Ask the NFP Question

When was the last time you had a conversation about the Catholic  Church’s teaching on natural family planning (NFP)? How did that conversation go?

As a relatively young couple with four wonderful children, we’ve had plenty of questions about our “birth-control” methods, usually at the most awkward times. With the 50th anniversary of the encyclical Humanae Vitae (“On Human Life”) coming on July 25, we offer here a guide, and some encouragement, for couples who want to move the needle of our culture toward a greater reverence for fertility and life.

Half a century ago, Pope Paul VI (soon to be made a saint) issued a prophetic encylical that reaffirmed the Church’s consistent prohibition of artificial contraception and outlined the negative physical, spiritual and cultural effects of interrupting the fertility of spouses. He did so with a pastor’s heart, to save us from unnecessary suffering and the broken marriages and families that would come. Yet when released in the midst of the 1960s sexual revolution, the teaching of Humanae Vitae was widely rejected, even by some bishops and priests, and has never gotten a fair hearing within the Catholic community.

Now is the time for us to hear. Through our ministry Witness to Love, we see the damage contraception has done to marriages, relationships and trust between the sexes. We see, as well, an openness among couples today to the wisdom and maternal care of the Church, and the wonderful effects of NFP that can open lines of communication between spouses and heal broken marriages.

Yet the truth and beauty of NFP should not be confined to a formal ministry like ours. You, too, can spread the news as loving witnesses within the scope of your own lives.

Be an NFP Witness

The word “witness” may be intimidating but it underlines the importance of your role in spreading the good news about the teaching of Humanae Vitae.

A few tips to help you prepare:

Read Humanae Vitae. It is perhaps the most commented on yet least read papal document of modern times!

Join the conversation on Twitter with the #askthequestion hashtag.

Couples who practice NFP have a very low divorce rate and score high on marital satisfaction. They talk about important issues such as family size, which leads to healthy communication in other areas of their relationship.

NFP is highly effective in avoiding pregnancy, yet many couples also use it to achieve pregnancy. If you had difficulty achieving pregnancy and tracking your fertility helped you to have a baby, by all means share your story!

Don’t pretend you know information that you do not. If a friend asks you to look at their fertility chart, you might want to encourage them to talk to their instructor.

Start a natural family planning support group at your parish. There are some couples who may be curious but don’t know how to begin or whom to ask.

Consult the July issue of Columbia, the official magazine of the Knights of Columbus, which not only explains the teaching of the Church but offers interesting profiles of couples who live the teaching and have struggled like most of us. The issue also outlines the negative effects of hormonal contraception and the fact that the pill may cause the abortion of a very early embryo.

Fight pornography. Acknowledge the fact that natural family planning and pornography do not mix. The Integrity Restored website provides excellent insights and guidance for couples.

Don’t give up. Will you always succeed in winning people over to the truth, beauty and goodness of God’s design for marriage and family life? No. But don’t avoid the difficult conversations.

After a very tough conversation about NFP, a wise pastor said, “The tragedy was not that I was hammered with questions for the evening. The tragedy would be if the conversation never happened.”

About the Authors
Ryan and Mary Rose Verret head up the Witness to Love ministry for Catholic engaged and married couples.