:surprised:Pay to produce children? And if God doesn't give any, or doesn't meet the quota, the couple gets punished? That is not charity!
A gift is exactly that, a gift--no strings attached. The next best might be interest-free or low interest loans. There are numerous ways to support young couples. A chapel fund that gives one-time gifts or loans, material gifts or low-cost rentals, vehicles, food, possibilities are endless. The reason it rarely happens is self-centeredness and pride. How often do young people hear, "We survived the Depression by eating homegrown potatoes every night. And we raised 17 kids. No reason why you can't do the same."
But there ARE reasons; good reasons. Conditions are very different than during the Depression. You raised enough potatoes to feed 19 or more for years? Then you owned or had access to land. You did not grow them in plastic margerine tubs on the window sill of your apartment. When someone got sick, the country doctor accepted pay in potatoes. Your children went to Catholic schools taught by religious who did not require a union and a salary package with benefits. If they had to attend public school, it never crossed your mind that they'd study "human sɛҳuąƖity" in second grade. Life was much simpler. If your son needed his driver's licence, he walked in to the town hall, was greeted and tested by people known to him, and if he passed, he got a handshake and his licence. Today, he needs to go on line in advance, pay lots of money, keep track of his practice hours, get two adult signatures, prove he isn't a felon or sex-offender...Everything is much more time-consuming, fraught with red-tape, impersonal to the point of dehumanising, and costs money.
Case in point. The job my father got with a high school diploma and four years in the Navy enabled him to work his way up through a doctorate in particle physics. He supported his wife, children and mother-in-law, owned a home, vacation property, three vehicles. He retired after 45 years with the same company. Although greatly altered, the company still exists. What was an entry-level job in 1959 now requires a minimum of a masters degree in engineering and eight years experience. With high school and military, the only job available is custodian. He wouldn't work for the company, he'd be an employee of the cleaning firm with which the company contracts.
Catholics are in great need of coming out of their traditional shells to give alms and perform acts of corporal charity.