Building Up His Kingdom

The sanctity of life is a basic tenet of our Christian faith. We will soon be entering into the Lenten season. Lent is a time when we reflect more intently on the fact that we are sinners, in need of God’s love and mercy. But in this reflection we also experience all the more the infinite love and mercy of God. Our heavenly Father loves us so much that He offers His Son for our redemption. This sacrifice witnesses to the inherent dignity of our human nature as children of God and new creations in Christ.

This dignity of the person and sacredness of life reminds us that we have been wonderfully created in the image of God and thus called to celebrate this truth by striving with God’s grace to live up to that exalted nature even when it may be difficult and even opposed by the culture of the day.

Last fall I offered a presentation on Humanae Vitae to a group studying to be instructors of the Creighton Model of NFP. This presentation is something I have been doing almost every fall for the past decade. It is also something I look forward to each year. I get a little break from the parish, experience the beauty of St. Anthony Retreat Center and meet some great people striving to witness to the sanctity of life and the dignity of the human person.  

I give thanks for this presentation because it provides me the opportunity to reacquaint myself with the encyclical of Pope Paul VI. Paul VI’s words of truth about the dignity of marriage and beauty of our sexuality within God’s plan for creation are truly timeless. Paul VI’s words were prophetic; his insights shed much light on where we are in society and how we arrived here. He accurately foresaw how our culture’s embrace of contraception, a deviation from God’s plan, would send us down the slippery slope into the culture of death. But his words also express the beauty of God’s plan and a hope that we can move from the lowest common denominator to the true dignity we have as beloved children of God.

Bringing this message to our culture requires an open heart. Another blessing for me in offering this annual presentation is that it affords me the opportunity to meet incredible people who are dedicating themselves not only to living in God’s truth for marriage, but generously giving of their time and talent to help others do the same. Paul VI ended his encyclical challenging the scientific community to develop better means of regulating pregnancy within God’s plan. He also called on faithful couples to support one another in sharing and living the full dignity of marriage. And Paul VI challenged the clergy to faithfully proclaim the beauty and dignity of natural family planning. Seeing the commitment of these students renews my own commitment to answer the call of Paul VI.

Bringing the beauty of God’s plan to the forefront is a challenge for us all, but especially for me as a priest. Throughout my priesthood I have required the couples I prepare for marriage to complete a full course in natural planning family. I initially considered the option of a simple introductory course, but others, specifically NFP instructors, helped me dismiss this idea. An introductory class alone can convey a false message. It can be interpreted as telling couples that while they need to know that this is what the Church teaches, I, as a priest and as the one preparing them to live the sacrament of marriage for a lifetime, don’t expect them to follow it. Sharing the beauty of the marital relationship and teaching a means to experience that full beauty is an integral part of any marriage preparation program.

Several years ago I became not only a presenter for the NFP instructor training, but a benefactor as a parishioner of my parish completed the program and became an instructor in our parish. As a mother who benefited from the Creighton Model and Naprotechnology she felt called to share the gift with others. Her call has been a blessing for me, the couples I prepare for marriage and many other couples in our parish and local community.

I presently am blessed with two different instructors teaching two different NFP methods. Both use our parish facilities for their classes. The married couple that teaches the Couple to Couple League method utilizes our parish hall and office conference room. Our Creighton model instructor has access to a parish office for private instruction. This access is for all their clients, whether they are in the marriage preparation program or not, whether they are parishioners or not. I further consider them not as outside presenters, but ministries of the parish. They are both listed on our weekly bulletin. This small investment by the parish is making dramatic change in our community one couple at a time.

While I would like to believe that every couple that completes their marriage preparation will be committed to living the gift of NFP, I recognize that the reality is that many will use contraception. But I also know that I am planting seeds. And with God’s grace, those seeds can sprout and produce great fruit.  

Jesus offered the sacrifice of self for the good of His bride, the Church. As this Lenten journey leads us into dying to self that we might have life in Christ, I trust that God will bring those seeds planted to a fruitful harvest. May we all answer the call of Paul VI to be workers in the vineyard, assisting our Lord to build up His kingdom.