Whatever is true,
Whatever is honorable,
Whatever is just,
Whatever is pure,
Whatever is lovely,
Whatever is gracious,
if there is any excellence,
if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things
Phil 4:8
Between the #MeToo and Professor Ford testimony, the horror of sexual abuse has dominated the media. A hateful war between men and women is portrayed before us. Vicious ugly attacks abound with seemingly total loss of respect for the dignity of the human person.
So take a breath, and remember. Phil 4:8
For a moment, imagine the world if every couple truly understood the beauty of Humanae Vitae, as celebrated at our recent HV50 conference. What if children grew up with parents in love as role models, what if couples preparing for marriage understood the holiness of the sacrament and remained pure to give the gift within marriage, what if couples could see each other’s inner soul and live out their vows protecting each other’s dignity and every sexual act was a gift of true love.
Contraception is held out as the easy, “responsible” pill, that lets women “protect themselves” from men. Such empty promises, such deviation from the beauty of how we are created, male and female. We are created to complement, to make whole, through our uniqueness as male and female. Through natural family planning, the beauty of the cycles shows God’s mastery in creating not only what was needed for bringing children into the world, but for the needs of the human heart in making a lasting relationship. Times of unity for recommitting fidelity and closeness, and times of abstinence if postponing children, which seals in the heart that it is the inner soul of the other person that is most at stake, and avoiding intercourse rather than harming or modifying the beloved is a greater act of love. It is the person, not the act, that is the treasure to be loved and protected. The very times of self-discipline and sacrifice strengthen relationships for the long run, building foundations of trust and respect.
We were very blessed at our HV50 conference to see a premier showing of the film Unprotected by Don Johnson (see UnprotectedMovie.com). The film is very powerful at unraveling the path our culture has taken to get us to our current destructive state. It is a film that needs to be widely viewed – it will open eyes to the truth of the prophecies by Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae.
Our culture is at war – we all need to do our part and share the wisdom we learned at the HV50 conference – Faithful to God’s Design. Help make it easier for others to see the true beauty that God created in making us male and female.
Lynn Keenan, MD, shares her final President’s Perspective, as she completes her term as President of CANFP. Dr. Keenan is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the UCSF/Fresno Medical Education Program, Board Certified in Sleep and Internal Medicine, and the mother of four.