To Know Him

For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 1 John 3:1

So the recent HHS decision has been weighing heavily on my mind. I keep trying to wrap my brain around why contraceptives are such an essential part of our society and even more why abortion would ever be necessary. I understand the argument as to why some think it is okay and some don't, but was really struggling to understand why it is even an issue. Why would anyone ever want to contracept and further more, why would anyone ever want to get rid of a child. See, to me there is nothing more beautiful in this world than the smile of a child. The most brilliant rose fails in comparison to watching one child's eyes and face light up with laughter and joy over often the smallest things. Now, don't get me wrong, I have children and I know it isn't always a bed of roses to care for someone that can often take so much self giving and can often be so needy and have demands that don't make sense anymore to an adult mind. I wasn't thinking "what a beautiful gift this child is" as I was trying to figure out how to remove a shirt that had some sort of animal poop on it without smearing it across the child's face. I have long known that I don't have the same view of children as large portions of mainstream society, but what I just recently figured out is that this directly ties into the pro-contraceptive/pro-choice issues.

Again, "For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him." 1 John 3:1
The world doesn't understand children because it doesn't know the beauty of the marital act that God created and therefore created the children. Our world knows the pleasure portion, but it all to often fails to fully understand the depth of what the act is really saying. Without this understanding, a pregnancy becomes a fertilized egg and no longer the most amazing souvenir you could ever receive from the most amazing experience of a lifetime. The marital act was designed by God to be a glimpse, a mere taste of what the Gates of Heaven hold. If this is true, then it would be a harsh oversimplification to think that Heaven is mere bodily pleasure and not a complete soul altering cosmic unity with the Saints of old as well as those still living today.

If we believe that the marital act is what God created it to be, we shouldn't be fighting why contraceptives are so wrong, we should be proclaiming and shouting from the mountain tops what the act can really be. Yet, those who believe this are often too embarrassed to speak up (after all it isn't really anything you can put into words anyway). If we can proclaim the fullness of God's promise and teach the others the beauty, the rest would fall into place. Who would want an incomplete joy if they understood the fullness of the promise of the joy that could be had.

We therefore, need to treat the issue with nothing but charity as it isn't that those we disagree with are just wrong, but they are like the poor that need to be ministered to. They deserve to know the fullness of truth, but will never understand it unless first the love of the world also consumes them. Proclaim the Gospel at all times and if necessary use words, is also true here. You can't teach people the fullness of love without first loving them fully.