Catholic Teaching on IVF and Contraception Explained
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- Опубликовано: 28 май 2019
- For many people, the Catholic Church’s teaching on in vitro fertilization and contraception is a hard one, but it is in concordance with the nature of things. The nature of a thing, as Fr. MIke puts it, is its “what-it’s-for-ness”. Sex is for procreation and the unity of the couple. Equally important is the fact that sex, not in vitro fertilization, is the natural way to bring forth a new life. Contraception and in vitro fertilization violate the nature of not only sex, but also the nature of the person and life itself.
If you feel that this teaching prohibits you from being truly happy, Fr. Mike offers encouragement. It may not seem fair to us at first, but the deep abiding peace we acquire from living by God’s plan is better than anything we could acquire by doing things our way.
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I originally clicked on the thumbnail because I wanted to know more about what the church teaches about contraception. My questions have definitely been addressed in that regard. The IVF portion caught me completely off guard. Being an IVF baby, hearing that IVF is not an accepted practice in the church made me feel like a mistake for a split second. Father, thank you for reiterating to me that someone like me is NOT a mistake and that I AM made in the likeness of God.
Nathan S God loves you and the Catholic community loves you Nathan!
You are not a mistake!❤
God foresaw you and loved you. IVF might be a mistake, but he also makes a good out of our bad choices.
God brought a great good in this situation. He created an individual in his image. One who he wants with him for all eternity. Someone who can give and receive love. Someone who has incredible potential.
You are enough.
you are made in the image of God. you have a soul at conception. So glad you're here. God bless.
There are reasons for family planning?", "Can I afford to have children?", "Is it something I want?" "Is it the right time?" "How many can I afford?" and these are logical questions that couples should asked them selves and you really do not have to have children to complete a marriage. There are economic reason to have children and there are economic reason not to have children. Children are a major responsibility and can be an economic stress.
My wife had Cancer. We could never have children. Now in our 50's. She joined the Catholic Church. I was already Catholic, and went back also. After a year we were helping a family member, she was homeless and pregnant. After she had the baby. She left without saying a word. I found him screaming. God Blesses you in ways you could never imagine. We are now parents and PRAY for my Niece that she is well and comes to GOD !!! Thanks Be To GOD!!!
@James Kearney Beautiful story, so happy for you. Thanks for sharing!
May the Lord Bless you abundantly, as you care for this little one that has come into your lives. 🙏🏻
God Bless! 😇
Glory to God for His immense love. Bless ya'll, so happy ya'll were there for this baby.
James Kearney that’s AMAZING!❤️God bless you all!
Baptize the baby 🙏🏻
This was one of the first videos I watched, as a Protestant, regarding Catholic Church teaching. I watched this video sometime between June 25th, 2019, and June 29th, 2019. It was divine providence that Father Mike recorded this video in May 2019, allowing me to find it 1 month later. Since I was a young girl, I remember having a curiosity and deep appreciation for how God designed man and woman, and how He designed sex. I finally decided to search "Catholic teaching contraception" and this video was the resource I got. Praise be to God. After watching, my idea of sex was changed forever. My view of the Catholic Church was also changed forever--the Catholics just might have something figured out. "Well, I don't really care what else Catholics say, I'm taking this with me in life." Fast forward to April 2022 and I am 10 days away from Confirmation. Praise be to God!
I actually envy you for your faith. I who am already a Catholic fall short of faith. God bless you sister in Christ for keeping faith in God. For our ultimate goal is not survival in this world but Love of our God who created us all. And he knows what's best for us.
God be Praised! Welcome home!❤🎉
God Bless you!
May God’s blessing rain down upon you abundantly!
Welcome home sister 🙏
This is one of the teachings that is the hardest to accept. I am not Catholic yet, but I want to accept it all before just jumping in. Please pray for me.
I will pray for you Michaela. You may read, if you still haven't, "Rome, Sweet Home", about a couple who converted to Catholicism. One of the things that convinced them was this teaching.
@Mike Cranston Thank you for the encouragement. May God bless you.
@@mariab.774 Thank you! I appreciate the encouragement! It's on my wish list. I find the Catholic Faith to be the truth, but the devil keeps letting these little details get me tripped up.
@@michaelacunningham8643 There's a saying in Spanish. The translation would be that "if God gives you the burden, he gives you the grace to support it." When you embrace whatever you have to do, things are easy. The problem is watching them coming and imagining things worse or more difficult than they really are.
You'll have to trust God, I guess :)
Prayers en route!
"There was a time in my life when I HATED being Catholic" hahaha he says it sooo casually
LizziesAnswers Lizzie !!! Lol you and fr mike are the best at explaining catholic theology and single handedly you two converted me, im sure ! Lol so glad you watch fr mike !
it's Lizzie!!!!😆
LizziesAnswers really amazing too coming from a priest.
lizzziiieee!!!
What went wrong? You decided to join churchianity? What a shame. Oh well, I suppose some of us need others to tell us what to do. No problem. No shortage of control freaks. Churchianity will be happy to tell you what to do - just pay them their fee...
This is a very real issue for my wife and I and it has been incredibly hard. I had cancer as a teenager and our chances of conceiving were very small. For six years we prayed and tried and asked the Lord for peace with however He was blessing us. It was a huge temptation to try other ways of conceiving like IVF. And even though it was hard, i'm glad we didn't. After 6 years we have our beautiful baby girl and she is the greatest blessing. Thank you for speaking truth into this sensitive issue.
Beautiful, thank you for sharing. God bless
What a beautiful story. You found favor with God. Congratulations!
What a beautiful story ! My husband and I have been trying for 4 years, please pray for us that we also may have a bundle of joy to love and embrace ❤️🙏🏻
@@Zuzu439 We will offer our prayers for you and your family today.
@@JustinKortuem thank you! I will pray for your family as well 🙏🏻
I needed to hear this...married for 18 years, and not pregnant once. This puts my heart at ease. For a reason, God has plans for us...if that means not being a parent biologically then I’m ok with it. Father Mike you brought me to tears, but I thank you.
Praise God for your determination. You are Blessed.
I admire your attitude.
I’m sorry to hear of your struggle. It’s not easy. May Jesus hold you in his loving arms.
God wants you to be happy instead of having a child
9:20 The room suddenly stands still. You can hear a pin drop. Excellent message on a very difficult topic. You uphold Catholic teaching with immense mercy and understanding.
I AM SESTAK he is my favorite. He is good at covering up the true teachings of the Catholic Church.
@@defendingthefaith.7889Name one teaching of the Church he covers up, and the link to him saying it?
I think they meant “covering”, as in covering the true teachings...I think this since they said “he is my favorite “. But if not, I’m totally confused about their comment!
@@AveChristusRex Yeah, it seems like @Defending the faith. meant that Fr. Mike is good at "covering" or "going over" the true teachings of the Catholic Church.
don't worry, i had the same reaction...covering up???? maybe they were typing too fast. who knows.
I cannot thank God enough for people like you who give up everything, especially in today's time, to be shepherds for the Lord's flock. Your reward is a hundred fold.
Praying for all of you Priests and Pastors who choose the hard celibate path. Thanks a million!
God is your companion, His sheep your children!
If captain america was a priest, he would be like you
Captain America said "There's only one God, ma'am"
He’s actually Captain America when he’s off as priest...
Priests are better than Captain America. Not only because they are real, but because they help everyone deal with the real demons we face on a daily basis.
He's a phony.
Lol 😂 rotfl
I'm Catholic and have an IVF 19 year old daughter. I was not practicing my faith at the time, but instinctively felt uneasy about forcing life into existence. The view I embraced was that God would not have allowed this medical knowledge to be gifted to doctors unless it benefited mankind. I realize now that was my way of making peace with the decision to move ahead with it. That being said, I absolutely have no regrets, I have a beautiful, kind and loving daughter that I know was meant to be here. But in hindsight, I recognize now that we were not in a faith-based marriage and the fallout from that led to an abusive relationship and ultimately divorce. In all of this mess though, I realized the missing piece was my relationship with the Lord, which has now been restored through repentance and forgiveness. I have gone to confession to unload a lifetime of ego driven sin and guilt, which was incredibly freeing. I attend Catholic mass regularly and humbly try to be a devout and loving follower of Jesus Christ. My daughter is a typical 19 yr old, but she lives in a home saturated with the love of God, she knows she is a child that belongs to Him and I know He loves her more than I can imagine.
Thanks for sharing. Very honest and humble . It will help many.
Just reading this now. Thank you, what a testimony! Bless you for your honesty and true humility.
I was reading a Facebook post that implied that infertility in a marriage/ relationship could suggest that you're in a marriage that God did not will for you. What do you think about that?
@@eve3363 That Facebook post lacked compassion and empathy.
@@generouscrump5363 OK. I think there was some truth to it, to be honest.
I’m not a Catholic, or even a Christian, but I’ve always died to know why you, or any one for that matter, would be against contraception. This video has helped shed a lot of much needed light. I feel that I can understand the Catholic position a bit easier after watching this.
It's simple: controlling women.
Reproduction is a sin
Wow. You touched my soul so deeply on this subject. My husband and I were sadly victims of infertility. I KNEW that I was made to be a mother - I was your PERFECT mother and I literally went to a dark place with GOD about it. Thanking my husband and my family for their prayers, because I was able to come back from there and return to believe that God has a plan. Our plan was to ADOPT. That was back in 1998, my KIDS (MY KIDS) are now 25, 23 and 19 . . . I can't imagine my life without them and I am THE PERFECT MOTHER. But I KNOW that God had them for me all along . . . HE just wanted me to LEAVE IT TO HIM . . . and when I finally did, within a few weeks, we got a call from our caseworker about the two older ones. My 19 year old, came from the same mother, so they are all half siblings . . . but she was my newborn baby that I NEVER THOUGHT I would have. I AM A MOTHER, MY HUSBAND WOULD SAY, HE IS A FATHER . . . they were chosen from GOD for US . . . people still say, "wow, your daughters look so much like you and your son is the splitting image of his dad." I am humbly complimented, because they are beautiful and they were GIFTS FROM GOD.
Chill with the capitalization
This is utterly beautiful 💕
You are the perfect example of letting go and letting God 😇!! Your children are very lucky to have such a wonderful, faith-filled mother 😍!!!
"God wants you to be whole. Even in the midst of that wholeness there's a hole in your heart." 😭❤️🙏 Thank you Fr. Mike.
But why???????????????????
This gives me an assurance that I’m doing the right thing as a Catholic. Thanks Father Mike
amen...i thought the same thing, but then i started crying. thanks for your comment.
Hallie Mathers This give you assurance that you are happy to let others do your thinking for you
@@teenherofilms What is your problem?
@@teenherofilms Funny how you think you have a freedom of thought in this modern world while being a slave to something in your life...people follow the church's doctrine because they find it the most fitting and sensible.
@@RodDop-us9ex Not to me
I’m in tears😭 “God loves you. It was not by accident.” My first daughter is an ivf baby and I thank God every single day for her and my second daughter who wAs naturally conceived.🙏🏻 God filled that hole in my heart and I will forever be grateful.
I am an adopted child. My biological parents couldn’t afford to raise me. I am here! It would’ve been easier for my biological mother to have “it” taken care of.
I was place in the arms of my parents and have had a wonderful life: a musician, a speech therapist, a mother and now a grandmother. I have had a blessed life !
God bless your parents for taking u in
Very much needed topic that every Catholic couple should hear. Very important and necessary for today.
Jou Young so people have to listen to being controlled by religion rather than making up their own mind whether they want children or not?
Gary Williams people can make up their own minds about anything they want. As a Catholic it’s important to know the churches doctrine. If you’re not catholic or a Christian, you obviously don’t have to worry about it. However, if you are, I think it’s in your best interest to understand what the church teaches
@@amyj4283 So you just have a religious and political institution do your thinking for you. Wow. I am sure glad I have no use for religion.
Gary Williams that’s the beauty of freedom. You get to live by any philosophy that makes sense to you. The philosophy that there is a God and he is a God of purpose and order makes sense to some and not others. There’s no need to hate
@@amyj4283 No need to hate? More wars, more hate has come about through the Christian religion than anything else. Come off it! WOW, the Crusades, the Inquisition, a sick demented Catholic church that controls people through FEAR. Top that!!
“God chose it for me, I just said Yes.” ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
And MANY are blessed because of your "YES" Father Mike. You've brought many souls to Our Lord and hopefully many to Heaven because of your "Yes"!
@@joyyoung3319
The scripture says that a baby is NOT a soul until they are born and receive Yahweh's GIFT of breath.
The life of the baby is the mothers life.
WHEN a baby is born Yahweh gives the body His GIFT of Breath and the BODY becomes alive.
At the same time THE creator Yahweh puts a soul and Spirit in the body and the the baby becomes a living SOUL.
Very clear literal scriptures.
Abortion is NOT KILLING LIFE.
We are told in Genesis 2 that The creator Yahweh created THE MAN out of the dust of the earth.
He created a BODY with NO LIFE in it. THEN He breathed into the DEAD BODY LIFE and THE MAN became a living SOUL or living being. Gen 2: 7.
BEFORE THE MAN received Yahweh's GIFT of Breath the BODY was DEAD.
The Christians are LYING.
When a husband and wife conceive they make a BODY.
A Lifeless body . The LIFE of the body is the mothers life, the mother dies so does the baby body.
A Baby in the womb is NOT a human being UNTIL THE Creator Yahweh breathes His GIFT of Breath into the baby AND Then the baby becomes a LIVING SOUL.
Perfect scripture.
Abortion is NOT KILLING human BABIES.
Abortion is killing bodies with no soul in them.
Still born bodies prove this to be so.
Perfect bodies / NO BREATH in them. NO soul in them. NO Spirit in them.
Oxygen does NOT make still born bodies breathe.
Yahweh's GIFT of Breathing makes a body alive. So it is written.
THE creator Yahweh says that ALL babies born on this earth are HIS CHILDREN.
Yahweh gives HIS CHILDREN to fathers and mothers and says :" look after MY CHILDREN."
Every baby born on this earth the moment they are born has their name put in the book of LIFE.
On judgement day Yahweh is going to BLOT out all the sinners names written in the book of Life from the foundation of the earth.. Rev 3: 5.
May THE creator Yahweh give you your hearts desire.
Heb. 12: 14.
Bless you
raymond lindroth I’m sorry, but abortion does kill life. If you read medical books, they state life begins at conception. Cells begin to proliferate, as soon as the sperm enters the ovum. Please do more research, before you promote this false teaching.
God Bless! 😇
Where does it say in Scripture that everything has to be written in Scripture. Anybody with common sense KNOWs that the moment of Conception is when life begins. God said He formed us. He knit us together in our Mother's womb. You go ahead & tell God that at Conception there is not life yet. He's the Author of Life.
@@joyyoung3319
Human beings CANNOT create LIFE.
There is ONLY ONE Creator.
Yahweh is His NAME. Exo 20: 11.
The LIFE of the body is the mothers LIFE.
The mother dies and the body dies.
Yahweh ALONE creates LIFE.
Still born babies are PERFECT.
Yahweh decides IF a baby recieves His GIFT of Breath.
Still born babies are alive in the womb but come out DEAD. No life in them.
Still born babies did NOT die.
They were NEVER alive with a SOUL in them.
Yahweh alone decides IF a baby recieves His GIFT of The abilty to breathe.
The first GIFT Yahweh gives us is the abilty to breate.
The last thing Yahweh takes away is our abilty to breathe and we breathe our last.
Your god lets humans KILL babies.
ALL babies BORN on the earth are Yahweh's children.
He gives them to us to look after while they are on the earth.
My God Yahweh forbids Humans killing HIS unborn babies.
May THE creator Yahweh give you your hearts desire.
Heb 12: 14.
Bless you
I am a Catholic. I also worked in the medical field most of my life. I understand the science of IVF. My husband and I were unable to conceive after marriage. But know and believing in the Catholic faith, we accepted it. There was a time of sadness, but we believed that this was God's Will. It was difficult to go thru Mother's Day and Father's Days. But in knowing the detriment and sin of discarding unborn children is so grave, it was NEVER even a consideration. Well fast forward 8 years into our marriage..my husband got cancer, and needed my full attention. I wanted to give him everything I had to make his years happy until death. If we did have a young child by then, I couldn't have given all i had to both. This is just my story. But I feel in my story, that God knew that i was the type if person who couldnt deal with both. A child and my husband would need my attention greatly. And he went thru so much and was in the hospital many times. So I say, listen to God. There are reasons we women may never conceive. The church is not against tests or surgical interventions ( like a blocked tube), or even medications to ovulate. But having a child is a gift from God, if and when God reveals it to you. Being barren was not punishment. I feel it was God's way of giving me all I had to my husband. And I was blessed to care for him as much as I did.
In my thirties, I expressed grief to my ob-gyn that I might not find a husband in time to have children. She advised me to freeze my eggs for IVF at a later date, and I said I wouldn’t do that because the Church teaches against it and because it didn’t sit well with my own conscience. She said that she was a Catholic and she knew of no such teaching by the Church. It’s distressing that so many people in a position to know better haven’t informed themselves on this subject. I actually think that even without knowing the teaching on IVF, a Catholic with very basic catechesis should be able to connect the dots. Thank you for speaking the truth in love, Fr. Mike.
Father Mike, this one made me cry. This was the most loving presentation of this topic that I have heard. Especially the way you spoke about IVF. Thank you for speaking the truth in love.
My mother had IVF about 10 years ago and had my little brother.. We just became Catholic a year ago and did not know IVF wasn’t supported by the church. Last year, my little brother received his first communion; Me and my mother received our confirmation last January. Just wanted you to know.
Thank you Fr Mike..
Thanks for sharing, he is a treasured life. God is merciful
Welcome to the Catholic church Amador & all your family❤️
Welcome, God bless you
Conversion is an ongoing experience, not a one-time event. You're growing deeper into our Faith!
I can relate to what you said about "not getting it, until it finally clicks." Two years ago, my husband and I decided we were ready to start a family. I knew that there were people out there who weren't able to conceive but I never thought that that percentage while include us. I had offhandedly asked my sister if she would be a surrogate for me in the chance that we wouldn't be able to have a baby. I had heard of that before and I thought what a noble thing that was--though I learned later, like Father Mike did, how disordered that was in God's plan for us. Anyways, 2 years later and no little bundle of joy of our own but...oh the many graces that God has showered upon us during this trial has been the greatest of blessings and beyond our imagination and understanding. I came into the Catholic Church last year being the greatest of blessings. I definitely would not have if I had gotten pregnant because I would have been all about the baby. God second, baby first, would have been my priorities. But God had a better plan for us, in that during our infertility struggles, God revealed his truths to us. And one of those truths was, children are a gift...but not everyone gets that gift, and that's ok. He will not leave us broken and we will find peace and comfort through Him. Suffering is not bad, because Christ suffered for us and look at all the good that came out of it. God has given me faith, hope, love, and an amazing husband. I couldn't have asked for more and certainly don't deserve it... But that is how good our God is. Trust in God. It may not be the plan you might've have wanted for yourself but His plan will always be so much better and more fulfilling.
alldoneup is the Catholic Church also against adoption?
@@stephanieallred5222 No, of course not. For a long time, many and I believe perhaps most orphanages were run by the Church, and of course those orphanages always were welcoming to prospective adopting parents.
Paul Miller cool. Just curious how that goes with the argument that IVF is against the unity of sex. Wouldn’t adoption be the same?
Stephanie Allred if I may answer - with adoption the child is already here so there is no violation or sin committed by the adopting couple - think of this - St Joseph was the foster father of Jesus - The Lord was not his biological son but was taken in as his own.
@@stephanieallred5222 Not at all (though, granted, I'm far from an expert on this topic). If a married couple wants kids and just can't, adoption is a way they can go. In fact, I believe it is encouraged.
Father, thank you for sharing this. It is a tough topic to talk about and your emotion was palpable, which only further exemplified the seriousness of the subject. I hope that should I ever have to defend this topic that I can do it with the grace you showed.
This was very difficult to listen to but very thought provoking. Definitely something to keep praying about. Thank you for your insights Fr. Mike.
Very well said, Father Mike. Thank you for being bold enough to address such a tough topic.
My husband and I have had a hole in our heart for over seven years now. We did succumb to iui and ivf and I’m not proud to say it was mainly because people asked about it and society expected it as the next step. All six treatments and procedures were unsuccessful although we did ensure that the little babies (embryos) all had an opportunity to grow but unfortunately they didn’t implant. We were insistent on that point as there was no way that we would leave them behind. I have realised the error of judgement and confessed. We have since been seeing a NaPro doctor and have found out I have endometriosis. We hope that because of the surgery we will conceive soon. I think the hardest thing for couples in our situation is the what-ifs the when and the why. If we knew that there was no chance then at least we can move on. I always think back to the video Fr Mike made about God’s ‘master’ plan and wonder about my place in the world and if maybe this cross of ours is for the greater good in some way. God have mercy on us and grant us your salvation. God Bless Fr Mike and all my brothers and sisters in Christ ✝️ 🙏🏻 ✝️
The best concise explanation I've ever heard! Bless all who hear - thank you Father
In the Humanae Vitae the contraception topic is explained in more depth for those interested, its pretty quick to read
Where was this in 1991??
Ronique Breaux Jordan it actually was written before 1981 but i just guess people don’t actually talk about it enough and recommend it
I respect anyone willing to have a belief and make an argument on its behalf, but if you think IVF is not a unifying experience between a husband and a wife, then you have not sufficiently explored what is involved. Creating the embryo is the easy part, holding her hand while it’s implanted inside her, waking up every morning at 6:00am to inject her with progesterone, crying together when you get the bad news that it didn’t take… what is more unifying than that?
Probably the best video he's made. A hard thing to explain and he did it wonderfully.
...finishing one (video)..on to this
Rigth!
Physicians have training and education that most people don't.
Reproduction is a sin
Thank you for this message, as hard as it is for my husband and I to carry the infertility cross, this message touched us deeply. We said no to in vitro, God bless you.
Don't lose hope. Just pray and accept whatever God has for you.
A friend of mine and her husband were told that they would not be able to be parents (because a problem the guy had). They went to doctors etc, never trying anything against the Church teachings, and after 10 years of marriage, once they had almost finished the process of adopting a child, she got pregnant!! They have now two beautiful daughters
Monica, this cross is painful.. but we can live joyfully with God's grace. I just prayed for you. God bless 💗
@@EverydayCatholic thank you for the prayers and words of encouragement
@@monicaorellana6300 🙏🏽💗
Reproduction is a sin
l'm Catholic and conceived my 2 children via IVF. My belief is that God gives spirit into the children he wants to have born.
From 13 blastocysts, only 2 grew into children. Our children are also part of God's gift and love.
Women undertaking IVF have immense faith, hope and love.
When you think about it, God is the penultimate IVF specialist.
IVF is as much a miracle and testament to life, as is organ transplant.
If the Vatican had its way
Your 2 children wouldn't even be here!
You are not a Catholic. You reject Catholic teaching.
hope you have been to confession and repented for killing 11 unborn children
I am so proud of your strength in always speaking the truth no matter how hard it is to do. You always see the other sides as well showing deep understanding and empathy for people who don’t understand! We need you to keep telling the truth! 🙏🏼 thank you 😊
God also turns his face towards sinners. If we repent ask his forgiveness and walk and act in his words he will accept us all.
He shows forgiveness grace and mercy always to the imperfect.
God is the only judge
Father Mike, as a single mom this hit right in the heart. I've had 4 pregnancy and my daughter is such an amazing gift. Everything happens in His time.
0:37 me too Fr. Mike =(
So glad we came back home 🙌🏽
Savina Zúñiga Welcome back! 😊😇❤️
Thank you Fr.Mike for enlightening me about IVF, I cried a river for this. Now I’m at peace and put my life in God’s hand. God’s will be done. God bless!
God bless you more, Fr. Mike! I wish more people could hear this and truly understand God's message through your explanation.
You are amazing Fr. Mike, thank you so much for this video. My heart goes out to you and everything you do. It’s become part of my morning routine to sit down with your talks at breakfast and get filled with your wisdom and humor. I love it so much. Thank you for being such a gift with putting yourself out there like this for us to receive these answers to so many of our questions. God Bless you my friend, you are doing great things.🕊
You did a great job explaining the churches’ teaching on what is, for many people, a difficult concept to grasp.
God Bless you, and keep you, Father Mike.
I really appreciate your recognition that this isn't just a head issue, but a heart issue for many people. I think just by mentioning that, it can give perspective to a person, where we aren't just looking at ourselves through the lens of our emotions, but through the lens of our whole person. The heart is just as important as the head as the body and as the spirit.
I think it can be hard to accept teachings that strive to give our whole selves well-being when there is such an emotional implication.
I didn’t really have trouble understanding the Churches teaching on contraception, but I really struggled with understanding IVF as it’s life giving. Thanks Fr Mike for being so gentle yet firm with the Churches teaching on this sensitive topic.
Thank you Fr. for speaking on this topic with love, understanding, and sincerity. You have the talent to use your words to reveal truth that do not sting. God bless.
"None of us deserve to be parents." That's a tough pill to swallow.
You sir brighten my day! Thank you God bless
Wow! He explains everything so beautifully, that it's the live version of when you are reading a book and you just can't put it down. For some people who stare at a lens as they are talking like in this video, it's very difficult; but he does it in such a way that you're convinced that he's speaking to you and only you as as if speaking to you one-on-one.
My husband and I are infertile. We tried fertility treatments (not IVF) to no avail. We considered adoption, but couldn’t afford the fee. So we don’t have any living children. I had two very early miscarriages, so we have two in Heaven, but none here.
It is hurtful when people say that children are a blessing and a gift from God. It’s not that I don’t believe that, because I do believe it. But then I have to wonder why God didn’t bless us with the gift of a child. It’s not fair. People who don’t even want kids can have kids. People who abuse and neglect kids can have kids. Why would God send kids to people that were going to hurt them and not send them to people who would be good parents like us?
I'm so sorry for your losses & your pain. I have found peace in the fact that God's plan for us was paradise - not a broken world full of disease and heartache. Infertility is a disease. God does not grant disease & heartache for certain people. We live in a broken world but God does bring goodness out of brokenness... I am waiting for a surprise from God - whatever that may be. In the meantime, my fur baby has comforted me through the pain of infertility & I have grown closer to God - more than ever. I know when we suffer, we are to lean on God and His love. Also, infertility is a unique pain, so I'm not claiming to know what you're going through. I just prayed for you. God bless💗
Everyday Catholic Thank you so much for your kind words.
I ended up having to have my ovaries taken out, one at a time due to large, painful cysts, so that was the end of us trying to get pregnant.
I’m 51 now and disabled. So, while it’s still hurtful sometimes, I’ve accepted the fact that I will never have children on Earth.
I had two very early miscarriages, so I have two babies in Heaven.
I love animals, so we have 4 dogs and 3 cats and that helps, especially my little chiweenie who is almost always with me when I’m home.
I was a substitute teacher for two years and a full time teacher for six years. I loved my “babies”. I taught K-2, so little ones. Every year, I loved them and they loved me.
My husband and I also have 5 godchildren and we’ve spent a lot of time with them.
I’m adopted and I found my birth family, so I have two great-nieces and seven great-nephews and we spend time with them. We’ve taken the oldest three with us on a couple of road trips. They are the light of my life.
So, while it still does bother me that I was never able to have living children, I see what God did. He sent me godchildren. Then He made me a teacher and sent me students. Then He let me meet my birth family and let me have two great-nieces and seven great-nephews. He didn’t send me my own children. He sent me other people’s children.
So, basically, I am a childless mother. I don’t have living children of my own, but I have the privilege to be able to mother other people’s children.
Not having my own children makes me a better godmother, a better teacher, and a better great-aunt.
When God closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.
I love the song Unanswered Prayers by Garth Brooks. It says “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” That speaks to my situation.
But it’s hard to be Catholic and infertile. Everyone expects you to have kids, and when you don’t, they think it’s because you didn’t want kids, which is very un-Catholic. And to hear the priest and other people say that children are a blessing and a gift, it makes me wonder why God didn’t give me any when I wanted them so badly. So that’s still hard, even though I’ve accepted the fact that I won’t have kids of my own.
Thanks for praying for me.
@@cmm2145 Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry. You have been through quite a lot. I love chiweenies!! My dog is a terrier mix from the shelter. He has been so crucial to my healing. I had him blessed on St. Francis of Assisi's feast day. Aw, I have been blessed to teach a children's choir for 2 years. They are so sweet and thank me for being a great teacher. That is beautiful that you spent years teaching sweet little ones! Aw, godchildren! I am a godmother too. What a blessing. Aw nieces & nephews!! We ADORE our nieces and nephews as well. They visit us in the summer for little vacations.
Yes, you are a spiritual mother to many children! It is actually similar to Mother Mary... she is not our physical mother but our spiritual mother. It is beautiful to imitate Our Lady 💗 Yes, it is sooo hard to be catholic and infertile. There needs to be more awareness about this. I am actually going to make a video about this next month on Gracefully Catholic (a collaborative youtube channel for women). I will do my best on this topic... it is a tough and painful one. I loved all of your words of hope through the pain. God bless you!!
Everyday Catholic
God bless you, too!
@@cmm2145 💗🙏🏽
Still one of the hardest topics for me as a Catholic but I've been understanding it more and more thanks to channels like this and my brother
A very difficult delicate topic and yet you explained it in a very adequate manner to make sense, Fr Mike.
Greatest part...God wants to make us whole even if it leaves a hole in our hearts!
Who can understand God's plan? Very hard at times even when we are genuine. It is always a struggle to live faithfully.
Thank you Fr. Mike. You pick controversial topics and are not afraid/shy to talk about them.
I have known since i was 18 that i would never conceive. Nor would i adopt either. So now im in my 60s and husband passed away in 2022. Ill tell u father it is not easy being alone.
I agree with you that nobody "deserves" a child. Some people think just because they want one they are entitled to a child. On a different note, it's strange how so many people (unmarried or not) that are terrible parents and/or don't want children easily procreate and others that would make great parents can't have them. What is that about?!
Because God gave those children bad parents, so they could suffer and we suffer because he loves us... There's great graces that come from suffering
@@rabbster7 You sound insane....
@@rabbster7 this is deep
Thank you Father! The truth can be hard to hear and understand. It takes the Holy Spirit to help us gain wisdom. I appreciate you defending the faith. This takes courage so thank you again! God bless you! 🙏🏼
This one was a tough one but I’m so glad to hear of this conversation. I pray in my mind and heart for those unable to have the gift of a child and are longing for it. Even I who may or may not have a tough road ahead understand how deeply this can hurt to even think about but I’m thankful to hear an honest answer
"If you truly believe children are a gift from God... not everyone gets that gift."
That's a REALLY hard thing to say, and I respect you for saying it. Thank you.
Bravo Fr. Mike, very well done! We need to embrace our humility which comes from God's love which is everything!!
Wow, ive never thought of that topic like that! I feel enlighten by fathers Mike explanation.
Fr Mike you explained the subject with charity and thoughtfulness. I think that this video is the best so far. Thank you Father and we keep you in our prayers.
Thank you so much for this teaching! I wish I had learned it long ago but so grateful I know it now.
Fr. Schumitz you're a grounding force. Thank you.
I was realy near to make decision to go for IVF. What I realised is that every time we spoked about it with my husband was : I want child ....I want...child is not new car, not new dress, is" I" constantly. Egoism not love.
Fr. Mike, so much beauty in this truth! Such a. beautiful explanation! You're such a gift to the church!
Dang Father. In all the videos I’ve seen of you, I have never seen one where your heart is so torn to be kind and gentle but to also give the truth. I commend you so hard for this man. Props to you.
Well explained Fr. Mike. Thanks and God bless you. I pray for you Fr. Mike. Amen!
Beautifully and tenderly spoken Fr Mike. God bless.
Thank you very much Fr Mike. You explain delicate issues so well and uphold the Catholic faith in such a heroic and good way. God bless you always and may the Holy Spirit keep enlightening you thus always. You are truly blessed. I daily pray for you and other priests so Our Lady will always keep and protect you.
Thank you Fr. I have wrestled with this issue for years before converting to Catholicism and now that I’m Catholic and in my 50s with my own family, I see the sexual act and IVF for what it is. Thank you for putting this so eloquently♥️. God bless always🙏✝️♥️
Good job Fr Mike! I was hoping you were going to talk about how God essentially wants us to put faith in him when trying for a child and not in IVF. Keep up the good work!
Thank you father mike, extremely compassionate and yes, very well explained
I love Father Mike so much because he puts it in words we can understand and puts it quite plainly. I really like the analogies of the table and the chair too.
Father Shmitz, thank you for posting this video. I like the way you explain the Church's teaching regarding this subject and other topics as well. You explained the Church's teaching beautifully. God bless you.
This is beautiful Father. Bright and sharp in Holy Spirit.
This is nature. One doesn’t have to be a Christian to understand this. And yes, only the Church teaches on this issue clearly.
I’ve come to understand that God is the Giver of all gifts, including children. Some gets 10 kids, some 2, and others none. The Giver gives as He wishes, we can’t really force His hands; we find peace truly, when we surrender to His will 🙏🏾.
Amen!
Agreed but I also want to share that infertility is a disease. No disease is a part of God's plan. However God brings goodness out of our brokenness.
@@EverydayCatholic l agree with you that infertility is first and foremost a medical condition and must be treated accordingly. I believe Natalie's point was an emphasis on learning to accept God's will in all situations
@@delalisessinou4404 yes I am suffering through infertility & I always pray Lord, if it is your will, please heal me/take away my condition. It's important to note that God does not give this heartache to anyone, just like cancer or any other heartbreaking condition. God's plan for us was always paradise. This is important for infertile catholics to know.
I pray the Lord blesses you with all the beautiful desires of your heart. You will be in my prayers🙏🏾
Fr. Mike has this charism for teaching and explaining with such compassion and grace and delicacy without tiptoeing around issues. To point out that In our broken nature we will do what we want to get what we want even if it means turning a human into a commodity is stark and frank and true. It also points out the absolute need to lean into the Lord and bring him out sorrow and desires and brokenness and TRUST that His will to give or deny something is for our sanctification. Fr. Mike is such a blessing to our faith and our church.
Thank you for sharing this with us. I didn't realised how much I needed to hear this. It broke my heart and made me cry. 💔😭 Viva Cristo Rey!!! ✝️🙏♥️🕯️🕊️
I’m a life long Protestant that has been flirting with Catholic theology lately. Much of it is rich and beautiful. But this subject alone, would prevent me from fully embracing Catholicism. Not because I have a dog in the fight. But because it has absolutely no scripture to back it up. It is pure arbitrary rules based on human reason. Whether or not we can rationalize it by reasoning out the purpose of sex, it’s still human reason and not a thus saith the Lord. The church should not be binding people’s consciences to things not revealed by him.
Howdy! I feel this. I’m no expert, nor is this a complete answer, but I sometimes relate this to men of the Bible going into their maidservants because their wives are without child as a form of surrogacy/psuedo-ivf. God hasn’t blessed a particular union with life, so man seeks it his own way. We can explore various instances of this, and then I think we can at least draw some faint leanings in the Catholic Church’s teaching from that.
I think also that most-all Christians can see how the family is in some way an “icon” of the Trinity- a life-giving union between persons. And while this could be a long discussion itself, I think we can reason that IVF and such doesn’t contribute to the highest form of a good. Now, that’s exactly your issue, that it’s human reasoning, but I’d just offer that God made us in His Image - with an intellect with which to know Him and a heart with which to love Him. I think it’s necessary and good to employ our reasoning - a God given gift, to seek Him. But of course, always testing the spirits and making sure, at the absolute minimum, our conclusions don’t CONTRADICT or supersede scripture
Then of course, typical Catholic response incoming 😅 but the Bible is infallible and authoritative, but it doesn’t address EVERYTHING. Just to say, as the world progresses, especially in things like technology/medical fields, new questions of morality arise that we can’t have obvious precedent for. But, similar to what we see in instances like the council of Jerusalem in Acts, Jesus has given us a Church that is able to guide us in such things.
Whether that helps or not, I don’t know, but just a general part of my own perspective when I was coming to terms with things like this too!
Cheers mate,
-Joshua
@@JoshuaJohnMusic that’s actually a very reasonable response. Thank you! You’ve given me some things to consider, and I definitely will do that with prayer. God bless you.🙏🏼
Makes sense, perfectly Fr Mike! God bless.
I love the way he explains and talks about all these sensitive issues.
God bless Father Mike. I could feel towards the end that he knows the truth within his heart and is trying to proclaim it in the kindest way even though he knows this is a problem which is God forbid never going to cease. This takes intellect but also heart.
Thank you sir, I never imagined these problems could occur such as IVF
Thank you Fr. Mike
Blessings
What an eye-opening and moving video! Somehow you manage to get to the heart of a very difficult subject and explain it with crystal clarity. What I wouldn’t give to be able to sit down and pick your extremely fertile brain for an evening! God bless!
Excellent Fr. Mike and thank you! This is a difficult topic at best, and you handled it with Grace and truth.
I think this is a great explanation. When I finally understood this teaching though it was from a slightly different angle. Marriage and sex are kind of like an icon of God's love. It's a total gift of the self to another and a total receiving of the other. So if you use something to suppress or block your fertility, you are basically saying to your husband or wife, I love you so much! Everything except your pesky fertility....
This sounds weird but I think of it kind of like bulemia. It's this desire to have but not have at the same time. Not accepting fully what the person gives, wanting the taste but not the calories. Wanting the pleasure but not the chance of a baby.
Somewhere on the Internet, I think in one of his Steubenville talks, Fr. Mike draws an exact parallel with bulimia.
@@kelkabotI find it offensive to compare birth control sex to bulimia.
Thank you for this! This strengthens me because my husband and I can't have children without IVF. I do believe that life begins at conception and here where I live they fertilize much more eggs than needed for implantation. The rest will be put to freezer where anything can happen to them. If something bad happens to them, destruction, scientific experiences, or implantation in another woman's womb anywhere on this planet, I would share responsibility in that. Not only that but also God may ask me account in the next life and I may loose eternal life. I seek the kingdom of God first. It is tough and lonely to say the least but I put my trust in God that he will help us through this. I refused IVF without even knowing that catholic church is against it.
Not only that, but usually they implant multiple embryos into the client mother's womb KNOWING that they will not all survive. And if they do, they often resort to selective abortions (basically, they kill the "extra" babies so that the strongest one survives).
It's all a horrible lie. They sell this service as though it is life-affirming, but the exact opposite is true.
No parent has a RIGHT to a child. But ALL children have a RIGHT to be conceived NATURALLY and as the fruit of MARRIAGE. Children have a GOD GIVEN RIGHT to that.
But parents do NOT have a right to a child.
This is the best, clearest explanation I've ever heard. Thanks Father Mike!!! You're a blessing
I really enjoyed this video. Thank you for taking the time to share this.
GOD bless you father thankyou for all your teachings
Wow...… the point about how the embryos are treated as disposable and it's connection to life beginning at conception is something that I had never even thought of before (how is that possible? lol). I love the way that you explain things so simply yet dive so deeply at the same time. You truly have a gift for teaching, thank you!
He didn’t call them embryos but babies or human life at the very initial stage of development. We never stop to develop from conception until natural death.
Thank you Father for addressing this and you did an amazing job. God really speaking through you on this controversial topic.
Better than IVF --> Adoption: a child receives the love he couldn't receive from his original family, and you receive the gift of someone who will become your child
IVF is evil. It almost always involves abortions, it treats children like a commodity, it denies children their God given RIGHT to be conceived naturally and as the fruit of marriage, and it violates the dignity of all parties involved---mother, father, children, surrogates, donors, etc. ALL of them.
Finally a priest speaking the truth. This content is spectacular!
Im not Catholic (inquiring) but this made me cry so hard. I struggle with infertility and this spoke to my heart
God Bless You! I hope you become Catholic Deo Volente!
Father Mike you did a great job of making a difficult subject much more understandable, thank you.
Beautifully explained. This is a very hard and controversial question and you've absolutely nailed it. Thank you Father.
Beautiful!! Well explained and I thank you!!
I loved the intellectual arguments and the emotional power in this video. Thank you for sharing this!
Very well explained. Thank you Fr. Mike.
I could feel the love in your words. This was a powerful message. Thank you
A biological bond is not required to be a parent. There are so many children already in need of a safe and loving home. Please consider fostering or adoption before IVF. 🙏🏽
Why can't I want it to be a link based on progeny? I'm allowed to do that.
@@stealth210I meant no offence. If you are called to have children; then I believe God will create an opportunity for you to have them but with God's broader view. Instead of "progeny is my right" maybe we can share the common ground of not hesitating to pour loving support and mentorship into any child we encounter. God Bless.