Bulletin Blurbs

Is God calling us, but doubt, and fear, and anxiety prevent us from answering the call? Are we open to the graces God wants to bestow upon our marriages? God provides us the way, through Natural Family Planning, to witness the Glory of God in our married life. Learn more at www.canfp.org or call for more information: 831-443-3746
Receive the gift of God’s love and care through Natural Family Planning. Learn more about this family planning method that respects both the life giving and love giving nature of married love at canfp.org. Call 831-443-3746 to have your questions answered over the phone.
Is there an area of your life that you have not allowed the light of the Lord to shine on? For many marriages, Natural Family Planning is the light that “produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth”. Learn what is pleasing to the Lord: learn Natural Family Planning. www.canfp.org 831-443-3746
Think chastity is only for teens? Did you know married couples are called to chastity too? Youth will find support for chaste living at “Ask the Expert” at canfp.org, and married couples the tools they need to live chastity, together!
Couples suffering from infertility will find compassionate guidance in a publication of the US Bishops, Life Giving Love in an age of Technology, which will help navigate the confusing medical choices before them. A copy can be obtained by sending $2 to CANFP: 1217 Tyler St, Salinas, CA 93906
Natural Family Planning is often called the best kept secret in the Church—call 831-443-3746 to speak with an expert in NFP, to find out what is so great about it! canfp.org
Receive the gift of God’s love and care through Natural Family Planning. Learn more about this family planning method that respects both the life giving and love giving nature of married love at canfp.org. Call 831-443-3746 to have your questions answered over the phone.
Sometimes we embrace the world’s way, or our way, without even asking what God’s way might be. Can we be humble enough to seek to understand what God’s plan might be for married love? CANFP will send you a copy of Humanae Vitae, if you just send your request and the donation (English$3—Spanish $4) to cover costs to CANFP 1217 Tyler St. Salinas, CA 93906. Or google it online for free!
The Samaritan woman encountered Christ, and brought many to know him through her testimony. Women who aspire to live God’s call to a life of chastity bear witness to God’s pure and limitless love. Natural Family Planning is a tool to chaste married love. Find women who can share their encounter with Christ, through NFP, at canfp.org .
It is so easy to be blinded by culturally accepted distortions of sexuality, making it difficult to SEE the beauty of God’s plan for love, and life. Opening our marriages to His will through Natural Family Planning can be the first step in restoring our sight to His truths. canfp.org 831-443-3746
“Do not be afraid” Jesus tells John. Is it fear that prevents us from embracing God’s design for married love? Contraception is the path of fear. “Do not be afraid” to say YES to God’s call to married love and the gift of life! cannfp.org 831-443-3746
If Jesus asks us, “Do you love me”, would we say “Yes”, or “Yes…but”? Do we love our spouses without reservations, or does our love, through the use of contraception, say “yes….but”.? Call 831-443-3746 or go to canfp.org for info on taking the “but” out of your YES!
Abortion and contraception are connected. Contraception is the root of abortion, and in fact many contraceptive methods are themselves abortifacient. To find out more go to canfp.org or call and request brochure: 831-443-3746
Some burdens in life are unavoidable, but others we bring on ourselves. The Church tries to spare us the burden of contraception for women’s health and marriages, and leads us to Natural Family Planning—the healthy choice for women and couples. Find out more by calling 831-443-3746 and visit canfp.org
Chastity is something we are all called to. What does chastity mean for marriage? Call 831-443-3746 or go to canfp.org
Jesus showed great mercy and compassion towards women, especially those who felt least worthy of His forgiveness. He forgives our past sins, no matter how grave, and call us to “show great love”. Learn more about God’s design for love….and life….at canfp.org 831-443-3746.
Through the graces of the Holy Spirit, we can all find peace through faith filled choices. Know—and trust in—the teachings of our faith on love and life! canfp.org
Discipline. Courage. Faith. Sacrifice. Natural Family Planning may ask all of these of us, and the Blessings that result will be bountiful! canfp.org
In the penitential rite at Mass each week, we ask God’s forgiveness for our sins, and for each other’s prayers. You are invited to join the prayer team of the California Association of Natural Family Planning, and receive monthly e-mails with specific intentions to pray for. Simply send your e-mail to prayers@canfp
I will follow you Lord….BUT…..Is our “but” the Church’s teaching on contraception and sterilization? God asks us to set aside our self-centered anxiety, and trust in Him. Look into Natural Family Planning and find all God has to offer when you trust in Him. canfp.org 831-443-3746
The greatest gift a man can give his children is to love their mother: freely, totally, and faithfully. 831-443-3746 or go to www.canfp.org
Have we truly heard what our Catholic faith teaches us about married love and the gift of life, or have we perhaps unthinkingly rejected the teachings of our faith without even hearing it? Are you willing to open your ears, and mind on the purpose of marriage? Look at the Catechism, 2366-2370.
Suffering from demons in your marriage? Lust, pornography, self centeredness? Give your spouse the gift of love the way God designed it, and find the inspiration and tools you need to begin to purge your marriage of demons, and seek a holier path, at canfp.org
Are you shepherding your family in the way of the Lord? “By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that if finds its crowning glory” Catechism 1652
In our families, do we speak of pregnancy and children as a great blessing? Is our marriage open to life, embracing the fruit of marital love as a gift from God? Or do our children hear only the limits of our love, perhaps even that we are “done” accepting children into our family? Sacramental marriages are, by nature, open to life—-throughout marriage. Confused what this means? Read what experts have written on the subject of Marital Sexuality at Ask the Experts at canfp.org
Can young people be wise? Wisdom is often associated with age, and indeed it can be very helpful to seek counsel of those older than us, who have “been there done that”. And often what they will tell us is that only now do they fully appreciate how choices made in their youth had lifelong consequences for them. Of course young people can also be wise! Most young people want to be married someday, and want lifelong, loving marriages. The wise young person will realize that choices made now will affect their future marriages. See expert responses to questions posed by youth at Teens Ask at Ask the Expert at canfp.org
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church. “ What is God asking of husbands? The ultimate sacrifice was asked of Christ for His church—He sacrificed His very life. Few husbands will be asked to sacrifice their own life for their wives, but is their love modeled after this example of total gift of self? Husbands, are you willing to subordinate your own wants and needs for the greater needs of the family? Natural Family Planning challenges husbands to unselfish love for their wives, love that is total, fruitful, cherishes his wife, and reverences Christ. For more info on this, call CANFP at 831-443-3746 or go to canfp.org
All are called to chastity—married and single alike. If we have found this calling too hard, perhaps it is because we have relied only on our human abilities, and are lacking the tools we need. With God, chastity is not only possible, but a source of great joy and happiness. Find support, resources, and referrals through the California Association of Natural Family Planning at 831-443-3746 or info@canfp.org
We can all experience deafness to God speaking to us—-sometimes because we have drowned out His voice with our own fears. Or the din of the world’s ways roars louder in our ears then the sweet whisper of our Lord calling us closer. Natural Family Planning is God’s way to plan our families, respecting His design, and each other. Open your ears to His call for Love…and Life…and begin by listening with open ears, and mind, and heart, to a recording called “Contraception, Why Not? Available free for the asking by calling 831-443-3746 or info@canfp.org
Have you experienced the joy and peace of living your Catholic marriage as God designed? Do you feel called to help others experience the blessings of Natural Family Planning in their marriage? The California Association of Natural Family Planning is in need of volunteers who want to put their faith into action and bring the good news of NFP to others. Call today and volunteer your good works— 831-443-3746 or info@canfp.org
Have you embraced the secular culture’s view of marriage without realizing it? Contraception is so ingrained in our 21st Century culture, that it is often adopted without much thought. Yet our faith calls us to a different path. God’s design for love….and life…..is filled with blessings. Find out more about one of them—-Natural Family Planning—from the experts at www.canfp.org. An expert will answer your call, and questions, personally at 831-443-3746.
Have you wondered why Catholics do not believe in birth control, and what this belief means to you in your life and relationships? Over 1,000 questions just like yours have been answered by experts at canfp.org Go to Ask the Expert.
Pope Benedict said “To become saints means to fulfill completely what we already are”. Married couples cannot fulfill completely their calling as husband and wife while using contraception. Free your marriage from this barrier to realizing its full potential, and learn Natural Family Planning to fulfill completely God’s design for love and life. See canfp.org for a directory of Natural Family Professionals eager to assist you on the journey.
Is it fear that prevents us from embracing God’s plan for love and life? Do the burdens of this world cloud our vision and prevent us from seeing the beauty intrinsic in God’s call for marriages to be open to the children He may wish to bless us with? We can live in fear… or trust in the Lord. He will not ask more of us than we can handle. Let go of the fear, and invite God more fully into your lives, through Natural Family Planning. Find out more at canfp.org or call 831-443-3746.
Have you given Christ dominion over your life? Do you seek His will before your own? Is your marriage rooted in this? Does this principal guide your relationship with others? Find support at canfp.org
Are you a young person struggling with our world’s confusing examples of caring and loving relationships? Be that example that reflects God’s love to the world, and seek good counsel at “Teens Ask” at Ask the Expert at canfp.org
The Church teaching on Married Love and the Gift of Life is not a law lorded over us, but an invitation—an invitation to men and women to let God be God, to receive the gift of His love and care, and to let this gift inform and transform us. Answer this invitation by contacting the NFP provider in your area. Find a local resource at canfp.org
Attention HUSBANDS: is your love selfless, generous, pure, and fruitful? Natural Family Planning respects the dignity of women, and marriage. Learn more at canfp.org or call 831-443-3746.

Lent

As we begin our Lenten journey, might we consider if we are following God’s design for our marriages? This plan is knit in the very way He created us man and woman. Understand His plan for this more completely as revealed through Natural Family Planning. www.canfp.org or info@canfp.org
Lent is the perfect opportunity to invite God into our marriages in a more intimate way. The discipline of Natural Family Planning in marriage is a tool for unselfish, God centered loving. Learn more about NFP at canfp.org or call 831-443-3746
As we near the end of our Lenten journey, we are reminded that Jesus laid down His very life for each of us. Our faith calls us to a marital love that is sacrificial, though few us will be called to die for our spouse. We ARE called to love our spouses with a love that is free, faithful, total, and fruitful. Begin your Easter journey by exploring Natural Family Planning as an expression of such love. 831-443-3746 to have your questions answered over the phone, or go to canfp.org

Easter

Allelulia! He is risen! As we renew our baptismal vows to reject sin and live in the freedom of God’s love, let us look at our most intimate relationships, and strive to reflect God’s fruitful and generous love in them. Learn more about God’s design for married love at canfp.org

Feast of the Anunciation

What is a planned pregnancy? A child that fits perfectly into our plans? This week’s celebration of the Feast of the Annunciation calls us to place our faith not in our plans, but in God’s. Forsaking contraception and following Natural Family Planning permits us to conform to God’s design for married love—call 831-443-3746 or go to canfp.org for more info.

Mothers Day

Mother’s Day can be challenging for those that long for motherhood, but have been unable to conceive. Support, education, and resources can be found at canfp.org 831-443-3746.

Christian Unity

This week is dedicated to prayer for Christian unity. Did you know that until the 1930’s, all Christian faiths—not just Catholics— were united in the teaching that contraception is sinful? Find more info on the Christian call to responsible parenthood at canfp.org or by calling 831-443-3746

Anniversary of Humanae Vitae July 25^th

St. Pope Paul VI saw a need among Catholics to understand the full richness of what the Catholic Church teaches on marriage, for “Conjugal love reveals its true nature and nobility when it is considered in its supreme source, God, Who is love” (HV 8). How many of us have ever read Humanae Vitae?— a document as relevant to us today as when it was released in 1968. Full of beauty and inspiration, it calls all married couples to responsible parenthood, “that husband and wife recognize fully their own duties toward God, toward themselves, toward the family, and toward society, in a correct hierarchy of values”. Have we put our priorities in the right order? Do we understand the teachings of our faith? Don’t we owe it to ourselves to learn what our faith teaches us about married love? We cannot live what we do not know. Begin by reading Humanae Vitae, which can be found free online. The website of the California Association of Natural Family Planning has more info and resources on the topic, at canfp.org and CelebrateHV.com and an expert to answer your questions at 831-443-3746. CANFP will send you a copy of Humanae Vitae, if you just send your request and the donation (English$3—Spanish $4) to cover costs to CANFP 1217 Tyler St. Salinas, CA 93906.

October Respect Life Month

Respect for Life begins even BEFORE conception, by respecting and honoring God’s design for marriage wherein the “two become one flesh”. Learn more about how you can honor the author of all life in your marriage at canfp.org or by calling 831-443-3746

For specific readings:

Today’s readings speak of a mother’s love for her child, and call us to be stewards of the mysteries of God, and to trust in Divine Providence. Sounds like inspiration to look into Natural Family Planning! To find local services: www.canfp.org or 831*443*3746
We are called in today’s readings to a holy life, according to His design, and promised we will be given the graces needed, and to not be afraid. Natural Family Planning is a tool to live His design, and great blessings await those who set aside their doubt and fear and embrace it. www.canfp.org or 831-443-3746
In today’s reading, St. Paul prays for increasing love, knowledge and perception, that we may discern what is of value, and stand one day pure and blameless before our Lord. Do we turn to the Church for knowledge, and guidance to help us shape our moral values? A stumbling block for some is the Church teaching on married love—-check out canfp.org to increase your knowledge in this area.
Today’s readings challenge us to stand firm in the Lord. Learn about God’s plan for Love…and Life, at canfp.org or call 831-443-3746.
We are told in today’s readings that we “should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth”. Are we willing to do that in our marriages? Are we willing to love our spouses as God loves us, with nothing held back? Can we “put away” the former way of life, if it includes contraception, and embrace God’s way to plan our families, through Natural Family Planning? Investigate further at canfp.org
This Sunday’s reading challenges us to look at the evils that come from within and defile. We are also challenged to obey not our own preferences, but the laws of God. Are we doing that in our marriages? Have we adopted our own preference of contraception in our marriages, against the teachings of our Church? It can be easy to do without questioning, it is just so widely accepted in our culture. When we respect the laws of the Church, and forsake contraception and sterilization, we grow in self discipline and unselfish love, and invite Christ into our hearts and our marriages ever more intimately. Forsake your own inclinations, and walk in the way of the Lord. Find a local contact to learn Natural Family Planning at canfp.org
Have you been pushing aside a nagging feeling that God may be calling you to welcome a child into your family? Perhaps you have been waiting for the perfect time to start your family, or to have another child? Perhaps you are struggling with a pregnancy under difficult circumstances? Or perhaps you have a child in your life, who needs your loving attention? Jesus puts it all in perspective for us in today’s readings “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me, but the One who sent me”. Is your marriage open to the gift of children? Learn more about living a marriage that is open to life at canfp.org
Today’s reading calls us to examine the source of sin in our lives, and rid ourselves of it. Though its widespread acceptance may have fooled many into believing it is no longer considered sinful, contraception is a sin that has touched many of our lives. And the truth is, modern Natural Family Planning allows us to plan our families more effectively, without the harmful side effects and intrusion of contraception in our marriages. Learn more about modern NFP at canfp.org. An expert is available to answer your questions and refer you to a local resource at831-443-3746.
A worthwhile non-profit is in need of your support. Our parish is a supporting member of the California Association of Natural Family Planning. CANFP fills the urgent and real need of providing education and support services, and are in need of financial support to continue their outreach. Like the widow in today’s readings, please consider supporting this organization with an end of year donation, of any amount. Send to CANFP, 1217 Tyler St., Salinas, CA 93906 or you can donate online at canfp.org. All donations tax deductible.
Today’s readings call us to reject godless and worldly ways, and where better to begin than in our families? Contraception and sterilization are not consistent with the gospel calling to live temperately, justly, and devoutly. Find the tools you need through Natural Family Planning: canfp.org