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, August 1, 2012

Feast of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Good morning. Like the Pearl in the parable from today’s Gospel the Kingdom of God should be our ultimate goal in life. “Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.” It should be likewise with our marriage, it should be prized above everything else in our lives, placing it and its welfare at the center of everything we do. Unfortunately, as John Steinbeck notes in the novel The Pearl , “humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more.” If, however, we recognize in our marriage we have a pearl, if we know to put our marriage first, our lives have value beyond the most precious pearl. Like Saint Alphonsus, whose life we honor today, let us strive to recognize that there is far greater treasure than the pleasures of the world. Are we willing to give up everything to possess it? Make a great day!

Today we recall the good life, gifts, and work of Saint Aphonsus Maria de Liguori. “When we hear people talk of riches, honors and amusements of the world, let us remember that all things have an end, and let us then say: “My God, I wish for You alone and nothing more.”

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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.