2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
Posted on 01/20/2015 6:18:28 PM PST by ebb tide
Below is an excerpt from an address given by Pope Pius XII to the Directors of the Associations for Large Families of Rome and Italy in January 20, 1958, the nineteenth (and final) year of his papacy. Throughout the address the Holy Father eloquently speaks of the joy, sacrifice and generosity so prevalent amongst those families who God has abundantly blessed with the gift of children.
“Large families are the most splendid flower-beds in the garden of the Church; happiness flowers in them and sanctity ripens in favorable soil. Every family group, even the smallest, was meant by God to be an oasis of spiritual peace. But there is a tremendous difference: where the number of children is not much more than one, that serene intimacy that gives value to life has a touch of melancholy or of pallor about it; it does not last as long, it may be more uncertain, it is often clouded by secret fears and remorse.”
Happiness in a large family
“It is very different from the serenity of spirit to be found in parents who are surrounded by a rich abundance of young lives. The joy that comes from the plentiful blessings of God breaks out in a thousand different ways and there is no fear that it will end. The brows of these fathers and mothers may be burdened with cares, but there is never a trace of that inner shadow that betrays anxiety of conscience or fear of an irreparable return to loneliness, Their youth never seems to fade away, as long as the sweet fragrance of a crib remains in the home, as long as the walls of the house echo to the silvery voices of children and grandchildren.
“Their heavy labors multiplied many times over, their redoubled sacrifices and their renunciation of costly amusements are generously rewarded even here below by the inexhaustible treasury of affection and tender hopes that dwell in their hearts without ever tiring them or bothering them.
“And the hopes soon become a reality when the eldest daughter begins to help her mother to take care of the baby and on the day the oldest son comes home with his face beaming with the first salary he has earned himself. That day will be a particularly happy one for parents, for it will make the spectre of an old age spent in misery disappear, and they will feel assured of a reward for their sacrifices.
“When there are many children, the youngsters are spared the boredom of loneliness and the discomfort of having to live in the midst of adults all the time. It is true that they may sometimes become so lively as to get on your nerves, and their disagreements may seem like small riots; but even their arguments play an effective role in the formation of character, as long as they are brief and superficial. Children in large families learn almost automatically to be careful of what they do and to assume responsibility for it, to have a respect for each other and help each other, to be open-hearted and generous. For them, the family is a little proving ground, before they move into the world outside, which will be harder on them and more demanding.”
Vocations
“All of these precious benefits will be more solid and permanent, more intense and more fruitful if the large family takes the supernatural spirit of the Gospel, which spiritualizes everything and makes it eternal, as its own particular guiding rule and basis. Experience shows that in these cases, God often goes beyond the ordinary gifts of Providence, such as joy and peace, to bestow on it a special call — a vocation to the priesthood, to the religious life, to the highest sanctity.
“With good reason, it has often been pointed out that large families have been in the forefront as the cradles of saints. We might cite, among others, the family of St. Louis, the King of France, made up of ten children, that of St. Catherine of Siena who came from a family of twenty-five, St. Robert Bellarmine from a family of twelve, and St. Pius X from a family of ten.
“Every vocation is a secret of Providence; but these cases prove that a large number of children does not prevent parents from giving them an outstanding and perfect upbringing; and they show that the number does not work out to the disadvantage of their quality, with regard to either physical or spiritual values.”
They talk to and counsel many married families. I think they know what’s going on.
**Is Japan or Russia happy about their relative lack of children? Or are they quite worried?**
The same question for China?
China is having a weird problem due to too many male births compared to female. Instead of 1:1 it something like 116:100. In the hinterlands, there are starting to be kidnappings of women from nearby countries for brides. That’s where their one child policy got them. If a couple had a boy first, they stopped. if they had a girl first, a certain number of them would go on and try for a boy.
And China is also having another problem they never had before— people who won’t care for their elderly parents.
Finally, they are uncertain as to what China will be like when no one has siblings or cousins. Each family tree has no branches. How does that affect society? They are not sure.
Talk about "powerful delusion."
Pope Francis, after a visit to the largest Catholic nation in Asia, says Catholics may have a moral responsibility to limit the number of their children and need not reproduce "like rabbits.'' -http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/01/19/pope-birth-control-comments/22017365/
Pope Francis praised big families on Wednesday as a gift from God, after his comments that Catholics don't have to breed "like rabbits" made headlines this week.
On Wednesday, he gave a nod to big families, who may have felt somewhat insulted by his comments aboard the plane returning to Rome. Just weeks ago, Francis met with an association of large Catholic families to show his support. He said that while in the Philippines, it gave him great "consolation and hope to see so many large families who welcome children as a true gift of God. They know that every child is a blessing." - http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/pope-praises-big-families-rabbits-remark-28367234
In any case, unless there was advocation of artificial contraception, then as per RC recourse when faced with contradictions, RCs can say he was not speaking infallibly, and such is no more immutably binding than papal or conciliar decrees to exterminate the heretics from the land.
2 Corinthians 6:14
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.
Surely Rome has the equivalent of Obama's Press Secretary!
Many years ago, my next door neighbors (Catholic family) had 6 girls before they finally got a boy and stopped.
And they would be correct. Do your homework.
I can’t help but be extremely alarmed by this pope. Last week, given the timing of his comments, he was obviously defending terrorists worldwide by saying one should expect punishment if they mock another’s religion. Now he tells Catholics to have less children while he has to know that muslims are breeding like rabbits. And for the trifecta he scolds us about global warming, which looks like a major tool that will be used in an attempt to control entire nations under one umbrella.
My only conclusion is that he is working for the enemy.
I’m thinking some traditional RCs would really like for Francis to make a state visit to Iran.
I have done homework and that was not the issue, but the weight RCs place on non infallible papal and conciliar statements and teaching in support of what they believe, then dismiss it as non infallible when it disagrees with them.
In addition is the degree of interpretation this can entail as well as their meaning, while deploring any personal interpretation of Scripture by Prots (which they interpret 2Pt. 1:20 as teaching).
How much RC teaching is even infallible versus non infallible, and on what non-interpretive source infallibly tells you what magisterial level does each teaching fall under? Both of is which is necessary to know manner of assent is requires, and if any dissent may be allowed.
That will take some homework.
And they would be correct. Do your homework.
Having babies and raising families is a moral issue...You guys keep telling us he is infallible when speaking on moral issues...
And the current pope said Catholics do not have to breed like rabbits
Like most politicians, his story depends on the audience
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