Humanae Vitae Reflection

Humanae Vitae - Encyclical Letter on the regulation of birth As a Roman Catholic, I have been raised to believe what the Church has taught for centuries. As we are living in Humanae Vitae, surely challenges will arise for some people in today’s society when they read this text. Although I had difficulty seeing one statement noted in the text the way in which the Church had, I found myself agreeing with the Pope in the problems presented in terms of today’s society. Beginning with the “problem and competency of the magisterium,” Pope Paul writes at the start of the document, “"But the most remarkable development of all is to be seen in man's stupendous progress in the domination and rational organization of the forces of nature to the point that he is endeavoring to extend this control over every aspect of his own life -- over his body, over his mind and emotions, over his social life, and even over the laws that regulate the transmission of life” (n.2). Although Human life did come from God, belongs to God, and goes back to God, I believe that we are our “own” spirits, and that we were created with choices, including the fact that we in a sense control our realities that make up the way we live our lives and the things we do on a daily basis. I do not believe it is an illusion as Pope is suggesting and further more do not believe we are bought at a price from God - although in a sense, the choices in which God gives us are the prices “we pay” to live the life in which we were granted, it is up to us as individuals. Forward looking, as the new question of “principle of totality” comes into play, I believe that the problem of sex in society today, or perhaps the way in which the younger generations view sex, is flawed. I agree that sexual activity in which Pope Paul was writing that it is wrong to diminish its message and that it does belong to the context of committed love, sealed by marriage and openness to life because it is the greatest reflection and