October 5th Fast

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JMJ

"The love, then, of which We are speaking is not that based on the passing lust of the moment nor does it consist in pleasing words only, but in the deep attachment of the heart which is expressed in action, since love is proved by deeds. This outward expression of love in the home demands not only mutual help but must go further; must have as its primary purpose that man and wife help each other day by day in forming and perfecting themselves in the interior life, so that through their partnership in life they may advance ever more and more in virtue, and above all that they may grow in true love toward God and their neighbor, on which indeed 'dependeth the whole Law and the Prophets.'"  (Pope Pius XI, Casti Connubii, On Christian Marriage, no. 23, 1930)

Marriage is above all a vocation, a call to holiness, a call to love. Worldly concerns may occupy our day, but heavenly concerns must occupy our heart.  Daily duties should draw spouses to one another, and strengthen the bond of their covenant.  It is a worthy and necessary goal to live in mutual support, both in physical and spiritual needs.  In this way, a husband and wife nurture the "deep attachment of the heart" that is vital to a lasting and loving marriage.  How much stronger a unit the family becomes when there is unity of the heart, the wife, and the head, the husband!  

September 7th Fast

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JMJ

"When one reads of the tremendous transformation of souls in the sacrament of Matrimony, one realizes that through them, as well as in a life specifically ascetic and detached, such as in the monastery and the cloister, there can be a fiery and ardent love of God.  There is a story to this effect about St. Marcarius, the Egyptian hermit, who one day in his meditations wondered to what degree of holiness and union with God his solitude and years of fasting and prayer had lifted him.  Falling asleep, he was told by an angel that he had not reached the level of holiness of two women who lived in a nearby town of whom he should learn.  Greatly interested, St. Macarius went to the town and found the women and, to his great astonishment, found that they were married.  He entreated them to tell the secret of their sanctity, but the two women, greatly confused, assured him that there was nothing remarkable about them:  "We are but poor wives amidst worldly cares."   But Macarius pressed his question and asked them how they came to be so holy in the eyes of God.  Their answer was that for fifteen years they had been married to two brothers and had lived together under the same roof, never once quarreling nor permitting a single unpleasant word to pass between them.  Thus did St. Macarius learn that peaceful cohabitation can be even more praiseworthy in the eyes of God than solitary fasting and prayer."  (Three to Get Married, Archbishop Fulton Sheen)

Blessed John Henry Newman said,

". . . faith at most only makes us a hero, but that love makes a saint; that faith can put us above the world, but that love brings us under God's throne; that faith can make us sober, but love makes us happy."

 What places us apart as Christians?  Is it our belief in dogmas?  Our attachment to devotions?  Secularists can boast of believing in dogmatic ideas, and give over themselves to disciplines.  What must separate us, is our love for Christ.  What must infuse our life, our vocations, is our great love for Him who redeemed us from our sinful state; and likewise, loving others because Christ begged for their life as well. "This is how all will know you are my disciples, if you have love for another." (Jn 13:35)  

Having a holy marriage and raising a holy family is not guaranteed by a singular fidelity to the commandments.  A couple, and a family can only grow in holiness if love permeates the beautiful teachings Christ gave us for family life. Living a vocation solely out of duty will eventually yield dryness, bitterness, and anxiety.  But one lived with love and fidelity will produce a fertile soil that will reap a harvest of lasting fruits: joy, peace, patience, and charity.  Love that is forgiving, humble, obedient, self-denying is not the "love" of the world, it is the love of Christ, and the only love that will bring peace to our homes, and eternal happiness to our families.

August 3rd Fast

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JMJ

" There is cause for rejoicing here.  You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials; but this is so that your faith, which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire-tried gold, may by its genuineness lead to praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ appears.  Although you have never seen Him, you love Him, and without seeing you now believe in Him, and rejoice with inexpressible joy touched with glory because you are achieving faith's goal, your salvation."  (1 Peter 1:6-9)

How do we view our lives? Do we take a natural view which tells us to seek pleasure, comfort, security, and to avoid any pain?  It is tempting to immediately deny that we take this perspective but then one recalls how little he denies himself, how much his mind is filled worldly anxieties, and how often he is disappointed and perplexed with the daily frustrations of life.  


We must daily be mindful of our supernatural calling.  All has been given to us with our salvation in mind.  How miserable those must be who believe only this world?  Suffering would be inexplicable if our true was home was not in heaven.  But because it is, we must never despair of the trials, be they great or small, that God sends us.  Each occasion to sacrifice, is an occasion to love; not something to be dreaded, not another thing to be burdened by.  Christ was burdened by our sins, but carried the Cross with the tremendous strength of His Love.  Let us carry out our sacrifices with the strength of our love.  


When we find it difficult, it will be well to be mindful of what is greater worth to us: a small pleasure derived for a moment or the small sacrifice that shows our Lord how much we desire the eternal salvation of ourselves, our spouse, our children, our friends.  

July 6th Fast

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JMJ

"During the past fifty years, coupled with what was often a weak reaction on the part of decent people, there has been a conspiracy of evil practices, propagating themselves in books and illustrations, in theaters and radio programs, in styles and clubs and on the beaches, trying to work their way into the hearts of the family and society, and doing their worst damage among the youth, even among those of the tenderest years in whom the possession of virtue is a natural inheritance.

Dearly beloved youth, young men and women, who are the special object of the love of Jesus and of us, tell me, are you resolved to resist firmly, with the help of divine grace, against every attempt made to violate your chastity? ...

...Finally, all of you who are intently listening to our words, know that above the unhealthy marshes and filth of the world, stretches an immense heaven of beauty. It is the heaven which fascinated little Maria; the heaven to which she longed to ascend by the only road that leads there, which is, religion, the love of Christ, and the heroic observance of his Commandments." 

(Homily of Pope Pius XII for the Canonization of St. Maria Goretti, June 24, 1950)

Today is the feast of St. Maria Goretti. She was a young girl of twelve who was impoverished in worldly goods but had an abundance of spiritual wealth and strength.  Violently attacked by a lust-filled neighbor, she valiantly fought off her offender, but later died of the fourteen stab wounds inlficted upon her.  She chose the death of her body rather than the death of her soul.

As we fast for marriage today, we should recall this martyr of purity.  It is not just a goal for the youth to preserve their purity and innocence.  There is not one of us today who would say,"I wish I was less innocent; I am glad I was exposed to such and such."  Rather, we say," Why did I read that?  Why did I watch that? What benefit did I gain from losing that small bit of my innocence?"  The devil works in subtle ways, and carefully chips away at our purity and innocence but making us believe we need to know about this or that or that we need to be able to combat evil by knowing about its sources.

But what if we want to preserve purity and innocence in ourselves and our children, we must not just fend off attacks but also actively strengthen our fortresses by enriching our lives with the knowledge of He who is most pure, and most innocent.  As St. Maria Goretti did, we must flee all things that will tarnish our purity, and seek all things that will fortify it. 

Lilies, symbol of purity

Independence Day

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JMJ

Happy 4th of July!  Praise God for the gift His Most Divine Son!  Praise God for the gift of our country!   Today is a day of thanksgiving and celebration, but one for serious reflection as well, especially for us as Christians.  In the Declaration of Independence, our founding fathers famously asserted our fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Unfortunately, the first two rights have been severely under attack for some time.  The forces behind the war on the unborn, disabled, and elderly seek the erosion of our right to life.  And the recent HHS mandate and healthcare ruling are only the latest offenses in a long line of egregious violations of our right to liberty.  Yet, the third right enumerated in the Declaration, the right to the pursuit of happiness, has not and cannot ever be taken away.  Because the pursuit of happiness does not mean the pursuit of wealth, or comfort, or security.  It means that God has given each man the right to the pursuit of true happiness: eternal beatification in heaven.  And no person, or government can take away this right, this desire that is innate in all of us: to be perfectly happy in the arms of Our Loving God.

During these unsettling times, we must take comfort in Our Lord's exhortation, "Be not afraid!"  Paul in his letter to Romans also give us encouraging words:

"I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. . .  because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God.  We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we are ourselves who have the first fruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.  For in this hope we are saved.  Now hope that is seen is not hope.  For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for patience."  (Rom. 8: 18, 21-25)

 Let us pray for our country today that God's mercy may turn men's hearts back to His ways.  But let us be aware that His merciful hand may use us an instruments for the conversions of others.  Recall the early Christian martyrs and how their witness brought many into the fold.  We must pray for ourselves and our children that we may receive the courage to defend our Lord, and to die rather than deny Him.  Embrace the Hope of Heaven! And remember the words of St. Josephine Bakhita, a former slave who found her true Master, : 

 “I am definitively loved and whatever happens to me—I am awaited by this Love.  And so my life is good.”