Forty years I endured that generation.
I said, "They are a people whose hearts go astray
and they do not know my ways."
So I swore in my anger,
"They shall not enter into my rest."
- Ps. 95:10,11
As the Invitatory Psalm warns us every morning, God's patience is not limitless. O, we may find some temporary comfort in soft and flacid churchspeak. We may allow ourselves to be lulled by the gentle assurances of God's tender mercy, no matter what we do. But deep down, we kinda know it ain't so soft. We know that presumption is a huge error, and that there comes a time when God says "Enough!". God gives us time to repent. That, in fact, is precisely what time is for - that we may repent. But time ain't forever. How much time does God give us? That is the question.
July 25, 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the papal encyclical, Humanae Vitae. Now, I won't insist upon a literal understanding of the term "forty years", but somehow, sooner or later, something's got to give. Through the prophetic charism given him, Pope Paul VI warned us in 1968 of what would follow if we accepted the practice of artificial contraception. He warned of widespread abortion, of the coarsening of society, of the breakdown of marriage, of rampant sexual licentiousness, of the victimizing of women as objects. And for forty years, Humanae Vitae has been ignored and even openly opposed - not just by atheists nor even by Protestants, but by Catholics, by priests and bishops and good Catholic couples. And so, because we have chosen to ignore the warnings, they have tragically come to pass. And still we do not heed.
How long, O Lord?
O, by the way, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade is just 4½ years away.
Related posts:
Roots of abortion
Contraception connection
Contraception connection - 2
War Against Population
Population control (or - David's sin)
Thanatos antidote - 2
5 comments:
Excellent post. Keep up the great work here.
Of interest:
http://lasalettejourney.
blogspot.com/2008/07/city-
of-san-francisco-officially.
html
I agree. Humanae Vitae was prophetic. His Holiness told us as well that widespread use of artificial contraception would lead to the breakdown of marriages. And haven't we seen just that? Happily, more and more Catholics are slowly beginning to appreciate the importance of Humanae Vitae.
Healing the Culture is a terrific book. It is good to see a layman defending the teaching of Paul VI's Encyclical Humanae Vitae. I really wish my pastor would address the subject from his pulpit. That and abortion. Don't get me wrong, my parish priest is (overall) very committed. But he tends to shy away from the life issues. I think this is sad because we need to hear it.
Thank you again for your posting. Very much welcome.
Thank you, all, for your gracious words of support. And thank you, especially, Paul, for selflessly steering folks to my humble little blog.
The message Christ teaches us in the feeding of the five thousand is that He can do much with our little.
Isn't God amazing Jerry? Why does the Lord Jesus use insignificant people like us? But He does. I always ask people: If God could use a jackass to restrain the prophet Balaam in his madness, why can't he use another to restrain (or try to) the madness of a people who have neglected His precepts?
:)
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