Beloved:
“Change a diaper and change the world!” While this is not a direct quotation from any source of which I am directly aware, it relates to an article, dating back to November 2022, “The Case For Kids,”
written by Kevin DeYoung (First Things, November 2022). For the record, DeYoung is senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church, in Matthews, North Carolina. It is heavily cited in an archived episode of The Word on Fire Show, co-hosted by Bishop Robert Barron (WOF, #367). I believe it presents a compelling—and balanced—perspective on the vital importance of family for sustaining civilization. As we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (no birth, no baptism!), I highly recommend your reading the whole article and listening to the whole episode from Word on Fire.
The most significant thing happening in the world may very well be a thing that is not happening: Men and women are not having children. The biblical logic has been reversed, and the barren womb has said “Enough!” (Prov. 30:16). The paradigmatic affliction of the Old Testament is now the great desire of nations. If Rachel wanted children more than life itself (Gen. 30:1), our generation seems to have concluded that nothing gets in the way of life more than children…
The reasons for declining fertility are no doubt many and varied. Surely, some couples want to have more children but are unable to do so. Others struggle with economic pressures or health limitations. But fertility does not plummet worldwide without deeper issues at play, especially when people around the world are objectively richer, healthier, and afforded more conveniences than at any time in human history. Though individuals make their choices for many reasons, as a species we are suffering from a profound spiritual sickness—a metaphysical malaise in which children seem a burden on our time and a drag on our pursuit of happiness. Our malady is a lack of faith, and nowhere is the disbelief more startling than in the countries that once made up Christendom. “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven,” God promised a delighted Abraham (Gen. 26:4). Today, in the lands of Abraham’s offspring, that blessing strikes most as a curse…
In the end, having children is not merely an act of dogged obedience, or even simply an act of faith. It’s an act of transcendence. When I tell my child as he heads out the door, “Remember you are a DeYoung,” I am not only exhorting him to act in keeping with our values, I am sending our family name out into the world—into places where I cannot be and a future too distant for me to reach. “And I will make of you a great nation,” God told Abraham, “and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). The Bible is full of genealogies that show that we are a people with a past and a future. When Genesis 5 traces the line from Adam to Noah, the refrain “and he died” is a reminder of the curse of death—but that each man had a son is a reminder of the promise that comes through birth (Gen. 3:15). The God who has put eternity into our hearts (Eccl. 3:11) also means to put children into the womb (Mal. 2:15). When we grasp one, we will grasp the other.
One of my prayers for the Saint Mary family in 2025 is that we will increase significantly our ministries to support family life.
Let His Peace be with you,
Fr. Stephen
