Archive for February, 2010
The great task that has to be faced today
From On the Family: The great task that has to be faced today…is that of recapturing the ultimate meaning of life and its fundamental values.
February 6, 2010
Love is beautiful but more complicated the second time around. If you are contemplating a second marriage, attend a quality marriage preparation program geared to your unique situation.
Families need
From On the Family: [Families need] a continuous, permanent conversion.
Words of Wisdom from St. Francis (but not really)
As a pregnant woman, I am finding that it can be easy to fall into thinking that my husband should be taking care of me by shouldering more than his “fair share” of household work. Of course, I believe that a man should show his love for his pregnant wife by understanding that she is [...]
February 5, 2010
An attraction towards the opposite sex can alert you to something missing in your marriage. Identify the quality you’re drawn to and try to make it live again in your marriage. You don’t need a new person, just new eyes for your spouse.
Among the many blessings
From Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan: Among the many blessings that God has showered upon us in Christ is the blessing of marriage.
February 4, 2010
“Never go to bed angry” is a helpful maxim. But what if an argument drags on and you’re only getting more frustrated? Call a time out and set a time to reconnect the next day.
Pastoral Letter
In mid-November, 2009, the U.S. Catholic Bishops are scheduled to vote on a pastoral letter on marriage. Entitled “Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan,” the letter is addressed to a broad audience, including young adults who are thinking about marriage, married couples, and those who work or volunteer in various kinds of marriage ministries.
Pastoral Letter Summary
Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan. A Pastoral Letter by the Catholic Bishops of the United States.
God’s hand has inscribed the vocation
From Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan: [God’s] hand has inscribed the vocation to marriage in the very nature of man and woman.
Local Promotion
The Committee on Marriage and Family asked a cross section of diocesan family life and communications staff for practical ideas to promote locally the For Your Marriage website and Public Service Announcements.
Pastoral Initiative for Marriage
In November, 2004 the U.S. Bishops voted overwhelmingly to make marriage a priority. They launched the National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage (NPIM), a multi-year effort to communicate the meaning and value of married life for the Church and for society.
Church Documents
This annotated bibliography includes major church documents on marriage beginning with the Second Vatican Council. Many of these statements are concerned primarily with marriage, while others address it indirectly.
Connections: Living Natural Family Planning
For a newly engaged couple, learning Natural Family Planning (NFP) is informative, interesting, at times a little embarrassing, but always enlightening. Living NFP, on the other hand, is a different story.
Rite for Celebrating Marriage Between a Catholic and an Unbaptized Person
The rite for a Catholic marrying a catechumen (one who is preparing for baptism), a non-Christian, or someone who does not believe in God exemplifies sensitivity for the unbaptized person and his/her family. This third form has the same four basic elements as the first two forms of the rite: questions about intent, exchange of consent, the blessing and exchange of rings, and the nuptial blessing.
Rite for Celebrating Marriage Outside of Mass
When a Catholic marries a Christian of another denomination, the Rite for Celebrating Marriage Outside Mass is used. Hospitality suggests that this form is the appropriate one when a significant number of guests are not Catholic and cannot join in Holy Communion.
Rite for Celebrating Marriage Within Mass
The Catholic Rite of Marriage centers around two key moments: the Exchange of Consent and the Nuptial Blessing. Marriage is rooted in the couple’s mutual vows of faithful love and is blessed by God as an image of the marriage between Christ and the Church. The couple’s declaration of reciprocal consent and the nuptial blessing reveal the sacramental nature of marriage as the spouses become symbols of Christ’s selfless love.
February 3, 2010
“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect hospitality.” (Hebrews 13:1) Your love is a gift that will deepen if you share it with others. Think of ways you can open your home to those in need.
Gospel Readings
Gospel reading suggestions for a Catholic wedding ceremony.
New Testament Readings
Readings and reflections from the New Testamant.
Old Testament Readings
Readings and reflections from the Old Testament.
A Marriage Blessing
This blessing is an adaptation of a beannacht, an ancient Hebrew form of blessing used to communicate the power of the Divine within families and later within believing communities. This beannacht is dedicated to married couples.
10 Pointers for Prayer
Finding time for prayer can seem impossible. Amid the busyness of family life, how can one respond to God’s ongoing invitation to speak with and listen to Him? Here are ten pointers to help you do just that.
The Theology of the Body According to Pope John Paul II
When John Paul II was elevated to the papacy, he unveiled a series of reflections on which he had worked for some time. These talks became known as “The Theology of the Body” and have had a growing impact on Christian thinking about what it means to be embodied as male or female.
The Mountains Bring the Freedom: The Theology of the Body
In the theology of the body, Pope John Paul shows no embarrassment for his repeated appeal to the two accounts of creation in Genesis. He admits the accounts are myth, but not in the rationalist sense of fable. Instead, the fable is the modern approach to the human person and marriage.
