Tag Archives: love

Lenten Mission: A Spiritual Checkup

21 Sunday Feb 2021

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Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! Psalm 139:23-24

This Lent we are taking you on a Lenten Mission, a spiritual checkup if you will. This is the key passage for our Lenten reflection:

And one of [the Pharisees], a lawyer, asked [Jesus] a question, to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” And [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:35-40 (emphasis added)

Each Sunday during Lent, we will meditate on a portion of this passage. This will require slowing down from our normal routines so we can listen to God through His written word. With all meekness and humbleness, as we reflect on the two greatest commandments, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you the condition of your spirit. Meditate and pray on each verse. What is the Spirit revealing to you? Do you need to repent of any spiritual sickness? Ask God to forgive you of your shortfalls. Pray for God to give you the grace to be better in the future. Make a commitment on how you are going to grow in one area.

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To Have, To Hold, To Honor

14 Sunday Feb 2021

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World Marriage Sunday 2021

To bear witness to the inestimable value of the indissolubility and fidelity of marriage is one of the most precious and most urgent tasks of Christian couples in our time.[1]

Today the Church celebrates World Marriage Sunday. Fittingly, this year it coincides with the Feast of St. Valentine, patron saint of happy marriages. “To Have, To Hold, To Honor” is the theme designated by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. According to the Bishops, it is a time to reflect on the gift marriage is to our Church and our country, as well as an opportunity for couples to build up their own marriages.

Indeed, marriage is a gift to the Church and our country. St. John Paul II said, “The future of humanity passes by way of the family.”[2] The family is the bedrock of society. The health of our culture and nation depends on the health of families. We are living in troubling times and many of our social ills are related to the breakup of the family.

What does a healthy family look like? It is a family that fulfills its mission. St. John Paul II, in his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio (The Family in the Modern World), said…

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February: A Month Dedicated to the Holy Family

07 Sunday Feb 2021

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Holy Family Stained Glass_02

The family is indeed—more than any other human reality— the place where an individual can exist “for himself” through the sincere gift of self. St. John Paul II[1]

The Church dedicates the month of February to the Holy Family. The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is the model of virtue for all Christian households. In these troubling times, when families are no longer valued and are disintegrating, it is of paramount importance that we emulate this virtuous family.

The Holy Family lived out what the Church calls the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance and the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love. Cardinal is the Latin word for “hinge.” All of the other virtues hinge around these four virtues. The higher theological virtues of faith, hope, and love are the fruit of the cardinal virtues.

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The Baptism of the Lord

10 Sunday Jan 2021

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The Baptism of the Christ
Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1475

It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11

Today the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord. Jesus humbled himself to receive John’s baptism of repentance not to purify himself but to purify you and me. Because of Jesus’ baptism, you can be confident that God has “grasped you by the hand” (Isa 42:6 – 1st reading at today’s Mass), saving you from the oppression of Satan, sin, and death. Through this act, we too are made beloved sons and daughters of the heavenly King, pleasing to Him.

In our restoration work with couples who are struggling in their marriages, we see many individuals with father wounds. These wounds effect their understanding of God the Father’s incredible love for them. It is through our earthly father’s love, mercy, and forgiveness that we come to know who God the Father is. If we have not received these from our earthly father, our view of God is distorted. If our father was harsh, critical, or overbearing, this will be our image of God the Father.

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Families: An Epiphany of the Lord

03 Sunday Jan 2021

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Adoration of the Magi_Fabriano_c1423

Adoration of the Magi, Gentile da Fabriano, c. 1423

“I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6

Today the Church celebrates the Epiphany of the Lord, which commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. Epiphany means manifestation. What the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world. After having been made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem, Jesus is revealed to the Magi. They have come from the East to adore the Christ Child.

Christian tradition sees in the Magi “the first fruits of the Gentiles.”[1] Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation as prophesied in Isaiah in the Old Testament. The adoration of the Magi is the beginning of the Christian faith among Gentiles.

May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him! Psalm 72:11

Christian families also have the task of manifesting the light of Christ to the world. Through their example of holiness, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, give witness to the love of Christ in a world living in darkness, sin, and despair. You are to be a daily “epiphany” of the Lord to your children, extended family, neighbors, co-workers, and the world. You could not find a more noble task.

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God Renews His Promise

25 Friday Dec 2020

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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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Blessings from the Lord

13 Sunday Dec 2020

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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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Giving Thanks Isn’t Just for Thanksgiving Day

29 Sunday Nov 2020

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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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Marriage: Witness to God’s Faithful Love

18 Sunday Oct 2020

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God loves us with a definitive and irrevocable love…married couples share in this love…it supports and sustains them, and…by their own faithfulness they can be witnesses to God’s faithful love. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1648

The faithful love of husband and wife in marriage is a witness to God’s faithful love to His people. You cannot find a more noble task. Or a more impossible one! We are wounded and broken people. We cannot live this kind of love on our own. But God has not left us alone. In the Sacrament of Matrimony, we get grace to love as Christ loved: freely, totally, faithfully, and fruitfully. Continue reading →

Serve Your Family in Humility

22 Saturday Aug 2020

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Jesus Washing Peter’s Feet
Ford Madox Brown, c. 1852–6

Lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3

St. Paul wrote these words to the young church in Ephesus, imploring them to have unity with their Christian sisters and brothers. These words equally apply to family life where the daily grind can lead to impatience and short fuses. To live out these words requires a humble heart. It requires that we give up our right for justice when we have been maligned and ill-treated. It requires humility to respond to an afront with kindness. It requires humility to choose to love even when that love is not returned. It requires humility to serve your spouse, seeking always to be a blessing to them even when they do not desire it,. It requires humility to always choose the path that builds up and does not tear down. It requires humility to be a peacemaker in this most sacred covenant of marriage.

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