October 23, 2024 By Angelo & Suzzane Pietropaoli Living Stories of Our Faith. What a wonderful focus for the 2024 Bishop’s Fund Appeal! Stories are as old as humanity, and Jesus Himself chose parables to help his listeners (and us!) understand something of who God is, of how much he loves us, and of what it means to love him in return. Together with all diocesan offices, the Natural Family Planning Office shares in this ongoing mission of the Church. At the heart of it all is the truth about the human person: Created by God, created male and female in his image. We are body-persons, created in love, by love and for love – the Love that became Man, suffered, died and rose for us. The love between man and woman is intended by God to mirror his own love: Free, permanent, faithful, and fruitful. It is the love that wills to make a complete gift of oneself to the beloved. In a culture that rejects these truths and believes instead that “Love is love” and that every person is the author of his/her own identity, it is increasingly important to propose the truth and beauty of the Divine design. That design includes the gift of fertility. “It is present from the beginning of love as an essential feature,” writes Pope Francis, “one that cannot be denied without disfiguring that love itself. Hence, no genital act of husband and wife can refuse this meaning.” (AL, 80) This truth is especially hard to understand in a world where medical technology focuses on having sex without babies – and now, babies without sex. But our faith says otherwise: God is our creator, and as creatures we are called to cooperate with his plan – not attempt to re-design it according to our preferences. So how can we live our marriages in a way that honors both the love-giving and life-giving meaning of sexual union? We begin by recalling that God does not make mistakes: Fertility is not a disease to be “fixed,” but a most precious gift from God that allows us to participate in his creation of unique new human persons! Furthermore, fertility can be readily understood and tracked so that couples can reliably plan their families as they wish, in harmony with the plan of God. Completely scientific, genuinely holistic, and entirely natural, Natural Family Planning is highly effective (99%) and free of side effects. In addition, NFP is true family planning because – in the absence of underlying organic issues – it can help couples achieve pregnancy as well. NFP is about building a family. The NFP Office works closely with the Family Life Office to propose the beauty of God’s plan for married love to couples preparing for marriage. In Pre-Cana settings, we provide an introduction to NFP information in the context of Theology of the Body. In another common effort, we join Family Life Director Steve Tartaglia and Deacon John and Dr. Maura Fehlner in presenting “Loving Authentically.” This one-day workshop examines the fallout from the sexual revolution via the personal and professional voices in the movie “Unprotected,” which provides insight into our cultural chaos. Following this, Dr. Maura Fehlner illuminates happiness through the lens of Natural Law. Each July, our office joins the efforts of the USCCB’s National NFP Awareness Week. This annual event focuses on raising awareness of Natural Family Planning with posters and educational materials, which we distribute to all parishes in the diocese. We also provide ads and articles to the North Country Catholic at that time. As well, we deeply appreciate the significant contribution of Bishop Terry R. LaValley, who proposes these truths in his outstanding annual NFP Week letters! Staying abreast of current NFP research and advancing methodologies remains an important focus, as is helping couples understand and choose from the varieties of NFP options. It is gratifying to be able to act as a resource for couples with health/ fertility-related issues, and we continue to make referrals to Gianna Healthcare for such medical questions. What a privilege it is to see couples discover for themselves that God’s way really is good! Austin and Wendy did just that: “Like most people in our generation, we learned in high school that sex was just another bodily function. The big message was, ‘Do whatever you want. Just don’t get pregnant!’ But we had no idea of the wonder and beauty of sex, of fertility and conception. NFP helped us understand this, and it helped us to appreciate one another in a whole new way! When we weren’t ready for a baby, NFP worked perfectly. Then when we were ready to conceive, NFP also worked perfectly. For both of us, knowing I was fertile, and asking God to bless us with a baby – that was an indescribable experience!” The NFP Office exists because of the Bishop’s Fund, and we are deeply grateful for the generosity of all whose contributions make it possible. God bless you! |