The Joys and The Hopes

The Gaudium et Spes ("Joy and Hope") says that “children are really the supreme gift of marriage.” Through the gift of children, a great benefit accrues to the

parents, they have the blessing of participating in God's “own creative work.” Because of the importance of this role, one of the aims of marriage is “that the couple be ready with stout hearts to cooperate with the love of the Creator and the Savior. Who through them will enlarge and enrich His own family day by day.” This last sentence points to the importance not just of having children, but of rearing them in God's family, a critical component of which is educating them in God's will and ways.

Sadly, many in our world today do not view children as a gift at all, much less a supreme gift through which man can participate with God in creation. Many today view children as an inconvenience, a hindrance to living a fully free, happy, and fulfilling life, a costly mistake, or even that which stands between them and what they really want. Consequently, they may use any number of means to avoid having children. This results in homes and societies which are not as rich and full as God would will for them to be and in which Christianity could decline.

As a remedy for these views of children, I think the first thing one could do is model the proper attitude toward children by doing one's own part in marrying and having children if possible. A full home is a real blessing. The Bible says of children, “Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them” (Psalm 127:5, NCB). In addition, I think that the Gaudium et Spes stands as an example of the right thing to do—promulgate truth concerning God's design for the home. May God bless us all with a proper love for children and a quiver (or a front stoop) full of them!