Part 3 of the right NFP course
The right kind of NFP course can and should teach the most basic lesson in morality “do good and avoid evil.” Thus it can be an effective vehicle for bringing about authentic renewal within families, the Church and the culture.
Do good by learning all three common God-given signs of fertility and knowing your times of fertility and infertility in normal cycles.
Avoid evil by not engaging in contraceptive behaviors and the use of potentially abortifacient drugs and devices.
Do good by being generous in having children, looking upon them as gifts from God, and bringing them up in the ways of the Lord.
Avoid harm to your marriage by making sure that your marriage acts reflect the unreserved gift-of-self you vowed on your wedding day.
Do good by caring for your babies with ecological breastfeeding, thus taking care of their psychological needs as well as providing optimum nutrition and postponing the return of fertility in a natural way.
Avoid harm to your health by not using potentially harmful methods of birth control.
Do good by believing that the Holy Spirit guides the Church through its Magisterium.
Do good by joining the effort to build a culture of life. Work with NFP International to spread all the goods news above.
What should couples learn in a well balanced NFP program?
What couples should learn is far more than just an inexpensive and effective method of spacing babies. What they will learn in a well-rounded NFP program will include the following:
How the fertility-menstrual cycle functions
The common signs of fertility and infertility
The importance of well-balanced nutrition for healthy fertility
Natural ways to enhance fertility
The practical, health-related reasons for making the NFP-only decision
The moral and religious reasons for the NFP-only decision
The most accurate way to estimate the due date
Exclusive breastfeeding
Ecological breastfeeding
The return of fertility after childbirth
How to manage special situations
Rules for determining the least amount of abstinence consistent with the available evidence.
John F. Kippley
Sex and the Marriage Covenant
www.NFPandmore.org