Two Become Family with Renzo and Monica Ortega
Renzo and Monica share stories, advice, and encouragement for everyday Catholics navigating the human side of a faith-filled marriage. They both bring a voice of joyful solidarity from their experience living in the trenches with a growing family. Their honesty and witness offer hope to couples who want to find confidence in their vocation to marriage through a candid and faithful discussion.
Renzo and Monica Ortega are Catholic ministry leaders, podcast hosts, authors, and national speakers. Their latest title, Lovemaking: How to Talk about Sex with Your Spouse was published through Ave Maria Press. They host the popular marriage podcast Two Become Family and speak nationally for the St. John Paul II Foundation’s Together in Holiness conference series.
Their testimonies of faith, marriage, and parenting have been featured by the National Catholic Register, the Knights of Columbus, and Augustine Institute. They are coauthors of the children’s devotional Go to Joseph for Children, and Renzo is also the author of the men’s devotional Go to Joseph: 10 Day Preparation for Consecration to St. Joseph.
Two Become Family with Renzo and Monica Ortega
175. 5 Ways NFP Can Break Your Marriage (And How to Fix It)
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Can Natural Family Planning actually damage a marriage?
Many couples quietly struggle with NFP — feeling disconnected, frustrated, or even resentful — and wonder if something is wrong with them, their marriage, or the Church’s teaching.
In this episode, we respond honestly and pastorally to five of the most common objections to Natural Family Planning and offer practical guidance for couples who want unity, intimacy, and peace — not pressure or guilt.
In this episode, we cover:
1️⃣ “Feeling that NFP doesn’t really work — it’s too complicated or unreliable.”
2️⃣ The emotional and sexual strain caused by long abstinence periods.
3️⃣ What to do when spouses disagree on when or why to use NFP.
4️⃣ Is NFP basically the same as contraception?
5️⃣ How to navigate marriage when one spouse struggles to accept NFP.
Rather than defending NFP with theory alone, we focus on how NFP is lived inside real marriages — including communication, sacrifice, desire, resentment, and love. This conversation is especially for couples who feel exhausted by oversimplified answers and want something deeper, more human, and more faithful.
If you’re asking:
• Why does NFP feel so hard in our marriage?
• Is abstinence damaging our intimacy?
• Are we using NFP for the right reasons?
• How do we stay united when we disagree?
— this episode is for you.
We wrote a Catholic sex book! Check it out: Order LOVEMAKING!
Our other books
Go To Joseph: 10 Day Consecration to St. Joseph
Go To Joseph For Children
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