Introducing NFP Through Theology of the Body

NFP has seen great technological advances in the past 30+ years and I’ve always dreamed of advancing my own knowledge of it, not only for myself, but to teach others. My experience teaching Theology of the Body to teens for the past eight years definitely increased my knowledge, love, and understanding of NFP.

About the same time I became the youth minister at my parish four years ago, the pastor asked me if I was willing to also be trained at a professional level in the Creighton Model System of NFP. I was ecstatic! I completed the intense 13-month program, and have been a FertilityCare Practitioner (FCP) for almost a year now. I not only teach couples about their fertility, but the teens as well. Why teens? Because one of the first things a majority of the couples I work with say is, “We wish we had learned this sooner!”

Natural Family Planning is sometimes a difficult and controversial topic to talk about in our society, but not as controversial as one might think for teenagers. They are full of unanswered questions and doubts and more than anything they are hungry for the “whys” behind the “whats”. When I present NFP to teens, it is always within the context of Theology of the Body. In order for them to understand why the Catholic Church is opposed to contraception, it is vital for them to comprehend first the foundation of our call to love and what that looks like according to God’s plan. The Church’s “laws” that are seen as external and imposed are then seen differently through the lens of TOB. When presented as coming from the inside out, from within their own hearts, it transforms rather into something internal and proposed. It becomes an empowering message of who I am—someone who deserves true, authentic love that is free, total, faithful, and fruitful. I’ve realized that if you understand your sexuality then your spirituality makes a lot more sense. Natural Family Planning becomes relevant and fertility is transformed from a burden to a beautiful gift from God.

You may be wondering how is this done practically speaking? Well, for starters the curriculum I use is called YOU. Life, Love, and Theology of the Body by Ascension Press, since it was the program I was trained in. Ascension Press offers full-day training for religious educators, however, the Leader’s Guide and videos make the mechanics of the program very easy to implement. YOU is most suitable for High School students, but there is also Theology of the Body for Teens: Middle School Edition for 6th-8th graders. Other great programs more geared toward school settings include Rooted available for K-12 and TOBET’s The Body Matters for K-8. Both YOU and TOB for Teens: Middle School Edition are great programs in that they work anywhere teens meet. They can be used in a high school/middle school class, a youth group study, a catechism program, home school study, or as an after-school program.

I have used the programs in almost all facets of teen gatherings, and have even presented it in a weekend retreat format for confirmation students as well as an assembly for my local parish school. I do find that the best way to present TOB is as an 8-10 week series, as formatted in the materials. The more time you can dedicate to the material, the better, in that it allows time for the teens to explore in depth each topic. The videos included with the packet are a huge help to those just starting out. But once you become more familiar with TOB you begin to make it your own, adding and subtracting ideas as you discover what really speaks to the teens, and learn what they want and need more of. Additionally, I recommend offering talks to the parents and training to the catechists teaching and/or working with the teens. Usually I give a talk to the parents whose teens are in the confirmation program before the weekend retreat and this year we offered the adult version of TOB (The Gift: Your Call to Greatness) in conjunction with the youth group so the parents could learn it at the same time as their children, but in a different room.

As mentioned above, building a solid foundation in Theology of the Body helps NFP become more easily understandable. I provide NFP within the context of marriage, diving deeper than just what it is about and how it strengthens marital bonding. Because of my training as a FCP, I am able to condense the information I present to couples at an NFP introductory session to a format that is more fundamental and concise for the teens. I present a basic review of anatomy and physiology, how to check for biological markers, basic charting, the benefits to women’s procreative health, and I introduce them to the effectiveness when used by married couples to either avoid pregnancy or achieve pregnancy. I make sure parents are aware of what we will be discussing, and if they would like more detailed information, I invite them to attend any of the introductory sessions that are held every other month for adults.

The feedback from both the parents and teens has been undeniably positive. It has confirmed that not only is there a need for such knowledge, but a desire for it as well. Parents express the beneficial changes they’ve observed in their teens at home and at school. And the fruits of the program have extended beyond those teens in attendance, impacting their peers as well, whose choices are being positively influenced, because they witness the choices their friend is making. It reminds me of what St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” As for the teens themselves who have attended on of our programs, this is a typical response eloquently written by one of them recently,

“In today’s society it’s confusing what to believe about your body. The ability to know the truth about the beauty of your own body and how it correlates with Jesus’ unconditional love is something that TOB has truly taught me.”

It is so rewarding to hear such amazing reactions. The driving force behind my passion to teach TOB and NFP is the clarity that this counter-cultural message brings to a world that so desperately needs it!