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.”
Ping
:)
< flame suit >Francis says things that are ripe for twisting.< /flame suit >.
Words of a real Catholic pope, and just think, not one mention of rabbits.
If you can’t feed them (and expect me to), don’t breed them! Nice that a bunch of celibate “confirmed bachelors” are considered authorities on family planning.
Who is asking you for money besides Obama?
Until 1930, every Protestant church agree with the bachelors even though they were married.
More children = more public schools and food stamps.
Globally, the Muslim population is forecast to grow at about twice the rate of the non-Muslim population over the next two decades – an average annual growth rate of 1.5% for Muslims, compared with 0.7% for non-Muslims. If current trends continue, Muslims will make up 26.4% of the world’s total projected population of 8.3 billion in 2030, up from 23.4% of the estimated 2010 world population of 6.9 billion.
Generally, Muslim populations tend to have higher fertility rates (more children per woman) than non-Muslim populations. In addition, a larger share of the Muslim population is in, or soon will enter, the prime reproductive years (ages 15-29).
I see you’ve taken the pro-abortionsist’s stance.
Traditional Catholic families can handle themselves by hard work and sacrifices. For the most part, we don’t need your “stinking schools” nor “stamps”.
You can take your public schools and food stamps (for which traditional Catholics are taxed the same as you are) and spend them on your own children, if you choose to put aside selfishness and bear any.
Exactly. My 8 brothers and sisters and I attended Catholic schools, and my father worked hard to support us, while my mother managed a clean, well-organized household.
My 4 children also attended Catholic schools. And no food stamps.
As a struggling Catholic I’m having trouble with this guy who within the past 2 or 3 weeks has proclaimed his belief in Global Warming Science and has now accused my wife and I of being “Rabbits” with our large family...
Lets Ordain Ted Cruz and send him to Rome as the new Pontiff.
Fewer children = more burden on each worker to support the elderly.
More children = more future tax payers, caregivers for the elderly, more Americans who love and understand our culture and can work, thus less need for large immigration.
Is Japan or Russia happy about their relative lack of children? Or are they quite worried?
And economies of scale. :)
I promised myself not to read this Pope for he is ripe for mistranslation.I read to the women take a break and rest and then go on.I vote for breed like rabbits with Holy Love in marriage and attention to the wife.
” Nice that a bunch of celibate “confirmed bachelors” are considered authorities on family planning.”
—
That’s why I walked away.
.
From now on, Francis is going to be as associated with rabbits as much as Jimmy Carter is.
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