John
Paul II - Theology of the Body |
The Norm
of Humanae Vitae Arises from the Natural Law and the Revealed Order
General
Audience, July 18, 1984
1. In the Encyclical Humanae Vitae
we read: "The Church, in urging men to the observance of the
precepts of the natural law, which it interprets by its constant
doctrine, teaches as absolutely required that in any use whatever of
marriage there must be no impairment of its natural capacity to
procreate human life" (HV, n. 11).
At the same time this same text considers and even emphasizes the
subjective and psychological dimension when it speaks of the
significance, and precisely of the "two significances of the marital
act."
The significance becomes known with the rereading of the
(ontological) truth of the object. Through this rereading, the
(ontological) truth enters, so to speak, into the cognitive
dimension—subjective and psychological.
Humanae Vitae seems to draw our attention especially to this latter
dimension. Among other ways, this is also indirectly confirmed by
the following sentence: "We believe that our contemporaries are
especially capable of seeing that this teaching is in harmony with
human reason" (HV n. 12).
Moral norm and its reason
2. That reasonable character does not only concern the truth of
the ontological dimension, namely, that which corresponds to the
fundamental structure of the marital act. It also concerns the same
truth in the subjective and psychological dimension, that is to say,
it concerns the correct understanding of the intimate structure of
the marital act. It concerns the adequate rereading of the
significances corresponding to this structure and of their
inseparable connection, in view of a morally right behavior. Herein
lies precisely the moral norm and the corresponding regulation of
human acts in the sphere of sexuality. In this sense we say that the
moral norm is identified with the rereading, in truth, of the
language of the body.
3. Therefore, the Encyclical Humanae Vitae therefore contains the
moral norm and its reason, or at least an examination of what
constitutes the reason for the norm. Moreover, since in the norm the
moral value is expressed in a binding way, it follows that acts in
conformity with the norm are morally right, while acts contrary to
it are intrinsically illicit. The author of the encyclical stresses
that this norm belongs to the natural law, that is to say, it is in
accordance with reason as such. The Church teaches this norm,
although it is not formally (that is, literally) expressed in Sacred
Scripture. It does this in the conviction that the interpretation of
the precepts of natural law belongs to the competence of the
Magisterium.
However, we can say more. Even if the moral law, formulated in this
way in Humanae Vitae, is not found literally in Sacred Scripture,
nonetheless, from the fact that it is contained in tradition and—as
Pope Paul VI writes—has been "very often expounded by the
Magisterium" (HV n. 12) to the faithful, it follows that this norm
is in accordance with the sum total of revealed doctrine contained
in biblical sources (cf. HV n. 4).
Revealed by God
4. It is a question here not only of the sum total of the moral
doctrine contained in Sacred Scripture, of its essential premises
and the general character of its content. It is also a question of
that fuller context to which we have previously dedicated many
analyses when speaking about the theology of the body.
Precisely against the background of this full context it becomes
evident that the above mentioned moral norm belongs not only to the
natural moral law, but also to the moral order revealed by God. Also
from this point of view, it could not be different, but solely what
is handed down by Tradition and the Magisterium and, in our days,
the Encyclical Humanae Vitae as a modern document of this
Magisterium.
Paul VI writes: "We believe that our contemporaries are especially
capable of seeing that this teaching is in harmony with human
reason" (HV n. 12. We can add that they are capable also of seeing
its profound conformity with all that is transmitted by Tradition
stemming from biblical sources. The bases of this conformity are to
be sought especially in biblical anthropology. Moreover, we know the
significance that anthropology has for ethics, that is, for moral
doctrine. It seems to be totally reasonable to look precisely in the
"theology of the body" for the foundation of the truth of the norms
that concern the fundamental problematic of man as "body": "The two
will become one flesh" (Gn 2:24).
Reread and reflect
5. The norm of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae concerns all men,
insofar as it is a norm of the natural law and is based on
conformity with human reason (when, it is understood, human reason
is seeking truth). All the more does it concern all believers and
members of the Church, since the reasonable character of this norm
indirectly finds confirmation and solid support in the sum total of
the theology of the body. From this point of view we have spoken in
previous analyses about the ethos of the redemption of the body.
The norm of the natural law, based on this ethos, finds not only a
new expression, but also a fuller anthropological and ethical
foundation in the word of the Gospel and in the purifying and
corroborating action of the Holy Spirit.
These are all reasons why every believer and especially every
theologian should reread and ever more deeply understand the moral
doctrine of the encyclical in this complete context. The reflections
we have been making here for some time constitute precisely an
attempt at this rereading.
Taken from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English 23 July
1984, page 1
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