NFP provides authentic freedom
The culture tells us that love is about sex and that sex is about pleasure. It tells us that in order to be free, we need to be able to enjoy sex with no strings attached. It tells us that in order to be happy, we need to put our needs and our desires first. It tells us that having a big house and lots of things is important and that children are expensive, so we need to have no more than two; three if we want a really big family.
This is all a lie. True love is about self-giving. Marital love is about putting your relationship in the hands of God and being open to the amazing gift of new life. This is the key to a long and happy marriage!
References:
- Simcha Fisher, The Sinner’s Guide to Natural Family Planning, Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, IN, (2014). For example: “Spacing pregnancies typically requires people to abstain when they don’t want to abstain, and it often requires people to step up and show love even if they’re not swept up in spontaneous passion. It requires people to be dedicated to a higher goal than their own happiness: namely, the wellbeing of their spouse and the strength of their family life. This is what’s known as ‘love.’ We are made to love. It’s in our nature. And that is why it’s called ‘natural family planning.’” (p. 124)
- Mary Eberstadt, Adam and Eve after the Pill: Paradoxes of the Sexual Revolution, Ignatius Press, San Francisco (2012). See esp. ch. 8: “The Vindication of Humanae Vitae.”
- Christopher West, Theology of the Body for Beginners: Rediscovering the Meaning of Life, Love, Sex, and Gender, Ascension Press, West Chester, PA (2018). See esp. chapter 8: “Theology in the Bedroom: A Liberating Sexual Morality.”
- Christopher West, Good News About Sex & Marriage: Answers to Your Honest Questions About Catholic Teaching, Servant Books, Ann Arbor, MI (2018). See esp. ch. 6: “‘I Do…Not’ — Contraception”