Law and the Family

This week I've been posting about the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, and the importance of this document to couples who are intent in fulfilling their vocation according to God's plan.

This quote applies to the civil authorities, who are entrusted with upholding the common good and protecting the most basic of building blocks of our society: the human family. In par 23, we read:

"On government and legislation on the family: The family is the primary unit in the state; do not tolerate any legislation which would introduce into the family those practices which are opposed to the natural law of God. For there are other ways by which a government can and should solve the population problem—that is to say by enacting laws which will assist families and by educating the people wisely so that the moral law and the freedom of the citizens are both safeguarded."

Forty years later, our political system is clearly in shambles as the rights of individuals and special interest groups trump the good of the nation. The unrestricted right to abortion and contraception even for high-school students, the efforts to legalize gay marriage nationwide, and the prevalence of no-fault divorce has turned "one nation under God" into a cultural spiraling slowly to into the dust.

The words of Pope Paul VI in Humanae Vitae have proven prophetic. The more we know, the more we have forgotten about the things that really matter. If our nation has a hope of returning to its former glory, it will be by the steadfast efforts of those who remember ... and are willing to pay the price to return to the "straight and narrow path" prepared for us by our Father in Heaven.

Are you willing to retrace your steps, and guide your family home?