But that is not the Church's teaching. A couple has a right and duty to plan their family. There is a way for these couples to work out their problem and still be good Catholics. The Church asks them to understand, however, the hows and whys of planning their families. We can shed some light on the birth-control question if we look at the meaning of marriage, and then at the role of God, and finally at a practical solution.
Marriage is a covenant between two persons.
A covenant is more than a mere contract. It involves two persons giving themselves to each other completely . There are no reservations in the giving, no conditions, no holding back. The physical act which expresses this attitude is sexual intercourse. One of the gifts the husband and wife give each other is their fertility, the unique power to become parents through one another.