Sex Education — 5

“Natural Family Planning.” This is a rather known phrase that the Catholic Church claims and proclaims as a cardinal truth and mandate in the sphere of family and life, in the context of birth and population.

The phrase itself already brings forward the following three more important realities for people to know, understand and observe: One, that the Church is formally and categorically pro-family whereas this is the nucleus of human society. Two, that the Church is pro-planning of the family in terms not only the birth but also the support and formation of children. Three that the Church is pro-nature in the planning of the family.

In other words: First, the Church is definitely not against the “planning” of a family concretely in terms of the number of children born therein. Second, the Church formally reposes the grave obligation on fathers and mothers of having only the number of children they can satisfactorily support in their physical needs and accordingly form in their ethical/moral values. Third, the Church nevertheless only approves the planning of the family or the spacing of children through the means provided by the Law of Nature, specifically as far as the woman is concerned.

That is to say: Firstly, the Church is certainly not against the planning of a family, considering that planning is a rational function of human agents. Secondly, the Church is definitely not in favor of parents giving birth to one child after another beyond however their sufficient means to support them and beyond their acceptable capacity to form them. Thirdly, the Church nevertheless only favors the natural means of family planning — contrary to the essentially business ventures and economic interests of multinational pharmaceuticals in selling their chemical contraceptive pills, injectibles and other artificial contra-conception means, inclusive even of honest to goodness abortifacients.

It is interesting to watch how even irrational creatures observe their own version of “Natural Family Planning”: Once a couple of chicken become a papa rooster and mama hen, they assiduously secure their chicks — showing these what to eat, accompanying them where to go and so on. This protection and tutelage, caring and following up the chicks continue for some time — until these are already enable to be and go on their own, thereby leaving papa and mama behind. Only thereafter will these chicken couple have chicks again. If this is not in the context of “Natural Family Planning,” then it would be in vain to understand the everyday and everywhere phenomenon of what how mere chickens do it!

Certainly, the above is not in any way intended to belittle or bring down the human dignity of a couple man and woman. It is simply meant to show that “Natural Family Planning” is no big deal. (Hence, what?) –Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz, Daily Tribune

(Reprinted with permission of Archbishop Emeritus Oscar V. Cruz, from www.ovc.blogspot.com)