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.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Feast of Saint Nicholas of Flue

Good morning. Ah love! It seems to never be the same, it is constantly changing, it is never all that we desire. Like the song from the sixties by Bob Lind suggests, it is like an “elusive butterfly”, it is forever just beyond our complete grasp. To love and to be loved is more than a choice we make; it is an experience with another, forever changing and forever growing. It flows in concert with our own will and the will of our other. Much as Jesus speaks of His mission of love for us in today’s Gospel, we likewise in marriage do not live our lives for ourselves but in a communion of love with our spouse; as love grows there becomes an ever increasing desire for common thoughts and mutual experiences. It is this united will for something which we experience in marriage that gives our lives a new and unique perspective and gives us our life determined direction. Yet, sometimes life takes us in a direction we may not will it to, it sometimes offers a challenge to what we might will for our life and for our marriage; we see this demonstrated in the life of Saint Nicholas of Flue whose life we commemorate today. It is the occasional challenges and the normal uneasiness of life which tend to perpetuate the elusive nature of this experience we call marriage. It is these uncertainties which lead to the constant changing flow in the union of our wills with one another. As the song suggests it will not harm you, it is well worth the chase. Make a great day!

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and work of Saint Nicholas of Flue.

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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.