A Month to Celebrate 'God's Gifts of Love and Life in Marriage'

Friday, Jul. 15, 2022

Crystal Painter

July 25 is the anniversary of the Pope Paul VI’s encyclical Humanae Vitae, which expresses our Catholic beliefs about human sexuality, conjugal love and responsible parenthood. In line with this, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops promotes Natural Family Planning Awareness through a national educational program each year, which this year is from July 24-30. This year’s theme builds on the same theme as the National Pastoral Framework on Marriage and Family, “Called to the Joy of Love.” The framework, developed by the USCCB’s Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, is intended to help with ongoing pastoral planning for the accompaniment of married couples and families in every phase of life, and draws upon the teachings contained in Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia. 

As the U.S. bishops have written, NFP is supportive of Catholic beliefs about married love because it “respects the God-given power to love a new human life into being” (Married Love and the Gift of Life). 

The Diocese of Salt Lake City joins the U.S. bishops in highlighting the benefits of NFP as ethical methods to help married couples live God’s design for their marriages. In this effort, the Marriage and Family Life Office will be hosting a Creighton Model FertilityCare System Practitioner Education Program, which begins in September. This program, which is hosted every five to seven years in the diocese, is to help ensure an ample number of practitioners (teachers) are available to provide instruction to individuals and couples in the diocese.

This month also marks the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne (July 26), who were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Last year, Pope Francis designated that feast as the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly (fourth Sunday every July), a fitting commemoration during National Natural Family Planning Awareness Week. 

On July 24 we celebrate the second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. The theme chosen by the Holy Father for the occasion is “In old age they will still bear fruit” (Psalm 92:15), to emphasize how grandparents and the elderly are a value and a gift both for society and for ecclesial communities. In “The Pope Video” for July, which is a global initiative of the Pope’s World Prayer Network to disseminate the Holy Father’s monthly prayer intentions, he prays “for the elderly, who represent the roots and memory of a people; may their experience and wisdom help young people to look towards the future with hope and responsibility.” 

In the video, Pope Francis includes himself as he shares his prayer intention for the elderly: “There have never been so many of us in the history of humanity.” The pope adds, “there are many plans for assistance for the [elderly], but few projects for existence.” 

Plenary indulgences have been granted for those who take part in the 2nd World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. 

Last year, in his homily for the inaugural World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis challenged the young people with his message: “They protected us as we grew, and now it is up to us to protect their lives, to alleviate their difficulties, to attend to their needs and to ensure that they are helped in daily life and not feel alone. Let us ask ourselves: ‘Have I visited my grandparents, my elderly relatives, the older people in my neighborhood? Have I listened to them? Have I spent time with them?’ Let us protect them, so that nothing of their lives and dreams may be lost. May we never regret that we were insufficiently attentive to those who loved us and gave us life.”

During the week of July 24, Catholics have the opportunity to celebrate, live out and promote God’s vision of human sexuality, conjugal love, responsible parenthood and the value and gift of our grandparents and the elderly. Let us all take time during this week to pray, to learn the teachings of the Church, to spend time with and listen to the older generations as they share their gift of wisdom and love. Let us celebrate the gift of our bodies, our marriages and our elderly.

If you are interested in teaching NFP in the diocese, or to learn more about NFP, contact me at crystal.painter@dioslc.org.