The 50 th anniversary is a chance to look anew at the encyclical and speak once more to culture about the dark road we have been on and the even darker road that lies ahead if we do not change course now . But the anniversary is just as much an opportunity to meditate on the positive vision for marriage that Humanae Vitae offers . As then Pope Benedict XVI wrote in 2008 on the 40 th anniversary of the encyclical : Forty years after the Encyclical ' s publication we can understand better how decisive this light was for understanding the great " yes " that conjugal love involves . In this light , children are no longer the objective of a human project but are recognized as an authentic gift , to be accepted with an attitude of responsible generosity toward God , the first source of human life . This great " yes " to the beauty of love certainly entails gratitude , both of the parents in receiving the gift of a child , and of the child himself , in knowing that his life originates in such a great and welcoming love … We may ask ourselves : how is it possible that the world today , and also many of the faithful , find it so difficult to understand the Church ' s message which illustrates and defends the beauty of conjugal love in its natural expression ? Of course , in important human issues the technical solution often appears the easiest . Yet it actually conceals the basic question that concerns the meaning of human sexuality and the need for a responsible mastery of it so that its practice may become an expression of personal love . When love is at stake , technology cannot replace the maturation of freedom . Indeed , as we well know , not even reason suffices : it must be the heart that sees . Only the eyes of the heart succeed in understanding the proper needs of a great love , capable of embracing the totality of the human being . For this , the service that the Church offers in her pastoral care of marriages and families must be able to guide couples to understand with their hearts the marvelous plan that God has written into the human body , helping them to accept all that an authentic process of maturation involves . That “ marvelous plan ” of which Benedict wrote is a perfect introduction to this next issue of Digital Continent . Recent M . A . graduate Anne Marie Posella has taken on in her thesis the challenge of looking at the anniversary of Humanae Vitae by “ Contemplating the Spousal Mystery through the Lens of the Fertile Window .” She pays particular attention to another of the often overlooked aspects of Humanae Vitae : Pope Paul ' s support of Natural Family Planning ( NFP ). As Anne Marie writes : The relationship between the Church ' s teachings on human sexuality and on human fertility is profound , and one that warrants further study . On the one hand , an appreciation for the Theology of the Body , with its provocative treatment of the spousal mystery , is a theological lens through which to interpret Humanae Vitae , in order to prevent NFP from becoming simply a form of Catholic contraception . That is , a proper understanding of God ' s plan for marriage and the family is necessary for couples to fully appreciate the gift of fertility and to use it in accordance with the natural law . On the other hand , however , NFP -- in all of its biophysiological dimensions -- is essential for interpreting the language of the body . Her thesis is theological , scriptural , and also practical . Above all , it is a timely and useful reminder of the fundamental reality of marriage as procreative and unitive . In her presentation , Anne Marie positively affirms Humanae Vitae and gives all of us one more dimension to consider when confronting the contraceptive culture .