vitae he stated how the use of “artificial birth control” would lead to:

opening wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards;
allowing a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods to forget the reverence due to a woman reducing her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires;
a real danger of passing into the hands of public authorities who care little for the precepts of the moral law the power to intervene in the most personal and intimate responsibility of husband and wife.

Then, beginning in 1979 and up to and through 1984, St. Pope John Paul II gave us the Theology of the Body teachings at 129 general audience “Wednesday addresses.” They were published in book form with the same name. Many of you may be familiar with “TOB.” In it St. Pope John Paul II explained how we are wonderfully made and our bodies speak a “theology” of God, humanity, and our purpose as made in the “likeness and image of God.”

So how do married couples live their theology of the body and follow Church teaching within the sacrament of their marriage? It is through the use of Natural Family Planning. By learning the highly reliable method of NFP, couples come to understand the beauty of how their bodies were made, their signs of fertility, and how to use that information to regulate their combined fertility and make the decision to try to achieve or postpone a pregnancy.

To learn more about NFP and the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle in harmony with your body here are some resources for you that have articles and information to answer some of the questions you might have:

Also, Carlin is a trained NFP teacher and would be happy to answer any of your questions.

So during July, celebrate the joyous gift of the freedom we enjoy in our country and also the liberty that God has given us in understanding and using our very bodies as He designed us. Happy 4^th and NFP Week everybody - let the fireworks fly!

Pax Christi,
Carlin & Deacon Dave Gould
Co-Directors
Marriage and Family Life Office