Giving Of Herself
14 November – The pastoral text of Fr Reuter is this: If a mother nurses her baby at her breast, she is giving herself to the baby, and through the baby to God. Apt image by Danitza who captions it ‘Niklas & Mom’ (flickr.com/). Nowadays, most babies are bottlefed. My wife breastfed all our 13 sons and daughters (a ratio of 5 to 8), until they themselves quit, some after 3 years. That kind of breastfeeding has an added benefit, if you want to look at it that way, and take it from me: While the mother is breastfeeding, she is not fertile - and isn't that heavenly?! Pleasure without the pressure, you might say. The mother breastfeeds because that is the natural thing to do; the mother refuses to breastfeed because she doesn't want to give up herself to anyone, including her baby, who she feels is an intrusion in her free life. She is no longer free! Doesn't she know that? 'Suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven!' She who can but doesn't give of herself suffers.