Educational Resource
Celebrating the Richness of Church Teaching by Janet E. Smith (2011)
NFP article by Janet E. Smith, PhD, professor at Sacred Heart Seminary in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
"The Church’s teaching on contraception is not just a doctrine that states what not to do. Many people would benefit from knowing that it is a doctrine that explains how extraordinarily important is the act of having children. One reason that modern culture has trouble understanding the truth of Humanae Vitae is that it fails to appreciate what a profound good children are. It is true that most parents love their children beyond belief and frequently even acknowledge that they are great gifts from God. Many parents will testify that when they held their baby for the first time, they experience a rush of love matched by little else.
But they do not always realize that in having children they are “co-creators” with God. This is not a term used by Humanae Vitae; it is a term used by John Paul II in his writing. Humanae Vitae does speak of the “extremely important mission of transmitting human life” that God has entrusted to spouses."