The Author of Life and Love

The Author of Life and Love

You are precious! You are enough! Perhaps we do not hear this often or at all. However, this is the truth—that each of us are on this Earth because God wants us here. God knows you completely, understands you completely and loves you perfectly! You have a purpose which only you can fulfil.

As Pope St Benedict XVI put it, every one of us is willed, everyone is loved, everyone is necessary.

During the Christmas season, when we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, we recount the words of the Angel Gabriel, according to the Gospel of Luke. “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son…”

A few months prior to this, Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, in her old age (menopausal) conceived a son, to be called John.

In both these events recorded in history, we see two miraculous happenings initiated by God, as the Author of Life. When the two infants in the womb met, John jumped in his mother’s womb. John, even in the womb, began his ministry to point the way to the Saviour of the world!

Science is now able to prove some events that we know already by faith, such as life begins at conception. This can be seen through scientific testing of the single cell human zygote, producing specifically human proteins and enzymes (Princeton University).

We see John responding to the external stimulus of Jesus’ presence, just as an unborn baby in the womb responds to the mother’s heartbeat, the father’s voice and other external stimuli at various stages of pregnancy.

These events support our belief that life begins at conception. Even little ones who do not make it outside of the womb are still created in the image and likeness of God and are precious.

As Baptism highlights, we are children of God, and we need to remember who we are. God is love and we are created to love and be loved!

Jesus showed us how to love—freely, totally, faithfully and fruitfully. We strive to live this great love with God’s grace. Every day is a new day to begin again! We ought to love Him, our God who created us, first and then others (including babies in the womb).

Loving ourselves as precious gifts from God, includes loving our bodies. We show the love that is in our hearts and the kind thoughts in our minds through our bodies. One way to love your body (and/or your spouse’s body) is to use a method of fertility management that does no harm to the body.

What God calls each of us to needs to be discerned carefully. For those who are called to the celibate life, the Billings Ovulation Method® can be used for monitoring women’s health. If you are called to married life, this method allows God to remain the Author of Life in your relationship, and you can discern the size of your family with God’s guidance in prayer.

This method fosters loving behaviours in your relationship, including being generous in giving of one’s time to understand each other’s fertility (baby-making potential).

Other loving acts are communicating daily and cooperating with one another to achieve the goal for using this Natural Family Planning (NFP) method, whether you both are trying to conceive or delay/avoid conception for well-discerned, serious reasons.

Using NFP and not contracepting (or deliberately blocking the natural effects of sexual intercourse) means you have put God first. Joseph discerned God’s will, and he demonstrated responsible parenthood by listening to God. He took his family to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill Jesus.

Mary gave her ‘fiat’ (‘yes’ to God) and centuries later we are still celebrating the birth she said ‘yes’ to! May we respect the dignity of all human life.

BOMA-TT Phone or WhatsApp: 384-1659,

Email: naturalfertility@catholictt.org or billingstt@gmail.com,

Local Website: billingstt.com,

International Websites: woombinternational.org or billings.life