A retrograde matter that aaffects not only Orthodoxy, but also other church traditions.
Multiple petitions are offered for the fruitfulness of a couple’s union during an Orthodox marriage service, so many that a college friend characterized my wedding as a fertility rite. One such example: “That He will grant unto them the enjoyment of the blessing of children…let us pray to the Lord.”
Based on the sentiment that children are a blessing to be enjoyed that is expressed i