That said, the thoughts
expressed by the people in the video beautifully expressed the joy of
abandonment to Divine Providence. THIS is what being open to life is all about.
Here are some quotes:
“My family is the greatest
gift in my life because I have the love of fifteen children and my wife, which
makes me very happy…[A] father doesn’t fulfill himself at his work, his office,
unless he first fulfills himself in his family.”
“Always bet on a family,
the true good.”
“I’m convinced that
children are not parents’ private property. Children belong to God, and He
lends parents the children’s souls.”
From a priest from a large family: “Don’t be afraid to give
God what belongs to God, as all the saints did, giving love for love, life for
life, everything for everything.
Another priest (seminarian?) says, “Don’t be afraid to
surrender to Jesus Christ. If he calls
us, it’s not to take something away from us; it’s to give us everything.”
A young man who is an attorney says he misses having his
family all together under one roof, as many are in various stages of their
religious formation, but says, “I think the key attitude is to be obedient to
God’s will, which makes us a very happy family”. He also notes that he has a
girlfriend and wants to get married soon “and have children who learn to honor
God”.
Rorate Caeli has a follow-up
post in which they say ask for volunteers to share their “large family”
stories:
The
post on the Prado family sparked many emails, and discussions in my own home,
about what it takes to be like them. While we don't know what they're really
like with the cameras off, all evidence points to their holiness, and their happiness.
…If
you have the time to write us, send in your stories to athanasiuscatholic@yahoo.com. Don't worry
about the grammar, the length, etc. Just jot your stories down and send them
in. And tell us if you want to stay anonymous or not. Pictures are welcome as
well as links to family blogs.
Be sure to check
the post for all the details and requirements if you have a story to share.
I hope some who have shared their stories with me will send in their anecdotes
to Rorate Caeli!
Rorate Caeli had one
more follow-up post with an example of an inspirational story. Here’s the
beginning of that post – follow the link to read the whole thing:
Please
consider sending your story to Rorate (see
here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series
to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family
Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a
loving and all-knowing God:
By
Maeana Cragg
Some
people may think we’re crazy. Others may think that we are just foolish. Few
have ever said that directly to us.
In
fact, after asking the obligatory, “Are they all yours?” most people are kind
enough to tell us what a beautiful family we have.
There
was a time when a Catholic family with at least seven sweet little stair steps
was not extraordinary at all, but quite typical. Somewhere, we seem to have
lost that beautiful part of our Catholic identity… [read the rest here]
I have 8 adult siblings. Our folks just celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary.
ReplyDeleteBeing raised in a large family taught me a few things:
You do not (cannot) develop a sense of entitlement - because nothing is your own.
Others are always far worse off than you.
Dad had the final say.
Ask Mom first.
Seeing Mom pull out the ironing board at 11p.m. was normal.
Ironing Dad's hankies was my job.
Cars will keep you broke.
Traveling over an hour to a Tridentine Mass with 9 kids was normal on Sundays in our Dodge Maxi van.
Love equals sacrifice.
Thanks Mom & Dad for being open to life!!
That made me smile!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this inspiring post. Also it is very encouraging to see that the message is getting out. Perhaps the tide is turning away from the spirit of birth control towards the spirit of joyful, loving acceptance of children from God.
ReplyDelete-John G.