I love how Jesus is in the center of our family in the Tabernacle, as that is certainly the Truth of our sharing our Faith as a family and how blest we are to share The True Church in that way! There is something unsaid about this picture and I can really embarrass myself by looking around when I am at a gathering and recall that each person there is the result of having "relations" between a man and a woman! Why go there? Hannah today in her wrenching prayers to Our Lord today in the first reading - her prayers were answered by the Lord giving her life in her womb after having "relations" with her husband!
“It isn’t that, my lord,” Hannah answered.
“I am an unhappy woman.
I have had neither wine nor liquor;
I was only pouring out my troubles to the LORD.
Do not think your handmaid a ne’er-do-well;
my prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery.”
Eli said, “Go in peace,
and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”
I Samuel 1
Yes, there are some snide comments from time to time as you welcome more and more children into your domestic church/family... about having too much sex and not knowing what will result. My mother, broke the mold as a Protestant minister's wife and welcoming 8 children - modeling for me how to be open to LIFE and raising LIGHTS! A lady from the church told her that didn't she know she could do something to prevent pregnancy as she was pregnant once again. Each of my girls share rude comments from complete strangers commenting on their family size as something they should know better than to have over the perfect 2 or 3.
Just back from a few days in Washington and each morning I would do 3 year old, Evangeline's hair!
Our Church in it's wisdom asks us not to use artificial birth control to prevent pregnancy in our marriages! That is taking LIFE into our own hands, and leaving God out of the center of our marriage and our family. Using natural methods takes prayer and self-control, and allows The Lord to be in control and work in our marriage.
Pat and I learned natural family planning to get pregnant after many months with no pregnancy after we were married. Finally we did after about 7 months, and were 5 months pregnant on our first anniversary. We wanted to have a large family after the positive large family experiences we each had growing up - I the oldest of 12 , and Pat the middle of 10... the Lord's plan was hard, and we embraced our Most Cherished Cross of loss - 7 in heaven and 5 with us... Yet, I have had so much peace that ALL my children are here whether in heaven praying for their weak and lowly mother or here living their lives in The Church!
https://familysoulstory.blogspot.com/p/my-most-cherished-cross-patrick-gerard.html
Many times I think of how LIFE comes from embracing my Most Cherished Cross! Also LOVE and LIGHT which is what flowed out to the world from Jesus embracing that Cross and dying for our sins! He asks us to follow after Him, and today we see how he shows all the people worshiping in the church/synagogue how he teaches us His Truth, and heals all, and has authority over all our needs and unclean spirits that haunt us!
Jesus rebuked him and said, “Quiet! Come out of him!”
The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.
All were amazed and asked one another,
“What is this?
A new teaching with authority.
He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him.”
His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.
Mark 1
I have shared here that there is a beautiful closeness that we share with our spouses/LOVE when we have "relations." Many times now in my later years where there is no chance of pregnancy, well there is Elizabeth to recall, there is still that complete closeness that comes with making love. It is a healing and binding one to the other that fill me with peace and joy! It is one of the best parts of our relationship, and makes us willing to stick it out through thick and thin. Marriage is not easy, but this is a beautiful special part we are given for the journey.
Along with sharing physical love we have found a deeper prayer life in our marriage that is so important as Jesus is first and foremost in our lives and our domestic Church/family/marriage! By recalling how Jesus loves us with His LIFE and unconditionally loves and forgives us - we beseech him to help us to return that love we have been given to one another. That requires us to do as The Community of the Lamb shares with us - "Wounded, I will never cease to love."
Much thought about the many lives lost to abortion over these 50+ years! Over 60 million innocent lives lost! The culture of death has filled this world with lies and darkness! Pat and I are making fake plans to go up for the march for LIFE at the State Capital on Wed Jan 22nd at noon! We could have Ruth and some of her kids along for this powerful experience - we stand for LIFE!
Jesus, we ask this day that ALL LIFE may be protected and cherished from conception to natural death. That the LIGHT of Truth would shine through the darkness of sin and death to reveal to so many that have been misled by Satan to think that LIFE is ours to take, LIFE is ours to prevent with artificial means, LIFE is an inconvenience and should be eliminated to allow us to live selfish lives... Reveal the Truth that ALL LIFE is a gift and by sacrificing ourselves we find YOU and your help as we carry/drag our Most Cherished Cross and follow after you to LIFE eternal! Jesus, you amaze us with the gift of LOVE shared in our marriages and the healing we find by putting you first and each other ahead of ourselves. LIFE-giving is how we are to be to one another in our marriages and not life-taking. In word and deed may we be life-giving one to the other! Jesus, we trust in you. Amen and Hallelujah
It seemed like a good idea, but... I see now that Ruth took up the baton and has a theme year after year for Halloween. In so many ways she makes me smile with her having the life she grew up with! What a wonderful witness to her love of that LIFE! Bless-bless, Barb
How I love to look at those faces and know that they are the blessing we were given to share our journey with after "relations open to LIFE!" Actually I would yearn for the next one, and most cycles I would cry if no pregnancy came. I know I was a true basket case!
Then sharing the 7 losses as a family... so very hard yet this brought us to a very deep love and appreciation of ALL LIFE, and deep love for one another as we continue to share the journey of loss - Nancy has had 3 and Maria 2 to add to our praying and waiting for us in heaven! Thank you, Lord, for your patience and wisdom! Later we welcomed our only boy, John!
St Teresa of Calcutta is so wise and True!
We are given So much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Will you pray a rosary on the 1st of every month (if you are pray the rosary daily..add one more on the 1st)? Catholics around the country unite to pray for the graces necessary to stop abortion and to stop the culture of death in all its forms and establish the Culture of Life in all souls, in all minds and in all hearts.
If we can count you in sign up today at https://
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