July 22 - July 29 is observed in the United States as "Natural Family Planning Awareness Week."  It is co-sponsored by the American Academy of Fertility Care Professionals and the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The dates highlight the anniversary of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae (July 25) and mark the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne (July 26), the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In today's first Scripture reading, from the Book of Genesis, Abraham and Sarah rejoice in God's gift to them of a child.  Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a life-affirming and morally acceptable method of planning one's family according to God's plan. Following is an article that I wrote for The Catholic Spirit:

Good quality formation to live the vocation of Christian marriage is one of the best gifts that the Church can give to those who are preparing to enter into the sacrament of marriage. The culture in which we live presents a model for marriage that is very different from the model presented by the Church. Fidelity, permanence, and openness to life are three pillars at the heart of the Catholic understanding of marriage. Worldly understandings of marriage revolve more around individual fulfillment and secular ideas of happiness. 
It is because of the wide variance between our culture's understanding and the Catholic understanding of marriage that formation for couples entering into this sacrament is so important. Parish marriage preparation programs enable couples preparing for marriage to receive a solid formation for living the vocation of Christian marriage. 
In parishes where I have served, I have directed that the marriage preparation program include the study of Natural Family Planning. If we expect couples getting married in the Catholic Church to follow the Church's teaching on marriage, we ought to do everything possible to give them the tools to do so. Couples getting married in the Catholic Church need not only to know what the Church teaches, but also to understand why the Church teaches what she does. 

Many couples who approach us seeking to be married in the Church have little understanding of the authentic teaching on marriage. For example, they might not know that marriage is a true vocation within the Church, a call by God to serve Him and the Church in a unique way. They may not understand the scriptural basis for the Church's teaching on marriage and family life.  They probably have not studied the philosophical and theological basis for the teaching on openness to life.

Couples usually know that contraception is somehow against Church teaching, but they often have no understanding of why this is the case. They may have heard of Natural Family Planning, but they often have little understanding of what it really is. 

They have outdated and incorrect information about natural methods of family planning. They often receive with skepticism the information about the effectiveness of NFP in achieving their goals for the spacing of children. Couples often have never heard of the spiritual benefits of following the Church's teaching in this area. 
A complete course in Natural Family Planning is a much greater benefit to couples than merely an introduction or overview of NFP. A simple overview usually does not break down any resistance a couple may have to the idea of using NFP, whereas attendance at a complete course has a far greater chance of opening them up to the benefits of NFP. 
My experience with couples who have taken the complete course in NFP is overwhelmingly positive. I always talk with them about NFP in our individual meetings. They often speak of how surprised they were to learn of what NFP really is.  They speak of how their initial skepticism was overcome by knowledge and by meeting faithful Catholic couples who successfully use NFP.  Couples usually express an openness and willingness to use NFP in their married life.

During this Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, I suggest taking some time to learn about what NFP is. Visit the Archdiocesan Family Life Office's web,

www.archspm.org/family/welcome_home.html  , or 
www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/nfp/nfpweek/index.shtml  
for more information. Pray about God's will in your own marriage and how He might be calling you to grow in love through NFP.

NOTE: I had already submitted this bulletin column in advance before I left on vacation. However, I would like to comment on the two recent documents that have been promulgated from Rome--the clarifications on the nature of the Church from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Holy Father's Moto Proprio on the liberalization of the usage of the Tridentine Mass. Both documents have prompted much discussion throughout the world, including some misunderstandings. Stay tuned for more in my column next Sunday!