Jesus’ incarnation by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of the Virgin Mary is understood and believed to be his divine and bodily conception. Thus, the development of the body of the infant Jesus began, the one who’s birthday we celebrate every December 25th.
In the old and new testaments, we see God consecrating babies in the womb, (Samson and John the Baptist). In the womb, John the Baptist “leapt for joy,” and was filled with the Holy Spirit at the presence of our Lord. We have known these historical examples of conception for thousands of years.
God no doubt had a plan for each of them and a plan for us. The question is whether we realize it and if we do, will we seek HIS will and follow it.
This idea can become quite deep. Once we see God’s purpose for us do we stay on the path at all costs? Do we pick and choose what we see as “opportunities” to serve God? Is our moral compass compromised to this world’s values and moral relativism?
If we start with following God’s plan from conception, do we thwart that too? Do we tell God when and where we are open to life by contracepting? This is a shock to many, but until the last century (1900’s), contraception was opposed by all Christian denominations. By the 1960’s, all but the Catholic Church had given into society’s influence of all types of contraception. From “the pill” to condoms, it was permissible to regulate your natural procreative choices. It was okay to tell God, ”Not now.” In 1968 Pope Paul VI issued an encyclical called ‘Humanae Vitae’. It was his response to the question “Can couples contracept?” Many priests thought he would side with the rest of the denominations and allow it and “get with the times.” But his reasoning prohibiting contraception followed biblical teaching and natural law.
“Not Now” contracepting becomes a slippery slope and soon became “not now” to the new life I created but did not plan. Abortion was the next permissible possibility. Christianity had opened Pandora’s box, and they knew it. By the 1970’s Churches were staying silent on the procreation topic. This is just what Pro-abortionists were counting on.
In his “Humanae Vitae’ encyclical, Pope Paul VI foresaw the results of contracepting. He said divorce would increase. Sex outside of marriage would become commonplace, as well as increased cohabitation and abortion. Abortion would not be an answer to poverty but continue in a destructive path for would be mothers. Living outside of God’s plan for us would jeopardize souls.
Pope John Paul II expounded on the role and relationship between God and humans regarding their sexuality in ‘Theology of the body’. In short, our bodies are temples of God and should be treated as such. Contraception should not be used for a variety of reasons. When even married couples contracept, it makes the spouse an object to be used for personal gratification at any time. It may no longer be a mutual giving of oneself, open to life. Many contraceptives are abortifacients. They expel the fertilized egg AFTER it has been created. The Catholic Church accepts “natural family planning,” NFP. With NFP, a couple can choose to abstain from sex during the wife’s fertile time of her reproductive cycle. This should be done knowingly for reasons of hardship or physical limitations. The church teaches that marriage is a sacrament, working in cooperation with God’s plans for us here on earth and for our salvation. That cooperation with God is to be open to life. A spouse’s job is to help their spouse get to heaven. The couple’s job is to pass on the faith to help their children follow God’s plan in the next generation for their salvation and so that there is a next generation.
Our society has already started population control with contraception. The US Government encourages this even withholding money to poor countries unless they accept contraception and abortion. In Canada, euthanasia is now legal and encouraged.
It is easy to see, if you look closely, how far we have strayed from God’s plan for us. We have allowed ourselves to change our families and society through birth control, abortion, and euthanasia.
Are we not all human beings from conception to natural death? Is the ending of life by any means other than natural, not an act of murder?
