15 Sunday Jan 2017
Man…cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself. (Gaudium et Spes, 24)
These words which were proclaimed by Pope Paul VI in the Vatican II encyclical Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution On The Church In The Modern World) became the foundation of the writings of Pope St. John Paul II on marriage and family.
07 Saturday Jan 2017
Back in November of last year, we issued a clarion call to pray for marriages and families. We encouraged you to organize a prayer ministry at your local parish in support of this challenge.
Our home parish, Our Lady of Good Counsel in Plymouth, Michigan is doing just that. In his homily for the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, Pastor Fr. John Riccardo reflects on events from the past year and proposes that parishioners continue to set aside Wednesdays as days of fasting and prayer for marriages, families, priests and religious.
30 Friday Dec 2016
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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.
When Mary wondered how it could be that she would be with child, the Angel of the Lord told her that the child would be of the Holy Spirit. Mary responded with trust and obedience (cf. Lk 1:26-38).
Joseph so deeply honored and loved Mary that he was unwilling to subject her to public humiliation So he chose instead to quietly dismiss her. When the angel assured Joseph that the baby was of God, he responded with trust and obedience. He spent his life protecting and supporting the Holy Family (cf. Mt 1:18-25).
24 Saturday Dec 2016
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No one, whether shepherd or wise man, can approach God here below except by kneeling before the manger at Bethlehem and adoring him hidden in the weakness of a new-born child. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 563)
The following is an excerpt from the homily given by Pope Benedict XVI at Midnight Mass on the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord, at Saint Peter’s Basilica, 24 December 2012:
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
Again and again the beauty of this Gospel [Lk 2:1-14] touches our hearts: a beauty that is the splendour of truth. Again and again it astonishes us that God makes himself a child so that we may love him, so that we may dare to love him, and as a child trustingly lets himself be taken into our arms. It is as if God were saying: I know that my glory frightens you, and that you are trying to assert yourself in the face of my grandeur. So now I am coming to you as a child, so that you can accept me and love me.
17 Saturday Dec 2016
For the past 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has consistently taught that marriage is permanent, exclusive and fruitful (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1603-1605). In addition, the Church has taught that divorce (from a valid marriage) and remarriage is committing adultery (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2384). Many want the Church to change its teaching so that the divorced and remarried can receive Communion. However, the Church does not have the authority to change God’s design for marriage as revealed in sacred Scripture, taught by the early Church Fathers and interpreted by the Magisterium.
10 Saturday Dec 2016
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A recent Pew Research Center Study asked respondents how important each of seven factors were to marital success. Topping the list was having shared interests, a satisfying sexual relationship and sharing household chores. Shared religious beliefs ranked fifth on the list of marriage success factors (see below).
03 Saturday Dec 2016
Marriage is called to be not only an object but a subject of the new evangelization.[1]
With these words, Pope Benedict XVI opened the thirteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme The New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith. He explained that:
Matrimony is a Gospel in itself, a Good News for the world of today, especially the dechristianized world. The union of a man and a woman, their becoming “one flesh” in charity, in fruitful and indissoluble love, is a sign that speaks of God with a force and an eloquence which in our days has become greater because unfortunately, for various reasons, marriage, in precisely the oldest regions evangelized, is going through a profound crisis. And it is not by chance. Marriage is linked to faith, but not in a general way. Marriage, as a union of faithful and indissoluble love, is based upon the grace that comes from the triune God, who in Christ loved us with a faithful love, even to the Cross. Today we ought to grasp the full truth of this statement, in contrast to the painful reality of many marriages which, unhappily, end badly.[2] (emphasis added)
25 Friday Nov 2016
Today is the feast day of Blessed Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi. They are a model of virtuous married love and unwavering commitment to the faith. Their inspiring example is a source of encouragement for all married couples.
24 Thursday Nov 2016
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In the United States, the fourth Thursday of November is set aside as a day to thank God for the bountiful blessings and abundant gifts he has bestowed upon our nation. The Pilgrims, who were fleeing religious prosecution in their native England, celebrated the first thanksgiving in America in 1621, one year after arriving on the Mayflower. The tradition of celebrating a day of thanksgiving continued for many years, although inconsistently in spacing or season, until President Abraham Lincoln made it an annual national holiday in 1863.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. (Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation)
19 Saturday Nov 2016
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The Jubilee Year of Mercy draws to a close this Sunday, November 20, on the Solemnity of Christ the King. However, we must continue helping people personally encounter the love, kindness, generosity and incredible mercy of God. During the Year of Mercy, Pope Francis called Catholics around the world to “open wide” the doors of their hearts to forgive others.
It is in the family, where husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, guided by the Holy Spirit, model love and mercy to each other and their children. Jesus shows us how to do this; it is through forgiving those who have grievously offended us.
Calling Couples to Christ 