ROBYN writes:

Your reader Paris asks for your help in her struggle to convince her husband to have more children. I agree that they should stop using contraception as this is a mortal sin that is highly offensive to God. Abstinence may be necessary when it is for reasonable causes such as while a woman is recovering from a previous pregnancy, if she is not healthy enough to have another child, or like you said, if there were dire financial or other family circumstances to deal with first. However, we shouldn’t avoid our procreative role in order to shelter ourselves from the struggles that come along with a new baby or how older children might react. We need to have trust in God’s providence, and we must do our part to bring new life into the world.

I am currently reading a book that I think would help Paris and her husband. It’s titled “Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise for Peace of Heart” by Father Jacques Phillippe.

I’m not finished reading it yet as I had my first child less than two months ago, but I picked it back up yesterday and in part two of the book it addresses some reasons that lead us to lose peace, such as the fear of being without, difficulty believing in Divine Providence, and a fear of suffering.

Father Philippe explains that our belief in God’s providence is proportional to what we can expect from Him. If we calculate every detail of our lives and leave no room for the Lord, how can we really say we have faith? He goes on to say that planning and budgeting are good habits, but that we can’t simply rely exclusively on ourselves and expect to have peace in our hearts because peace is a gift from God. The book references scripture often, as well as quotes from many great saints.

I’ve personally found the book to be very helpful. I hope it can help Paris and her husband too.

Before I end, I want to thank you for all that you do to inspire other Catholics, and especially Catholic women.

[Update]

Laura writes:

Thank you for your warm support and appreciation.

You make an extremely important point. This issue often devolves into legalistic questions about when exceptions are permissible, which obscure the most important issues: trust and love. It’s really very simple. The modern world attacks this simplicity relentlessly.

I have not read the book you mention. I am sure it contains worthy points on this subject. I must caution readers, however, that anything produced by a presbyter within the Vatican II Church must be read carefully to avoid the errors of Modernism.

Thank you again for your interest in this subject and your wise advice.

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