Bishop Coll, in his Homily at the Expectant Parents Mass in St Eunan’s Cathedral, Letterkenny on Tuesday evening, told the congregation that those people are bringing with them “the hope, the excitement and even the nervousness that come with welcoming new life.”
“We are here to celebrate the gift of life,” he said, “the life God is giving, and the life you are preparing to receive. Every child is a sign that God has not given up on the world. Every pregnancy is a reminder that the future is still open, still possible, still worth building.”
Bishop Coll pointed to the pressures facing people considering starting or expanding a family, including the cost of living, housing difficulties and the pace of modern life and added: “We see it in the numbers: birthrates in the Western World and beyond falling well below what is needed to sustain our populations.
“Economists warn of future strain - fewer workers, fewer taxpayers, fewer hands to care for an aging society.”
However he said that parents choosing to welcome children into the world were a reminder that “children are not a burden but a blessing. Not a cost but a gift. Not an inconvenience but a calling.”
He said: “Your generosity is a sign of discipleship. You are building the future of Ireland and the future of the Church.
“You are living the Gospel in one of its most beautiful forms: the daily, quiet, heroic love of parents.”
The St Johnston native, who was formally installed as the Bishop of Raphoe in January, also highlighted the role of families in passing on faith to younger generations.
He said: “Faith in Ireland has always been handed on in the home. Not first in classrooms or churches, but around kitchen tables, in bedtime prayers, in the stories told by grandparents and in the quiet example of parents who try their best.
“Faith is shared like food around the table, like laughter in the home, like forgiveness after an argument, like prayer whispered at night. In this way, families become privileged places to encounter Jesus - Jesus who loves us, who walks with us, who desires our good always.
“Your home may be the place where your child first discovers that God is real and close. That is a sacred responsibility and a beautiful one.”
Addressing grandparents, Bishop Coll said they carry “memories stories and faith that younger generations need. You are anchors in a worlds that often feels adrift.”
Drawing on the Gospel account of the Holy Family, he told families that the uncertainty experienced by Mary and Joseph was similar to that faced by young families today.
He said: “Joseph faces uncertainty. Mary carries a child who is both gift and mystery. Their future is unclear. But the message of “Emmanuel” — meaning “God-with-us” — was, he said, a promise for every family.
“God is with you. In your joy and your tiredness. In your worries and your hopes. In your sleepless nights and your happiest days.”