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By John Bosio When I was a young boy living in northern Italy, one morning after Mass my pastor asked me to go with him to bless homes. Early that afternoon we set out. I walked along carrying a container with holy water and a big empty basket. The pastor said, “Today we will visit the farmhouses just outside of town.”  At each stop the priest gathered the families living there, whoever was not in the fields, and explained that he had come to bless their homes. This is something he did each year and they were expecting him.  The people living at the farm assembled in the largest room. “Remember that we bless your house each year to rededicate your homes and your families to God. God lives here with you. Let’s make room for him,” the pastor explained.  The message to his flock still resonates with me today, especially as…

By Ann M. Garrido  I woke this morning on what feels like Day 419 of the ‘Rona—as my son has taken to calling it—and his father has once again left a half-drunk soda can in the middle of the coffee table overnight.  I snarl as I don mask and hat.  I search for the apartment key, which is not where I left it, as I stumble over his huge, heavy shoes deposited right in front of the door.  (Seriously, why can’t anyone put anything away in this place? And by anyone, I mean my husband.)  And, oh yes, I search for my rosary.  I’ve taken to praying it again as I walk in the morning so I put that in my pocket as well.  I typically say a decade for Steve—a friend of a friend who is suffering from multiple myeloma. A decade for my sister-in-law undergoing her second round…

By John Kindschuh Couples struggle with challenges in life, but I would assert that my spouse enabled me to better serve others—and God—after a significant medical emergency. I had a cerebellar stroke at thirty-five years old in September of 2013. My wife Cindy and I had a three-year-old son, Ryan, and a newborn daughter, Maggie. Cindy was my constant in a chaotic world.  Since nearly dying more than six years ago, I have been truly reborn.    Cindy’s devout support makes me reflect upon marriage in ways that may help other couples reexamine their relationship. My wife has taught me a great number of things about the Sacrament of Marriage, but there are seven things that I want to emphasize.    First, would you have married your spouse if you could have predicted his or her hardest times? For a few months I could not walk, so I was in a wheelchair. I could not effectively communicate: I…

By John Bosio I am writing these notes while we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since our country, state and city are on lockdown, Teri and I are spending our days at home, each morning trying to figure out what day this is, since our routines are similar day after day. We remind each other of the movie Groundhog Day.  While there is gloom and fear in the air, from time to time I am pleased to find in my inbox articles that spotlight a possible silver lining when it comes to the future of marriage and the family. A series of such articles came from the Institute for Family Studies. I want to share what experts are projecting.  The rise of a “family first” model of marriage  Bradford Wilcox, visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, believes that the current upheavals will change the way couples look at marriage. Unmarried men and women faced with economic insecurity and unemployment will be looking for…

By Fr. Joe Laramie, S.J. Live-stream Masses. E-rosaries. Zoom Stations of the Cross. It was a strange Lent, for sure.   Many of us broke our Lenten resolutions—and gave up far more than we ever imagined.  Now that we’re in the Easter season, how can we make the most of these challenging times? Specifically, how is Christ calling us to grow in our most important relationships?  Here’s an activity for you and your spouse/fiancé to share after your next live-stream Mass together: Reflect on your “Spiritual Top 10.”  What’s a Spiritual Top 10? Everyone loves top ten lists, right? Top 10 movies. Top 10 quarterbacks. Even top ten bargain rosé wines.   These Spiritual Top 10 experiences are those times that you felt a special closeness to God. This could be an explicitly religious event such as your Confirmation, a great retreat, or cousin’s Baptism. These might also be powerful moments of love and grace in other settings, perhaps a college hiking trip to Colorado or a great family meal. Surely several of these events…

By Bob Schuchts Just as there are vital signs for revealing the health of our physical bodies, there are key indicators marking the health of our marriage. These eight practices are ways of maintaining unity and intimacy for a thriving marriage. I encourage you to examine these vital signs in your own marriage. No matter what you find, it is a good way to start building a healthy marriage. How is your Spiritual Unity? This is the glue that holds your marriage together. God is love, so a marriage without God at the center is devoid of genuine love. Conversely, a marriage rooted and grounded in Christ can withstand almost any challenge. Does your relationship with God hold central place in your marriage? Is this evident in your daily life? Do you worship and pray together regularly? What is the quality of your Emotional Intimacy? Have you noticed when you…

It’s the beginning of a new year and many of us, moved by good intentions, make new year’s resolutions. This is an opportunity to introduce positive changes in our lives. Many of our resolutions are about changing one of our habits. Our life seems to be defined by them. Aristotle, the Greek philosopher, wrote, “We are what we repeatedly do.” Unfortunately, as we know from experience, our good intentions do not often produce the results we want because our habits are stronger than our good intentions. George Santayana, a philosopher and novelist wrote, “A habit is stronger than reason.”  Our habits are shortcuts that our brains create to make life easier. Our habits give us routines that we follow without much thought. Because of this, changing our habits is difficult.  Our brain resists such change. If we are serious about changing a habit, we need to outsmart our brain. We…

7. Did We Mention Prayer? Finally, have we mentioned the importance of praying both individually and as a couple before, during, and after an argument? We have? Good. Let’s mention it one more time then. We’re being a little facetious here to make the point that marriage truly is hard work, and there will be times that the only way you find the strength to go back in there one more time and try to work things out is because God won’t stop bugging you to do it. You can ignore God and your spouse and your problems, but you do so at your peril. Please, for your sake, take time to pray before you sit down to discuss a serious issue. Say something such as, “God, please help us to be open to hearing each other’s concerns and even more open to your will. Hail Mary . . .”…