Tag Archives: Childbearing

Cases of Childlessness

By Fr. Luke | Published: October 14, 2008

—Geronta, a husband and wife that both have Mediterranean anemia [1] asked us if they should try to have children. We told them to ask their spiritual father.
—Spiritual fathers should not tell such couples not to have children. They must guide them in philotimo, so as to struggle in abstinence (to abstain), and with discernment grant them economia.
—Geronta, there are couples who, although they live very spiritually and want to have children, are not able.
—The reason God does not give children to some is so that they will love all the children of the world as their own and help in their spiritual rebirth. There was once a man without children but, when he would walk out of his house, all the children of his neighborhood would run to him and surround him with such love. They wouldn’t let him leave and go to his job. See, God didn’t give him his own children but graced him with the blessing of loving all the children of his neighborhood as a father and in his own way to help them spiritually. The judgments of God are fathomless. Read more →

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Human Logic and the Will of God for Childbearing

By Fr. Luke | Published: December 13, 2007

Oftentimes couples express to me their insecurity regarding the topic of childbearing, and they ask my opinion. Some only want one or two children, while others want to have many. It would, however, be to their advantage to leave the issue of childbearing to God—to entrust their lives to divine providence and not try to implement their own plan. They must have faith that God, Who cares for the birds of the air, will care much more for their children. There was once a sailor who married at eighteen years old. He was poor, and so was the girl he married. They rented a basement to live in. The girl also found a little work. In this way they lived quite sparingly. Just imagine it: for a table they used a leftover crate from some peaches they once bought. Later they began having children, living very frugally in order to raise them. And yet, little by little, they became prosperous homeowners. Read more →

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Difficulties in Childbearing

By Fr. Luke | Published: December 12, 2007

—Geronta, if a woman is not Orthodox, and if she is not able to conceive a child, is it alright for her to wear the belt we have blessed on the holy relics of St. Arsenios? [1]

—Does she believe in the power of the Saint or does she think that it will help in some magical way? If she believes in the Saint, it’s alright for her to wear it.

For some women who aren’t able to conceive children, the spiritual laws are at work, because they didn’t start families when they should have. They become very picky, “No, he has this problem and the other guy has these problems.” So, they make a promise to someone; but then they see someone else, so later they say “no” to the one to whom they had originally made a promise–and he, instead of seeing it as a blessing that she left him, goes and commits suicide. Eh, what kind of family is a woman like this going to make? Other women aren’t able to have children because in their younger years they lived a wild life. Then others are troubled by their diet. Many foods contain lots of drugs and hormones. Read more →

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