Big Hearts, Small Families: Guest writer Therese Garcia

Are you ever troubled by offhand comments of people (with large families) who ask you when you’re planning to have more children?

Do you long to add to your family, and wish God would cooperate with your plans?

You’re not alone. In the following guest post, Therese Garcia offers a word of encouragement to those who find themselves waiting with barely concealed longing for God to enlarge your family as He sees fit.

The heart that trusts in the Lord is never disappointed. Offer your plans to God … and ask Him to give you His vision for your family.

“Be Fruitful and Multiply ~ Your Many Gifts of Love”

By Therese Garcia, O.C.D.S.

Praise is like music, for as each one possesses God’s gifts differently,
each one sings His praises differently,
and all of us together form a symphony of praise.

-St. John of the Cross-

The day my husband and I were married, the priest prayed that we would “be fruitful and multiply.” At the time, I understood this to mean that we were to embrace the gift of family life, having children. In marriage, a man and woman become one in body and spirit, just as Christ is one with His Church.

It wasn’t until much later that I realized this phrase has a second meaning: that we were to have a fertility of the soul.

This fertility of faith is something we all need to ponder, faith in the interior of our souls. Our vocation in marriage should first strive to grow in great faith and charity, where there is faith and charity there is love. With love, God is in our midst.

God is abundant in His gifts…if we are truly living what we are called to be, we will be fruitful in our faith as well as our spiritual lives, and this will overflow into the rest of our lives with our family, friends, those God has yet for us to meet and the works that we do.

Fertility of the Heart

Not all of us are called to have large families. Some of us will never be able to give birth, and another may only have one or two children — not by choice but by what Our Lord ordains. But what does it matter, the size of our family or the color of our skin? Our measure should only be in the eyes of God and the generosity and faithfulness that we display in our lives.

We are called to be great in the task of fertility of the heart and soul; these are the greatest fruits of your marriage. How we learn to love one another and remain true to each other through the trials of life, in sickness and in health. Remember the day you were married and the graces given, these are to remain with you all the days of your life!

Never limit what Our Dear Lord can do in your life today. Remain faithful to Him, and He will be faithful to you always. As we read in John 2:1-11,

“There was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus told them, “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it.

And when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from – although the servers who had drawn the water knew -, the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.” Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.”

Let God Turn Your Water to Wine

Please take notice at what the Lord truly did at the Wedding Feast at Cana: He took something of substance and without flavor and made it into something truly fruitful and good.

What is the Lord doing in your life today? Are you allowing Him to turn the water of your soul into wine that overflows with His great gifts of love, compassion and generosity? These are the things that we were made for these are what God should see in all of us.

You are that treasured gift of life in His eyes. As we are told in scripture “Eye has not seen ear has not heard, what God has ready for those who love Him“. We are to go forth and share the love of God with all those we meet and as we do this we will truly see that there is no limit to the size of our family. 

In Christ Jesus we all become fruitful and our many gifts are multiplied as we go forth and share them with those He sends to us, these are the true fruits of a generous heart.

God Bless You!

Therese Garcia 

The Apostolate of Hannah’s Tears