Motherhood, on the social podiumNaprotechnology. An answer to fertility or female cycle problems."We need to rediscover the beauty of marriage."For many couples, infertility is a difficult ordeal, a painful burden that challenges dreams of starting a family. However, the book of the Wisdom offers a profoundly consoling message for those who, despite being unable to conceive, lead a virtuous life and accept God's will.
A text by Agustín Giménez González, director of the Department of Sacred Scripture at the University of San Dámaso, explains this idea very well, which we summarize below (Cfr: Agustín Giménez, Wisdomp 74-82, BAC, 2021).
The joy of fidelity
The book of the Wisdom gives us words of encouragement: "Blessed is the blameless barren woman, whose bed has not known unfaithfulness: she shall obtain her fruit in the day of judgment" (Wisdom 3:13). Barrenness, far from being a curse, is an opportunity to demonstrate fidelity and sincere love, values that God blesses abundantly.
However, the divine reward for those who are faithful to God in spite of not being able to beget is also extended to the male, not only to the female: "Blessed also is the eunuch in whose hands there is no sin, nor has he had evil thoughts against the Lord: for his faithfulness he will receive special favor and an enviable inheritance in the temple of the Lord" (Wis 3:14). The eunuch is the male equivalent of the barren woman. The cited verse points out the temptation to blame God for infertility, something humanly logical, but deeply unjust to the creator.
It is true that the lack of fruitfulness is difficult to accept and tempts man to rebel against God. However, the divine promise for those who accept his will with joy is promising. The prophet Isaiah describes it as follows: "To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose to do my will and keep my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name better than sons and daughters, an everlasting name that shall not be cut off" (Is 56:35).
Blame God
Professor Giménez explains that the book of wisdom "also stresses not to have bad thoughts 'against the Lord', because when one has physical defects, it is easy to blame God, and inside to deny him and think that he has been bad or unjust for allowing it. Such thoughts turn away from God, carry the poison of the serpent that accuses God of being the enemy of man, and spoil the wonderful prize destined for the eunuchs. These, thanks to their fidelity, will receive a special favor (...): 'an enviable inheritance in the temple of the Lord'. It is striking that the eunuch will have a special place precisely in the temple of God, since the law of Moses explicitly excludes eunuchs (and other defective men) from priestly service in the temple: 'He may not come near to offer burnt offerings in honor of the Lord. [He may not pierce the veil or come near the altar, for he has a defect and would profane my sanctuary' (Lev 21:21,23). Solomon teaches that whatever he is deprived of in this life, he will receive in abundance in the next".
This promise is an invitation to trust that God has treasures of grace in store for those who persevere in faith. The absence of children is not the end of happiness; the true inheritance in this life is found in the love that is sown and in the virtue with which one lives; in the next life the inheritance will be overflowing.
Self-blame
Parents who cannot have children often suffer from the pain of not procreating. To this natural pain is sometimes added another more subtle and harmful one, thinking that it is a divine punishment, or the cause of some past sin... But nothing could be further from the truth.
As Professor Giménez pointed out in a conference, "God is not like that. God allows everything for our good. And as the book of the Wisdom infertility is a great blessing from heaven, when it is lived with trust and love for the Lord, because the eternal reward in return will be immense. Therefore, one should not blame anyone for these situations, least of all oneself. We must embrace the situation, the cross, with faith, love and hope, offering our pain for the salvation of the world and looking to heaven, where the reward will be infinite".
A timeless legacy: virtue over offspring
Throughout history, many cultures have associated descent with continuity and survival over time. But the Bible offers us a different vision: "It is better to have no children and be virtuosoFor the memory of virtue is immortal: it is recognized by God and man" (Wis 4:1). Thus, the true fruitfulness that we leave in this world is not measured in children, but in the good that we do and in the upright life that we lead.
Scripture does not deny the pain of those who long to be parents and cannot. But it also assures us that God sees beyond our limitations and transforms every situation into an occasion of grace.
The verse that follows the previous one exalts the value of virtue: "When it is present, they imitate it, when it is absent, they long for it; and in eternity it triumphs and wears the crown, victorious in the struggle for incorruptible trophies" (Wis 4:2). When someone lives virtuously, others notice it and want to follow his example. But when he is absent, his absence is felt and missed, because holy people bring light and direction to life. In the end, virtue is not something passing, but transcends; in eternity it is rewarded and recognized with a crown.
