Dr. Jay Boyd's "Zeal for Thy House" is a collection of essays about the Mass, written for those who have experienced the pain of "bad liturgy." The essays appeared first as posts on "Philothea on Phire" blog during 2011-2013, and are a product of Dr. Boyd's frustration with the liturgical abuse and the general irreverence she often witnessed at Mass. The essays present a reasoned and logical approach to why God cares about how we "do liturgy," and why we should try to follow the mind of the Church where liturgy is concerned. The book contains sections entitled: "Liturgical Abuse"; "The Novus Ordo"; "The Music at Mass"; and "The Extraordinary Form of the Mass." But lest anyone be driven to despair over the state of the Catholic Mass, each section also includes "Glimmers of Hope," and the Epilogue reminds us that "Hope Springs Eternal." The battles to restore reverence and awe to the liturgy, and to reinstate the extraordinary form of the Mass, are tough ones to fight. Yet, it is our duty and responsibility to do so, for the good of the Church In this book, Dr. Boyd attempts to provide tradition-minded faithful Catholics with "ammunition" for the fight, while providing some perspective on positive developments regarding the state of the liturgy as well.

Despite the defensiveness of NFP promoters, the occasional critic does speak against NFP. And if one looks carefully at what the critics say, there is much to be considered. Michael Malone's book exposes many logical fallacies in the arguments of NFP promoters, and asks critical questions which NFP promoters cannot and have not answered. "The Case Concerning Catholic Contraception" is the final major work which Michael Malone undertook before his death in 2000. He addresses the matter of contraception through the eyes of the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church, and tackles the thorniest issues that are involved. The book includes a Foreword by Dr. Jay Boyd, author of "Natural Family Planning: Trojan Horse in the Catholic Bedroom?" (available on Amazon). Perhaps the most controversial of Michael Malone's criticisms of NFP is his questioning of the validity of making a distinction between periodic continence (NFP) and artificial contraception. He goes so far as to claim that NFP is equivalent to artificial contraception, asking the hard questions: "Can NFP genuinely be considered any less a species of 'scientific harlotry' than pills or latex? In fact, is it not even more so, considering the excessive amount of time, study, research, and even person-to-person counseling which must be exercised in order to assure successful contraception?" While there is some legitimate line-drawing between NFP and artificial contraception, it is not true that just because NFP is not the same as contraception, a couple using NFP cannot possibly have a "contraceptive mentality." Currently, NFP is touted as a licit form of birth control (whether it is called "birth control" or "birth regulation" or "fertility awareness"), at the expense of the teaching on the need for "serious reasons" to use it, and without mentioning the virtue of producing a large family. When its promoters point out that NFP is "as effective" as various forms of contraception "if you follow the rules," they employ the same language and imply the same kind of thinking as we see in those who advocate the use of contraception. When it is proclaimed that NFP is "99% effective" there is no other way to understand "effective" except as "successful in preventing conception." Is it really incorrect to call this a "contraceptive mentality"? Whether that label fits any, most, or all NFP users is a moot point. In quibbling over the label, we deny the fact that we Catholics have bought into the current cultural myth that family "planning" is better than family "happening." In some respects, debating NFP is a secondary issue. The real point of the conversation - whether we use the term "artificial contraception," "contraceptive mentality," or "birth control" - is this: birth control is not now, nor ever has been, a Catholic value. Without confronting the "birth control" mentality that is behind it, we remain stuck fighting the "symptoms" rather than the "cause." NFP is only an issue because "birth control" has entered discussions of marriage as an authentic Catholic value. The "extreme cases make bad law" phenomenon is here in spades: what should be an exceptional situation has become a "way of life" - as evidenced by the fact that dioceses and parishes are requiring NFP classes for couples intending to marry in the Church. Michael Malone lays out the case against NFP very carefully and clearly in his book. His conclusion is, briefly: "Finally, the purpose and design of NFP is intentionally to avert or frustrate - even if temporarily through recourse to infertile periods - the very possibility of conception. As a contrived, conscious, and calculated act of the will, this system of birth control serves to make a mockery of the fundamental purpose of Matrimony and robs the marital union of its divinely-designed objective..."

What's wrong with Natural Family Planning? Taking a Catholic perspective on the subject, Dr. Jay Boyd explains that the use of NFP to avoid pregnancy is often promoted as "God's family planning." But is using NFP to prevent pregnancy really trusting God? If we take control of spacing births, how can be sure this is "God's plan," and that the children came "in God's time"? And most people fail to "read the fine print" that says that NFP is to be used only when a couple has serious reasons for avoiding pregnancy. The reason many people think of NFP as "Catholic birth control" is because that's how it is used by many well-meaning couples. Claiming that a couple using NFP is "open to life" while they abstain from sex during the woman's fertile period in order to intentionally avoid pregnancy - well...that's a contradiction in terms. It can easily be argued that using NFP to avoid pregnancy is an expression of a lack of trust in God's will and provision. It's an active effort on the part of the couple to second-guess God's timing for the family's new members. Dr. Boyd takes a close, objective look at NFP from the standpoint of the teaching of the Catholic Church. She examines the basic problems with NFP, along with its philosophical underpinnings; and she delves into the important concepts of marital chastity and trust in Divine Providence.