Um comentário à forma como Madre Teresa encarava o Planeamento Familiar Natural.
"Most people in the world - and especially non-christians - know Mother Teresa as the nun against abortion. Many also blame her for this fact and many refuse even to know anything more or to read something about her, blinded as they are by their 'justified' anger for so much ignorance.
Her big defense of the life of the unborn, her sayings as: "if you do not want your unborn child, bring it to us and we will raise it" have brought great anger to people who consider this kind of talk a big expression of blind stupidity, especially in undeveloped countries.
Together with this fight against abortion was - in their eyes - the fact that Mother was against contraception a second reason for anger and denial.
And I must say, that if your life is filled with consuming and living a full life of freedom, (or what you consider being so) you may think - even being a practising catholic - that what this people say, has a real ground and that Mother was definitely wrong.
It takes opening to God and His love, a continuous search for His will in our life and lot of prayer to discover why Mother Teresa was this stubborn in this opinion and where she found the reasons to believe this was something in Gods'plan.
To Mother the first thing in life each one of us has is the responsibility for his life and for his/her acts. If people decide to make love, they should know that it is possible that a child is born from this. Adults are adults because they know the possible consequences of their acts. They can measure profit and damage and act according to rules and social laws. Adults are capable to take that responsibility, because they can withhold, they can manage, they can postpone... When I know a plane will crash I don't take it. When I know winter will be hard, I buy warm clothes and if I know the road is wet, I drive slowly. In this cases it seems so obvious. But when it considers our sexuality we feel that full freedom and no limits should be there on the contrary.
(...)
Mother was against contraception when it was medicine and all the common western ways we use. She was NOT against the idea. But for her "contraception" was Natural Family Planning. This is a method that needs the co-operation of both partners, that needs the consent and the engagement of both, this is unlike our western ways of contraception.
Let us make a comparison between both:
Natural Family Planning
- Both partners consent and work together
- Demands the will of cooperation of both partners
- Both partners take a responsibility for abstention during a certain period and live out of respect for each other
- Both partners recognize that they can guide and live their sexuality
result is: responsible parenthood.
- Tenderness and respect are very important
- Expects people to be emotionally adults, because it demands character and both partners accept in maturity.
Western Contraception
- There is no consent needed. One of the partners can decide to take the pill, or sometimes demands it from the other.
- Cooperation is not really necessary.
- No abstention needed. Sexuality can be consumed like sweets or liquor. The will is not involved.
- Sexuality can guide the life.
- No responsibility is taken.
- Tenderness and respect are not necessarily involved
- Acting as an adult is not necessary. There are no or fewer consequences to consider.
This vision on life and contraception of Mother is according to God's vision on the world. She expects and hopes people will grow a mature personality and learn responsibility and charity before such important acts. We should think about the way we live our sexuality and use it with responsibility. Be master of it. When others give themselves to us we should accept it as a precious gift and give ours to others as precious gift. This includes a good and steady relationship with the partner. It is an appeal to all of us to live conscient of our call, conscient of our responsibilities for each other, conscient of the gift of our bodies and our minds, conscient and grateful for the gift of life. Mothers point of view is a call on us to be responsible and emotionally adult people.. or at least to strive to be. Taking responsibility for one another in this way, is a taking and learning an attitude of mutual attention in tenderness and meekness, in patience and hope, in forgiveness and love. And it is the right way for a happy life."
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