The Newborn Child’s Impact On The Family
By DONALD DeMARCO The arrival of a newborn child in the world provokes a wide range of responses. The range extends from “it’s a blessing, a gift, a bundle of joy,” to “it’s an inconvenience, a burden, and utterly unwanted.” The child, of course, is not responsible for his parents’ reactions. The context or spiritual environment in which the child is born is completely determined by the relationship that exists between the husband and wife.In a Letter to the Family, Pope St. John Paul II states: “In the newborn child is realized the common good of the family” (1994, The Year of the Family, Gratissimam Sane). This statement does not apply uniformly in every case in which a child comes…Continue Reading