Natural Family Planning Awareness Week- 19-25 July 2009

Saturday, 25 July 2009, marks the 41st anniversary of Pope Paul VI's promulgation of Humanae Vitae. So, this week is Natural Family Planning Awareness Week. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has set-up a wonderful website with many resources, including stories of couples who practice NFP. Be open, don't be a skeptic, and don't be afraid to challenge yourself. Any faith that does not challenge how you live, even in the most intimate aspects of your life, is not Christian faith.

There is a section on the Καθολικός διάκονος sidebar with several links for you to explore, links that help you to see that Natural Fanmily Planning has nothing to do with the so-called rythym method. There is a link to The Billings Ovulation Method, to Intermountain Fertility Care about the Creighton Model, and finally to the Couple-to-Couple League. For most couples, all NFP takes is education and a little self-control, control that actually fosters and enhances marital intimacy. You may want to read Myths and Reality from the USCCB website before visiting any of the above.

If nothing else, I encourage you to read the USCCB's 2006 document Married Love and the Gift of Life. Better yet, you can listen to it because it is also available as a MP3 file. More this week, especially links to items I posted last year, the 40th anniversary of HV.

For my fellow preachers, there are homily notes to aid us in our efforts to passionately and compassinately preach the truth about human sexuality.

Almighty and eternal God,
You blessed the union of married couples
so that they might reflect the union of Christ
with his Church:
look with kindness on them.
Renew their marriage covenant,
increase your love in them,
and strengthen their bond of peace
so that, with their children,
they may always rejoice in the gift of
your blessing.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.