Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time
(Genesis 16:1-12.15-16; Matthew 7:21-29)
Today’s first reading warns us of the havoc that can take
place when humans defy the will of God.
Abram and Sarai are married, never mind that they lived before the
Jewish law was established and before sacramental marriage between Christians. Natural law dictates that man and woman give exclusively
themselves to each other in marriage. The
arrangement allows no exceptions for progeny purposes. The abuse that followed upon Sarai’s giving
of her maidservant to Abram should have been expected.
Today childless couples are turning to technology to satisfy
their desire for a baby. Invitro
fertilization provides conception from their ovum and sperm in a laboratory. The resultant embryo is as much a commodity
as it is a human being. The man and
woman are as much physical instruments as they are parents. The process does not condemn the offspring. He or she must be treated as any other child. But it does put humanity farther along on the
course of dehumanization.
There are alternatives to invitro fertilization for
childless couples. Fertility clinics
based on Catholic moral principles often find ways to help them conceive
naturally. Facilitating their use, we help
childless couples have children in a natural, often less expensive way. We also assist in the spread of the Gospel.
