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, November 2, 2011

Feast of All Souls

Good morning. Today we celebrate All Souls Day, a day we recall the love and joy of all those who have gone before us. For some this may be cause for sadness, perhaps even despair, but for all of us as Christians it should be a day of hope; for Jesus in today’s Gospel gives us much reason to be hopeful. We are hopeful because the love of God has been poured out into our lives and we have the hope of one day joining those who have left this mortal life to spend eternity looking upon the face of God. Yes, we miss the joy of being with those family members and friends who have died, but we rejoice in their being in glory for it is only death that has died in them. And too, today is a day that we should reflect with appreciation those lives which have touched ours. It is in their lives we have come to see the love and goodness of our Creator. We should be especially appreciative today of the seeds of faith and hope which they have planted in our lives which provide for us expectation of one day joining them in the glory of heaven. Jesus assures us: “Everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” Alleluia! Make a great day!

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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.