Blessed Pope Paul VI

Blessed Pope Paul VI

I know this is a few days late, but this beatification, I think, is too important to not say something.

For what its worth, I believe that Paul VI was a prophet in his own right. This much maligned soul suffered much for the timeless truth of the gospel and the constant teaching of the church.

1968: Many in the media (sound familiar) began to circulate and speculate that the church was considering changing her stance on birth control with little to no evidence to support their claims. This permeated into the dioceses and parishes in general and people were saying things that were simply not true concerning the church's teaching on birth control. They expected her to cave in on the whole contraception thing, because hey, the world was changing and it was totally un-groovy to be such medieval holdouts.

At this time, the Catholic Church was (and still is) the only church to uphold what all Christians had believed and held until 1930. The Anglicans at the Lambeth Conference that year decided that contraception was allowable in certain cases. Well, we humans in our fallen nature are given an inch and we take a mile. Soon, other Christian bodies followed suit and by 1968, the Catholic Church alone was stalwart in the truth of the matter.

We all know about the speed and the nature of the changes that the world was undergoing at the time and we are still reeling from that period even 50 years later. In this climate of change, our newly blessed not only assumed the command of the barque of Peter, but also took to completing the council his predecessor began and seeing to it that the council was implemented.

Even the best laid plans and the greatest of intentions can be hijacked by those who wish to push their own agendas.

After setting up commissions and consulting at length with some of his closest advisers, Paul VI took it to God. Intent on confirming and ratifying the constant teaching of Christ and the church, he felt it his duty as Supreme Pontiff to clarify the issue. On July 25, 1968, Pope Paul VI issued his prophetic encyclical, Humanae vitae, "On Human Life" to the entire world. Pay special attention to paragraph 17. There, Paul outlines four predictions if artificial contraception were to become widespread.

Remember this is 1968.

1. "First, artificial methods of birth control opens the way of lowering of moral standards for the young."
2. "Second, it leads to marital infidelity." 
3. "Third, the use of contraception will lead to the lowering of respect for women; husbands will regard their wives as mere instruments to serve their own desires." 
4. "Fourthly, the use of artificial methods of contraception, will be a dangerous tool in the hands of government or public authorities who care little about the moral law, and who may force the use of contraceptives on everyone." (Taken from this article).

Think about the state of the world and the family right now in 2014. Paul VI was truly prophetic in every sense of the word. Everything that Pope Paul predicted in this encyclical has come to fruition. Truly, he was being guided by the Holy Spirit in this matter.

The backlash was ugly and quick.

Those expecting a change did not get what they wanted, and that included some cardinals, bishops, and theologians. At the diocesan level, the laity were left in confusion by what the pope said and what they were told by their clergy. A mass wave of defections from the priesthood and religious life ensued. The church was plunged deeper into an uncertain future, at least from the point of view of the world.

Paul VI never again wrote another encyclical.

What do we take from his beatification by Pope Francis? We see that Francis is indeed following in the footsteps of his predecessor. We find that with this beatification in particular, a ratification of Paul's pontificate and evidence of his saintly life. We see the public reaffirmation of his writings, which include Humanae vitae. He is a saint for us right now. And what a time we live in.

I consider myself blessed to see a string of recent popes be beatified and canonized. They are lights in the darkness and examples that we can be proud to call our own.

Please, take the time to read the entire encyclical. It's important (that's why I've linked it three times!) It's only 31 paragraphs. Grab a coffee or a beer (depending on the time of day) and educate yourself on the matter. You'll be glad you did.