Feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

Good morning. Awhile back a friend of mine mentioned that the Wooly Worms didn’t have much fur on them and that their horses had not seemed to be developing much of a winter coat. Her suggestion was that these were signs of our likely experiencing a mild winter. In today’s Gospel Jesus points to the blossoming of the fig tree as being a harbinger of summer. Signs such as these surround our lives. There are signs all about us; frost tells us of the approach of winter, there are economic predictors, signs of health and signs of illness. There are signs that the freckled girl in your Algebra class likes you. My friend looks to the wooly worm. Too often however we tend to miss the signs of marital problems. It is often the case that when our wives feel neglected they engage in what we men refer to as “nagging”. We begin hearing such things as “Why don’t we ever…”, “Why is it you never…” Instead of hearing these comments from our wives as indications of their needing attention, we tend to interpret these remarks as “nagging.” Women, what you need to do is something different, because obviously the “nagging” doesn’t cut it. What you need to do instead is emphasize the positive. Catch your husband doing what you want him to do and let him know how much you appreciate them. Emphasize the positive! We tend to get far more mileage from praising our spouse than to criticize. It's far more efficient. Truth be known, my thirty years involvement in the counseling business has suggested that much like the wooly worm, there are no absolutely clear signs. This uncertainty suggests that we need to make a point to be attentive to what signs our spouse is sending us. Yet, I have learned that one clear sign of problems in the marriage is a sense of hopelessness which is why it is important, like the fig tree in the parable, to occasional offer blossoms of hope. We should arise each morning and think of ways to bring life into our marriage. Like a clear sky on a sunny morning offers hope of a beautiful day, we need to bring a ray of sunshine into our relationship with our partner. The life of our Saint for today, Catherine of Alexandria, offers us hope. Even while imprisoned and in the face of a horrendous death she remained hopeful. That she, and other saints and martyrs, was able to recognize great hope in death encourages us to live hopeful lives each day of our lives. How we choose to greet our partner each morning and live each day can make a world of difference. MAKE a great day!

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and works of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.