Love, Naturally
By Marcy Stenstrom
As spring approaches, the snow is melting, birds are singing, tulips and daffodils are emerging and….ahhhh….love is in the air! Many of us are either planning a wedding or planning to attend a wedding this spring or summer. So much goes into planning for this biggest of occasions in life that it’s necessary to begin preparing a year or more in advance. I learned through my own experience seven years ago that you need to book the church and officiant, the hall, the caterer, and the photographer as soon as possible. In the marriage preparation course at church, you learn more about your compatibility, family backgrounds, and some coping skills for
dealing with finances, family, and friends. But no one ever told me anything about Natural Family Planning.
It wasn’t until two years after our marriage that I bought the book “The Art of Natural Family Planning” by John and Sheila Kippley. Ironically, one of my co-workers, a member of the Couple to Couple League, suggested it to me after long and strange office conversations. The book is extremely informative and covers all topics of the woman’s reproductive life cycle. The methods are explained very scientifically and thoroughly. This is not the calendar rhythm method which many people confuse with natural family planning. NFP is effective when practiced correctly and more importantly, moral. The methods not only help us as women to know and understand our bodies but it also encourages communication with the husband creating sensitivity and a nurturing, sustaining love within the marriage. The biggest factor is that it is open to life.
Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” is a remarkable resource for learning more about our bodies, God’s purpose for us, and the true sexual freedom awaiting us if we are open to God’s graces regarding ourselves and the dignity and respect for others. In practicing NFP, we are doing just that. The Catholic Catechism supports that “these methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom.” (2370 CCC) “The regulation of births represents one of the aspects of responsible fatherhood and motherhood.” (2399 CCC) “In contrast, every action which…proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible is intrinsically evil.” (2370 CCC)
I recommend this Catholic-approved/God approved resource even though it continues to receive criticism from skeptics who think that NFP is not trustworthy or reliable. I would guess that they have never taken an NFP class or read a page in this book. I felt empowered once I began recognizing the patterns of human fertility and infertility. I think that it’s like following a road map. If you read the map correctly and take the roads that you are supposed to, you will get to your destination you desire. As Catholics, I suggest we become aware of these methods and share them with engaged couples and newlyweds. Ever since my husband and I have
become NFP “users”, we purchase copies of “The Art of Natural Family Planning” and mail them out to our friends before or after they get married. It’s something that I wish someone had done for me.
“The Art of Natural Family Planning” is available online at www.barnesandnoble.com. The 4th edition paperback copy costs $19.95.