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NFP vs Contraception, 7 skits
As I was looking for videos about IPF, I ran across these short skits about the difference between Natural Family Planning (NFP) and Contraception. These skits were used for a final project by seminarians at IPF for the course on Christian Spirituality & Sexuality. Finding these skits is God’s Providence (a “God-incidence”) since our high school Confirmation class is asking a lot of questions about Catholic Matrimony, birth control and their Catholic identity. — Check them out!
NFP vs Contraception #1: “It’s about the relationship”
Contraception, does NOT need to communicate about their fertility
NFP, (1) DOES need to communicate (which builds the relationship),
(2) doesn’t have to worry about fertility altering chemicals (that could hurt your chances of getting pregnant even when you stop taking pills,
(3) doesn’t have to worry (as much) about a “testy” wife from hormone manipulations,
(4) doesn’t have to worry about a decrease in libedo (sexual desire)
NFP vs Contraception #2, “It takes two.”
NFP, (1) builds trust and imtimacy with the greater need for communication,
(2) experience a full self-giving to each other (not holding back their fertility),
(3) statistically, couple doing NFP stay together longer, less divorce.
NFP vs Contraception #3, “It’s natural.”
Contraception introduces a couple to chemicals, while NFP is natural (the way God’s designed us), so it’s healthier.
NFP vs Contraception #4, “Know the facts.”
Contraception is potrayed in the media more than NFP.
NFP is taught in churches around the world. Even some Protestants practice NFP.
The facts can be lost. www.onemoresoul.com
NFP vs Contraception #5, “Demand the whole story.”
Contraception may come with divorce, abortion, infertility, and mysogyny. The media can minimize these possibilities.
NFP may come with life-long marriage, health, love, and respect. www.onemoresoul.com
NFP vs Contraception #6, “It’s not a tough choice.”
Contraception is the answer of many to poverty in third-world nations. Sometimes it is a prerequisite before food is sent to those countries.
NFP works when it is taught and practiced (even in third-world nations). The only agenda is God’s design for human beings. www.onemoresoul.com
NFP vs Contraception #7, “Know the consequences.”
Contraception is recommended by doctors or ailments not related to fertility. Just because it help one thing, does not mean it doesn’t have side-effect elsewhere. Everyone knows it’s real purpose.
Get the facts. www.onemoresoul.com
IPF on TV (EWTN) with Fr Gabuzda
The Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) was featured on EWTN show Sunday Night Live with host Father Benedict Groeschel. The guests were Father Richard Gabuzda (IPF director) and Father Joe Kelly (priest of New York & IPF faculty). They focused on the the mission of IPF and their efforts in building a Center for Priestly Spirituality. Some great discussions and live call-in questions. They spoke on the summer programs (that I took last summer) and how awesome the Holy Spirit has grown the mission of IPF. I hope they post some of the show on their website or YouTube. You can order it from EWTN, show #280.
Here is a short video about the mission of IPF that is on the IPF website and on YouTube (from 2 years ago):
Project Rachel + Natural Family Planning (NFP)
I read an article on TheFloridaCatholic.org about Rachel’s Vineyard Ministries that offers weekend retreats for women suffering from post-abortion trauma. I added the link to my Sexuality page along with Project Rachel, a ministry available in most diocese for post-abortion counseling.
I also started finding some good links about Natural Family Planning (NFP). It inspired me to finally post the lecture we had on NFP at IPF this past summer. The post is here, with some good external links also on my Sexuality page.
Christopher West with Theology of the Body at SJVCS
Today my seminary friends at St John Vianney College Seminary in Miami were blessed with a day of lectures on Pope John Paul II’s ” Theology of the Body” by renown speaker Christopher West, founder of the Theology of the Body Institute.
I’m guessing his lecture was very similar to the 2-day lecture he gave at IPF this past summer on “Priestly Celibacy and the Redemption of Sexuality.” See day #1 at IPF (plus video of Christopher West lectures). See day #2 at IPF.
current news item: Following debate, two bishops affirm ‘strong support’ for Christopher West
Weblinks to Theology of the Body resources:
- Christopher West homepage
- Theology of the Body Institute
- Theology of the Body — other resources, speakers, Theology of the Body International Alliance
- Theology of the Body — John Paul II’s 129 lectures
- Theology of the Body — wikipedia info
[thanks to Javier Barreto for the picture]
being a summer chaplain with poverty
I found an article in the Florida Catholic about Jim Grebe, a 3rd year Theologian seminarian at St Vincent DePaul Regional Seminary, whose summer assignment was a chaplain at Baptist Hospital in Pensacola. It reminded me of my own experience over this past summer at IPF as a volunteer chaplain 2 afternoon each week at Alegent Health Immanuel Medical Center in Omaha, NE.
As a strong introvert, my assignment at a hospital was a welcomed challenge that transformed any “preparations” that I could have made into simple “presence and prayer” that I had to rest in to make it through fruitfully. My general progression was from Post-Intensive Care (PINS), Physical Rehab, Cancer, ICU and then Behavioral Health (mostly adults). Each unit, as well as each individual room, brought their own challenges and blessings. Going into rooms “cold” without much knowledge of condition or spiritualities left me at the mercy of Christ dependent on Him and allow the Holy Spirit to work without having to “try so hard” under my own abilities.
In identifying the poverty in those I ministered to, I came to recognize my own poverty that brings empathy with the poverty of Christ. As I was stepping out in faith “giving” ministry unselfishly, I identified with the “heart of Christ” — then, in reflection, the receiving became more pure and made me more receptive to pure desires with greater confidence in the Spirit. I found that praying within my own poverty opened opportunities in intimate relationship with God both in private prayer and with those ministered to.
On strong example was my first experience with a patient in ICU on a respirator, unable to speak a response to the open-ended questions I was trained to ask. I quickly retreated in fear to my superior Josh, who help adjust my approach and engagement. I returned to the patient with slightly more confidence in myself while becoming growingly dependent on the Holy Spirit to fill my poverty in encountering the non-verbal Christ with my “heart of Christ” in a distinct moment of Presence in my presence. Using simple words of encouragement to comfort, taking time to ask important yes/no questions, and listening to the feeling of a hand-squeeze for an answer was a moment of fullness of grace. Taking the experience to prayer and spiritual direction was easily seen as a growing echo to listen less to the words of my thoughts and more to the feelings of my heart when discerning with perseverance to God’s voice to me.
Thank you to all that ministered to me in the experience … Hospital staff, Pastoral Ministry staff, IPF staff and the Archdiocese of Miami for sending me on assignment. I was truly blessed and I prayer all that I touched were indeed “touched” as I was.
back from IPF
I just got back from IPF in Omaha yesterday. I’m trying to get settled and I need to see some close friends and priests to share and discuss my experience over the summer in relation to my discernment of a priestly vocation.
I miss IPF but it’s good to be home.
IPF logo tattoo ?
At the end of my 8-day silent retreat last month, I was so inspired by all the “prayer tools” and personal experiences in prayer that I didn’t want to forget it all. I would joke with friends that I wanted a tattoo of the IPF logo on my chest or arm to remind me of all the graces and blessing I’ve received here that I don’t want to forget to use everyday. I see it as a sacramental. 🙂
Now, after the courses in “Christian Prayer & Virtue“, “Christian Spirituality & Sexuality“, “The Spirituality of Diocesan Priesthood”, and now “The Mystery of the Liturgy”, I want that tattoo now more than ever!
The IPF logo is a beautiful symbol of the Incarnation (God becoming man) showing the Trinity with our Blessed Mother Mary. The Holy Spirit (dove) is impregnating the Blessed Mother (letter M) with Jesus Christ (cross), all for the glory of God the Father (rays from the cross). Awesome!
I’ve never really thought about getting a tattoo so I’m just thinking out loud.
— Is it even Christian to get a tattoo?
— Would it be considered a sacramental?
— Where should I put it? On my chest or upper arm?
— In black & white or in color?
— As a seminarian, should I ask permission from my Bishop?
— Should I ask other brother seminarians if they’d get one too? Is this growing in fraternity or being a bad influence?
— Would my mother approve?
— I could use some help here. Don’t be shy. (Most people aren’t) 🙂
feeling & healing @ IPF
I’m still here at IPF (Institute for Priestly Formation) in Omaha, Nebraska feeling & healing in prayer through all the experiences each day.
Sorry I haven’t posted … I’m trying to get the most of all that’s available … not to miss any opportunities to grow in graces as the Lord reveal more of my identity each day … discerning His plans for me.
I was randomly (not to say God doesn’t have a hand in it) listening to this song (Linkin Park’s “Somewhere I Belong”) and felt the need to post it. I think it shows the journey, with its highs and hows (consolation & desolation), that most of us here (and anywhere) are experiencing each day as we come to know the Lord deeper and more intimately each day.
— God bless & be holy!
I also found this piano version someone posted:
explaining IPF to Grandma
Even though I was in my room with food poisoning, a brother seminarian recorded the class for me. The first hour was Fr Jim Rafferty in the Hall, asking the question to all of us … “How do you explain IPF to your Grandmother (or any non-seminarian)?” Since we’re about half way through the summer program, today was a summary to remind us of what we’ve experienced so far and not to forget the essentials. He received several good possible responses to the question, but he helped us see an even greater integration of all the different parts of IPF by speaking on “Liturgy.”
We’re beginning a new course titled, “IPF 504: The Mystery of the Liturgy: Receiving in Celebration and Life.” Since we’ll be discussing “Liturgy” in the “big picture” sense, we needed to remind ourselves that Liturgy is not limited to simply liturgical celebration and Mass, but “Liturgy” permeates our lives. In the Mystery of Liturgy, we don’t just acknowledge the Trinity exists, but live in celebration of that mystery in the Mass and beyond it, encountering the Trinity in all things and responding in our own generosity. God’s activity is outward toward us beyond our celebration of ritual — it spills out and over into all of life.
Fr Rafferty shared a recent experience stuck in Detroit on a connecting flight to Scranton. There was a oil leak on the plane, an overbooked flight, a request for volunteers to give up seats, a group that prayed together for volunteers, and more. Through the stressful situation, a series of people and events brought him to a realization that he “lost his expectation that God was doing things for me.” That loss of consciousness of God’s Presence in all brought an opportunity to refocus on God instead of self. Similarly, we come to the liturgy to experience God and receive all the love of the heart of Jesus for us. My experience of liturgy is enriched by my integration of prayer to my whole life in growing in consciousness of God.
Goal #3 for the Liturgy course is “To equip the seminarian with practical personal skills for deepening the receptivity of that Trinitarian life (interpenetrating liturgical celebrations, personal prayer, and daily life and ministry).” This is where we reviewed the more prominent “prayer tools” in our IPF Toolbox that we’ve been integrating all summer.
A.R.R.R. …… (a structure for personal prayer) Acknowledge (thoughts, feelings & desires), Relate (to God), Receive (from God), Respond
Lectio Divina …… reflecting on daily readings, Pope and church documents, events of the day, etc.
Spiritual Senses …… the way we are aware of the invisible reality of the spiritual life. Many times related in the language of poetry.
Repetition …… returning to a place of deep affective movement weather consolation or desolation to receive more.
Discernment of Spirits …… assisting of our interior movements, recognizing their origin — from God, ourselves, or the evil spirit. Remembering our principle foundation is “I want to be as close to God as possible” so I cooperate with that which is from God and reject that not from God.
Colloquy …… personal conversation with God (may be written in journal), reflecting on today’s journey in receiving the continuous Liturgy
Natural Family Planning (NFP), Catholic birth-control
Today’s lecture was on Natural Family Planning. The first hour was a presentation in Riggie Hall by couples that teach the program from The Couple to Couple League (CCL). The second hour was back in the classroom for question-and-answer session with one of the couples. A lot of great info and lots of great questions. For the basics about the Catholic view on birth-control and contraception, check this out.
What is Natural Family Planning (NFP)? NFP is a way of following God’s plan for achieving and/or avoiding pregnancy. It consists of ways to achieve or to avoid pregnancy using the physical means that God has built into human nature. Today’s NFP should not be confused with Calendar Rhythm Method taught in the 1930’s.
NFP consists of two distinct forms: Ecological breastfeeding is a form of child care that normally spaces babies about two years apart on the average. Systematic NFP is a system that uses a woman’s signs of fertility to determine the fertile and infertile times of her cycle. Couples seeking to avoid pregnancy practice chaste abstinence during the fertile time of her cycle.
Systematic NFP consists of various “methods” or systems that seek to determine the fertile and infertile times of the cycle. The “Ovulation Method” focuses primarily on the mucus sign. Other couples use a temperature-only form of NFP, and some use the cervix sign in combination with either the temperature sign or the mucus sign. We were taught how to use a cross-checking system called the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM). It uses all the common signs of fertility in a cross-checking way.
A FREE 156 page manual is available on-line at NFP and more.org in PDF format called Natural Family Planning: The Complete Approach by John and Sheila Kippley. Basically, there is a chart (blank available in pdf format) that is used to track the changes in cervix, cervical mucus and temperature daily. (In one hour, I think we learned more about the female anatomy than most married men do.) Each variable has a code at the bottom of the chart to note: (from chapter 2, pdf)
TEMPERATURE (when a woman wakes up) is taken with a digital thermometer (oral, vaginal, or rectal). Before ovulation, the waking temperature is lower than it is after ovulation. In the five or six days before ovulation, the higher levels of estrogen tend to depress or lower the waking temperatures slightly. After ovulation, progesterone causes the waking temperatures to rise.
Before ovulation, the CERVIX undergoes four changes: (1) cervix rises slightly; (2) the mouth of the cervix (cervical os) opens slightly; (3) the tip of the cervix becomes softer; and (4) the cervix secretes a mucus discharge. Around ovulation or usually right after ovulation, these changes in the cervix are reversed.
Before ovulation, the CERVICAL MUCUS first appears as a somewhat tacky substance and then becomes more fluid. It usually starts a few days after menstruation, but sometimes it can start toward the end of the period. As it becomes more fluid, the mucus becomes slippery and stretchy, and usually produces sensations of wetness on the outer lips of the vagina (the vulva).
Besides bombarding us with lots of science, they were proud to note that “We have no doubt that married couples who are properly instructed and motivated can practice the cross-checking Sympto-Thermal Method at the 99% level of effectiveness for avoiding pregnancy.”
NFP can also be used for couples who are trying to have a baby. We also had the option to visit the Pope Paul VI Institute located in Omaha, NE that does extensive medical research dedicated to providing morally and professionally acceptable reproductive health services. They include the CREIGHTON MODEL FertilityCare System and NaPro Technology that has helped women conceive children, while respecting the Catholic Church view against in-vitro fertilization.
The Couple to Couple League (CCL) offer classes for couples and have computer software to help track all the variables into cool colored charts (I could definitely see guys getting into this … like me). They said some couples have it on a laptop next to their bed (there’s something creepy about the sound of that … but I can see it happening). The software they offer is CyclePRO, but I couldn’t find a screenshot of it. I did find another popular ovulation & fertility software available called Hormonal Forecaster with many kinds of visual displays (the STM chart screenshot is shown here).
Besides all the technical info with science and the Catholic Church view on fertility, the idea of personal intimacy of a married couple started to get minimized. The couples started sharing their own lives and the application of NFP in their marriages. Through their own experiences, they recommend that the couple always do NFP together. Even though the woman’s body is where all the signs come from, the husband should be the one to record the readings to actively be involved, pay attention to his wife’s needs more sensitively and find ways of intimacy outside of sexual union during their times of fertility. They also posted a chart that concluded divorce is lowest in couples that practice NFP. The chart showed a bar graph of “divorces per 100 marriages.” In 1960’s, it was 26 per 100. In 1970’s, it was 32 per 100. In 1980, it was 50 per 100. For NPF users, it was LESS THAN 5 per 100 marriages. (I’ve got some doubt about this research … a little too good to be true … no real source cited.)
Other questions about fertility and Catholic teaching can be found here.
Some personal testimonies of Catholic couples struggling with infertility.
Christopher West & “Theology of the Body” (day 2)
Today was day #2 (see day #1 here) of the highly anticipated lecture by Christopher West, titled “Priestly Celibacy and the Redemption of Sexuality.” It was a presentation of Pope John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” directed for us seminarians in our journey toward priesthood. It was very rich in theological language, yet applied to our immediate lives, especially in the area of our personal sexuality. It was very well received.
He used a lot of song references from the 80’s to highlight points. I wrote some points for my reflection as I was trying to keep up:
- Theology cannot only be “in the head” … it must be “in the will” as well
- mysticism or neurosis
- Carl Rainer, “Christianity will be mystical or nothing at all.”
- Ephesians 5 is the summa.
- Marriage is liturgy and liturgy is marriage.
- A married man can become a priest, but not vice versa.
- First choose between marriage or a consecrated celibate … then discern priesthood.
- Sang Steve Winwood’s song “Bring Me a Higher Love“
See day #1 of lecture, with links on Theology of the Body & video of Christopher West.
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