The Gift of a Child
As Mother Teresa said at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., “A child is God’s greatest gift to the family, to the nation, to the world.” At CCL, we see every child welcomed through the practice of NFP as a beautiful gift from God – both to the family and to the world.
“A child is God’s greatest gift to the family, to the nation, to the world.” Mother Teresa
Perks of Ministry
One of the perks of working for a pro-life ministry like CCL is the occasional email or card that arrives at our office with newborn faces, tiny hands, and handwritten notes of gratitude from students who credit NFP for allowing them to be open to God’s gift of a son or daughter. Imagine all of the children that have been welcomed into this world and changed the lives of their families because of a CCL class fostering an openness to life in a few students.
More than 500,000 people have learned NFP through CCL. The result has been countless children (maybe over 1million!) welcomed into families. What Mother Teresa spoke about becomes visible. Children are welcomed as gifts, and families are shaped by that generosity. This is the quiet, steady fruit of a pro-life and Catholic mission lived out over decades. It is not just about teaching a method, but about opening the hearts of couples to a different way of life.
The Greatest Gift
At the center of all of this is another kind of gift – our CCL teachers, donors and volunteers. CCL Teaching Couples give themselves. They share their time, their experience, and their witness with others. They invite couples into a way of living that has shaped their own marriages. In doing so, they pass on more than knowledge. They pass on a vision of love that is faithful, fruitful, and open to life. They are the heart of our ministry.
In this way, the gift of a child and the gift of sharing NFP are deeply connected. As couples receive the gift of life more fully, many feel called to give in return by teaching, mentoring, and supporting others. This is how a Catholic and pro-life mission grows – through people willing to share what they have received. Help us continue this ministry that changes lives for 55 more years, touching another half a million couples and families.
This article first appeared in Family Foundations magazine, a benefit for donors to the Couple to Couple League. For engaged couples, find CCL’s NFP for Marriage Prep here. Find CCL’s PeakDay STMethod for married couples here.