You Can't Have a Catholic Forum Without an NFP Thread... ;)

Well, I really like what she had to say about agony=holiness, not even connected to NFP.
I always wonder where people get the idea that God would be so cruel as to kick us when we are down. You are right pensmama, He is not like that at all. 

Thanks for posting that, and I love the title of the thread. 

Well although I am well past the age where NFP is relevant, I am intrigued by what you posted on suffering.

Being well-versed in the Benedictine view of things, I would say that Benedictine monks wag their fingers at such self-imposed suffering as described in the quote. Benedictines take a very balanced approach to life. Yes, they sacrifice, but much of their lives are conducted in joy, and some little pleasures: a good glass of wine, cross-country skiing on the abbey grounds, well-balanced meals and yes, very much, a sense of humour.

Speaking of joy, I have been blessed by an awesome spectacle of nature this morning. A large owl has been perched on our bird feeder since breakfast. He's been there all morning and is still there. While eating my lunch, I watched him dive into the snow, and come out with a mole in his beak, which he proceeded to devour in one gulp, back on his perch. The chickadees are besides themselves as they can't get safe access to the feeder. My cat is glued to the window. It's such a delight to watch nature... God's wondrous creation... unfold before my eyes. So the conclusion above "God. Is. Not. Like. That." I agree wholeheartedly with. He wants our joy, and He never ceases to place such delights as that owl under our noses. But He does want us to delight in the right things.

Here's a pic of our new friend:

That's a beautiful picture.  Our neighbor has a resident owl hold up in his barn, can't wait to see what he/she will be doing in the spring.  We have a pair of red tail hawks that nest in the tall oak tree in the back.  They had a nest last year with three babies.  They're off on their own now.  The most amazing thing I witnessed was them catching a pigeon in flight.

Oh! Ours are red hawks as well! There are oodles of them here 
I also like watching the cranes at the nearby state park They filmed some of the HUnger Games there, so it's gotten much more popular, andtheyhave had the resources as a result, to update the trails and build a new nature center!

Oblation is only a phone call to your nearest monastery away!  Well that and a bit of a formation period.  In ours, it was one year.  I am in my 14th year of oblation, 15th if you count the year of formation!

It was, for me, a life-changing event.  But it took several years to realize it!

Well they certainly do to small critters that have the misfortune of crossing its path!

My bird feeder is a perfect example of a "food chain"

The birds are messy eaters, so lots of the seed ends up on the ground, which feeds the squirrels (it's a squirrel-proof feeder), moles, mice, etc., which in turn feed the owl and thus, umm, reduce in a natural way the growth of the families of certain species.

However I think the "P" in NFP might be an overstatement, I don't think there's much planning involved other than finding a suitable perch!

That, and the chickadees are madder than heck as they can't get safe access to the feeder now.  They're smart enough to avoid Mr. NF not quite P.

His wife, Mrs. Owl, then replied: "Huh, getting my husband to practice NFP? That's a hoot!"

I kill me. =)