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Calling Couples to Christ

~ Building strong, joy-filled marriages

Calling Couples to Christ

Category Archives: Marriage

Families Are an Icon of God

27 Sunday Dec 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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communion of persons, grace, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Self-giving love, The Holy Family, Trinity

Matthias Stom_Holy Family_c1640

Holy Family
Matthias Stom, c. 1640

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family. As the earthly parents of the Christ child, Mary and Joseph provide the perfect parenting models. Their commitment and obedience to God, exemplify the spirit of love for Christ that guided their lives.

Mary and Joseph both answered “Yes” to God’s call. They humbly accepted God’s plan for their lives, trusting that His purpose would be accomplished through their obedience. Their singular purpose in life was to serve God. Husbands and wives today would do well to imitate the honor, love and devotion that Mary and Joseph had for their family, as well as their wholehearted trust and obedience in God.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in his Angelus address on the Feast of the Holy Family in 2009 said:

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God Renews His Promise

25 Friday Dec 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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Christmas, gladness, Jesus, love, prayer, rejoice, Savior

Adoration of the sheperds_Matthias Stomer_c1632

Adoration of the Shepherds
Matthias Stom, c. 1632

Do not fear…do not be discouraged! The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, Who will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love… Zephaniah 3:16-17

This has been a very difficult year. We have been attacked by a virus that has much of the United States on lockdown. Many have been infected, some to the point of losing their lives. Many major cities in our country have been under assault by rioting and looting. People are out of work due to forced lockdowns and many businesses are failing. Our country is divided on what direction we should be taking in the future. So many individuals are angry, hopeless, and in despair.

Christmas has come in spite of all that we have faced this year. We have a mighty savior in our midst and we need not be afraid. He has come to renew us and save us from sin and death. God came to earth in human form to be close to us and He did it out of pure love. We are safe in the loving arms of Jesus.

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A Prayer for Families

20 Sunday Dec 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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Mercedarian Friars, Patron of Christian family life, patron saint of the sick, St. Raymond Nonnatus, St. Rocco, Traditional Latin Mass, What is heaven like?

1213201308

The third Sunday of Advent coincided with our 18th wedding anniversary. We celebrated by driving to Cleveland. Our day started with the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Rocco Catholic Church.

St. Rocco is the first and oldest Italian Parish on Cleveland’s West Side, founded in 1914. It is known as a “Do-It-Yourself” parish because of the numerous self-building projects undertaken over the years by the parish members, including construction of the current church in the years 1949 to 1952. The craftsmanship is this church is stunning!

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Blessings from the Lord

13 Sunday Dec 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

blessings, Calling Couples to Christ, faithfulness, Holy Matrimony, hope, love, obedience, widowed

Wedding_01

And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Deuteronomy 28:2

Eighteen years ago today, we were joined together in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. We believe that was the fulfillment of God’s promise to us.

We were both widowed, and in the midst of our grief, God encouraged both of us with this verse from Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11). We held on to these words tightly as the days, months, and years passed by without our beloved spouses.

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. 1 Corinthians 15:56-58

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Balm for Turbulent Times

05 Saturday Dec 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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bliss, Consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, courage, despair, dissension, division, glory, peace, strength

Sacred Heart of Jesus

Ninety-eight years ago this month, Pope Pius XI issued the encyclical Ubi Arcano Dei Consilio (When in the Inscrutable Designs of God). In this encyclical written at the end of World War I, he described the state of human society…

A much more serious and lamentable evil than these threats of external aggression is the internal discord which menaces the welfare not only of nations but of human society itself. In the first place, we must take cognizance of the war between the classes, a chronic and mortal disease of present-day society, which like a cancer is eating away the vital forces of the social fabric…from this class war there results frequent interruptions of work, the causes for which most often can be laid to mutual provocations. There results, too, revolutions, riots, and forcible repression of one side or other by the government, all of which cannot but end in general discontent and in grave damage to the common welfare. To these evils we must add the contests between political parties, many of which…originate[in]…the desire for power and for the protection of some private interest which inevitably result in injury to the citizens as a whole.[1]

Sound familiar? After nearly 100 years, we are still plagued with these same issues. As Ecclesiastes says, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun” (1:9).

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Giving Thanks Isn’t Just for Thanksgiving Day

29 Sunday Nov 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

compassion, Fruits of the Holy Spirit, joy, kindness, love, lowliness, meekness, patience, praise, Thanksgiving

Philippians 4

In the letters of Paul, he consistently exhorts us to be joyful in all circumstances. You may read these and think, “Well, that is a nice platitude but my circumstances are different.” Really? Do you know the circumstances that Paul endured?

Paul’s sufferings as an Apostle of Jesus Christ are chronicled in 2 Corinthians 11:24-33. Paul endured:

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In Thanksgiving for God’s Blessings on This Great Nation

26 Thursday Nov 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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Divine Providence, George Washington, Proclamation, prosperity, thanks, Thanksgiving Day

George Washington with Flag

The last Thursday in November is a Day of Thanksgiving in the United States. Today we share with you the first Thanksgiving Day proclamation of George Washington in its entirety. Washington issued this proclamation on October 3, 1789, designating Thursday, November 26 as a national day of thanks. In his proclamation, Washington declared that the necessity for such a day sprung from the Almighty God’s care of Americans prior to the Revolution, assistance to them in achieving independence, and help in establishing the constitutional government.

On this day of thanksgiving, we join our prayers with that of our first President for God’s continued blessings on our nation and our families. It is only by His Divine Providence that we exist and it is only right and just that we give Him our humble thanks and praise.

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

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Forgiveness that Heals and Restores

22 Sunday Nov 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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apology, Dr. Bob Schuchts, forgiveness, healing, John Paul II Healing Center, Unveiled

shutterstock_couple praying

In a previous blog, we shared the importance of forgiveness in a thriving marriage. When we sin against each other and hurt each other, we stop the flow of God’s grace that can bring healing to our relationship.

In this blog, we want to share with you what a genuine apology and true forgiveness looks like. We learned these skills at the Unveiled: Discovering the Great Mystery marriage conference put on by the John Paul II Healing Center. The conference was co-led by the founder of the John Paul II Healing Center, Dr. Bob Schuchts, and his daughter Carrie Schuchts Daunt.

Reconciling with our spouse in marriage is similar to reconciling with God in confession. Dr. Schuchts says, “It requires an honest and humble apology, where we take responsibility for our offenses, express sorrow for them, and seek forgiveness and healing.”[1] Schuchts cites the work of Christian mediator Ken Sande, who outlines the two main components of a biblical approach to reconciliation and healing: Apology and Forgiveness.

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The One Point of Marriage

15 Sunday Nov 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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Fr. John Riccardo, Gospel, Rescued, transformation, witness

We are living in a post-Christian culture. We have lost sight of our reason for being. God has been eclipsed from our culture and we are left to our own devices to answer the really big questions of life:

Why am I here?
Where am I going?
How do I get there?
[1]

Lacking a moral compass, our culture has become a collection of self-serving mini-gods, with each individual determining what is right and wrong. Life has no purpose so do whatever you like, as long as no one gets hurt. Sadly, many people are left wounded by this culture of power, pleasure-seeking, and money. The prevailing emotions are hopelessness and despair.

Fr. John Riccardo in his new book Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel contends that a biblical worldview is required to answer the important questions of life. The book succinctly tells “the story” of God’s determination to get His world back through the radical gift of His Son, Jesus Christ. This book will help you to move from head knowledge of the gospel story to a radical transformation of your heart.

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Remedy for Fear and Anxiety During the Lockdown

08 Sunday Nov 2020

Posted by Dennis and Rose Wingfield in Family, Marriage

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anxiety, Holy Spirit, joy, peace, prayer, rejoice, Saint Dymphna, stress, Thanksgiving

st-dymphnaLast week we discussed finding peace in the midst of the pandemic lockdown. Are you feeling anxious and overwhelmed? Are your days filled with fear and worry? In prison, Paul wrote to the young church at Philippi, exhorting them to follow his remedy for anxiety, fear, and worry.

Philippians 4:4-7 (RSV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.

5 Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand.

6 Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

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