The Blessing of Big Families

The Blessing of Big Families | Jim Graves | Catholic World Report

Despite the ridicule, criticisms, and misunderstandings they often face, large Catholic families joyfully embrace God’s will for their lives.

Pope Benedict XVI, in an audience with members of an Italian association of large families earlier this year, offered encouragement to couples who welcome children as a blessing from God. He said, “There is no future without children.”

The Holy Father continued, “In today’s context, a family made of many children constitutes a witness of faith, courage and optimism. … I hope that adequate social and legislative measures are promoted that safeguard and sustain large families, which represent richness and hope for the whole country.”

Large families are not uncommon in traditional Catholic circles, despite declining family sizes in broader society in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere in the developed world in recent decades. Parents of large families, religious and non-religious, are confronted with many challenges, including the social stigma associated with having more than two or three children. 

British soccer star David Beckham and wife Victoria, for example, welcomed their fourth child into the world last year, to the consternation of environmentalists, liberal politicians, and media figures who accused them of being selfish with the world’s resources. President Barack Obama’s senior science and technology advisor John Holdren has even gone so far as to argue that children from larger families have lower IQs.

But some couples are choosing to ignore criticism and buck societal trends. They welcome and embrace the gift of human life with which God has blessed their marriages. While the challenges are many, the blessings are far greater, they say, so long as they maintain a strong faith in God, work hard, and accept the sacrifices required of their vocation.

Contine reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Comments

[john]

The article ( http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/17/population-control-beckham-family ) and especially the comments in response to the sited article from the unabashedly anti-religious Guardian are worth reading.