Category

Family Life

Nov 28
0

Journey with the Holy Family

By | Family Life, Holidays, Marriage Enrichment | No Comments

As we prepare for the coming of the Son of God, we will journey with the Holy Family. Depending upon the calendar, the fourth week of Advent could have one day or six days, but we will spend them all with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We journey with Mary and Joseph as they make their way to Bethlehem, where there will be no room for them at the inn. There they will settle in at a stable and Jesus will be born in humility in the quiet of the night. We will be with Mary and Joseph in the ordinary moments of life and in the extraordinary circumstance of God coming to earth as we all do, as a small and wonderful child. The stable wherein Jesus is born says so much about the desires and love of God. It is no coincidence that Jesus is born in a stable….

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Nov 28
0

Critical Issues

By | Communication, Family Life, Finances, Finding Joy, Sexual Intimacy and NFP | No Comments

By the end of Margie’s life, Margie and I still had many unresolved conflicts between us, though we grew tremendously over the years in our ability to honor and respect each other despite these many differences. Some of our conflicts originated in personality differences, some in gender differences, and others from different values and lifestyle choices. Underlying all these were our “deeper hidden issues,” which Gottman identifies as the most critical in marriage. These deeper hidden issues included our respective areas of selfishness, sins, and wounds. These underlying issues fueled the surface conflicts and made them far more intense and hurtful. Most couples have difficulty accepting, honoring, and negotiating differences when it comes to these “deeper hidden issues.” Our fallen nature has a basic core of self-centeredness that hinders our capacity to reconcile our differences and become more unified. We also bring into marriage a whole lifetime of accumulated vices…

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Sep 26
0

Gender Differences

By | Communication, Family Life, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment | No Comments

There are many people and organizations today that downplay the importance of gender or want to deny there are any differences between men and women. But the popularity of bestselling books such as Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus and Men and Women Are from Eden show that many married couples are quite interested in understanding the inherent differences between the sexes. Research has validated that there are fundamental differences in the way men and women relate in marriage. And scripture highlights these differences in the creation story: “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Gn 1:27). I was amazed while studying the theology of the body to discover the rich meaning of the Hebrew names for male and female. The word male in Hebrew is zakar. It literally means “to remember,” and it speaks to…

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Aug 30
0

Gather Together for a Fall Feast

By | Family Life, Finding Joy, Uncategorized | No Comments

Menu: This menu fits so well with the crisp weather of autumn—from the roasted butternut squash soup, to a spectacular stuffed pumpkin baked to perfection in the French style. Tell everyone to save room, because a rustic apple crisp is for dessert. Starter: Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Main: Spectacular Stuffed Pumpkin Side: Kale Salad with Cider-Maple Vinaigrette Dessert: Any-Fruit Crisp with Homemade Caramel Sauce STARTER: ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP Serves 8 Ingredients You’ll Need 4 (12-ounce) packages precut butternut squash (or 2 medium butternut squashes, peeled, seeded, and chopped) 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 tablespoon honey Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, for seasoning 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground Healthy pinch of ground cinnamon Healthy pinch of ground nutmeg 2 cups unsweetened canned coconut milk or heavy…

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Aug 30
1

An Examination of Your Hearts for Married Couples

By | Communication, Family Life, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Spirituality | No Comments

We invite you as a couple to enter into an examination of your own hearts. Spend time asking yourself and each other where there are wounds, and after opening the tomb and exposing the dead life within you, pray with each other for freedom and joy. As you read through this examination of wounds, write down or mark in your book which wounds afflict your heart. We have started a list below. Use our list, or if the Holy Spirit brings things to light that are not written here, add them. Add all of them and leave nothing in the tomb. It’s resurrection time. We will be praying specifically into each area in the next step. Before you begin, make the Sign of the Cross and take a deep breath. Allow your hearts to enter into Christ’s peace. Invite the Holy Spirit to come and reveal what has been hidden….

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Jul 25
0

Common Obstacles to Serving with Love

By | Communication, Family Life, Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Preparation, Meaning of Marriage | No Comments

The Influence of Secular Individualism In contemporary society, it has become difficult to see that our life and love may have a purpose greater than just our own self-satisfaction. We are constantly bombarded by messages that tell us to “put yourself first” and “do what feels good.” This individualistic view of life is an obstacle to serving God and each other. The 2007 report published by the National Marriage Project called “The State of Our Unions” speaks of a cultural shift that is taking place in the United States. The social scientists report on the growing influence of “secular individualism.” Secular individualism is a mindset that is spreading across all modern cultures, touting a secular view of life. This way of thinking replaces the guidance of religious faith with the pursuit of personal self-fulfillment. Secular individualism is leading our society to distort the meaning of marriage; accept cohabitation, divorce, and…

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Jul 25
0

Tools for Building a Strong Marriage

By | Catholic Weddings, Communication, Family Life, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Spirituality | No Comments

For our love to be life-giving, we need to be connected with one another. Unfortunately, in today’s electronically linked world, we are sometimes more aware of the people on the other side of our phone or the Internet than of the people who are sitting in front of us: the members of our family. How can we provide for their needs and be of service to them if we are not aware of them? John: Invisible People Dave and Diane are a couple in their early thirties. Married seven years, they have two children. Dave is a successful professional, and Diane works part-time at the local library. They are a normal couple and have the problems that all couples have. As I listened to Diane and Dave describe, during a counseling session, their problems and their schedules, I formed a mental picture of their evenings’ routine. It is 7:00 p.m….

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Jul 25
0

How the Sacramental Graces of Marriage Help Couples

By | Catholic Weddings, Communication, Family Life, Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Preparation, Meaning of Marriage | No Comments

The sacrament of Marriage is not just a ritual you will celebrate on your wedding day. Your wedding rite is the door that opens your heart to the graces you need to be a credible icon of Jesus’ love each day of your life—a sacrament of God’s love. Being married in the Church in a sacramental marriage is an act of faith that brings you many graces. It is because of your faith that you allow yourself to be touched by God and love your spouse in good times and bad. You let the example of Jesus and the prompting of the Holy Spirit guide you and influence you every day. • When you are upset and hurt in your relationship, it will be your faith that urges you to turn to Jesus who will guide you back to each other. • When you bask in the love of your…

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Nov 29
1

Give the Gift of Your Presence This Year

By | Communication, Family Life, Finding Joy, Holidays, Marriage Enrichment | No Comments

By John Bosio  The Bible verse John 3:16 is often displayed at sporting events. It represents a passage from the Gospel of John proclaiming the greatest gift humanity has received from God: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone… might have eternal life.”  At Christmas, we celebrate the gift of God’s son and his presence as a person among us.   Why not give the gift of your presence to your family at Christmas this year? Our presence is the most important gesture of love that we can give to the people we care about. Too often at Christmas we are focused on giving each other material presents, and forget that the most valuable one is the gift of our attention and presence.   Dave and Diane (not their real names) are a couple in their early thirties. Married seven years, they have two children. Dave is a successful professional and Diane works part-time at the local library. They are a normal couple and face the challenges that…

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Nov 29
0

First Week of Advent – Wednesday

By | Communication, Family Life, Finding Joy, Holidays, Marriage Enrichment, Meaning of Marriage, Spirituality | No Comments

By Fr. John Burns Think of the steps of St. Joseph’s greatness. He began by the pure love of a spotless virgin. Gradually, as the mystery unfolded itself, the earthly love turned to enraptured veneration, and Mary became to him a trust from the God of his fathers, a divine treasure to be guarded from every shadow of ill.  James J. McGovern, The Manual of the Holy Catholic Church  To See with Eyes of Faith  As we observed in the introduction, Wednesdays are traditionally devoted to St. Joseph, and we invite him in a special way into our movement toward the manger throughout Advent.   St. Joseph learned in a privileged way what it means to live in the presence of God and to be moved by the beauty of God’s grace. He was granted the singular gift of marriage to the greatest jewel of all of creation, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  …

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