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, April 2, 2012

Feast of Saint Francis of Paola

Good morning. The Church teaches us that marriage is a relationship that parallels the love of Christ for his people. Marriage is a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman and the dwelling place of God's spirit. In today’s Gospel Jesus goes to Bethany and He is welcomed into the home of His good friends Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead. He is welcomed into their dwelling with Mary anointing His feet with expensive oil. They go out of their way to make sure that Jesus feels comfortable and made to feel welcomed and special in their home. We have to ask ourselves if the dwelling place of our marriage is adequately prepared for the Lord’s visit. Is it apparent that the Spirit lives within the dwelling place of our marriage? This Holy Week let us spare nothing in making preparations for Christ’s presence in the dwelling place of our marriage. Each morning when we welcome a new day we have the power to make the most of the relationship we have with our marriage partner. We can choose to welcome the Lord into the dwelling place of our marriage, or not. We have just one day, today, to welcome the Lord into our lives. Welcome Jesus! Make a great day!

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and work of Saint Francis of Paola.

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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.