The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) Day 310: The Gift of a Child (2025)
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Nov 6, 2025 Fr. Mike discusses the profound truth that children are a divine gift, emphasizing their rights and dignity. He explores how the creation of life connects to the sexual act, framing it as essential for respecting a child's worth. The conversation touches on the scriptural view of large families as blessings and highlights the emotional pain of sterility. Ethical considerations around infertility treatments and the rejection of artificial methods underscore the importance of maintaining the sanctity of marriage. Abandoning entitlement, he encourages couples to seek spiritual growth through adoption and service.
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Child As A Gift And Moral Boundary
- Fr. Mike emphasizes that each child is a gift with intrinsic dignity connected to the conjugal sexual act.
- This link creates a moral boundary protecting children and preserving the meaning of the sexual act.
Why Certain Reproductive Techniques Are Rejected
- The Catechism calls heterologous techniques gravely immoral because they infringe the child's right to be born of parents known to each other.
- Even homologous techniques remain morally unacceptable because they separate the sexual and procreative meanings.
Child's Primary Rights In Procreation
- The Catechism affirms that only the child possesses genuine rights in procreation matters, notably to be the fruit of the conjugal act.
- It insists the child must be respected as a person from the moment of conception.
