The attack on marriage is really an attack on the human person, and his dignity, for the devil seeks to pervert our true purpose, to pervert God's holy design. For many of us, we cannot march in protests or write dozens of letters or call numerous times to urge legislators to vote for the Truth. But one thing we can all do is pray and fast. We have designated one day each week to fast for these intentions:

1. That marriage may be preserved, promoted, and understood as God's plan for creation.

2. For all marriages that they may reflect the love of the Trinity.

3. For broken marriages that Christ bring healing and conversion to the spouses' souls.

4. For those who are married, for the sanctification of their marriage and their spouse. For those who are single, for their future spouse and vocation.


Thursday, December 1, 2011

December 2nd Fast


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JMJ
" . . . 'We see that at the beginning of the New Testament, as at the beginning of the Old, there is a married couple. But whereas Adam and Eve were the source of evil which was unleashed on the world, Joseph and Mary arc the summit from which holiness spreads all over the earth.  The Savior began the work of salvation by this virginal and holy union, wherein is manifested his all-powerful will to purify and sanctify the family - that sanctuary of love and cradle of life.'
"How much the family of today can learn from this! 'The essence and role of the family are in the final analysis specified by love. Hence the family has the mission to guard, reveal and communicate love, and this is a living reflection of and a real sharing in God's love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the Church his bride.' This being the case, it is in the Holy Family, the original 'Church in miniature (Ecclesia domestica),' that every Christian family must be reflected. 'Through God's mysterious design, it was in that family that the Son of God spent long years of a hidden life. It is therefore the prototype and example for all Christian families.'" 
(Redemptoris Custos, Apostolic Exhortation of Blessed John Paul II, 1989)
It is easy to mediate on the life of the Holy Family during the Advent and Christmas seasons, but we should be careful not to romanticize it.  Often there are two temptations in regards to our meditation: we can either place them so far above us that we forget their human nature, trials and sufferings or we can remove the footstool completely, dropping them down to our level and forget their sublime existence.  The Holy Family is not an unattainable model, and by giving into these temptations one neglects the opportunity to imitate their many virtues. 

If the root of all sin is pride than the root of all virtue is humility, and subsequently obedience.  How many occasions of sin would be avoided if these virtues were practiced more often?  Christ, Himself, in choosing to be born into a family, allowed the world to believe He was the son of a carpenter: 
 "St. Ambrose writes that Our Lord preferred his origin to be doubted (and that people should take him to be the son of Joseph) rather than to have the purity of his mother questioned.  St. John of Avila says that Our Lord 'did not want the lips of men to speak of her having a son without a husband. He preferred that they esteem him the son of an unworthy man. . . rather than to doubt the good name of his sacred mother." 
One of the reasons marriage was held in such high esteem in Jewish society was that it was known that the Messiah would be born of man; therefore, Mary's vow of virginity revealed her unsurpassing humility.  She was so humble that she did not allow herself the opportunity of becoming the Mother of the Messiah.  St. Joseph did not want to take Mary as his wife, not out of suspected guilt on Mary's part ("He believed it was more possible for a woman to conceive without a man than for Mary to commit a sin." ) but out of great humility on his part for he did believe the words she spoke to him concerning the conception of Christ and was fearful to take the spouse of the Holy Spirit for his bride.

The great humility of the Holy Family laid the foundation for the perfect harmony they enjoyed with one another.  They surely not only sacrificed for the good of each other, denying their own physical and emotional needs constantly, but anticipated and sought to satisfy the needs of the other members.  There was and is great love in the Holy Family!  One can imagine a quiet home, abounding with joy in the midst of three united hearts, all working for the good of the family.  In his excerpted quote, the Pope speaks of a "sanctuary of love", a place where all are reverenced as men made in the image and likeness of God, as fellow children of God, fellow heirs to the Kingdom.

The fruit of the third Joyful mystery of the Rosary, the birth of Christ, is poverty. During our fast tomorrow, let us strive to be poor in spirit, detached from all that is earthly and attached to all that is heavenly.  And let us attach ourselves to the model of the Holy Family making our homes a "sanctuary of love and cradle of life".



(After Blessed John Paul II's quote, both subsequent quotes were taken from Joseph of Nazareth by Frederico Suarez)

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