Canadian Bishops on Humanae
Vitae: 'Yes! to the fullness of life'
Pope Francis with a group of Canadian Bishops during their Ad Limina visit in March 2917. |
The Bishops of Canada release a statement for the 50th
anniversary of Pope Paul’s Encyclical Humanae Vitae published by Pope Paul VI
in 1968, saying it was and is an “emphatic ‘Yes!’ to the fullness of life”.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp
The Commission for Doctrine of the Canadian
Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) have issued a statement to
Canadian Catholics and all people of good will. In “The Joy of Married Love”, issued in both English and
French, the Canadian Bishops hope to inspire and encourage married copies to
find the promise of joy that Humanae Vitae offers.
‘Yes’ to life
Rather than only saying ‘No’ to contraception, the Canadian
Bishops affirm that Humanae Vitae provides a resounding “
‘Yes!’ to the fullness of life promised to us by Jesus Christ (John 10:10).
Human love incarnates divine love
The Bishops continue saying that human love is meant to
reflect divine love which is free, total, faithful, and fruitful. Human beings
embody this love and express it through the “language of the body”. This love
is, therefore, “life-long, exclusive, and ready to reach beyond the couple
itself, even bringing forth a new life!” the Bishops write.
Marriage reflects Christ’s love
Using Ephesians 5:32, the Bishops then reflect on married
love. We unite ourselves physically and intimately with Christ the Bridegroom
when we receive Communion. Union with Christ empowers us to “make the complete
gift of self” which he models to us, they write.
Sexuality expresses divine love
Even the gift of human sexuality partakes in expressing
divine love. Thus, the Bishops explain that every sexual act “is meant to speak
a love” that is free and not coerced, total in the gift of one’s entire self,
faithful, and open to new life which makes the couple’s love fruitful.
Made for infinite love
Since we are made for infinite love, only infinite love can
satisfy us, the Bishops remind us. The Church wishes that married couples
experience the fullness of human love in marriage. This means using this divine
gift without “depriving it, even if only partially, of its meaning and purpose”,
as Pope Paul VI wrote in Humanae Vitae. “Intentionally modifying a
sexual act so as to render it sterile…ends up falsifying the language of our
sexuality”, the Bishops write.
Joy of Married Love
In conclusion, the Bishops encourage Catholics to read Humanae
Vitae and “rediscover the beautiful truth contained within it”. For
this end, the Bishops pray,
May all married couples, in faithfulness to the grace of
their baptism and marriage vows, live and experience the joy of married love as
taught in Humanæ Vitæ and thus be signs of God’s loving presence in the world.
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