Sex & Fertility
The Nature of Love
We all ‘know’ what love is: it’s that feeling of affection and attachment we experience for another person. But is love just a feeling? Or is there more to it?
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreNatural Fertility
True love cannot be contained; it always gives life in some form. For most couples, this 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. Love gives Life When we love someone deeply, we want…
Read MoreFinding a different path to fruitfulness
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…
Read MoreNewsflash: 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…
Read MoreNatural Fertility Methods
There are a number of natural methods of fertility management, but only a few (notably, the Billings Ovulation Method (BOM), the Creighton Method (CrM) and the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM)) have been demonstrated to be consistently reliable in avoiding and also achieving a pregnancy. Unlike the old Rhythm Method, these modern methods of natural fertility management…
Read MoreUnderstanding 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…
Read MoreBirth 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…
Read MoreLiving 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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