Conception is a Gift from God
In every human marriage the joy of conception is celebrated. Not every wife is able to conceive making each conception a blessing from God. In the ancient world it was considered a sign of unrighteousness if a woman could not conceive. Today is a reminder of God’s compassion.
Today is the Feast of the Conception of John the Baptist. It is one of only three such celebrations on the Church calendar. The Church only celebrates the conception of John the Baptist, the Theotokos and God. That is telling us something about them, not about conception.
It is painful when a woman is unable to conceive, but it is not sinful. Modern science has helped us to understand the complexity of the human body. We no longer think sin is the reason a woman cannot conceive. That can be a gift from God, but it can also create new pain.
At that time, in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they wondered at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them and remained dumb. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, “Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”
Luke 1.5-25
It is clear from today’s reading in the Gospel of Luke that Elizabeth’s inability to conceive was not about sin. She is called righteous in the Gospel as was her husband Zacharias. So, why did God choose to relieve her pain and allow her to conceive, but other women cannot?
In the case of Elizabeth, her son was going to become John the Baptist, who Christ would later say was the greatest man ever to be born of a woman. (see Matthew 11.11) God used her barrenness to fulfill His promise to the world.
Modern medicine has made it ‘easier’ for women to conceive. We are thankful, but even with modern medicine some women are still barren. We must pray for them to find peace with their physical reality. We must help them understand they still have value. We must love them.
Elizabeth was a “reproach” among others because they didn’t understand. Her reproach was because of their sin, not her sin. It is our responsibility to comfort those women in our lives who cannot conceive.
If you are reading this blog today and you are a woman unable to conceive a child, let me assure you, God still loves you. You may never know why your body won’t conceive, but you should always know God’s love and compassion. Pray to Saint Elizabeth. She knows your pain.
Pray for God’s peace. He will always give you peace.
