By Clement Harrold
August 22, 2025
The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that when a man and a woman come together in marriage, the conception of a child “does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment” (2366). Hence the Church teaches that children are to be welcomed as gifts from the Lord. But where is this teaching found in Sacred Scripture?
“Like Arrows in the Hand of a Warrior”
In a previous post, we addressed the ways in which the Bible views abortion as a grave sin. When it comes to what the Bibles teaches about openness to life more generally, a key passage comes from Psalm 127:
Lo, sons are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons of one’s youth.
Happy is the man who hashis quiver full of them!
He shall not be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Ps 127:3-5)
In these verses, the inspired author makes it clear that having children is a good thing. In fact, sons are a blessing from God, and you’re especially blessed if you have a quiver full of them! Moreover, the man who has many sons will be supported and respected “when he speaks with his enemies in the gate”—a Hebrew idiom for engaging in legal disputes, since the city gate was often the place where justice was administered.
Although Psalm 127 uses the specifically masculine language (“sons”) which was common to the time in which it was written, it is reasonable to suppose that it is affirming the value of children in general, daughters as well as sons. This makes sense given the high esteem which the Old Testament has for women.
Children Are a Blessing
A key part of the Bible’s understanding of children is found in the many stories it tells about women who suffered from infertility, only to later be blessed with a child. Notable examples of biblical women who miraculously conceived a child include:
- Sarah, the wife of Abraham (see Gen 11:30; 17:1-2)
- Rebecca, the wife of Isaac (see Gen 25:21)
- Rachel, the wife of Jacob (see Gen 29:31; 30:22-24)
- The unnamed wife of Manoah and mother of Samson (see Judg 13:2-3,24)
- Hannah, the wife of Elkanah and mother of Samuel (see 1 Sam 1:19-20)
- Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah and mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:7, 24)
Time and again, the Scriptures present children as a gift, a blessing, a miracle which all married couples should welcome and long for. We see this attitude displayed in the words that Rebecca’s relatives speak to her shortly before she meets her future husband: “Our sister, be the mother of thousands of ten thousands; and may your descendants possess the gate of those who hate them!” (Gen 24:60).
Another example of the Bible highlighting the value of children comes later in the book of Genesis when Jacob and Esau are reunited. Esau inquires, “Who are these with you?” To which Jacob replies, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant” (Gen 33:5). Clearly the patriarch views his many children as gifts from on high.
Finally, we might listen to the words of the book of Proverbs, which sees not only children but also grandchildren as a blessing on those who have them: “Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of sons is their fathers” (Prov 17:6).
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Join us on the Road to Emmaus.
The Sin of Onan
Another important biblical passage regarding openness to children is Genesis 38:1-11. The passage relates the story of Onan, one of the sons of Judah, who marries a woman named Tamar. Tamar was the wife of Onan’s deceased brother, and for this reason he was expected to marry her according to the prescriptions of “levirate marriage” given in the Mosaic Law (see Deut 25:5-10).
It turns out, however, that Onan was not particularly pleased with this arrangement, and he didn’t like the idea of continuing his brother’s bloodline. Hence when the time came for him and Tamar to have intercourse, he took steps to avoid conceiving a child:
Then Judah said to Onan, “Go in to your brother’s wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother.” But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother’s wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. (Gen 38:8-9)
We’re then told that Lord was so displeased with Onan that He killed him. So what was Onan’s sin? Some interpreters argue his fault lay in his failure to provide a child to his brother’s wife. But as the biblical scholars John Bergsma and Brant Pitre point out in their book A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament, the problem with this interpretation is that the punishment for such a crime was not death, but rather public shaming (see Deut 25:7-11).
It seems, then, that Onan’s sin was specifically his decision to frustrate the marital act. It was the spilling of his seed on the ground which caused God such offense. Given this, the story of Onan suggests that a contraceptive mentality which divorces sex from procreation is neither trivial nor harmless in God’s eyes, but rather extremely serious.
“Let the Children Come to Me”
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention in closing the attitude which Jesus Himself had toward children. Matthew’s Gospel recalls His famous words: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 19:14). Meanwhile, Mark’s account beautifully captures the tenderness of Our Lord:
And he took a child, and put him in the midst of them; and taking him in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but him who sent me.” (Mark 9:36-37)
Finally, it’s worth noting the analogy Jesus uses in John’s Gospel to describe the sorrow his disciples will have in this world in preparation for the eternal happiness that awaits them:
When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her hour has come; but when she is delivered of the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a child is born into the world. (John 16:21)
While Jesus readily recognizes the pains of childbirth, He also emphatically affirms the joy that comes with new life.
Further Reading
John Bergsma, The Bible and Marriage: The Two Shall Become One Flesh (Baker Academic, 2024)
About Clement Harrold
Clement Harrold earned his master’s degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in 2024, and his bachelor’s from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2021. His writings have appeared in First Things, Church Life Journal, Crisis Magazine, and the Washington Examiner.
