Lessons In Obedience and God's Will Are Part of Daily Life
Discerning and discovering God’s will is one thing; determining what one will do once that will is known or manifested is quite another.
Several weeks ago I attended the Catholic Medical Association Annual Conference, and one of the central medical topics discussed was the use of the contraceptive pill and the deleterious effects of that use on the health of women.
This week I attended the Catholic Leadership Conference and once again, though this is not a medical organization, one of the topics discussed was artificial contraception. They did not discuss the pill in terms of its harmful effect on women but rather in terms of the deleterious effects of the contraceptive mentality on sexual morality, women, family and our culture.
There are some, especially some in the Church, who claim that the opinions of those members of the 1968 papal commission who proposed that contraception should be acceptable, needed to be heeded and followed.
Instead, Pope Paul VI issued the encyclical, “Humanae Vitae,” concerning the transmission of human life, in which the longstanding teaching of the Church which proscribes the use of artificial contraception was reaffirmed. God’s will had been manifested. Yet, despite that encyclical, now approaching its 40th anniversary, many in the Church have determined that God’s will for them is that they not listen to or heed this voice of the Church.
The Catholic medical community is more and more recognizing something which has remained very much hidden from public view, that is that contraceptive hormones have an effect, and not a good one, on the health of women. Catholic lay leaders and even some in government are recognizing that contraception and its logical backup abortion have a very serious effect on marriage and on families.
They are now beginning to recognize that contraception strikes at the very heart of society because it strikes at the family which is the fundamental unit of all society. With the coming of the 40th anniversary of the issuing of this very prophetic encyclical I suspect and pray that there will be a very strong and concerted effort in the Church to engage in a comprehensive program of study and instruction surrounding this teaching.
I put this in the context of God’s will because clearly that which is God’s will is not necessarily our will. Here I use the term God’s will both as His active, causative will and as His more passive, permissive will.
We recently went before the Crook County Planning Commission to hear their ruling on the use of land for the building of the Catholic Center. They determined that we could build every element we had proposed with the exception of the Diocesan Pastoral Center. As I wrote last week, I must accept this, as difficult as it is, as some kind of present manifestation of God’s will. I maintain that it is His permissive will. Though this decision is not what I had hoped for and though it is not what I strongly feel is God’s will I must accept it, despite my strong feelings, as a manifestation of God’s present will. In other words, I cannot determine, without County approval, to simply proceed with what I would like to do.
So, though I disagree with the County, I recognize the legitimate authority of this governmental agency and I will obey the County. To do otherwise would be breaking faith with the County. I will also continue to pursue the desired and needed permit through legitimate channels. I believe that this decision of the County is a manifestation of God’s will that this project not be accomplished too readily or too easily. If one were to inquire why this is so, there are many good and beneficial reasons.
First, God wants us to recognize that we truly do need Him to do His work. Next, He wants us to strive more ardently for what we desire because when we strive more ardently, we treasure and appreciate more completely.
Next, He sometimes allows such delays and struggles to assure that we do not move to autonomy or arrogance in the naïve belief that the work we are doing is really critical for God’s wellbeing. We need to believe that God could very well complete this project without any help from us at all.
I also need to consider the very difficult possibility that God has a better plan in mind and that this disappointment is a challenge to think through again, in the light of the grace of this County decision, what God’s alternate plan could be.
The good news, staying on the theme of God’s will, is that we could legitimately conclude that it is God’s will that the conference center, the retreat elements and the youth activity areas are consistent with what God wants of us. It is important that we not lose sight of that very good news.
The Church’s teaching about the sinfulness of artificial contraception has parallels to this permitting process. The County officials issued a ruling based on their understanding of the applicable zoning laws. The law is not immediately clear in terms of its applicability to our particular request. Thus, they make a judgment, based on the facts and arguments presented, and that judgment is that the Pastoral Center is not permitted.
Pope Paul VI issued a ruling 40 years ago based on his understanding of applicable moral principles. For some the applicability of this moral code to the case of artificial contraception was not immediately clear despite the Church’s longstanding teaching about the need to preserve the dignity and openness to life of the marital union. He listened to the Papal Commission’s facts and arguments and made the judgment that, despite their arguments, this teaching of the Church stands.
The difference between the Pope and the County Commissioners is that one involves infallibility and the other does not. My response to the County decision is that I will obey but I will continue to pursue what I believe to be right. Many Catholics have erroneously determined that the path they should follow is to disobey while trying to convince the Church that Her teaching is erroneous. In choosing to disobey, they break faith with the Church.
In that disobedience tremendous harm has been brought to many women. Tremendous harm to marriage. Tremendous harm to family life. Tremendous harm to society.
The message of “Humanae Vitae” broadly challenged and rejected over the decades is now recognized more and more as a truly prophetic message whose time for deeper study and acceptance has come.
This item 7862 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org
