“…And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it…” [Gen 1:28].
- Transmission of Life
A child is a gift from God through the love of its parents. Parents, therefore, are co-creators with God and take up an active role in the transmission of human life from divine life. A child, then, is not a thing to be produced but a gift to be received, cherished, nurtured and educated to grow into responsible dignified person worthy of the Kingdom of God. This task calls for responsible parenthood.
- Responsible parenthood invites the spouses to an adult reflection. It is a special call of sharing in God’s love and His power as Creator. Responsible parenthood has a particular place within a global vision of the couple and its vocation before God. “For just reasons, spouses may wish to space the births of their children. It is their duty to make certain that their desire is not motivated by selfishness but is in conformity with the generosity appropriate to responsible parenthood.” [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2368]. As a matter of fact, responsible parenthood should be thoughtful and generous. [Cf. Guide to Living Christian Love, 53].
- God as the Basis of Responsible Parenthood
God’s nature is Triune, meaning He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit and can be described as the communion of the Three in an eternal exchange of love. This exchange of love is total, self-giving, life-giving and sanctifying. This is seen in the creation by the Father, redemption by the Son and sanctification by the Spirit.
God created man in his own image and likeness. Through parenthood, founded on masculinity and femininity, man and woman share in God’s total, self-giving, life-giving and sanctifying love. Thus, parenthood, “…reflects the nature of God and …the participation in the divine parenthood of God.” [Godliness of Parenthood, 21].
Marriage is an institution of personal communion of the spouses in the love that is total, lasting, self-donation, gift of oneself to the other and life giving. These qualities make the spouses’ conjugal act to be procreative, unitive, and sacramental [sign] of God, who is the communion of persons, the Source of love and the Giver of life. The conjugal act, therefore, is for spousal union and an acceptance of life. These two dimensions are inter-connected, inseparable and are indispensable from the conjugal act.
The Church acknowledges the life-giving and uniting dimensions of the spouses’ conjugal act. But for justifiable reasons and certain circumstances, the Church, in contrast to contraception, agrees to the deference of the pregnancy through Natural Family Planning as a way of living out responsible parenthood.
Till next week consider beloved parents how faithful you are living responsible parenthood! May Jesus Christ, King of the Universe reign in your hearts, family and home.