The Gift of Parenthood: What does it really mean to be parents?

What does it really mean to be parents? It is a gift or a right? Furthermore, upon what is conjugal love founded? As John Paul II said, “Parents must want the new human creature in the same way that the Creator wants him, for himself.” Thus, to be parents is essentially to receive a gift that gives a new prospect of love, understood from the lens of reciprocal generosity and gift of self. This was one of the greatest invitations and teachings of John Paul II. Rafael Hurtado from the Universidad Panamericana (Guadalajara, Mexico) has studied this in detail by meticulously retracing John Paul II’s theological, pastoral and poetic thought on parenthood: a topic that has been the center of debates, disputes and questions that seek to understand its true meaning.
Enjoy.