Large Families

I found the above video at an article which is also worth reading Surviving a Large Family Also Helps with College Survival

The family is important for life and society

Saintly Quote - Doing Something Great for God

A man approached Mother Teresa and said,
"Mother, I want to do something great for God, but I don't know what. Should I start a school, be a missionary in a foreign land, build up a charitable agency?"
He had great visions. Mother Teresa looked at him closely, with kindness, and responded:
"What you need to do is make sure that no one in your family goes unloved."

Shared by Sue

On Family Life - Zenit Articles

Familes, the Crisis and the Church in America

Cardinal Bertone's Homily at Close of Family Meeting: "Love Your Children and Make Them Feel That They Are Loved"

Society's Future Depends on the Family:Interview With Supreme Knight Carl Anderson

Papal Address to Family Meeting:
"It Is in the Home Where One Learns to Truly Live"

Pope's Presence Missed at Family Meeting

Benedict XVI Calls Families to Unite:
Says They Must Mobilize to Influence Culture

Families Key in "Edu-Communication":
Archbishop Celli Says It's Responsibility of Parents

Milan to Host World Family Meeting 2012:Under Theme "Family, Work and Celebration"

Generation Gap Is Not Inevitable:
Parents Urged to Take Charge of Educating Children

Expert: African Culture Backs Family Educative Role:Urges Participation of Catholics in Shaping Cultural Framework

Africa Perspective on Families

Anderson: Solidarity Not Just Another Virtue:Says It's Fundamental Element of Family

Families That Eat Together, Stay Together

First Fruits of Family Meeting

What Would Make Society Fall:Social Scientist Explains World's Total Dependence on Families

Sex Education Best Kept at Home

Pope Notes Wish for Mexico Event to Renew Family:Asks Prayers for 6th World Meeting

What Parents of Sick Children Need Most:Couple Tells of Cure Through Intercession of Martin Spouses

Families Praying for Families

Alvaré Address at Family Conference

Alvaré at Family Conference:"The Family Provides Ample Homework on the Give and Take of Love"

Alvaré: Family Is a School of Love:Says Respect for Life Begins at Home

Cardinal: Laws Reflect Confusion About Man, Woman:Canadian Prelate Addresses Family Conference

Saying Yes to Life -- 19 Times (Part 1)
Saying Yes to Life -- 19 Times (Part 2):Interview on Parenting a Large Catholic Family

"Strengthening the Family"

The following is from Priests for Life

There are four evils that are endangering the family. Do you know what they are?

They are abortion, contraception, euthanasia and divorce.

Fr. Pavone has some suggestions on how to strength our families:

Practical Suggestions to Strengthen Your Family Life

1. Have a family night each week, on which nobody has any commitments to anything but each other. Do things together. If this is "impossible", maybe we are committed to too many things!

2. Mom and Dad need time just with each other, to do things they enjoy and to foster their love for each other. Don't let the marriage run on "automatic pilot". Nourish it.

3. Pray together as a family. Maybe a quick "Our Father" together in the morning before everyone leaves, and a table grace before meals at dinner. It only takes a few seconds, but makes a world of difference!

4. Don't wait only for special occasions like Christmas, birthdays, or anniversaries to give cards and gifts to family members. Surprise them at other times! "What's the occasion?" they might ask. Answer, "The occasion is that I love you!"

5. Welcome one another home. At the end of the work or school day, have a few minutes to greet each other, talk a little about the day, smile and encourage each other, before going on to the next activity.

6. Bring out the photo albums and family videos more often! Look at your wedding pictures, or films of the children's baptism, etc. Pictures and videos bring back good memories, stir good conversation, make us laugh, and help family members to know and appreciate one another better.

7. Seek and listen to the advice and experience of the oldest members in the family. The elderly have a lot to offer us. Society has changed but human nature has not, and their insights into human life can save us from a lot of mistakes!

Read the entire article here

I am happy to say I grew up in a family that did this and my family also does it.



Shared by Melissa.

The Family Spirit - Mother Angelica

...Married life has become to many a necessary burden, but a burden that is shed very easily. Faithfulness has become merely a biblical term no longer relevant or possible in an age of modern enlightenment. Adultery and fornication have passed from unfaithfulness and sin to an inability to love only one person and the fulfilment of one's basic needs. Children who are to be the fruit of love are considered mere accidents, financial burdens, consumers of the world's food supply, an infringement on personal freedom to utilize untapped talents which are destined to be forever buried. This, alas, is the thinking of the minority to the dismay of the disheartened majority...

...The Family is at the root of all society and the Family Spirit is a special quality that feeds the Family with vigor and vitality. When that spirit is present, there is a desire to cling together in time of crisis, to sacrifice in time of need and strength to face the demands of communal living....

Please take the time to read Mother Angelica's article in its entirety here


Shared by Sue

Teach Your Children - Fasting and Abstinence

Some words of advice for Catholic families.

Talk to your kids about fasting and abstinence, especially on Fridays, since our dear Lord was crucified on a Friday. Tell them you are going to eat no meat that day. Ask them for help in coming up with some menu ideas.

Explain how fasting means limited eating and no snacking. This applies to those over 14, healthy and non-pregnant or nursing. Fasting means only a minimum of foods between meals, this food should be essential type food and not junk food!

Children can become quite vigilant with each other, and you, once they understand what fasting is all about.

Gather together with the family for prayer once a day. If this is not a family habit, today is a great time to start. Perhaps at the dinner table, before everyone leaves, or just after the meal.

By Sue of Half the Kingdom

Quiz - Is Your Home a Catholic Home?

I found this on Ebeth's blog

Is your home a Catholic home? Do Jesus and Mary have an important place in your family? Consider the following checklist and decide:

Are morning and night prayers a daily occurrence in your home?
Yes (individually in the morning and as a family at night)

Do you say grace before and thanks to God after meals?
Before meals, yes, even in public. Afterwards, I do privately. I do not know if my family does.

Do you say a family Rosary every night?
Yes, we do now. We rarely miss an evening to pray it together as a family.

Do you carry a Rosary at all times?
Yes. I carry a beautiful wood rose Rosary my mom gave me and I wear a Rosary bracelet made by my friend Shana. I also try to remember to carry finger rosaries for my DS and DH.

Do you wear a religious medal or a scapular?
Yes, I wear a Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the jade cross my DH gave me before we got married and the Miraculous medal my sister gave me for being in her wedding.

Do you read and discuss the Bible often?
I am trying to. Especially since a dear priest here in NJ would give me the St. James's letters and the Book of Ecclesiastes for spiritual reading as my penance.

Is your home dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus?
Yes. Our home has been enthroned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Is there a crucifix hanging in a prominent place?
There are several, one at the front door, in the bedrooms, in the kitchen.

Do you ask God’s help in the solution of family problems?
Yes. I do so all the time.

Do you have a sick-call set for Communion or Anointing of the Sick?
Yes. It is included in one of the Crucifixes that hang on our wall.

Do you attend church as a family?
Yes on Sundays and will be doing so with my son on a daily basis.

Do you go to Confession regularly?
Yes, my son and I go on a weekly basis. My DH approximately twice a month or so. We so need that weekly purging in order to handle the circumstances of the coming week and of course, we want to be cleansed before receiving our Lord in Holy Communion on Sunday.

Do the children attend a Catholic school or Catholic religious instruction program? We homeschool with Seton Homestudy, so yes they get very good catechesis. (Ebeth's response but ditto for us).

Do you have religious instruction at home? Yes, See above

Are there Catholic periodicals in your home?
Yes, tons. (Ebeth's response - same here)

Do you have a crib at Christmas?
Yes. Along with our Nativity sets, we bought a little crib with the most beautiful baby Jesus last year.

Do you send out cards that indicate Christmas is the birth of Christ?
Yes. And, since we are on every Catholic Religious order's mailing list, we get the cards that offer Masses. This is especially welcomed by many friends and family members.

Does Christmas mean the coming of Christ or a chance to get gifts?
Coming of Jesus of course. We look forward to this by observing Advent with as much zeal as we do Christmas.

Does Easter Sunday mean the resurrection of Christ or new clothes?
Christ's resurrection. Again, we focus on Lent first in order to have our Lord's Resurrection to look forward to.

Do you ever invite lonesome or needy people into your home?
I used too. I haven't done that in a while.

Do you ever provide a basket of food to a needy family, not just at Thanksgiving and
Christmas but during the rest of the year?
We do via our church programs and other Catholic organizations

Fighting for Our Rights as Parents and The Catholic Family

Picture source Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Gifts Be sure to check out their other fine gifts.

In a previous post I directed your attention to the attack on families worldwide. What can we do to combat this growing threat?

As Catholics Christians, we know that God will always prevail over the Devil. Therefore, one thing that we should do is pray and pray unceasingly.

Another thing we can do is to sign a petition calling for an amendment to the Constitution in order to protect our rights as parents. My friend Sheri of Classical Education in Paradise has provided us with a link to Parental Rights. They believe that

The best way to protect children and their parents is an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

You may also consider placing a Parent Rights Support button on your blog like Sheri did.

The Family is the Microcosm of the Church

Contemplating the truth of the family as a microcosm of the Church makes us see clearly the primacy and the mission of the family in the following ways:

1. it perpetuates the Church which Jesus Christ established in this world;

2. the presence of God is realized in the family;

3. the family witnesses to the presence of the Church in its day-to-day life;

4. the efforts of the family to be united to God help the entire Church to advance;

5. the family strengthens the communion between God and each of its members.

by Francis Xavier Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan

More quotes by Cardinal Thuan:

The family is a microcosm of the Church, the Church in miniature. The Lord is present in his life, death and resurrection in a mystical way in the members of the family. This reflection throws light on he meaning of the Catholic family and has the power to change it.

Having children is not only a response to the need to carry on the family lineage, but also a participation in the Body of Christ. The education of your children is the training of the faithful who will continue the worship of God the Father. Discover and admire the noble design which God has for your families.

You help your children to become children of God by teaching them to be active members of the Body of Christ. As parents your duty is to guide your children along the way in every respect and in every virtue.

Christ desired to build up his Mystical Body by means of the family. The Church may alter its methods of preaching, its various organizations, but the Church will always expand by means of families. The faith is spread through dynamic and healthy family units.

The education of children is a 'school of perfection' for parents. Children possess a critical outlook and are sharp observers. They oblige you to carry out your role sincerely, and thereby help you to advance.

If we maintain that the world of labor should be sanctified by laborers, then we must believe that the Catholic family should be the primary apostle to other families.

People evaluate Catholic marriage according to the criterion of holiness in Catholic families.

Morning and night prayers in the family - or better put, times of family prayer- fulfill the duty of the family to become a community of Christians, one unit of the Church, according to the words of our Lord: 'For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them' (Mt 18:20).

The Catholic family is apostolic through its witness. You must show that you have been called to holiness and that you live a married life that is pleasing to God. Share with other families the grace and the happiness which God has bestowed on your family.

When you sit side by side together in God's presence, it is a time of truth and of wonderful discovery. It is a dose of immortal medicine. The atmosphere of the family changes and many thorny problems are solved with mutual understanding. Where once a husband and wife might have lived together in a kind of 'peaceful co-existence,' now they are one in love, one in happiness, one in troubles, and one in prayer.

The first seminary, the first formation program, the first college is the Catholic family. No director, however talented or skilled, can replace parents. If this most fundamental unit breaks down, the future of the Church and of human society becomes shaky and risks collapse..."

The Road of Hope by Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, Pauline Books and Media

40 Reasons to Have Kids List

H/T to Sarah and Chris M. for the following:

Karen's 40 Reasons to Have Kids

The Good Catholic Family

I think as far as I can remember, I wanted to be like my mother...a wife and the mother of a large family. I took it for granted that I would one day have a large family. My father comes from a family of about a dozen children and so does my mom.

I tried to do everything right and be the good Catholic girl that would make my parents proud and never do anything that would shame me before my God and my parents. With God's and my parent's help and guidance, I think I accomplished that. I was so sure God would reward me with the man of my dreams and a very large family to call my own.

My husband's father often advised him to marry a good Catholic girl. It was providential that we met, fell in love and got married. My husband also came from a large family. His father's family was also a very large and loving family.

My husband and I were so sure that when we got married, we would be raising a large family too. After all, it was almost inevitable.

But it looks like we forgot to ask God for what His will was concerning our family.

After a few years of not being able to conceive, we started praying (something we should have done as a couple even before we were married) for a child to call our own.

God opened our hearts to adoption and with His guiding hand, we met our beloved son...the cutest little rascal in the world! We could not have chosen a better child as our own. It was all God's work in play. We both realize that.

I finally got pregnant a few years into our marriage. But it was not meant to be and miscarried soon after. But I was now hopeful that becoming pregnant would just be a matter of time.

Again, we forgot to consult God about His plans.

It has now been almost 8 or 9 years since that day and we have one child on earth and one in Heaven.

It was not for lack of trying that our family is small. In our minds and heart, we know that is what God wanted for our family.

With that I leave you a post by Exspectantes.

I actually have thought about cutting back on the more personal posts but I wanted to share with you this in case you have a small Catholic family too.

Pope Extols Families That Go Against the Current

Angelus Address Focuses on Jesus' Teaching on Marriage

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 8, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The world needs families that go against the current of cultural fashions inspired by hedonism and relativism, says Benedict XVI.

Before reciting the midday Angelus from the window of his study today, with thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square, the Pope also appealed to leaders of public life to support the family.

The topic chosen by the Holy Father for his address was inspired by the Gospel passage of the day's liturgy, in which Jesus gives his vision on indissoluble marriage: "What God has joined together, no human being must separate."

"May Christian spouses, aware of the grace received, build a family open to life and capable of facing together the numerous and complicated challenges of our time," exhorted Benedict XVI. "Their testimony is particularly necessary today.

"Families are needed that do not let themselves be drawn by modern cultural currents inspired by hedonism and relativism, and that are willing to realize their mission in the Church and in society with generous dedication."

Amid the applause from those in St. Peter's Square, he quoted Pope John Paul II who described Christian spouses as "authentic 'missionaries' of love and life."

At the same time, Benedict XVI invoked divine assistance for families, "especially those going through difficulties."

Speaking in French, after praying the Angelus, the Holy Father appealed to those responsible for public life, to "support, for the good of all, the conjugal and family institution, fundamental for society."
ZE06100807

Family

HT to Sue

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh excuse me please" was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said goodbye.

But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my son stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.

While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said,

"While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor, you'll find some flowers there by the door.

Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."

By this time, I felt very small, and now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.

"Are these the flowers you picked for me?" He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.

I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."

I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."

I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."

FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days? But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?
So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

---Author Unknown...(to me)