Wow, what a great testimony/conversion story! My wife and I teach at a Pre-Cana marriage preparation course, and our main topic is Sexuality and Natural Family Planning. I would love to hear that a couple made such a life-changing and positive decision based on something we shared in the course.
Natural Family Planning is the best thing that has happened to our marriage. I love sharing our witness through my marriage website and through our work in the Church.
Thanks for sharing!

When the Church shifts its attention from micro-managing the reproduction of biological entities to the welfare of the spirit we will experience a renaissance.
I am always amazed at the number of ways we can avoid addressing the transcendent nature of the immortal soul and place our focus on the daily workings of transient biological entities. What is that about?

“When the church shifts its attention from micro-managing the reproduction of biological entities to the welfare of the spirit we will experience a renaissance.”
What utter cr*p. There is no “micro-managing” -there is instruction; the church is charged to instruct in the way and the truth, and the most fundamental of those truths is that EVERYTHING WE DO, whether spiritual or physical, impacts our spiritual life and our ability to move closer to Christ.
I am so tired of these “enlightened” sorts who likely know nothing about NFP, have never bothered to study it because they’ve rejected it out of hand because they always know better…informed as they are by their politics.
Deacon Greg, I must say, I am weary of your commenters since you have moved here. What a bunch of superior-and-disdainful types whose idea of humility is to humiliate the beliefs of those less enlightened and privileged than their considered selves (privilege means “private law” after all, and they create their own, within the church, because they’re SO smart). They seem to go out of their way to -as quickly as possible- urinate on the church as much as they can, in hopes that doing so will somehow make the church as brilliant as themselves. It’s so tiresome. And dishonest. And uncharitable. And predictable.

I like this quote in the full story of the Denver Catholic Register, not very ecumenical I must say…
“Toni: I was raised a Catholic, but during college I adopted the attitude that all religions are good—that they all had something positive. I didn’t have a clear understanding of my faith. For me, this was the beginning to get back on the path of being obedient to the Church and renewing my love for God and the faith. It didn’t happen overnight, but it certainly was a first good step.”
Also, sorry but NFP simply doesn’t work (how many children do they have now?) and the pill is not generally harmful to one’s health (quite frequently, it is beneficial).
Toni and mike seem entirely hypothetical to me, I don’t believe they are real people.

No, Toni’s statement isn’t very ecumenical at all, if you’re idea of ecumenical is adopting the view that all religions are equal and it doesn’t matter what you believe. Which, of course, isn’t ecumenical at all; it’s entirely secular.
People who claim that NFP doesn’t work because any particular couple who uses NFP has more than the prescribed by social expectations 1.2 children know little about how NFP works and less about the philosophy and spirituality behind it. Of course, this never stops people from speaking with authority on NFP, about which they know nothing.
“Toni and mike seem entirely hypothetical to me, I don’t believe they are real people.” Well, you can’t get more cynical than that. Or arrogant. You win the prize, DML, for being totally impressed with yourself.

DML…
The pill can be an aborificient. (Read here for more on how it works.)
And there are indications that it can lead to breast cancer.
Read more here.
Dcn. G.

Greg,
We are embodied souls, we are ensouled bodies. We are not souls trapped in a fleshy prison. We look forward not to heaven, but to the resurrection. If we do not address our bodies, we neglect the human person. When we denigrate the body, we denigrate the dignity of the whole human person.
The Church does not micro-manage reproduction, she teaches about the moral and spiritual nature of reproduction. She gives it a dignity that is far above “the daily workings of transient biological entities.” It is a view that I find far more dignified.
DML,
You are quite wrong on both counts.
NFP does work. It is harder to use correctly than artificial forms of birth control, but when used properly its effectiveness rate is actually one of the higher ones.
And even the highly pro-contraception WHO classifies the oral contraceptive pill as a carcinogenic. CIt can be used to legitimately treat some hormone problems. But the side-effects of the Pill are more severe than our society would tolerate from most medications. The cancer risk, heart risk, stroke risk, these risks are amazingly high for especially since it normally isn’t used to treat any other “disease” than fertility.

I happen to know quite a lot about reproductive biology and NFP Bob. The peer reviewed literature on the technique is very flimsy and very little has been done to scientifically substantiate it as an effective birth control measure. I’ve read the research.
Greg, there is a very small chance of the pill working in the way you describe. Actually, the high levels of estrogen in the pill block the LH surge that is needed for ovulation to occur. Studies show that the pills composed of E+P block ovulation almost entirely. The breast cancer data has been discounted by and it reduces the risk of ovarian cancer. Outside of cancer, the pill is effective therapeutic agent for a wide variety of reproductive pathologies where its use is indicated.
This will be even more surprising to some, but NFP actually increases the odds that a zygote fails to successfully implant, leading to embryonic loss (abortion) (Author: Bovens, J. Med. Ethics 2006:32,355).

Dana wrote: “What utter cr*p.”
I see I touched a sore spot. My apologies if I gave offense rather than provoking thought and insight.
You will not find me disagreeing with the idea that as a spiritual being we need to exert stewardship over all aspects of our lives.
What I implied but did not state clearly was that the balance appears off kilter.
There is an imbalanced attention on reproductive issues leaving issues of spiritual matters relatively untended. This drives away people who might otherwise be interested in spiritual development.
When one concentrates on spiritual formation — truly coming to know oneself as a spiritual being, not a body — then the stewardship attitude of spirit with regard to the body comes into line.
When one fails to insure spiritual formation and prematurely places undue attention on matters of biology, one actually inhibits rather than supports spiritual growth.
I am not advocating a ban on discussion of such matters — simply pointing out the unhealthy weighting of such issues in the public square. I do not recall Jesus flipping the importance of these issues.
Jesus demonstrated that our attention should be on the moment when we leave this mortal shell as a spiritual being, a soul, destined for more than monitoring biological entities.
If the Church wishes to reverse the decline in its appeal, it may make sense to refocus the conversation. Just one man’s opinion.

Greg …
I think it can be argued that the “reproductive issues” and “spiritual matters” are closely entwined — the Church is not favoring one over the other, but reminding us that both are integral to who we are.
Indeed, our choices on sexual matters affect the deepest part of who we are: our souls.
Dcn. G.

I agree Greg that we should focus on spiritual matters. I can find NFP nowhere in the Gospels, instead I see Jesus describing a here and present Kingdom of God. It trumps our spouses and our families even, so NFP and the like is merely a practical earthly matter. Even sinners love their families; marriage, family and ordinary daily life are distractions from the Kingdom of God which is part of a higher ethical space.

You need to read up more, DML.
I read the paper you cited. It’s not a study, but a paper that extrapolates certain possibilities based on certain assumptions. The paper itself says this. If those assumptions are in place, than the conclusion that many embryos are spontaneously aborted using the rhythm method seems reasonable. The paper strikes me as a propaganda piece that tries to discredit the Church’s and pro-life movement’s support for NFP because, it claims, NFP causes many embryonic deaths, just like the IUD and pill.
The paper, however, is useless, since by NFP the paper means the rhythm method. This is a paper written in 2006. What virtually everyone who uses NFP and teaches NFP means by NFP, and has meant by NFP for the last half century, is either the sympto-thermal method or the ovulation method (also known as the Billing Method).
Since you’re so familiar with NFP and have read the research, I’m sure you’re aware that the NIH has a number of articles on the efficacy of the Billings Method, that the Billings Method has been shown to be 98.5% method effective, and that the Billings Method is particularly effective in developing countries where couples are poorer and have fewer resources. Unfortunately, many medical schools haven’t caught up and are still teaching the rhythm method to their medical students. I wonder if it’s because doctors are deeply invested in pharmaceuticals, and no one is going to make any money off of a natural method that’s easy to learn and use and doesn’t require buying a pill or device? Hmmm …
If you insist on equating NFP with the rhythm method, no one in the NFP movement is going to take you seriously. The movement left rhythm in the dust decades ago, so they’ll assume that you don’t know what you’re talking about. And they’ll be right.

Greg, what makes you think the Church is emphasizing biological matters over spiritual matters?
When was the last time you heard a homily about birth control? I’ve not missed Sunday Mass in over thirty years and I’ve heard one in my life, and it was about twenty years ago. Same with sexual ethics. When was the last time your parish offered a seminar or workshop on sexual ethics? I’ve never heard of one, myself. Maybe you belong to a parish that is constantly talking about sex and biology. That’s interesting for you, but hardly true for parishes across the board.
Your comments suggest that you, like many Catholics, get your information about the Church from the secular media and culture. Look around, friend. Our culture is obsessed with sex. So, the media rarely has any interest in the Church unless the Church is talking about sex (or politics). The pope could write a major encyclical about God’s love, which he did, and it will go largely ignored by the media. On the other hand, he could travel half-way around the world from us, speak one sentence reiterating the Church’s centuries-old teaching on contraception, and it makes headlines in Bucksnort, Tennessee. (BTW, before anyone responds, that’s not an insult to Tennesseans. There really is a town named Bucksnort).
May I recommend, as I have to others, that you read some Catholic literature, Catholic magazines, Catholic newspapers, etc… Yes, there will be discussions about the Church teachings on a variety of subjects, including sexual ethics. But you’ll also get many fine articles on spirituality, the Bible, mysticism, family life, business ethics, practical suggestions for living out the gospel, etc…

@Deacon Greg
Your response echoed the point I was trying to make when you said the Church is not favoring one over the other. My point was precisely that “spiritual matters” should dominate quite significantly.
One is certainly the lesser of the two. For example, compare the life of the immortal soul with the tiny moment in time in which biology plays a role.
This is not to say that our physical existence is to be disregarded or tossed aside or desecrated. Not at all. Rather I was pointing out the relative importance of the transcendent over the mundane.
While it is true that our choices on sexual matters affect the deepest part of who we are, I would rather approach it from the view that our understanding of the deepest part of who we are affects how we view sexual matters. Horse before the cart.
From an outsiders view, my wife and I (30yrs) would probably be seen as having completed the “instruction”and having received a very high grade. But we did not come to our views and actions from “instruction” but rather from first working on the spiritual nature of who we are and what that meant for our relationship.
So that which I am suggesting is perhaps more subtle than I was able to communicate. My suggestion was that unless we deliver spiritual formation at the highest level, all else will be a distraction and perhaps will impede that which is most important.

@Bob,
Sorry for the confusion. I have a great love for the wealth of material on the spiritual, on mysticism, on living the gospel life. So I am not discounting that aspect, rather I am raising it up in importance.
As a practical matter, however, often there is the appearance of too great of an emphasis on sexuality. Perhaps you are right that this is something unique to those in the parish around me, but I think that is probably not the case.
I do not want to say this is unique to Catholicism. Evangelicals also do their best to present an image of Christianity being overly focused on sexual morality. And, as someone mentioned, in a culture obsessed with the body this is where the focus, the debate, will tend to go.
My point was simply that the greatest good for the Church and the society was to lead with our strength, which is discussion and teaching about the nature of the transcendent, the soul, and to put increased effort into spiritual formation instruction and less on the in’s and out’s of biology.
Once the spiritual formation falls into place, the rest follows. If spiritual formation does not take place, the rest will never quite line up and our voices will never be convincing.

@Bob re the reading list.
Not sure what you had in mind.
My recent reading has encompassed the Franciscans — Bonaventure, Duns Scotus, Delio, Rohr. Particularly like The Souls Journey to God by Bonaventure, The Humility of God by Delio, and Hidden Things by Rohr.
And Merton. Particularly enjoyed The Gethsemane Encounter, a follow up to his work.
And most recently have been reading Sixteen Documents from Vatican II. Wonderful collection.
And John Paul II’s Encyclical Faith and Reason, which I admire greatly.
Just started The Fulfillment of All Desire by Ralph Martin.
You may have other good suggestions.

Greg,
I don’t think we’re too far off the same page. Perhaps even in the same book and chapter. I’m reminded of St. Augustine of Hippo’s words: “Love God, then do what you will.” If I love God, of course, my will will be His will. The trouble with our present age, however, is that many have equated their will with God’s will. So few have confidence in revelation. We live in the “If it feels good to me, it is good” generation. There are so many factors that have brought us to this point.
Your reading list has some good stuff on it, though I don’t know Delio and I’ve rather lost trust in Rohr. We were arrested together in Washington, DC back in 1983 (I think) at the first Peace Pentecost demonstration sponsored by Jim Wallis and the Sojourner community, protesting the arms race. We had a chance to talk while in a holding cell. I think he’s gone too far with the enneagram stuff – too New Age for my taste.
What I had in mind was not so much a reading list, on spirituality or otherwise, but resources that give a Catholic perspective on the daily life and concerns of the Church, rather than a secular media perspective, which focuses almost entirely on sex and politics. My fav is the National Catholic Register, a weekly newspaper. It’s not very erudite, which is rather the point. It speaks to the Catholic in the pew, with news, reflections on Church teachings, spirituality, etc… It’s a worthwhile investment.

We probably are very close in our thinking.
I don’t know Richard Rohr as well as you do — we shared some thoughts before he wrote the cover blurb for my new book — but my educated guess is that the enneagram has faded. His recent work, Hidden Things is excellent and is untouched by such new age.
Another Franciscan priest was my first intro to the enneagram — my response was such that he does not mention it anymore. My remark to him was rather than speak of the holistic why don’t we speak of the holy. He lit up with understanding and ideas and language such as holistic and enneagram have faded, thankfully, into the past.