Natural Fertility

True love cannot be contained; it always gives life in some form, bursting forth from the couple with irrepressible urgency. For most couples, this life-giving impulse will result in the biological birth of a child. For others, it will be expressed in a shared effort to generously give of their time and talents to others.…

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The Way you Hold Me

Holy Is the way we hold each other holy? Newlywed Justin Bieber seems to think so in this music video (Holy) expressing some unexpected themes. We’re not a fan of Justin, but we think he’s created something very interesting here. What is your reaction? Share it with us in the comments. Justin Bieber Lyrics “Holy”…

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The Passion Principle

One of the great delights of running marriage enrichment retreats for couples, is hearing all the amazing love stories. From beginning to end, every one of them has mystery, radical self-sacrifice and epic persistence in some capacity. We often joke that our own love story is more akin to a soap opera than real life…

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Sex – more than just an activity

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Almost everything around us – movies, magazines, social media, even our friends and relatives – approach sex as something we ‘do’. In other words, sex is seen primarily as an activity. There are serious implications for this mindset.  If sex is merely something we ‘do’, it can be reduced to an action we do to…

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Finding a different path to fruitfulness

Photo by Joe Yates on Unsplash|Jenny Brinkworth|Life to the Full Cover|Debra and Tony Vermeer

Book Review By Jenny Brinkworth With one in six Australian couples experiencing infertility, a new book by Debra Vermeer will be a welcome resource for Catholic couples. When Catholic convert and respected journalist Debra Vermeer was grappling with the reality that she and her husband Tony could not conceive a child, she found the shelves…

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Newsflash: Pope says sex is ‘a gift from God’

In Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love), Pope Francis writes extensively about many aspects of marriage and family life. In it is a section that is dedicated to affirming the sexual relationship of the married couple as good and holy. Saint John Paul II wrote extensively about the sacredness of marital love making. In this…

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Understanding Fertility

Male Fertility Under normal circumstances, men are fertile all the time. Sperm are produced continuously by the testes at a rate of around a hundred million per day. The testes begin sperm production at puberty and continue until the man dies, although the number and quality decline with age. Female Fertility Combined Fertility If there…

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Birth Control Methods & References

The ‘why’ of Natural Fertility Methods Promotes shared responsibility Draws a couple closer Heightens your sense of awe in lovemaking Allows for God’s involvement in your discernment The most effective and healthiest way to cooperate with each other and with God is to use a natural fertility method. There is no need to overwhelm a…

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Living the Truth in our Bodies

The Moral Difference Some people ask, “If natural fertility methods are so effective, what is the moral difference between them and contraception? After all, the result might be the same – pregnancy is avoided.” As in any moral decision, couples need to consider not just the ‘end’, but also the ‘means’ by which that end…

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