Assist migrants, says Archbishop
February 8, 2022
Pres students become environmental heroes
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Whilst we do not have a ‘two-child’ policy here in Trinidad and Tobago, universally, this number of offspring (or less) has been realised by many couples for varying reasons.
An article from MercatorNet recently highlighted when China had a two-child policy, men were forced to have vasectomies! However, the family planning personnel in China are looking at the country’s low birth rate and poor population growth and have started denying men vasectomies.
“In May last year, China announced that couples could have up to three children. But this does not appear to have sparked a baby boom. In fact, the birth rate continues to fall inexorably.” In fact, the same article noted, “Countries from Japan to Iran to Estonia are desperately trying to boost their birth rates — without success.”
When a woman has reached the unspoken threshold of two children here in T&T, there is societal pressure for these women to ‘have no more’. Are our family planning personnel in-the-know about our low birth rate in T&T? Who is going to care for the current populace when they get older?
The National Insurance Board has already sounded alarm bells as noted in the Central Bank’s 2017 Working Paper, ‘The Ageing Problematique in Trinidad and Tobago: Preparing for the potential impacts’ which examined the “increased burdens on the shrinking labour force”. Are we listening? Are we going to go to the other extreme of not caring for human life past a certain age? Are we already there in this pandemic?
The Method is Love
In T&T we have a saying, “God is Love”, usually when we do an act of charity or giving someone a ‘bligh’. There are even electronic billboards advertising this saying.
Yes, God truly is LOVE! He is the author of love and the author of life. It is God to whom we turn to for life-issues. What about love-issues? This is the month of love, as the popularly celebrated Valentine’s Day happens on Monday this year.
The Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) is celebrating ‘love’ for the entire month of February in recognition of the ‘Year of the Amoris Laetitia (Joy of Love) Family’. The AFLC’s website (aflcrc.org) highlights talks and activities that honour the teachings of Pope Francis in the Amoris Laetitia (AL) document, which is also available online.
Many couples and families are not aware that the Church offers “guidance and counselling in areas related to growth in love, overcoming conflict and raising children. Many are touched by the power of grace experienced in sacramental Reconciliation (Confession) and in the Eucharist (Holy Mass), a grace that helps them face the challenges of marriage and the family” (AL #38).
We really should take full advantage of the graces offered by God through these sacraments to live out our vocation to love one another. We should also call on those who can support love in the family, namely the AFLC, where counselling in several aspects of family life is offered.
At BOMA-TT, as a Ministry under the AFLC, we are charged with the teaching of Natural Fertility Regulation, in particular the Billings Ovulation Method®. Our tag line, ‘The Method is Love’ is not just philosophical in nature. It is real. When couples come to us for assistance in achieving a pregnancy we remind them, as the Church teaches, that a child is a gift. A child is the ‘fruit’ of their love and deserves to be born out of the love of a father and a mother and “not be any other means, for he or she is not something owed to one, but a gift” (§81, AL).
Although not popular nowadays, “Large families are a joy for the Church. They are an expression of the fruitfulness of love” (AL #125). The Church encourages generosity in having children as our Lord said in the Book of Genesis “be fruitful and multiply”. This however does not mean to be irresponsible. Responsible parenting means couples are to have children considering the physical, economic, social, and psychological conditions of the couple, family and/or society.
Practising natural planning of families or Natural Fertility Regulation to postpone or avoid pregnancy is wise for married couples if the couple has serious or grave reasons to not procreate (§10, Humanae Vitae).
Couples in love, we invite you to learn the Billings Ovulation Method®.
Contact BOMA-TT: 384-1659,
email: billingstt@gmail.com,
website: www.billingstt.com
Women Have Cycles & Men Do Not
Wednesday, February 16
8 – 9 p.m. via Zoom
Inviting couples to discover Natural Fertility Regulation
Free registration at www.billingstt.com or 384-1659
