I must say that this past Sunday I was truly impressed at what I heard from the pulpit. I was sitting in a Jesuit parish and heard a defense of Humanae Vitae from the celebrant a young Jesuit Priest. I must say, most people in the pews where not taken aback as I was. This, to me, is a beautiful but yet subtle sign of the re-emergence of orthodoxy in the Catholic Church in the United States. Smaller ordination classes but yet exquisite exemplars of Christ emerging none the less.
I wish to just say a few words about the significance and importance of the teaching found in Humanae Vitae. Why do those who oppose the Catholic Church's teaching on contraception as an intrinsically evil act, never look at the facts nor evaluate the Church's argument. But I wish not to waste time rambling on woes of the fool and hard-hearted. This teaching is a beautiful gem in the mist of a rocky and sandy society. I must say that seeing the young Catholics within the Church today is a wonderful delight. Those youngsters who enter the Churches seeking Christ and then leave the Churches to strengthen one another and build a culture of life. Most of all it is truly awesome seeing these young Catholics and their zeal for the truth, especially and surprisingly the truth that is found in the teaching of Humanae Vitae. They see the cheapening of the human person in the evil act which is contraception. They understand that there is more to life then "causal" bodily pleasures, because if there isn't is life really worth living? Can human sexuality be a participation in the divine, something sacred, something to be reverenced? Or is human sexuality another casualty to corrupt conduct, a mere convenience for the sexual convict. This profound teaching echoes as a voice in the wilderness, it is the voice of Christ, it is the teaching of Humanae Vitae. I wish to extend an invitation to those reading this post to look up the actual letter online at the Vatican's website:
Read it, ponder it in your mind and heart and see what you come up with.
Since my last post the most excellent Bishop Burke was called over seas in order to serve a tour of duty in the Holy See. This is a loss for the Church in the United States but yet a wonderful gain for the Catholic (universal) Church all over the world. God's will is being accomplished and that is all we can ask for. Let us continue to pray and stand up for orthodoxy within the Catholic Church in the United States. Let not our hearts be troubled; but let us believe in God. (cf. Jn 14:1)
