Anna,

Trust that God will get you through this!  I’m a big believer in spiritual warfare, so it helps me to remember, esp when I’m struggling, that the devil is actively trying to de-rail me.  The fact that you and your fiance are about to get married in the Catholic Church is driving the devil crazy!  He’s pulling out all the stops to keep this from happening peacfully!  Don’t let him win!  Persevere with all your heart.  Pray with your fiance and find time to attend confession so you’ll be more fully able to receive the graces bestowed on you at the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.  I remember well the stresses leading up to our wedding, but it all turned out wonderfully.  Be still and know that He is God.

I’ll say some prayers for you and your fiance!

I will pray for you, as well. Just try to think about 3 weeks from now and this will all be done, you will have fantastic memories, and enjoying your new life together! Congratulations!

I agree with all the comments. Christ has to be the center of your relationship, from dating to engagement to marriage. As a married couple, praying together is a daily choice, which invites Jesus to be a part of your oneness.  My husband and I teach the engaged weekend or also called Pre-Cana weekend. We always stress that couples should put way more time praying for their weddings, than planning for your wedding.  I guess you could say that the world has it all wrong. I will be praying for you special day, that God will be glorified and you marriage together will be a witness of the reality of grace given in the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Praying for you all as well.  One time my husband and I were going through a stressful situation which I shared with a priest friend. His first question was if we were praying together. It is so easy when we get busy and there is so much going on to just skip that part of the day or week. Maybe you could work on praying together more. Just a thought.

And I will pray for her and you in this. I pray the Holy Spirit will move within her to give her understanding and faith. I, too, have gone through times of fear of getting pregnant. Now, I would love to be pregnant and it just is not happening. I wonder what blessings, children and more than children, I have missed out on because I was not willing to just trust in God. I pray she opens herself up to the blessings of obedience (whether the blessings are children or not).

Anon - If I were in your shoes, I would probably hold off on sending her more information about NFP.  From what you have written, your friend already understands the Church’s teaching on BC, but isn’t ready to fully trust in the Lord.  I would try to be a living example of the benefits of NFP.  I can understand your friend’s hesitancy with trusting God on this issue.  My husband and I used ABC for several years before fully trusting God with our family planning.  (We now use NFP, and couldn’t be happier.)  Looking back on our years of struggling with using ABC, we had a married couple that were friends of ours.  Their steadfast reliance on God to tell them when they should have another child was an inspiration to us.  If they could do it, with several children, one unsteady income, and a whole host of other challenges, then surely we could trust God with this one area of our lives.  Not once did they talk to us about the benefits of NFP, they just lived their lives in such a way that it was evident in everything we did.  Prayers to you and your friend.