Over four and a half years ago Abby and I entered into this adventure called marriage. And about three and a half years ago we took the dive into NFP. A few weekends ago we were able to share about this adventure with our parish. NFP (or Natural Family Planning) has been an amazing gift from God to help us responsibly plan out a family. And what was disconcerting to me was that it seemed like almost no one at my parish knew what NFP was!
It's like watching that amazing episode of Battlestar Galactica and you find out who the last cylon is, but there is no one to talk to about it. There is no one that understands how intense each episode was... no one that understands how much you admired Captain Adama despite his many flaws... no one that enjoyed all the heavy Christian undertones of the show...
Hello? Anyone still here?
Well that's how amazing and beautiful NFP has been for me and my wife. Even though it's been three and a half years practicing Natural Family Planning and still no baby, the journey has been more than worth it. Practicing Creighton and NFP have enabled our marriage to grow in more ways than I could have ever imagined.
We have been able to learn about how complex and beautiful our bodies are. We realized that NFP is something that allows the husband to be just as (well almost as) active as the wife. The husband is not a bystander to the whole process, but requires him to be in tune with his wife's body almost as much as she is. What we've gained from this, is a new level of understanding and commitment between a husband, a wife, and God.
Now I can go on forever, but that wasn't the point of this post. The point is that God has revealed to us that we need to spread this gift. We need to bring others on this adventure. Next year we WILL celebrate National NFP Week at our parish. The message will be spread regardless if Abby and I do end up conceiving.
Do you see a need for NFP at your Parish?
Do you want to help provide another way for families to grow?
Below are good places to start to learn more about NFP:
- http://old.usccb.org/laity/nfp/
- http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/natural-family-planning/
- http://chastityproject.com/qa/nfp-vs-contraception-vi/
- http://www.naprotechnology.com/
- http://stellamarisfertilitycare.com/
- http://www.mysticalroseobgyn.com/
And in case you wanted them....here are some amazing links on Battlestar Galactica.
