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The
month of February has traditionally been dedicated to the Holy Family
who provide for us a model of marriage and family life. Mary and Joseph
perfectly witness to the gift of new life, welcoming the infant Jesus
amidst difficult and challenging circumstances. God designed the love of
husband and wife to be so complete, so ordered to a lifetime of
communion with Himself and each other, that it is open to creating a new
human being whom they will love and care for together. Part of God’s
gift to husband and wife is cooperation with His creative power. In
participating in this “great mystery” of love that is total, faithful,
and fruitful, married couples become a sign of the love between Christ
and his Church (Eph 5:32). Couples who cannot bear children still share
in this cooperation. As St. John Paul II affirmed to such couples, “you
are no less loved by God; your love for each other is complete and
fruitful when it is open to others.”
While
a couple does not need to seek to have a child in every act of
intercourse, they should never act to reject the life-giving power
granted by God through the use of contraception. In deliberately acting
to suppress
their fertility couples harm their unity. For serious reasons, couples
may choose to avoid pregnancy for a time or indefinitely. Natural Family
Planning (NFP) can help married couples identify and utilize the naturally infertile times in a woman’s cycle, all while cooperating with God’s design.
In
today’s culture, living out God’s plan for married love and opening our
hearts to the gift of children can be difficult. It can often require
great generosity and trust in the Lord. But as Christ repeatedly
exhorted, “Be not afraid!” The Church’s teaching on married love is an
invitation to let God transform our hearts, knowing God’s plan is far
richer than anything the world can offer us.
Excerpt
from Pope John Paul II, Homily at the Mass for the Families on February
13, 1982 © 1982, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission. All
rights reserved.
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