CatholicFamilyToday

As a Marriage and Family Therapist I celebrate the chance to help married couples come to a better understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage. Sadly we have lost a sense of marriage as it was intended by God in the beginning. This blog is about marriage as it applies to scripture and the lives of the saints. As a Marriage Counselor I invite you to walk with me on a journey within the rich anthropology of our faith. The sacredness of Marriage is what this blog, and my work is all about.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist

Good morning. Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist. He was one of the two sons of thunder and believed to have possibly been the author of the Gospel of John. The author of the Gospel of John begins by saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:1-5). Not much has changed since the time this was written. There remain those who do not comprehend this, and the world that surrounds us remains as dark if not more so. The beginning words of this Gospel take us back to the first words of the Old Testament, to the story of creation and God’s intent for mankind. The author goes on to describe how He is among us and He remains with us despite the darkness. In other words God will not abandon us. Yet, the world we live in often seems very different from the one intended for us, and the world often seems indignant and vulgar in response to our efforts to live in accordance with God’s intentions for us. Yesterday we were reminded of the trials of the Holy Family and their obedience and righteousness in the face of the darkness about them. Saint Joseph knew God would not abandon him nor the child and his mother. Like the Holy Family, Christian families continue to be faced with the darkness of a world that fails to comprehend the “Light of men.” Today’s world presents similar threats as those from which Saint Joseph protected the Child and His mother. Today’s world continues to threaten innocent life and the media and other elements of our culture entice our children with a continual message of darkness. As we continue in our celebration of Christmas, let us pray that God will guide us, as He did Saint Joseph, toward taking our families where God intends them to be. Make a great day!

Today we celebrate the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist

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BOOK OF THE MONTH

Awhile back I was out splitting wood when someone in passing introduced himself. Knowing me to be the parent of three of our four children whom the passerby knows he took the time to compliment me on what nice children Linda and I have. I suggested that most of the credit truly belongs to their mother and he responded that I likely had a play in it in some way and that whatever we did it should perhaps be put into a book. I thanked him and he went on his way and I resumed splitting wood with increased energy as a result of his kind words. This kind man is possibly correct about putting into a book whatever wisdom I might have to offer, but short of my ever getting any such wisdom published I might suggest reading the work of Peter Kreeft Before I Go: Letters to Our Children About What Really Matters. This delightful collection of instructional and at times humorous reflections by the author would likely reflect the type of things I would be inclined to put into words myself for my own children. Among many enlightening points the author makes, one which really needs to influence all that we as parents do is his point that the greatest gift which we give to our children is the gift of faith—their awareness of God. He likewise makes another critical point that when we are gone, “when the parent is dead, it’s too late to share the most precious things he knows.” This book should be part of every Christian family’s collection.