Family Foundations Plus

Issue No. 2, August 2011

Hello!

I've received nice feedback on recent magazine issues that focused on both abstinence and same-sex attraction. This issue of Family Foundations Plus brings another little reflection on abstinence by the chairman of the CCL Board, and here is a thoughtful piece by Fr. Tad Pacholczyk (a speaker at our last convention) on the real issue at the heart of the same-sex marriage debate: The Call to Chastity

May God bless the remaining days of summer for you and your families!

Sincerely,
Ann Gundlach
Editor

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In the mail SOON!

As we head toward the Fall season known for its harvests, we take an interesting look at NFP and Farm Families in the September-October 2011 Family Foundations, now at the printer.

Also featured:

* The Case Against Extracurriculars
* Back-to-School Modesty
* ‘CCL is a force for good’
* Teaching Couple Witness Talk
... and if you're questioning the whole “farm” theme, check out this really intriguing SNEAK PEEK!

Magazine Again Earns Honors from Catholic Press Assocation

Family Foundations won two awards in this year’s Catholic Press Association competition (for work in calendar year 2010):

- Second Place in Best Feature article in a Special Interest magazine, for “Cohabitation Nation” by Marion Fernández-Cueto in the May-June 2010 issue
- Second Place in Best Personality Profile, for “Model Behavior” by Jessica Zimanske in the September-October 2010 issue

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Salt & Light

The Cross of Abstinence

By Deacon Bill Turrentine

It’s a shame to complain,
But to abstain is a pain;
It goes against the grain.

In my pre-Christian days, I thought sex was all about pleasure. Oh, it was important to be considerate and to avoid pregnancy and disease but the more pleasure the better. Then I was baptized into the Catholic Church and discovered that God had different ideas. My ideas were the basis of habits – and habits are painful to alter. God’s ideas are the foundation of reality. One of us needed to change and eventually I figured out which one (it was me!).

The God-given purpose of marital relations is to sustain of the life of the human race and to further the communion of husband and wife. God has ordained that pleasure should attend this union but to seek pleasure in a way that contradicts these foundational purposes is to act against our own nature. It may allow for some pleasure but will always bring deeper pain.

Pleasure can be selfish even when it is mutual. Life and love are not about pleasure but joy, a joy which is inclusive and eternal. That joy does not come without sacrifice. Daily we must sacrifice pleasure for the sake of love. Ask a mother who gives birth. Ask a father who sacrifices an enjoyable career for the good of his family. Ask the Lord Jesus, who endured the Cross.

Contraception promises an easy way to pleasure - and to love - while positively excluding life. Contraception succeeds in allowing pleasure but it undermines the joy of love because God has so interwoven love and life that you can not destroy one without gravely injuring the other. Blessed John Paul II observed that it is foolish to try to control ourselves by dominating the forces of nature (contraception) when what is really required is self-mastery. With self mastery, a couple can abstain during the fertile times when they have a serious reason to postpone pregnancy. This shows respect for the way God has made us and brings the couple into harmony with God’s law. Abstinence can be difficult and in some circumstances may require heroic effort. Oftentimes it may lead to a prayerful re-evaluation of the reasons for avoiding the miracle of conceiving another life. The prayerful and proper practice of abstinence is an act of self-sacrificing love. It is part of the way of the Cross as found in the vocation of married life.

To abstain is a strain,
But the pain can be gain
If it’s done for the Reign

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In the News

Reaction to the Recent Mandates for Birth Control Coverage in Insurance Plans

During NFP Awareness Week at the end of July, we featured this guest post by CCL Teacher Gerri Laird on the CCL blog, The Art of Natural Family Planning.

It's Natural Family Planning (NFP) Awareness Week and Planned Parenthood is euphoric because this month the Institute of Medicine recommended that birth control be certified as necessary preventive health care for women - pregnancy will finally be codified by the U.S. Government as a disease that must be prevented. While the proponents of birth control revel in their celebration, NFP has been taking a hit in a some blogs and articles, largely due to misinformation and/or poor instruction and follow-up. What a great opportunity to show the beauty of NFP while addressing some of these challenges. NFP is knowledge about a woman's fertility. READ MORE...