Last week, I gave birth to my fourth child. And somehow, despite months of pregnancy, and hours and hours (and hours!) of labor, the moment of his birth still seemed like a surprise. The way it always does.
It doesn't seem quite believable that this tiny creature, with his perfect little eyes and perfect little toes, was growing inside my body. It doesn't seem quite believable that this helpless baby who weighs only a few pounds will someday be a man—bigger and stronger and taller than his mother. It doesn't seem quite believable that babies—helpless, ridiculous, delightful, and troublesome creatures that they are—exist at all.
The disbelief that babies inspire is why their tininess is so endlessly delightful.
It's why we look at them with such wonder.
Because it points to the miracle of human life: the incredible reality that we aren't merely material beings, but that God creates a unique, immortal human soul for each of us at the moment of our conception. That every human soul is a reflection of God, made in His image. That we each bear a tiny piece of Divinity: the capacity to know and love as God knows and loves.
Babies—for all their littleness—remind us that there is a power greater than us, one that created us and that loves and cares for us. They remind us that human life is precious and sacred, not because of what we are in ourselves, but because of what God is, and what He wants for us…and from us.
This October, it's worth remembering not just that we should respect life, but why we should respect it. Because each human soul comes directly from the hand of God, and each of us is made for Him.
We come from God, and we go to God. This is our destiny. This is why human life is sacred.
A few of our stories here at Catholic Teen Books involve babies!
For Eden's Sake is a pro-life novel told primarily from the male's perspective. Just out of college and beginning his career, Isaac's world is shattered by bad choices, a pretty girl, and a moment's temptation. Now he has to fight for the life of his child. For Eden's Sake received a 1st place CPA book award for young adults, as well as a positive endorsement from Evangelist Alveda C. King.
In BREACH!, by Corinna Turner, young dino hunter Isaiah falls prey to an older woman. Months later, she contacts him demanding money for an abortion--but she's chosen the wrong eighteen-year-old. Isaiah may live in an armored RV in the midst of deadly predators and be the most unlikely dad imaginable, but he's going to fight to the last for his child's life.
Another recommendation is Life-Changing Love by Theresa Linden. While Caitlyn is expected to practice something like old-fashioned courtship, her best friend, Zoe, ends up pregnant and her boyfriend wants her to have an abortion. When Zoe's parents also want her to have an abortion, Caitlyn and her family support Zoe by welcoming her into their home. In this pro-life novel, Caitlyn provides a role for supporting a friend in need, and she also learns a lot about the development of the unborn baby.
And this new addition to Catholic Teen Books is another great recommendation. In Brave Water by Sarah Robsdottir the birth of a baby acts as a catalyst for the conversion of a soul in a very unusual and unexpected way.
Cover image from Marie Keiser. Baby toes image by Esudroff at Pixabay. Happy baby images by Pexels at Pixabay.
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