Category

Finding Joy

Feb 22
0

Learning to Forgive Unconditionally

By | Communication, Finding Joy, Meaning of Marriage | No Comments

Bobby Died All Over Again at Our House  Teri: Some time ago, while John was organizing boxes of family photos, he came across a small envelope dating back to his youth. It contained two pictures of a younger John standing next to the late Senator Robert Kennedy Jr. Together with the pictures was the senator’s autograph.  I looked at the pictures with interest and told John that I wanted to show them to my friends who were coming over for dinner that day. These pictures were very special to John, and he did not want to part with them. But because of my insistence, he let me have them with a promise to take care of them.  The next morning, I went to the laundry room to transfer to the dryer a load of placemats used at dinner the night before. As I pulled them out of the washing machine,…

Read More
Dec 22
0

Feed the Hungry: Identify and Respond to Your Partner’s Deepest Longings

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

For I was hungry and you gave me food . . .  —Matthew 25:35  Teresa  “He doesn’t understand me.” “She doesn’t fulfill me any longer.” “I am not getting what I need from this marriage.” These statements, representing a real spiritual and emotional hunger, are not just something you hear from  desperate guests on the latest episode of Dr. Phil. Unfortunately, they are all too often spoken by many frustrated spouses.    Marriage is in crisis in our country and our world. In the United States the divorce rate still hovers around 50 to 60 percent, and the numbers aren’t all that much different among those who identify themselves as Christians.    So what’s the problem? How can two people who fall in love and vow to love each other “until death do us part” in front of God, their family, and friends . . . then give up on their relationship just years, or in some cases, only months later?   How many other married couples, even if…

Read More
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…

Read More
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.  …

Read More
Nov 29
1

Begging for Union

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

By Christy Wilkens  In a perfect world, a husband and wife lay down their lives for each other as Christ lays down his body for us in the Eucharist. Both marriage and Holy Communion are sacrament and sacrifice, examples of how dying to self produces life-giving love.  We do not live in a perfect world. Every individual, and every marriage, bears the mark of the Fall in unique and exquisitely painful ways. Stress. Infidelity. Disease. Addiction. Misunderstanding that festers into resentment.  For hope in these dark moments, when love seems lost and our human powers of reconciliation fail, let us draw upon these words: “Never permit me to be separated from You.”  That line is from the Spiritual Communion prayer of St. Alphonsus Liguori, a prayer that allows us to commune fully with Jesus in God’s mysterious space-time while we are apart in our own. This humble prayer can also unite us with our spouses across emotional distance. Our marriages…

Read More
Oct 28
1

The Bride without Shoes

By | Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Romance | No Comments

By John Bosio November 18, 1972: It was the day after our wedding. I remember driving on I-70 East, away from Kansas City toward the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. It was a snowy and windy day, but inside our little car, a 1970 orange-colored Maverick, it was warm and cozy. It was the place where we wanted to be. It was our car. It represented our new world. It was just the two of us, starting our life together. We had dreamed of spending our honeymoon strolling the Ozarks hills and visiting many quaint places. The snow that was coming down, wet and heavy, was redesigning our plans. That did not bother us. What was important to us was that we were together. It snowed for two days. On the third day, although there were ten inches of snow on the ground, we decided to get out and explore the area.  As…

Read More
Aug 18
0

The Power of Touch

By | Communication, Finding Joy, Marriage Enrichment, Romance, Sexual Intimacy and NFP | No Comments

By John Bosio  A few years ago while in Rome, Teri and I visited the Vatican Museums. We had been there before, and on that day our primary objective was to spend time in the Sistine Chapel. We got up early to be first in line, and soon after the Museum opened, we entered its gate and darted across halls and chambers toward the famous chapel.   We finally arrived and we were able to find a seat on one of the benches located on the periphery of the room. It is difficult to appreciate Michelangelo’s masterpiece, painted on the ceiling of the chapel, when standing and looking up surrounded by a crowd. So we were fortunate to find a seat.  My eyes were drawn to a panel in the center of the ceiling, full of light and with a simple composition.  On the right, a dignified and energetic image of the Creator reaching…

Read More
Apr 26
1

Crafting Your Couple (or Family) Mission Statement

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

By Mark and Melanie Hart It’s vital for couples to have a common vision of what success looks like at home and not just view parenting as a shared workload. This is one reason we believe so strongly that every couple should have a mission statement for their marriage and family. It should be something you can craft together, live by, and, as the kids get older, introduce to your children. Every couple’s mission statement will look different, but here are some priorities that you may want to consider: Putting your marriage relationship first. Incorporating your Catholic faith. Committing to serving others as a family. Practicing hospitality and having a home open to visitors. Making healthy lifestyle choices. Teaching your kids about the faith. Fostering prayer and virtue within the home. We recommend taking this project to prayer and asking the Lord to guide you as you write down what…

Read More
Apr 26
1

Thank God for Mothers

By | Family Life, Finding Joy | No Comments

By John Bosio  To the poets, May is the month of flowers; for the Church, it is the month of Mary; and for all of us, it is the month to celebrate our mothers. In honor of Mother’s Day, I share with you Pope Francis’s message to mothers in the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, The Joy of Love.  Motherhood begins with pregnancy and the Pope recognizes that pregnancy is difficult at times, but also rewarding. “A mother joins with God to bring forth the miracle of new life.” He encourages mothers to ask God for the wisdom to know their children and to accept them as they are. “It is important for a child to feel wanted. He or she is not an accessory or a solution to a particular problem.” (127)   The Pope is very specific with his advice to mothers. “With great affection, I urge all future mothers: keep happy and let nothing rob you of the interior joy…

Read More
Feb 23
2

Celebrating the Joy of Love in the Family

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

By John Bosio  In 2014 and 2015, the Catholic Church experienced an unprecedented event: a Synod of Bishops that spanned two years. The topic of the synod was the family. In preparation for that event, Catholics around the world were asked about the needs of families.  Families and their importance in the life of the Church were on the minds of the bishops as they debated how to support and care for them. In 2016, Pope Francis—responding to the recommendations of the synod—issued the apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love). Francis tells us that the Church is a family of families; therefore if families are strong, the Church is strong. Both St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI also believed that the future of the Church and of society depends on the wellbeing of the family. Unfortunately, many families today are struggling because of the social and economic damages caused by the pandemic and other disasters.  On March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, Pope Francis will launch a year of activities…

Read More