A Second Chance for Life

As we know, our country, and the world, is in a state of confusion over the Catholic Church and her teachings. The concept of a sacred union between a man and a woman and the blessings that flow from that union have not ever been a mystery to the Church. This union is truly one of the most amazing sacraments of our faith. It is at this time, as well as when we receive the Eucharist, that we are as close to God as is humanly possible.

Before my conversion to Catholicism, I did not appreciate God’s design for this sacramental union between husband and wife. I, like many, viewed the marital act merely as a means of mutual gratification rather than giving oneself wholly to Christ in that union, thus giving oneself completely to one’s spouse and being open to the act of procreation.

Our country had a “modernization” in the 1960’s with the sexual revolution and the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade ruling. The fallout is that there are no repercussions for relationships outside of the sphere of the morality of the Catholic Church. There is no conscience for the actions or the results of these relationships. Our society has a disposable mentality for the products of our actions. These include pregnancy, children, and life itself.

Society has drifted away from the true meaning of marriage between one man and one woman and the incredible blessings of children resulting from that union. Even today, mankind is fighting against these tenets handed down from our Lord.

I have been a urologist in Northern California for eighteen years. I converted to the Catholic Church seven years ago and, with God’s grace, have been growing in my understanding and practice of Christianity. I ceased doing vasectomies five years ago because I came to understand how it violates the meaning of the human person, written on all of our hearts by God Himself. Since that time, my practice has increased substantially, in spite of ditching what most urologists consider their “cash cow.” My wife and I have researched alternatives and have begun our training and practice of the Creighton Model of FertilityCare. This model supports couples in becoming co-creators with God in their fertility.

In order to become a Medical Consultant, I myself had to have my vasectomy reversed to “walk the walk” not just “talk the talk.” Since that time, my marital relations with my wife have taken on a whole new meaning. The increased intimacy, love, and closeness to God and each other, as well as the procreative potential, both excites and fascinates me. This allows my wife and I to bring our physical and spiritual needs together and become closer to God. The marital act is truly a sacramental moment, which now includes for us, even in our late forties and early fifties, the potential of human procreation. This is a sacred time when we are able to “physically” touch God in the act of co-creating a new eternal human life. There are few other moments when we can be so close to our Lord. The only other time we are this close to God is when we receive Him in the Eucharist.

Those self imposed and expected barriers of the world are gone. We are now open to all of the gifts that God is willing to bestow upon us. I am fifty-one years old with adult children, young children, and grandchildren, and we are currently providing for all of them, on many levels. Life is extremely busy. Despite this hectic life, the possibility, each month, that we could become co-creators with God, and receive a child, is a blessing I pray that all of our society might one day appreciate… as children truly are an amazing gift from almighty God.

May God Bless Us All.