Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • January 24, 2025 25 Pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood, to the diaconate, and to the religious life, especially in the Diocese of Biloxi As I was reading through my Catholic Couples bible, I came across this article on Natural Family Planning that I thought explains the process well and may give you a better perspective on the process. Bringing new life into the world can be one of the most fulfilling occasions in a married couples’ life. By doing so, each husband and wife honors a basic premise of the covenant they made with each other and with God on their wedding day. This is to accept children lovingly from God. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church , #1652, it states, “By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory.” This acceptance at any time in marriage is more than a sign of your love for each other and your willingness to share. When prayerfully considered, it is an act of responsibility grounded in your marriage covenant. At the same time Humanae Vitae 10 reads, “Those are also to be considered responsible who, for serious reasons and with due respect for moral precepts, decide not to have another child for either a definite or an indefinite amount of time.” In the process of discerning God’s will for the growth of a family, Natural Family Planning ( NFP ) gives couples the knowledge of their fertility that allows them either to achieve pregnancy or to avoid it, for the time being. NFP respects God’s design for marriage and the unique fertility of each couple, so it can help couples to do God’s will with regard to the size of their family. Because NFP relies on a woman’s natural cycle of fertility or infertility, it promotes self-discipline and fosters communication and cooperation between spouses, all of which tend to strengthen the marriage relationship. As an alternative to any form of artificial birth control, studies have shown NFP to be exceptionally effective. It is also safe and accepted by the Catholic Church. Pope Paul VI reminds us that human life is sacred. Therefore, the question of human procreation involves more than the limited aspects specific to such disciplines as biology, psychology, demography or sociology. It is the whole man and woman and the whole mission to which he/she is called that must be considered: both its natural, earthly aspects and its supernatural, eternal aspects. Marriage is a wise and provident institution of God the Creator, whose purpose was to effect in man His loving design. To experience the gift of married love while respecting the laws of conception is to acknowledge that one is not the master of the sources of life but rather the minister of the design established by the Creator. Humanae Vitae (July 25, 1968). I pray that this information assists you in the decisions about YOUR marriage and especially your family life. May God Bless you and keep you. Deacon Justin Deacon Justin Mitchell is the Director of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Biloxi. Marriage & Family Life Mitchell Natural Family Planning