I don't think there is an answer that the other parties could understand.

I have gotten the same argument from relatives who are appalled that we have five children and give so much money to the Church--after all, how can we afford to give all that money away with so many children?  

The fact is that God has greatly blessed our family and we are doing better (financially and in physical comforts) than many of our 0-3 children relations who wouldn't put a dime in a collection basket if they were even to darken the threshhold of the church.

Even then, you see, WE are the ones who are going to be poor.  I don't think there is an answer.  I just ask them which children they think we should get rid of.

I have several children on a modest, middle class salary. The fact is that you can afford children and all your other needs by simply living within your means. Besides a mortgage I have very little debt. Most people consider things such as vacations, multiple cars, new clothes, Ipods etc as necessary. It comes down to your priorities. Most people these days can't understand not having cable, designer clothes, the latest gadget and eating out all the time.

Our idea of what constitutes "poor" has undergone radical change in the last several decades.

You know, children don't have to be JUST consumers.

Good morning,

It takes a strong faith in God and His love, and our Blessed Mother’s, to be able to have children and to raise them well.  Children are a blessing.  At the same time, they do have basic need – love, food, roof over their heads.

As has been pointed out here, many folks have a tendency to provide every new thing that comes on the market.  That definitely impacts their financial situation.

Living within one’s means, however, allows for folks to be open to the blessing of more children.

Growing up I did not have the latest things available.  Some of my classmates did.  Was I jealous?  Yes.  Did it impact me negatively in my growth as a person?  No.

And, there were only two children in my family.  Even then it was a struggle at times for my family.  Should my parents have had more children?  I don’t know.

There is no answer to give folks who ask about multiple children – no answer that will be satisfactory to them.

All anyone can do is to open their heart to God and to follow the love that is there.

Have a wonderful day!

There are different kinds of wealth.

Good evening Raoul76,

Yes you are correct in that I have identified myself as gαy.  That does not, however, mean that I do not have a relationship with God.  It does not mean that I do not have spiritual words that are worth sharing.

My suggestion is to stop looking at the messenger and look at the message.

That we disagree on what my identifying as gαy means, there are still many things I suspect we agree on.

It is difficult reading through some of the postings and seeing how much time folks spend on personal attacks rather than coming together as brothers and sisters who, though they may disagree on many things, do believe in the primacy of God and the the graces He shares through the Church.

Just my thoughts.

I do not wish to be disruptive or argumentative.

I only want to offer my thoughts.

Peace.

A ɧoɱosɛҳųαƖ act is one of the sins that cries to heaven for vengeance.  To describe yourself as gαy shows you embrace the inclination that leads to this sin and have woven an identity around it.  It shows a certain degree of acceptance.  

Any traditional Catholic would know how serious it is to go around calling themselves "gαy."   Catholics, especially those who were in seminary, would also be very aware that same-sex attraction is merely a disordered inclination, not some inborn trait, and that to call yourself "gαy" shows a phony fatalism.

This is why no Catholic calling himself gαy is going to have any credibility, especially not a self-professed gαy who is as slippery as you.