Category

Holidays

Dec 19
0

Worthwhile Resolutions by Joyce Rupp

By | Communication, Finding Joy, Holidays, Marriage Enrichment, New Year's Resolutions | No Comments

  It takes effort to direct thoughts to things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, gracious, worthy of praise. ~ Amy Kuebelbeck   No matter how life is currently unfolding, I always look forward to greeting a new year. Its open space appears inviting, and the fresh prospects instill hope. Each January presents an opportunity to reestablish and reclaim what promises to keep me balanced and growing. In late December, a television newscaster disparaged New Year’s resolutions as worthless, probably because studies show that almost 80 percent of them will be broken or discarded before the month is over. In spite of this fact, I believe resolutions to be valuable for my personal growth. Through the years I’ve found an intentional focus on some aspect of my attitude and behavior to be of substantial value. One simple intention can make a big difference in how I live. I prefer…

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Sep 28
0

Saint Thérèse of Lisieux: A Missionary’s Heart

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January 2, 1873–September 30, 1897 Patronage: Missionaries, Against Illness Memorial: October 1 THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX’S STORY Born in 1873 at Alençon in Normandy, France, Françoise-Marie Thérèse Martin was the fifth daughter of Blessed Louis Martin and Blessed Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin. With the untimely death of her mother, Thérèse’s family relocated to Lisieux, France, where Thérèse was cured from a serious illness at the age of eight. Thérèse experienced a vision of the Christ Child when she was not quite fourteen. So great was her desire to join the Carmelites that, upon being declined because of her age, she took her personal request to Pope Leo XIII during a pilgrimage to Rome. Thérèse’s entry into Carmel was marked by her development of what would become known as the “Little Way,” her personal charism of total devotion to God by completing even the most mundane and ordinary tasks with the greatest of…

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Nov 28
0

Journey with the Holy Family

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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 29
1

Give the Gift of Your Presence This Year

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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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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…

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Nov 19
3

Rethinking the Holidays: Finding Authentic Joy in the Holiday Season by Paul George

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The Christmas season is a wonderful time of year. It’s a time to gather with family and celebrate with friends. It’s a time to laugh, eat, sing, give, receive and love. The holidays are often filled with many memorable and joy-filled moments. But if I’m honest, the holidays can also be stressful. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve experienced anxiety and worry during a season when all should be merry. The stress of shopping and the worry of syncing calendars with family; anxiety over money, traveling, and taking time off of work; finding time to spend with everyone and dealing with expectation in more ways than one–the tension during the holidays is real and it can easily steal our joy. We all stress over different situations and face different challenges during this time of year. We typically deal with these situations in a few ways. We might pretend like we…

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