Selfless Love by Theresa, 19

Sacrifice is at the heart of love. Love is the total giving of one’s self. In marriage, a couple is to give of themselves in a way that resembles Christ when he sacrificed himself totally to his bride, the Church. However, a conflict arises because the world portrays a selfish love. Marriage becomes all about one’s self; it becomes an “I want” mentality. It is hard for a couple with the world’s mentality to reach the understanding of selfless love. For example, love shared in marriage should not be held back with the use of contraceptives. Contraceptive use denies the total gift of self. In giving of total self, the marital embrace is an act with the intent of cooperating with God’s plan to create life. What a gift a couple has received to be able to work side by side with God the Almighty.

The Almighty’s creation, the human body, is truly a marvelous creation that should not be harmed by the artificial means of birth control. This is where the beauty of Natural Family Planning (NFP) comes in. NFP allows a couple to cooperate with God in their marriage. In learning the natural body signs of the woman, a couple can postpone pregnancy by abstaining. In abstaining, a woman does not have to harm herself by using contraception. Abstinence allows the love between a couple to no longer become selfish but rather selfless. There is no longer an “I want” mentality, but rather what does God want for us in our marriage. Through NFP, a couple grows in knowledge of the body and God’s procreative design for marriage. The marital embrace then becomes a total gift of self which allows a couple to strengthen their unity with each other and God. The selfless love Christ gave to his bride is then resembled in marriage. It is therefore through selfless love that the true purpose of marriage procreation and unity is achieved.