My title is not having to do with the black and white pictures that I am using from Nancy and Bill's wedding... they were taken by her cousin Bridget Schwegman. I just thought that if I am talking about how I view the world and my faith as black and white with no gray areas... why not use B&W to illustrate my sharing today?
Before turning out the light last night, I was reading a pamphlet that we were given at the retreat a few weeks ago..."Marriage: a communication of life and love". I had mentioned that I went to the site - http://onemoresoul.com/ previously and would encourage once again that you visit it... Something that grabbed me while I was reading was the statement that one of the women sharing made about how the Church and the Bishops and priests had failed couples because they had not taught them why contraceptives were wrong and why the Church takes a stand for openness to life with every act of the marital embrace...
I don't know if it is because I am a convert and chose the Catholic Church as a 21 year old college student, but I have always seen clearly that life is an amazing gift and it always bothered me to prevent it in any way! I am not saying that I understood the total theological basis for what the Church teaches us about being open to life and never taking it or artificially preventing it, but I always knew that it was selfish to prevent... To me the Life and Love could not be seperated and it was so obvious to me that we are to cherish every part of life! I have since had to come to grips with people like my daughter, Ruth, who needed to wait til her uterus healed a year or more before she could try again! But even though she thought that artificial means was the only way... she learned the natural route and even is now an instructor in Creighton Model method! Getting that second opinion after being told by her doctor here... no more...she was told that she needed to heal first and then try... David is here as a result of her waiting naturally and then trusting! 
It makes me so sad to think that our Church and the truths that it upholds would be taken as nothing... it is so sad that when we have all we need for happiness, and a holy life is right there for us to take... and hold close to our hearts! In the pamphlet... "Yes, I was 19 and I knew that the pill was a gift from God and Humanae Vitae was a real crock. The pill was going to eliminate pregnancy, marital disharmony and world population problems..." I am just sick at the tought of how these lies have been taken hook, line and sinker! How did it ever happen? 
How can it happen? How can people think that life is something to be taken so lightly or that they can play God and decide when and if they will have children? How can they think that they want to have kids that can have all the "things" that they never had? These are people that grew up in families with many siblings, and they limit their family so that they can have stuff instead of brothers and sisters! How can anyone ever feel that this could be more desireable than the family... family which will be with you here on earth and then in heaven? How did these terrible and stupid lies ever get to be accepted and followed by so many? All I know is that I only questioned for a moment on our engagement weekend....ALL the other couples there were saying that they were only going to have two kids, or even none due to the state of the world.
My terrifically wise fiance- husband to be... did not hesitate a minute when I asked him, if we were misguided in our desire for a large family. Without hesitation he told me; "The world needs lights!" Immediately I was at peace and "knew" the TRUTH - the Holy Spirit - was working through him! There was only that one moment of doubt, and then it was black and white to me... I could not and would not prevent life! I think that we all know our story.... and that we did not get all our children here with us on earth... The 5 we have here with us are that much more precious after the losses... and I needed those 6 in heaven to keep me always aware of their prayers and support and the need to be united with them someday!
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The world needs lights!" That is a tall order that we took very seriously! You do not just casually have children, and you do take them to Church, and not only that but have the "Domestic Church" alive and well within your home... We realized the first time that we shared on our first date... what we valued in life and were looking for in a mate... Our Catholic Faith was the most important thing to us! Pat shared the amazing fact that he had told his sisters and himself early on that he would not marry anyone that wasn't Catholic! They were appalled at his narrowmindedness, but I thought and continue to think that this is amazing and not only that but what we should encourage our kids and other youth we come in contact with to do likewise! It eliminates so much of the struggle, and unites you with the most important thing there is... Our Faith! To share that is such a strong foundation and the children that are welcomed can sense that and feel secure and loved!
The world needs lights!" That is a tall order that we took very seriously! You do not just casually have children, and you do take them to Church, and not only that but have the "Domestic Church" alive and well within your home... We realized the first time that we shared on our first date... what we valued in life and were looking for in a mate... Our Catholic Faith was the most important thing to us! Pat shared the amazing fact that he had told his sisters and himself early on that he would not marry anyone that wasn't Catholic! They were appalled at his narrowmindedness, but I thought and continue to think that this is amazing and not only that but what we should encourage our kids and other youth we come in contact with to do likewise! It eliminates so much of the struggle, and unites you with the most important thing there is... Our Faith! To share that is such a strong foundation and the children that are welcomed can sense that and feel secure and loved! 
The next topic was FAMILY! We could see from the beginning that there was total truth in the respecting of LIFE! We could see that family was a gift, and we had both been blessed mightily with the value of each and every member... the more the better! There was never any doubt in the Wisdom of our amazing Church.. we did NFP (Natural Family planning) after we were married about 5 monthes, because we hadn't gotten pregnant yet, and I wanted to find out how we could work on getting pregnant... after I undersood what was going on with my body more... It is truly eye openning to chart and to watch your body and understand how it all works- God'd handiwork is so amazing and truly reveals the wonder of God and The Truth of His existance when you look at the wonder of creation and most especially the human body!
It makes me sad to read a Bishop having to appologize about how he dropped the ball in informing couples about how they should not use artificial contraception and teaching them the truth of LIFE! To me it is obvious as the nose on my face that this is a glorious and holy thing - LIFE - not to be taken into our own hands and selfishly cast aside! It baffles me, and makes me wonder why!
Lord, How can I help others to KNOW the TRUTH? It is all so obvious that there is LIGHT for our paths that lead to embracing the wisdom and truth of FAMILY! "At the end of a long night of sleeplessness or suffering, sunrise brings hope for the day to come. At the end of the long night of death and sin, the rising of Christ, the Sun of Justice, brings joy and hope for the life to come. In the light of the resurrection, we see and live anew, knowing that all is in and from God's hand, returning all to him with thanks and praise." Morning prayer... see http://www.magnificat.com/ 
I was prevented from sharing on Sunday... the Gospel was Jesus on the cross with the two thieves... Luke 23: 35-43... I love to read the repentent thief and how this is the interchange between Christ and him... He said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." One of my favorite and most awe inspiring faith journies ever is Scott Hahn's.... he was drawn into the Catholic Church by the Truth that he encountered while trying to prove that we were of Satan!
He writes about the Good Theif..."I love this thief because he had real faith, but a faith that began immediately to produce real works. But those works that the thief produced were really the works of God in him. And that's what they are for us....They are what the cross made possible... And the thief, he found the front door in the glory, and so no one can be without hope. For when we look at Jesus, and we hear his word for forgiveness, and we realize this is not generic forgiveness, this is not some pardon thrown out for anybody, it is given to somebody who in himself was not worthy, and all he had to do to get it was to acknowledge his own unworthiness, and stand up for the truth that set him free, and confess that Jesus Christ is the KING. And he was with Jesus Christ in paradise that day."
Jesus, we love you... help us to follow your path and illumine your truth for all those that we come in contact with. May we know that you are there with arms stretched wide on the cross...You overcame death and sin...in an forgiving embrace... so that we might see and hold close in our hearts the Light and Life that is shown us by your all wise and amazing Church! Holy Spirit come and dwell within us... so that we can yet "see" and "hear" and "know" the Truth that will set us free! Life is to be cherished, welcomed and noursihed and fed! Jesus, we trust in you! Amen and Halleluia!
Bless-bless, Barb
"The daybreak from on high will visit us!" Luke 1: 78
"The daybreak from on high will visit us!" Luke 1: 78 
"Holiness does not consist in doing extraordinary things. It consists in accepting, with a smile, what Jesus sends us. It consists in accepting and following the will of God." Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
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