Bruno, birth control and billings

What does Bruno, Birth control and Billings have in common? They all start with the letter B, plus we don’t talk about any of them enough.

First, let’s talk about Bruno. “Bruno Madrigal is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Animation Encanto (2021). Bruno is ostracized by his family because he has the ability to see the future. He is the subject of the song ‘We Don’t Talk About Bruno’ (Wikipedia).

Just like Bruno in the Madrigal family, we don’t talk about taboo topics like birth control or the Billings Ovulation Method in our societal family sufficiently either. Many shy away since these kinds of topics may bring about strong opinions, but these must be discussed, particularly among couples preparing for marriage.

Birth Control: Bruno is the commonly termed ‘black sheep’ of the family since he says things that the family do not appreciate – the future fate of varying family members.

This sounds all too familiar, since nobody appreciated the predictions, Pope Paul VI made about the use of birth control. In 1968, when his document Humanae Vitae was published, a certain angst ran like a rip-current throughout the Church.

This Pope, now a saint, predicted that the use of birth control (contraception) would facilitate marital infidelity and lower moral standards in general since it would make it easy to break the moral law that speaks to no pre-marital or extra-marital sexual relations.

Thank God for this Pope who cared for the dignity of women and the respect due to them, as he noted, “Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection” (17, Humanae Vitae).

St Pope Paul VI asked couples to humbly obey the Church’s teachings for the sake of their marriage, knowing that many graces come from God when we live according to His plan.

Our own Archbishop Jason Gordon, in his June 5 Conversations with Archbishop J column discussed abortion as rotten fruit of the same tree that contraception comes from. The consequences of this anti-life mentality “desensitises the human to our true dignity” (catholictt.org/2022/06/01/rotten-fruits-of-the-same-tree/).

Billings: The Billings Ovulation Method (BOM) was not originally called this name. It was simply the ‘Ovulation Method’.

When the World Health Organization (WHO) was conducting studies on the Method, it was found that some people had decided to change the Method and continued to use the ‘Ovulation Method’ to identify the altered version they created. The WHO recommended that Drs Billings change the name of the Method to avoid confusion.

We like to call the Method by its acronym in jest, because we believe it is the ‘BOM’. It is like a time BOMb ready to explode when our society realises the benefits of this modern, natural method of family size regulation, and what it can bring to us as a people.

In studies done, low divorce rates were seen amongst couples who practise Natural Family Planning (NFP), improved communication between couples was noted and even a happier family life.

Granted that it is not a magic pill that will solve all problems within intimate relationships, it certainly put couples on a path toward truly loving one another. “But to those who consider this matter diligently it will indeed be evident that this endurance enhances man’s dignity and confers benefits on human society” (20, HV).

The self-discipline involved in the practice of using NFP “brings to family life abundant fruits of tranquility and peace. It helps in solving difficulties of other kinds. It fosters in the husband and wife thoughtfulness and loving consideration for one another” (21, HV). This method is love.

Contact BOMA-TT:

384-1659, email: billingstt@gmail.com, website:

www.billingstt.com