The English writer Gilbert Keith Chesterton can practically be considered a "prophet of the family". His acute analysis of the consequences of a society marked by selfishness in family relationships is naturally linked to the Church's doctrine on marriage and the family.
Obvious
Gilbert Keith Chesterton emphatically stated this profound and paradoxical truth: "The obvious triangle of father, mother and child cannot be destroyed; instead, it can destroy the civilizations that obviate it".
We note with regret that anti-family ideologies and policies are suicidal for society, even threatening its decline. On the other hand, well-constituted marriages, united in faithful love and disposed to the procreation and education of children, display an enormous potential for humanization and become the firm hope of peoples.
On the other hand, the excuses to prevent human offspring often offer fallacious and manipulative arguments, which hide selfishness and materialism that degrade man and contaminate cultures.
Miracle of freedom
With his characteristic wit, the same Chesterton unmasks these fallacies, while extolling the choice of procreation: "A child is the sign and sacrament of personal freedom. It is something that its parents have freely decided to produce and freely decided to protect. It is the parents' own creative contribution to the work of creation. Those who prefer mechanical pleasures to such a miracle are discouraged and enslaved. It is they who are embracing the chains of the old slavery; and it is the child who is ready for the new world."
As John Paul II taught, freedom "possesses an essential relational dimension. It is a gift of the Creator, placed at the service of the person and his or her fulfillment through the gift of self and the acceptance of others" (Encyclical letter The gospel of life, n. 19). Indeed, true freedom is ordered to the good of communion.
The meaning of life consists in giving oneself in order to give life, which entails the greatness and fruitfulness of self-giving. In this way families are formed according to the Creator's plan, inscribed in the spousal meaning of the human body. For this reason, the trusting openness of spouses to the birth of children contributes to the growth of persons and nations with creative strength.
Acceptance of the gift
The rejection of the child, which usually denotes unjust and immoral attitudes, leads to sad, hopeless and agonizing societies. For every child is an incalculable value for the community: its greatest personal wealth, a treasure that deserves the care and help of all. The acceptance and promotion of the weak human life is the yardstick of true social progress and of authentic social justice. civilization of life and love.
The child must always be loved and cared for. As Pope Francis pointed out, "when it comes to children who come into the world, no sacrifice on the part of adults will be considered too costly or too great. The gift of a new child, which the Lord entrusts to mom and dad, begins with acceptance, continues with care throughout earthly life and has as its final destination the joy of eternal life. A serene gaze towards the ultimate fulfillment of the human person will make parents even more aware of the precious gift entrusted to them" (Apostolic Exhortation The joy of love, n. 166).
The original divine mandate to be "one flesh" (cf. Gen 2:24) to form a home is engraved as a promise and vocation in the affective dynamism of eros, which appears as a love of attraction and intense desire of the heart. Normally, parents understand that begetting, raising and educating children gives meaning to their existence by contributing to the development of the civil and ecclesial community. For this reason, in order to fulfill their parental functions, married couples should always receive recognition and effective support from legislation and the authorities.
Free beauty
The Lord has willed that the conjugal communion, constituted through the commitment and reciprocal gift of husband and wife, be like the fertile and blessed soil to receive from God the seed of the child. "The child is the most precious gift of marriage, of the family and of society as a whole" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2378). In this way, the spouses - and, later, the rest of the members of society - acquire the awareness of their identity and vocation in the logic of the personal gift received and offered.
The child who is born calls for a welcome of wonder and gratitude: it arouses in parents the responsibility and the mission of helping him or her to develop the potential of his or her humanity. "The family is the sphere not only of generation but also of welcoming the life that comes as a gift from God. Each new life allows us to discover the most gratuitous dimension of love, which never ceases to surprise us. It is the beauty of being loved before: children are loved before they come" (The joy of love, n. 166).
Dream of God
Indeed, God "he loved us first" (1 Jn 4:19), with overflowing generosity. Moreover, throughout the history of salvation, he has established a covenant of faithful and merciful love with his chosen people.
Parents are called to enter into this fundamental orientation of loving the child from the beginning, unselfishly, thus collaborating so that everyone discovers and respects the personal dignity of all. In this way, they cooperate in the realization of God's dream for the great human family: to call a multitude of children to a life full of eternal love.
Ultimately, each newborn will be able to enrich the others with his or her own contribution. Truly, children bring newness, future and joy to the world.
