In his 1995 teaching on prophecy, Fr. Al also noted that prophecy was a means of deliverance. Moses was the prophet of deliverance from the slavery of Egypt. Jesus was the prophet of deliverance from the slavery of sin. I suggest that the teaching of the Church regarding marital chastity is the prophecy of deliverance from the slavery to sexual sin.
Father Al noted further that the general reaction to prophecy is negative. Certainly that was the case in the Old Testament. Certainly that was the case among most of the Jewish leadership at the time of Jesus. And certainly that was the reaction to Humanae Vitae. And it is also the reaction of most bishops and pastors to the idea that a full course on natural family planning should be a normal part of preparation for marriage. In 1989 a committee of American bishops published a document on preparation for marriage in which they urged that every engaged couple should be required to attend a full course on NFP, not just a couple hours squeezed into a pre-Cana Day (Faithful to Each Other Forever by NCCB Bishops’ Committee for Pastoral Research & Practices, Dec 1989). At present, 21 years later, only six dioceses have that requirement. In western Cincinnati, only Fr. Mark Watkins at St. Lawrence has that requirement. I understand that perhaps some of the recently ordained associate pastors have that as a personal goal, but it’s not yet a parish policy.
So your request may meet with initial rejection. And my request to you may meet with initial rejection. That is all par for the course.
You may rightly ask: Is this necessary? Aren’t people already well instructed on these things? And aren’t large numbers of Catholics already practicing NFP? After all, we see empty pews and the closing of schools and parishes. Isn’t that due to the selfish use of NFP? As far as we can tell, less than 5 percent of Catholics are using natural forms of conception regulation.
If 95% of married couples in their fertile years are using unnatural forms of birth control, that means that the typical Catholic parish is very badly affected or infected by slavery to sexual sin. In turn, that means that you and your pastor have the opportunity to help deliver your parish from that slavery to sin.
John F. Kippley
Sex and the Marriage Covenant