Denver Catholic

6 FEB-MAR 2024 | DENVER CATHOLIC 6 FEB-MAR 2024 | DENVER CATHOLIC From a Catholic perspective, the first reason for mar- riage is children. This outlook is countercultural and it can seem troubling — what if someone does not want chil- dren? What if a couple cannot have children? So perhaps the first thing to say in favor of this idea is that marriage, both within the Church and without, is the bedrock of society. It is through marriage that the human race contin- ues and that new little people are raised up to be respect- able members of a given local community (city, country, etc.) and of the Church. We can take this fact for granted, but this is a very great good, and one that is in fact being threatened in many developed countries, where the birthrate has dropped below the 2.1 needed to replace the current population. 1 It seems that people have lost faith in family as a source of unity and flourishing in life. But stud- ies on human happiness repeatedly show that marriage and family are leading factors in individual satisfaction. 2 Human beings were made for love — to love one another, and for that love to be open to embracing others. In most families, these others whom we embrace, learn to sacrifice for, etc. are children. A Christian parent, moreover, is called even beyond the natural good of having children and becoming a better person through their care. A Christian parent also experiences the supernatural joy of raising a child of God in the Church, to see his grace at work in their lives. It is through marriage that God brings into existence people that are capable of life in heaven with him. ⊲ Children

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