NFP - God's Version

NFP † God's Version

by Fr. David C. Trosch

The first encyclical I ever read was Humanae Vitae. During the period when I was becoming increasingly aware of God and His Church, the Los Angeles archdiocesan newspaper, The Tidings, published the full text of Humanae Vitae. Though unmarried, Humanae Vitae struck me as being a highly important teaching; accordingly, I studied it thoroughly. Contrary to contemporary opinion I held it to be infallible, until very recently.

While I have difficulty with some comments in the article written by Solange Hertz's, The Abomination, she seems to be, in general, a kindred spirit. Being a woman she has taken a dynamic interest in the subject of childbearing. Pregnancy, with rare exception, is an experience desired by women and unique to them. One which no man can personally experience.

Women as a whole do not have difficulty with many of the aspects of male/female relationships that are commonly misunderstood by men. Apart from abuse (often associated with the contraceptive mentality of any age, which is altogether too common in our present age), women do not have difficulty with being subordinate to men when treated justly according to their natural rights. Holy women accept that God is perfectly just. They understand that God values each person's relationship with Him. They accept that positive relationship with Him is based on the use of personal gifts via free will. While this acceptance by women is commonly based upon intuition, it is nonetheless valid. Each person is given gifts for salvation according to individual needs.

The concept of sinning via a contraceptive mentality is greatly denied throughout the Church. As Mrs. Hertz has pointed out, even Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Fr. Paul Marx, OSB are proponents of the contraceptive mentality. (May God have mercy on their souls and call them to repentance. Because of the public nature of their sin, public penance would be proper.) In years past I wrote Mother Teresa in this regard and received no response. While in seminary, in direct conversation with Fr. Marx, I pointedly had him clarify his position on this issue and then opposed him. To my knowledge, to this date, he has not altered his position.

On one occasion, upon return from a meeting with John Paul II at the Vatican, my bishop, Archbishop Oscar H. Lipscomb, stated that the Holy Father had made it clear that he was highly concerned about the development of the contraceptive mentality in the United States of America. NOTE: The contraceptive mentality, which includes unauthorized use of NFR (Natural Fertility Regulation), is common to all first world countries. Italy, the nation which surrounds the Holy See, is said to have a population replacement level of 1.3. (The pope, as bishop of Rome, has primary responsibility for the Catholics of his archdiocese. The ultimate teaching and disciplinary responsibilities remain his. They cannot be delegated. It may be said that, "As Rome goes so goes the whole of the Catholic world.") A 1.3 population replacement level is well below what is necessary to sustain the native population. The United States, apart from recent immigrants, has a negative population growth.

The emphasis given to over population is invalid. This myth denies that we must migrate into the universe. Technology is rapidly becoming available to make this possible. Biblically it is necessary before the coming of the Parousia. (Matthew 24:31 "And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.")

Humanae Vitae makes explicit the proper role of sexual activity in marital relationships. It also makes explicit, in a limited fashion, how abstinence can be used in regard to legitimate spacing of births. It clearly states that there must be serious motivation for using natural bodily rhythms to space births or, under rare conditions, permanently avoid pregnancy. The following two passages from Humanae Vitae set the bounds for NFR. NOTE: NFP (Natural Family Planning) connotes a permissive mentality for controlling family size:

"If, then, there are serious motives to space out births, which derive from the physical or psychological conditions of husband and wife, or from external conditions, the Church teaches that it is then licit to take into account the natural rhythms immanent in the generative functions, for the use of marriage in the infecund periods only, and in this way to regulate birth without offending the moral principles which have been recalled earlier." H.V. §16 (Emphasis added)
"In relation to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions, responsible parenthood is exercised, either by the deliberate and generous decision to raise a numerous family, or by the decision, made for grave motives and with due respect for the moral law, to avoid for the time being, or even for an indeterminate period, a new birth." H.V. §10 (Emphasis added)

In both of the above references it should be clear that recourse to the use of natural bodily rhythms is valid only when a sound moral reason exists. Otherwise, mortal offense against God, the author and primary partner in the origin of new life, is committed. Sexual self-control has always been an integral part of human relationships, even in married life.

Humanae Vitae makes reference to possible physical or psychological conditions of a marriage partner or external conditions as being possible serious motives for legitimate spacing of births. Unfortunately, there have been no formal Church teachings, infallible or otherwise, which clearly explain conditions for acceptable exceptions. Possible exceptions, with suggested examples, are divided into the following four categories:

Physical - health and welfare of marriage partner. a) A woman needs a life saving operation, which cannot take place for an extended period of time. She will be unable to have the operation if she is pregnant. b) Natural birth regulation via breast feeding occurs only with about seventy percent of women. Some women are unable to breast feed for a variety of reasons. In these cases it would seem acceptable to use NFR while breast feeding is taking place or for a period of two years (not to exceed three) following birth. A woman who would not breast feed for that period of time may not morally make use of NFR as she is refusing to use a natural gift from God.
Economic - hardships on the family. a) Weather conditions have made a famine in the region imminent. b) During protracted periods of economic recession with high unemployment rates and sought after employment is not reasonably expected in the foreseeable future.
Psychological - mental deficiency, high stress. a) Because of family problems and/or close spacing of present children, a woman, or the family, can experience sustained stress. It then may become unreasonable to have more children in the near future or for as long as the stressful situation continues.
Social - social workers who give assistance to the sick, destitute, unfortunate, economically underprivileged, or socially maladjusted. a) In areas of the world where: 1. highly dedicated service is needed, 2. living conditions are substandard, 3. a near normal family life is not feasible; then NFR may be used for the duration of dedicated service and for the period of time which may be necessary to return to reasonably normal health, following such activity.

I believe that in the above examples and under reasonably related circumstances the use of NFR (Natural Fertility Regulation) methods may be used. The primary commandment to be fertile and multiply must always be kept in mind. God loves children. God wants children. Only situations that can be seen to be of greater importance than God's continuing desire for ever increasing numbers of children would be acceptable reasons for using NFR.

As an outgrowth of Humanae Vitae and with the gaining of scientific knowledge concerning natural body rhythms, instruction classes, in what has become known as NFP (Natural Family Planning), are now being advertised. When NFP classes are advertised the limitations set forth in Humanae Vitae are rarely mentioned. The failure of pastors at all levels of the Church to condemn misleading advertising for NFP classes has contributed to abuse in Catholic thinking concerning birth control practices. This has led Catholics to downgrade all teachings concerning birth control and subsequently has allowed for tacit approval of all birth control methods, including abortion. Statistics indicate that abortion is now more common among Catholics than in any other Christian category.

The failure of most all pastors to understand and accept hierarchial levels of authority has effectively made this next passage of Humanae Vitae all but mute.

"Responsible parenthood also and above all implies a more profound relationship to the objective moral order established by God, of which a right conscience is the faithful interpreter. The responsible exercise of parenthood implies, therefore, that husband and wife recognize fully their own duties towards God, towards themselves, towards the family and towards society, in a correct hierarchy of values." (Emphasis added)

The proper knowledge and acceptance of a correct hierarchy of values is the key to most of the problems within the Church. Hierarchial values are governed by hierarchial levels of Church teachings, on matters of faith and morals as well as discipline, according to the following brief schematic with (a.) being the highest level:
a.) The expressed will of God as stated in or approved by "infallible" papal documents and those given direct authentication by papal authority. Such teachings must be universal in nature. Documents which are probably to be included at this level are:

Ecumenical councils which were truly universal in nature (Matthew 16:19). (Possibly to be excluded, in whole or in part, is Vatican Council II.)
Sacred Scripture as enumerated by the Council of Trent. (Qualifications and limitations concerning correct interpretation and understanding of Scripture needs to be explained.)
Other universally directed and authenticated papal teachings on matters of faith and morals according to papal stated intention. NOTE: The whole area of direction, subject matter, and authentication is expected to require extensive development with the setting of parameters for proper understanding of various teachings. The phrase "From the Chair of Peter," means that one with the authority of Peter has certified a teaching and made it doctrine of the Church. A "dogma" is a doctrine which has been proclaimed with special acclamation. All doctrine is infallible and as such is unchangeable, i.e., nonreversible and nondiminishable.

The following are basic standards required for a document to be considered infallible:
I. Stated intention, in writing, of the pope when presented.
II. Papal signature or perhaps the certifiable equivalent.
(The pope must have his full mental faculties and be free of coercion.)
III. Must be directed universally.
IV. Must cover matters of faith and morals or the internal discipline of the Church.
Note: Universal papal disciplinary doctrines may be reversed.

b.) Non-infallible universally directed and authenticated papal teachings. A religious obedience in a unique way is to be given to the Holy Father even when he is not speaking ex cathedra. NOTE: No priest, no bishop, no cardinal, no conference of bishops, not even the pope himself can give anyone under any circumstance permission to violate moral laws without himself committing serious sin.
c.) Universally directed and authenticated Vatican Curial documents.
d.) Codes of Canon Law. Codes of Canon Law are not considered universal teachings as they apply only to one or a group of rites of the Church.
e.) Liturgical directives of the various rites of the Church. The same concept that applies to Codes of Canon Law applies to liturgical rubrics.
f.) Directives of conferences of bishops in keeping with authority from higher Church levels and approved by same. Other episcopal documents probably fall into a non-designated category just ahead of opinions of theologians.
g.) Directives of ones own diocesan bishop, who is an ordinary, while acting within his limited scope of authority. (If visiting another diocese the directives of the local ordinary may apply.)
h.) Public teachings of Popes, Church fathers, and Doctors of the Church. This category may be considered to include non-directed or unsigned papal documents. The latest encyclical of John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, as presented falls into this category.
i.) Pastors of local parishes.
j.) Other parish priests.
k.) Opinions of theologians (NOTE: Heresies of the Church normally originate from this category).
l.) Civil authorities when acting in their proper realm and are in harmony with natural law.
m.) The father of each individual family. (The qualified male parent has a key responsibility in regard to the structure of the whole system and therefore commits grave sin when he is not active in his role of faith leadership.) NOTE: Each person is always responsible for their own salvation. Accordingly each one should have a proper understanding of the above levels of authority and should be able to, in harmony with their own abilities, grasp the relative importance of each level and be willing to give each level correct priority.

No one may claim lack of responsibility by stating they were ordered to commit an evil act, or fail to do what is good, by directive of a higher authority. Everyone is directly responsible to God in matters of faith and morals.

Conscience is not a law unto itself. Recourse to an uninformed conscience is not excusable. Only a properly informed conscience must be obeyed and it must always be obedient to the teachings of the Church. All recourse to conscience, as having priority over the constant teachings of the Church concerning openness to procreation, is invalid.

COMMENT 1: The above should be considered an incomplete listing of levels of teachings and of levels of authority within the Church and society.

COMMENT 2: Disciplinary teachings or directives which are not also a matter of faith and morals are subject to modification and even to reversal.

COMMENT 3: It should be noted that in the early Christian Church there was a period of time when papal authority was completely dominate. The decisions of a pope during his reign were binding unless they directly contradicted a clear understanding of Scripture then in existence. There is no recorded evidence that this ever occurred. The Scriptures referred to would be what is now called the Old Testament. Authenticated apostolic writings would also have been binding if there were any such. Essentially, however, for the first 300 plus years of the Church the pope was the final authority on matters of faith and morals.

COMMENT 4: The key to unity as desired by God, particularly expressed by Jesus and recorded in the Gospel of St. John, is to remain in the main body of the Church. The schematic as presented is intended to help many to remain in or return to the central Church, to be one as Jesus and the Father are one.

COMMENT 5: It should be understood that personal directives of the pope, local bishop, parish priest, etc. should not be obeyed if they are in opposition to higher levels of teachings. Reasonable proof of position must be made available. A higher level of authority must also be able to prove its position when asked to do so. NOTE: Time need not be spent upon individuals who repeatedly fail to offer sound reasoning or proof of their position. However, if another person believes that an injustice has taken place, then he may make complaint on behalf of the other person if he believes he has sufficient evidence to do so.

COMMENT 6: For a modicum of discipline to exist and an orderly society to be maintained, each person should be reasonably subject to the next higher level of authority according to normal limitations. This includes all directives which are reasonable. As one gains knowledge of progressively higher levels of teachings there is less likelihood of wrongly following erroneous teachings of lower level authorities.

COMMENT 7: An example of observing the schematic of levels of authority is as follows: If a person at any level believes that a higher authority is in error he must:
a. Seek teachings or directives from a yet higher level which are in opposition to the directive given.
b. He must make a presentation to the authority he believes to be in error and give that authority reasonable time to respond. Normally two calendar weeks in the hands of that authority, allowing normal mail delivery times if that is the method used, should be sufficient to establish presentation.
c. If no response is forthcoming then a certifiable witness must be used.
d. If still no response is forth coming, or the response is insufficient to demonstrate your error, you must then appeal to yet higher authority. Approximately four working weeks must normally be allowed at this level.
f. If disagreement ensues or no determination made is satisfactory then a formal open hearing may be held according to mutual agreement. If there is no mutual agreement, then a meeting must be held which is open to the general public and to the press, etc.
g. If disagreement is still unresolved, formal appeal to the Vatican may be made. Again at this level public hearings must be held if either of the conflicting parties so requests. NOTE: Officials at higher levels must make needed information and help available to those at lower levels.
h. When the above process has been followed and it becomes clear that high levels of authority are in the hands of Satan then one may act as is necessary for the common good, according to the requirements of faith and morals, while maintaining unity with the main body of the Church.

Everyone should keep in mind that a direct positive relationship with God must be maintained at all times. Everyone has a moral obligation to learn God's will according to their capacity. Following the directives of an intervening authority is not excusable when one has sure knowledge of God's will. It should be clearly understood that not only family members and civil officials are candidates for Hell, but also priests, bishops, and even popes are persons who can be eternally damned.

The above is the general format I use in making determinations concerning my personal relationship with God. Each individual's relationship with God should be the number one concern in this life. A person's strongest desire and motivation should be toward eternal life. The preceding schematic is offered as a stimulator for further discussions.

I believe a proper understanding of levels of authority to be the key which will resolve most of the problems within the Church. I theorize that authenticated correct levels of authority will become a prime instrument for uniting all Christians and will bring new direction to evangelization. It must always be understood that one must look to the highest level to which one has knowledge and has the capacity to work with. We must all use the gifts we have been given by God. Those with the greater gifts, who fail to properly use them, commit the greater sin.

It should be noted that even relatively orthodox organizations, such as Catholics United for the Faith, do not follow a proper hierarchial system when evaluating questions concerning teachings of the Church. It is not uncommon for even loyal members of the Church to assign lower level Church teachings an equal or even greater value than higher level teachings.

All levels of teaching below the infallible level should be understood to be levels of opinion. Even though they have a high level of authority, they should be understood to be opinion which could be, at least to some degree, in error. One may not on their own initiative assume any teaching to be in error. One must demonstrate, by recourse to a higher level teaching, that an error truly exists. The error must be in clear conflict with a higher level teaching, or, such error must be demonstrated from irrefutable reasoning before one may disregard the authority existing at even the lowest level. It should be kept in mind that truly sound reasoning is from God.

If the aforementioned ranking of teachings is put into practice then problems concerning faith and morals, including NFR and sexual concerns, would readily be put into proper perspective.

When sexual activity is engaged in as a clearly carnal act, then such act is mortally sinful (Lev 15:18). Sexual copulation while not being open to the bringing forth of new life is against the primary command of God, "Be fertile and multiply." Without willingness for conception to take place, i.e., having a contraceptive mentality, one is denying the activity of God in the formation of new life. In sexual activity there normally is a period of intense gratification for both partners.

Let's make an analogous supposition, without being irreligious, that God, as principal participant, experiences great joy in the creative act of bringing forth a new spirit which is then an eternal being. All sexual acts that reject conception, due to a contraceptive mentality, directly deny a pleasurable experience to God. Anyone who denies that God is entitled to the greater share in the pleasurable experience of creation should not expect any share of eternal happiness. This remains true until there has been sincere repentance with equitable restitution having been made.

COMMENT: Many claim that the teachings of the Old Testament have been replaced by the teachings of the New Testament. One should always keep in mind that God is immutable (unchangeable). All Old Testament teachings are still relevant and obligatory, except for those disciplinary teachings which have been specifically replaced or terminated by Jesus. (2 Tim 3:16 "All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness." As the New Testament had not yet been formulated into an organized form, this reference clearly refers to the content of the Old Testament.)

If we were a people who studied the Word of God with a truly open mind (not bound by preconceived personal opinions, desires, or subjected to erroneous repetitious indoctrination), then we would be aware that God has already established His system for birth control. In the 1st chapter of Genesis we learned of God's command, "Be fertile and multiply." We would also know that this admonition was repeated, following the great flood, to Noah and his children.

If we would accept the principal that God is all knowledgeable, then we would not be surprised that God knew from eternity the natural rhythms of human bodies. He created each sex with the needed impulses and desires which would accomplish His goal of having the human race expand throughout the universe. (Keep in mind that God the Father would only have one Son, Jesus the Christ. Aside from any questions concerning the possible existence of intelligent life on other planets throughout the universe, there is still the problem of following the directive of Jesus to make disciples of all nations. The term earth is a generic term which should be seen to refer to the entirety of the created universe.) Of concern are the natural reproductive rhythms of human females. The general understanding of these rhythms is simplified and condensed into the following presentation.

The normal menstrual cycle of women is 28 days and is divided into three phases: (Information is from "The Art of Natural Family Planning" by John and Sheila Kippley)

The days of phase three, normally the final fourteen days, are considered to be totally infertile.
Phase two, the fertile period, lasts from five to seven days.
Phase one, which begins with menses, is a highly variable phase. While phase one is considered to be normally an infertile period, this is not an absolute. Also as the menstrual flow of blood decreases the possibility for the occurrence of conception increases.

Scripture tells us that there is a prohibition against having copulation during the woman's menstrual flow and calls it a period of uncleanness. (NOTE: Few if any women are desirous of having sexual intercourse during this period of time. Many women, if not most women, are downright antagonistic towards having intercourse during menses. It may well be a highly contributing factor to the breakup of many marriages.) Following the cessation of menses there is a quarantine period of seven days. This is the common duration prescribed for any period of uncleanness. On the average a menstrual flow is five days. This then normally totals a period of 12 days during which sexual intercourse is forbidden. This is more clearly understood as follows. The prohibited period begins with the first day of menses and lasts until seven days following the cessation of menses. Cessation should be considered to include what is referred to as spotting. According to this time table, established by God, a woman is into her fertility period when sexual intercourse becomes permissible.

Some may argue, by using the single verse Leviticus 15:19, that the total period of required abstinence is seven days. This concept is not compatible with the general rule of quarantine which requires seven days to elapse for verification of cleanliness (Lev 13:21,50; 14:38; 15:13,24-28, etc.). Nor does it take into account that some women, at least from time to time, will have a menses lasting more than seven days. Leviticus 18:19; 20:18 and Ezekiel 18:6; 22:10 give strong admonitions against having sexual intercourse during menses and this also includes any vaginal flow of blood. Ezekiel 36:17 relates God's reaction to evil committed by men when He compares it to defilement of women during their menstrual flow. "In my sight their conduct was like the defilement of a menstruous woman."

Even by using a seven day duration of restriction, a women is still approaching or may have entered into her fertility period. Considering all of the variables inherent in the female cycle it would not be long before she would become pregnant using seven days as the period of prohibition.

God has not told us of any limitation He has set on the number of children He wants. The above Scriptural passages tell us that he indeed wants a continuous stream of children coming into existence. All who fail to accept another aspect of God, that He is unlimited in capacity, are denying the unlimited aspect of His being. He is not a one planet God. He is a being without boundaries and without limitations. God's birth control (family planning) method is a system which gives Him the highest possible potential for participating in the creation and development of new life. God has told us in many ways and on many occasions that we do not see as He sees. His vision and understanding of eternal life is complete. Our understanding is extremely limited.

A seven day period of uncleanness could also be referred to as a period of purification, rest, or healing. Pregnancy, as well as everything else, is in the hands of God. Always trust in God and be careful when reflecting upon His possible motives. He always knows what is best. Calmness and relaxation may well be the prescription for the day.

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