Lenten campaign 2026
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Our words have power. The way we talk about something, even casually, affects how we — and others — think about it.
One way we can build a culture of life — a culture where children are welcomed as a blessing from God, a culture that stands up to the throwaway culture about which Pope Francis warned us — is to speak in a way that values children, the elderly, the vulnerable, and marriage and family itself.
Here are five phrases to help build a culture of life among your own friends and family. (I'd like to credit the book Hannah's Children: The Women Quietly Defying the Birth Dearth by Catherine Pakaluk for inspiring some of these ideas.)
1“Babies are a blessing.”
As Catholics, we believe children are a great blessing from God. But do our words reflect how we feel about it?
When we hear someone is expecting a baby, we might say, “God blessed them with a baby!”
When we talk to our children, let’s make sure they know that we see them as a blessing: “I’m so grateful God gave you to me. Thank you, God, for giving me the gift of this child.”
Let’s model joy and gratitude, so our children know, “You are my blessing” — and that all children are a blessing, too.
2“How can we make it work?”
Most women end up having fewer children than they want to, often because they don’t feel confident that they can balance their career goals with having a baby.
Having kids and a career may not be easy, but it is possible. In fact, in the United States, almost three-fourths (74%) of moms with children under 18 are working in the labor force.
So perhaps we can consider this question: How can we make it possible for women to become moms and achieve their professional dreams, if that’s what they desire? How can we make it work personally for our own families?
Not all women end up following a career path, as some want to be full-time moms. But for those who want to use their talents in the workforce as well, let’s do all we can to support them, finding creative ways to do both.
3“Thank you for playing with the baby. It made him so happy. You're so good with babies.”
Even if we don’t have babies in our home, we can encourage our children to value and get good at caregiving. When they enjoy time with small children, they learn to appreciate what a blessing they are.
Let’s look for opportunities for our kids to grow their caregiving skills. I’ll give you an example that’s working for my family. My middle-schooler helps out in the childcare room at church each week, and at first, he was hesitant to engage with the babies and toddlers. Now, after several months, he proudly tells me how they gather around him so he can read them a story, and how he can make them laugh with fun games.
The toddlers follow him around like baby ducks, and I’m so proud of him for learning to take good care of the little ones. These skills will serve him well if God calls him to be a father some day — and in the meantime, he has a new affection and appreciation for the cuteness and sweetness of young kids.
4“Why not get married?”
This one is more big-picture in thinking about "culture of life," but it makes a difference. The idea is that marriage is a positive good and something that will bless a couple with sacramental graces, rather than lingering in cohabitation.
If the relationship is healthy and strong, why wait years and years to get married?
Of course, not everyone should get married young and have kids young — that goes without saying. But already, most voices in our culture are encouraging young people to delay marriage later and later. Maybe it’s time we considered a different path. What if we saw marriage as a cornerstone instead of a capstone? What if we built our life and family together as a young couple, instead of waiting until much later?
On the same note, why wait to have kids? It’s easier to have children when you’re young, strong, and healthy rather than later in life — not only to keep up with their needs, but also to conceive them at all. And when you have kids earlier, you have more years to enjoy them as adults and to get to know your future grandchildren.
5“Kids are so worth it.”
In a culture that says children are a burden and a nuisance, let’s proudly sing a different tune. Let’s share how much joy and fun our kids bring us. Let’s tell the world how great it is to be a mom or dad.
I’ll share with you something I recently posted on my social media. I’m trying to share more of these kinds of posts:
My third-grader finally finished reading the entire Little House on the Prairie series after slowly working her way through it this past fall! We celebrated by making a log house cake together. We had so much fun making it, laughing about our mediocre frosting job and pretending we were “building a log house” and talking about all the places Laura lived throughout the series. Kids this age are SO FUN you guys, we just goof off when we’re together and crack each other up. She feels like my best friend already. Every book we read takes us on an adventure to a new place, and I’m so happy my girl chose to join me in knowing and loving Laura’s world. And now everyone come over and help us eat this cake!
It’s a silly example, but you get the idea. I want my friends reading my social media to know that having kids is the best. And I want to encourage my friends “in the trenches” with babies and toddlers that it’s just going to get better and better.
All the sacrifices of having kids are so worth it. The best is yet to come.
