Commencement Address at Franciscan University of Steubenville by John F. Kippley, Dec. 13, 2008: Part 4
A fourth misconception is that if NFP teachers and materials mix religion with NFP methodology they will turn off non-Catholics. When this question was raised in an NFP email group, a woman on the list identified herself as a former atheist. She had health problems with the Pill, so a Catholic friend gave her our book on natural family planning, a book that clearly mixes faith and science. She told the email group that the religious element did not turn her off even as an atheist. After she and her husband taught themselves and began to practice NFP, she kept reading the marriage-covenant material in our NFP book as her bedtime reading because she was a truth seeker. One night she had a life changing experience. Something happened. She said that one minute she was an atheist and no amount of argumentation could change her. The next moment she was a believer, and no amount of argumentation could persuade her otherwise. Today she and her family are practicing Catholics.
A fundamentalist gentleman from Texas and his Baptist wife were practicing NFP because she did not want to take the Pill. One evening while waiting for dinner, he read something in our NFP magazine that helped him to see that Natural Family Planning is more than just fertility awareness. Then they recognized that only the Catholic Church was still teaching the Christian Tradition on birth control, so they felt obliged to give the Church a good look. The husband wrote shortly after Easter some years ago to tell me that he and his wife and their five children had all entered into full communion with the Catholic Church.
The point of this digression about Natural Family Planning is that when there is a healthy integration of faith and science, NFP instruction becomes part of the evangelization work of the Church.
Some of you are looking forward to getting married very soon; others will marry later. I suggest that you get familiar with the website of NFP International some months before the big day. There we have a Natural Family Planning manual and charts you can download—-all for free. Every young couple should understand these things, regardless of how they use this knowledge. Natural Family Planning is not rocket science.
As you will learn throughout life, the greatest satisfactions in life come from helping others. That’s why I invite you to become part of the NFP movement in some way—-by regular prayer for chastity, by promoting or teaching Natural Family Planning, or by transmitting the teaching of Humanae Vitae as opportunities arise.
Let me summarize my comments. You have earned your diplomas, for which we heartily congratulate you. You are prepared to work. Be also prepared for those times when things don’t work out as you had hoped. If and when you encounter tough times, be hopeful. At all times, be grateful. Lastly, please pray and work to build a culture of life.
Again, we want to thank Father Henry and his associates for inviting us to your Commencement exercises. We honor you today as graduates. May God bless your every endeavor.
Next Week: Free self-instruction