In this post, Dennis shares how mercy was key in healing his first marriage.

The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 1 Timothy 1:15-16

Paul in his first letter to Timothy says that he was the worst of sinners. Rightly so because Paul was a devout Jew who was persecuting and murdering Christians for what he believed was blasphemy against God. Paul’s life was totally changed by his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (see Acts 9:1-19). Jesus in his infinite mercy called Paul to be his chosen instrument to carry the Gospel message of His saving passion to the Gentiles. If Christ could show mercy to a murderer and use him to further His kingdom, should we not also share in Christ’s mission of divine mercy?

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As we celebrate Easter and anticipate the feast of Divine Mercy, it is worthwhile to reflect on the role of mercy in marriage. Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, the Preacher to the Papal Household says that people get married because of love, but when difficulties arise, mercy enables them to love sacrificially. He explains how this happens in the following excerpt from his Good Friday Homily,

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Lectio Divina, literally meaning “divine reading,” is an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures. During Lectio Divina, the practitioner listens to the text of the Bible with the “ear of the heart,” as if he or she is in conversation with God, and God is suggesting the topics for discussion. The method of Lectio Divina includes moments of reading (lectio), reflecting on (meditatio), responding to (oratio) and resting in (contemplatio) the Word of God with the aim of nourishing and deepening one’s relationship with God. Typical questions are: What gift does this passage lead me to ask from the Lord? or, What does this passage call me to do?

Read the passage aloud as a couple, then take some extended silence for each of you to savor what you have heard, particularly noting whether any word or phrase became a special focus of attention. Then share with each other what God has shown you in the passage.

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Capuchin Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa is the preacher of the Pontifical Household. In a recent homily, he reflected on Gaudium et spes, the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World. He says that this document addresses many social issues; the most relevant and problematic is marriage and family.

Fr. Cantalamessa begins by looking at marriage and family in the divine plan of God. The book of Genesis offers two distinct accounts of creation: the man and woman being created simultaneously in the image of God (Gen 1:26-28) and in the most ancient, the woman is taken from the side of the man (Gen 2:18-25).

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Dennis and Rose were both widowed. The story of God’s love for them after the death of their spouses was shared on the “Calling Couples to Christ” blog a few months ago.

This is Dennis’ story of his marriage to his first wife, Therese…

After 10 years of marriage, my wife wanted out. She sought and was granted a civil divorce. I knew that God expected me to honor my marriage vows until death separated (cf. Rom 7:2). Marriage is a covenant between husband, wife and God. Even if one spouse ignores the marriage vows, God honors the covenant. He expects husbands and wives to do the same. I believed what God said about marriage and I knew that I had to honor my part of the covenant. I knew that if God had called me to the vocation of marriage, I could depend on Him to provide me with the grace to do so. I knew that God would lead me through the desert of divorce to the Promised Land of a restored marriage. If I was to enter that Promised Land, I had to walk in faith with God to possess it.

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When was the last time you had a marital check-up?

Regular medical exams are designed to identify potential health issues before they start. Identifying and treating these issues early increase your chances for living a longer and healthier life.

The same is true for marriage. Early identification and treatment of potential problem areas will improve your chances for living a lifelong, healthy and happy marriage. Assessment tools are available to assist you in gauging the health of your marriage and guiding your improvement efforts. One such tool is offered by PREPARE/ENRICH®, more commonly known for pre-marriage relationship assessments.

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Pope Francis made an apostolic journey to Mexico this past week. Here is an excerpt of the address he gave to families at the Víctor Manuel Reyna Stadium in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Mexico on Monday, February 15, 2016.

Pope Francis greets people during a meeting with families at the Victor Manuel Reyna Stadium in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico, Feb. 15. (CNS photo/Paul Haring) See POPE-MEXICO-FAMILY Feb. 15, 2016.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I thank God for being here, on Chiapaneca soil. It feels good to be here on this soil, on this land; it is good to be here in this place which, with you here, has a family flavor, a home flavor. I give thanks for your faces and your presence; I give thanks to God because of the heart-beat of his presence in your families. I also thank you, families and friends, for giving us your witness, for opening to us the doors of your homes, the doors of your lives; you have allowed us to sit with you sharing both in the bread that nourishes you and in the sweat of your brow as you face the difficulties of every day. It is the bread representing the joys, the hopes and the hard sweat with which you confront sadness, disillusion and failings. I thank you for allowing me to enter into your families, your homes, and to sit at your tables.

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How many couples fully understand God’s plan for marriage when they say “I do?”

Pope Francis, in a recent address to the Officials of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota acknowledged that some do not understand the beauty, goodness and truth of God’s plan for marriage and it is the Church’s mission to help them understand.

He said, “Precisely because she is mother and teacher, the Church knows that among Christians there are those who are of strong faith, formed out of love and reinforced by good catechesis and nourished by prayer and a sacramental life, while others are of weak faith, overlooked and unformed, poorly educated or simply forgotten.”[1]

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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.

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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.

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