In this brief yet challenging essay, FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) president Curtis Martin and his wife Michaelann cut to the heart of a controversial topic in the Church: contraception vs. Natural Family Planning. They explain the difference between the “sterilization of the marriage act” inherent in contraception and the use of cooperating with the woman’s natural cycle to avoid pregnancy. They further challenge Catholics and non-Catholics alike as they highlight the super-natural element necessary in this matter, and question the “use of NFP as a norm.” In a time when the use of NFP is widespread, so that many have likened it to “Catholic birth-control,” the Martins encourage—without being rash or imprudent—couples to trust God for tomorrow’s needs and embrace His call to “be fruitful and multiply”!
About the Authors
Michaelann Martin is the author of Woman of Grace: A Bible Study for Married Women and co-author of The Catholic Parent Book of Feasts and Family Matters: A Bible Study on Marriage and Family. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in education from Pepperdine University. Michaelann is the co-founder and president of Made for More, Inc., an outreach dedicated to sharing God’s vision for holiness. She and her husband, Curtis, have worked with youth and college students for over twenty years. They reside in Colorado with their children.
