Memorial of Saint Theresa of the Child Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church
(Job 1:6-22; Luke 9:46-50)
Genetic selection is talked about as a certain reality in
the not so distant future. It is said to
provide couples with the ability to have the kind of offspring they
desire. If they want a baby with as much
brawn as Serena Williams or as much brain as Albert Einstein, they have only to
arrange it with their geneticist. Genetic
selection has also the possibility of avoiding medical defects like
autism. What is disturbing about genetic
selection, however, is that it obscures the consideration of children as a gift
from God. We hear Job declaring this
truth in today’s first reading.
The Book of Job is a brilliant gem in the Bible’s jewelry
shop. For millennia it has provided a
way to understand both the incomprehensibility and the ultimate goodness of
God. It also gives a portrait of a truly
good man. Job is not only notable for
his patience but also for his faith. He
believes that God is the author of life and that children are His gifts to the parents
who give them birth. They do not belong to
anyone except the Lord.
A theologian has expressed a valid stance for parents in
the process of having children. He said
that they should be “open to the unbidden.”
That is, rather than trying to plan every aspect of children’s lives
including genetic features, parents are to accept their children as they are. Of course, they should provide their needs
and instill in them moral values. But they
are to recognize that children are a gift from God not to be fabricated and
engineered but cherished.
