Open to Supreme Gifts

I was once at a wedding where a videographer went table to table, filming the guests and asking if they had any advice for the newlyweds. A man stood beside me, bouncing a six month old, while holding the hand of a child who looked to be two. Perhaps he saw the potential for some comedic relief, because he put on a crazed, tired expression and directed this line to the camera: “Wait two years before having kids.” 

The cameraman chuckled and moved on.

I tried to smile, but couldn’t help wincing. I was five months pregnant, having just been married five months before. This whole “wait a couple of years” sentiment was uncomfortably pervasive. When I announced my pregnancy, there were a few people who were very surprised by our immediate openness to children, which is strange, because anyone who knew me knew I had always wanted twelve kids and really, that would require not wasting a single moment. 

The strange thing is that the advice to postpone having children isn’t just given out by those who are more secular in thought. I’ve heard solid, practicing Catholics warning other Catholics to wait, and I’ve even heard of a few priests who advise against starting a family right away.

This baffles me. In Humanae Vitae, the 1968 encyclical (meaning “ON Human Life”), Pope Paul VI speaks of the transmission of human life as being a great honour bestowed on a couple, as they become co-creators with God, responding freely and generously to His call. It is clear that children are a gift and openness to that gift is part of God’s design for marriage.

“...Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare." Second Vatican Council, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the World of Today, no. 50

So, why do we act as though accepting that gift too soon would somehow be an impediment to the couple? I am fully aware that some couples have assessed their situation, and with a clear conscience, have determined that they truly have serious or grave reason to postpone a pregnancy. 

“If therefore there are well-grounded reasons for spacing births, arising from the physical or psychological condition of husband or wife, or from external circumstances, the Church teaches that married people may then take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse only during those times that are infertile...” Humanae Vitae, no. 16 (2nd para.)

But why is the advice to put off procreation a default setting for so many well-meaning Catholics, who probably aren’t in a position to determine if the couple they are addressing have a grave reason to postpone that supreme gift?

I remember once overhearing a man telling a newly engaged couple to wait a couple of years before starting a family. The young man responded with a simple, “No, we don’t a serious reason to wait.” The other gentleman persisted, “Marriage is hard enough without adding kids to the mix. You’re going to need some time to get to know each other first.” 

“Well,” the other responded, “We’ll have at least nine months.” 

I really admired the young man for his understanding that marriage is ordered toward the transmission of life and raising children, which is a highly counter-cultural sentiment. So many see children as something that will infringe on their time, their finances, their lives. Fertility is taken for granted and we assume that we can simply work co-creation into our schedules when the time feels right. 

We make plans for our future and try to determine when a pregnancy will work out best in terms of work, events, travel, etc., but then, when we decide we’re finally ready, it can be an absolute shock to discover it isn’t always in our control.

When the pandemic hit, I couldn’t believe that the Eucharist was no longer available to me. The opportunity to receive whenever I wanted had perhaps made me less appreciative, less understanding of the weight of the gift: this source and summit of the Christian life. I realized that I had perhaps taken Him for granted. 

It’s a common thing. We don’t fully appreciate the option until the option is taken away. I was longing for the Eucharist as the doors were locked to me and I know that there are many couples who stand before the locked door of infertility, when they assumed that new life would be accessible at their bidding.  

Again, this is not to throw judgement at those who’ve discerned they have a valid reason to postpone pregnancy, but more so, an encouragement to view children as a gift, not to be considered an impediment to greater things - they are the greatest thing. God is calling us to be open to life, which if you think about it, is really an invitation to be open to supreme gifts.