Be Fruitful

Western birthrates are plummeting. Many couples are reluctant to have more than two children. Some choose to have none at all. Even among Catholics, sacramental marriage is in decline. Yet something remarkable is also happening: A growing number of couples are discovering the goodness, truth, and beauty of the Church's vision for marriage and family life, and they are being transformed by it.

In this timely work, Daniel Payne unveils the Church's teaching on family life across history and into the present day. Drawing on powerful testimonies from married couples, some of whom have struggled with Church teaching and others who have embraced large families, Payne shows that the Catholic vision of marriage is not a burden but a gift.

Whether you are already convinced of that vision or just beginning to explore it, this book will show you what life, love, and marriage truly mean. Inside, you will discover:

• What the early Church taught about contraception and the reasons for marriage
• Why the "blending of life" is the primary purpose of marriage
• The blessings and benefits of large families for marriages, the Church, and society
• The everyday advantages of marriage for individuals, families, and culture
• How married love is made perfect, according to popes and theologians
• What "responsible parenthood" means in Humanae Vitae
• How large families are "rich, refining, and redemptive"

Sacramental marriage will not solve every social problem, but it is where comprehensive renewal begins. Payne offers practical resources and a compelling vision for restoring family life and rebuilding society from the inside out. From the self-gift of marriage comes genuine fulfillment and a foretaste of the eternal wedding feast of Heaven.

Open these pages and discover what marriage was always meant to be.