|
In a Bead System Conference:
The theology presented at a
Bead System Conference helps a
couple understand why fertility
awareness fits into the Church’s
vision of conjugal life and why
contraception does not.
However, far from being merely
polemical or apologetic, the theological
presentations open up
to the couple the vast beauty
and lofty nature of Christian
marriage.
As a philosophical foundation, a
Bead System Conference situates
marriage within the ethical
framework of the personalistic
norm, that is, that no person
should be treated as a mere
means to an end, but rather the
only proper response to another
person is love. True love is
defined and extrapolated as the
“gift of self”—following the
Second Vatican Council’s
Gaudium et Spes paragraph #24,
“man finds himself only in a sincere
gift of himself.”
Additionally, the theology section
explains the ethics of certain
reproductive technologies,
analyzing particular actions in
terms of the inseparable connection
between the unitive and
procreative goods. Also, some
time is given to communication/
life living skills in the area
of fertility awareness, as well as,
some personal experience and
witnessing to practicing it in
marriage.
The Five Basic Theological Requirements of Fertility Awareness
Outside of a Bead System conference, other NFP teachers endorsed by Pastoral & Renewal Services are required to cover
with couples the Five Basic Theological Requirements proposed by the USCCB’s Office of Natural Family Planning:
- In God's plan, marriage is a
permanent, faithful, exclusive
relationship between husband
and wife, directed toward
mutual sanctification, unity, and
parenthood.
- Marriage is a sacrament, a
sign of God's presence in the
world, and a source of grace for
the couple.
- The unifying factor between
the spouses is conjugal love: that
is, an interpersonal love
between husband and wife that
is mutually enriching, permanent,
exclusive, faithful, total,
and fruitful (open to life).
- Decisions regarding parenthood
are primarily the responsibility
of the couple, based on a
recognition that human life is a
sacred gift from God and that
the transmission of human life
and the socialization and education
of children are both the
privilege and prerogative of the
married couple. Decisions about
parenthood should be made by
the couple in a spirit of love and
generosity, in light of their
responsibilities to God, to themselves,
to their children already
born, and to society in accordance
with a properly formed
conscience.
- Sexual intercourse is part of
God's plan to enable couples to
intensify their mutual intimacy
and to bring new life into the
world. By God's design there is
an inseparable connection
between the two meanings of
the act of intercourse: the lovegiving
(unitive) and the life-giving
(procreative).
|
