Katrina Loren G.

Tirador

2B-Ph

07/26/11

SN 43

HUMANAE VITAE REFLECTION PAPER More than two decades ago, Blessed John Paul II wrote and issued an encyclical entitled Humanae Vitae about the regulation of birth and human life. Now that we are in the midst of heated arguments about the proposed RH bill, there is a good reason to understand this document authored by one of the greatest Popes to ever take office at the Vatican.

It was fairly educational, but the part about Married Love piqued my interest. That certain part of the document talks about a love which is totalthat very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Being married isnt just about what goes on under the sheets; its about respect and selfless love. A husband and his wife must have a bond with each other that is unlike those with friends and colleagues. There is an organization promoting sexual abstinence until marriage called True Love Waits. I have signed a pledge they had on their website about remaining pure until you get married not because that was the cool thing to do back then, but because its what is right. I dont have a purity ring, but I intend to keep my word on this matter.

As the encyclical states, This love is above all fully human, a compound of sense and spirit. It is not, then, merely a question of natural instinct or emotional drive. It is also, and above all, an act of the free will, whose trust is such that it is meant not only to survive the joys and sorrows of daily life, but also to grow, so that husband and wife become in a way one heart and one soul,

and together attain their human fulfillment. Starting a life together with your spouse means growing together, not apart. There are a lot of couples who live under the same roof but act as if they didnt swear in front of God that they would stay together for better or worse. We have a lot of growing up to do as individuals before we take the huge step that is Matrimony. Wed discover what we want out of life, our dreams, and our goals. When you walk down the aisle, that first step you take will be the beginning of a totally new lifeone with a shared point of view. Ideas and personalities may clash and arguments may get intense, but at the end of the day, your vows bind you to each other and to God. No lawyer, judge, or piece of paper can tell you otherwise.