God bestowed His blessing and new names on Abraham and his wife, Sarah. He promised them land, prosperity and more descendants than stars in the sky. After years wandering a timeworn path of faithfulness, waiting for His promises to be fulfilled, they lost hope. In desperation, Sarah told Abraham to have a child with her maidservant and Abraham obeyed. Yet this did not satisfy the desire of their hearts or fulfill God’s plan for their marriage.

The answer to years of prayer was finally revealed when Abraham and Sarah invited three travelers into their tent to dine at their table. They served these divine guests with the humblest of provisions. Their hospitality and faithfulness were rewarded with joy and laughter at the unexpected birth of Isaac.

Our Struggles Today

Because we have the medical and technological ability to manipulate the gift of life and fertility, we face the temptation of rejecting God’s plan for our families. Rather than discerning and trusting in the Church’s wisdom and teachings, we rely on our own faulty reasoning. Taking matters into our own hands, we prevent life from beginning, intentionally end life in the womb, and create life in a lab without regard for the outcome. These decisions fail to fill the emptiness of our hearts.