31 Sunday Jan 2016
St. John Paul II says that the prayer of Tobias and Sarah found in the book of Tobit has the power to free couples of all times and places from the demon which threatens to destroy the body. This bold proclamation is found in his epic work Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body. He describes this prayer as a “conjugal creed.”
24 Sunday Jan 2016
Ad uxorem[1] (To my wife):
How shall we ever be able adequately to describe the happiness of that marriage which the Church arranges, the Sacrifice strengthens, upon which the blessing sets a seal, at which angels are present as witnesses, and to which the Father gives His consent? For not even on earth do children marry properly and legally without their fathers’ permission.
How beautiful, then, the marriage of two Christians, two who are one in hope, one in desire, one in the way of life they follow, one in the religion they practice. They are as brother and sister, both servants of the same Master. Nothing divides them, either in flesh or in spirit. They are, in very truth, two in one flesh; and where there is but one flesh there is also but one spirit. They pray together, they worship together, they fast together; instructing one another, encouraging one another, strengthening one another. Side by side they visit God’s church and partake of God’s Banquet; side by side they face difficulties and persecution, share their consolations.
17 Sunday Jan 2016
Heaven’s Song: Sexual Love as it was Meant to Be, by Christopher West, West Chester, PA: Ascension Press, 2008. 189 pages. Reviewed by Rose M. Wingfield.
In Heaven’s Song, West’s stated goal is to help readers understand how sexual love opens a pathway to deep intimacy with God. He uses the undelivered addresses of John Paul II’s Theology of the Body which focus on the erotic poetry of the Song of Songs and the great spiritual contest surrounding the marriage of Tobias and Sarah.
West succeeds in writing a book that is informational and accessible, as well as inspiring and provocative. In addition to making John Paul II’s Theology of the Body understandable and applicable, he incorporates insights from great mystics of the Church including Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross and Louis de Montfort.
10 Sunday Jan 2016
Consider keeping these 10 resolutions to improve your spiritual health and strengthen your marriage. They are found in 1 Thessalonians 5:
Be alert and self-controlled (6).
Encourage one another and build each other up (11).
Live in peace with each other (13).
Be patient with everyone (14).
Be kind to each other (15).
Be joyful always (16).
Pray continually (17).
Give thanks in all circumstances (18).
Test everything. Hold on to the good (21).
Avoid every kind of evil (22).
