Touchstone Magazine Home From the Jan/Feb, 2014 issue of
Touchstone   Multiplication Tabled by William M. Gardner
Multiplication Tabled  William M. Gardner on the Problem of
Preaching About "Responsible Parenthood"  Preaching at a wedding
ceremony can be a great opportunity to impart sound catechesis
on the essence and purpose of marriage. The opportunity can also
be quite challenging, for the assembly often includes some older
folks who have tragically and irreversibly bought into the
mentality of the sexual revolution, and some younger folks who
view the mention of children as a damper on the joy and
excitement of the occasion.  Therefore, it is helpful to find
explicit reference to the procreation and education of children
in the prayers of the wedding service. For Catholics, for
example, one of the prefaces of the Ritual Mass for the
Celebration of Marriage contains a reference to the "chaste and
fruitful love of holy Matrimony." This preface prayer precisely
highlights the divine design of beautifying