About ten years ago, Don’s last grandchild was born. When he found out that his son and daughter-in-law were expecting a child, they also learned that they had lost three babies to miscarriage. “I’ve asked God to accept these three children that didn’t make it … and I gave them names and I pray to them every day and ask them if they’re in heaven with God to please pray, especially for their parents’ conversions as well as our whole family. Is there anything wrong with that?” asked Don from Eustis, Florida.
“There’s everything right with it!” said Fr. Richard Simon, host of Father Simon SaysTM on Relevant Radio®. “I don’t know if you saw that beautiful movie, Heaven is for Real? It’s a delightful movie—it’s not the best movie in the world … I don’t know if I agree with it all doctrinally, but then again I’m not infallible.”
“This little kid had what seems to have been a near-death experience, he didn’t lose vital signs, apparently, but he had this out-of-body thing and he went to heaven. And he convinced his father, who was a minister, that this happened because he could describe things that were going on in the hospital perfectly and he had no right to know them. But his mother thought, you’re ruining our family and feeding into this kid’s pathology, just let it go,” explained Fr. Simon.
“And then the kid is playing and he says, ‘I have a sister.’ And she said, ‘What? You have a sister? What’s her name?’ And he said, ‘Well, she didn’t have a name. She died in your tummy and you didn’t give her a name.’ At which point, the mother who had had a miscarriage, lost it and she realized this kid had … some experience of the life to come.”
It is good and loving to give names to your miscarried children, says Fr. Simon. “When you get to heaven—God willing, we get there—and you see these little kids, you can greet them by their names. So, I would encourage you to do it. It’s a beautiful thing and your generosity in loving life is never wasted. Name the kids and ask them to join you in prayer for the conversion of the rest of us old people, how’s that sound?”
