The Sacrifice of Love.....

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.

~Mignon McLaughlin

Life is never exactly the way we think it should be, and so it goes with married life as well. You see, we all have expectations of others, especially of our spouses.


For most of us, the beginnings of our married lives together are sheer bliss. We are infatuated with one another, we aren’t looking for too much outside of our new lives together and we simply enjoy pleasing each other. Sadly, this doesn’t last forever, and as the relationship begins to change, we find our selves, from time to time, judging our spouse quite harshly, sometimes even wondering why we married this person in the first place.

Dwelling on the perceived negative aspects of another person, especially of our spouse, can easily become an obsession that leads us away from the marital commitment of “I do”, to the self-serving thoughts of “I won’t”.

In today’s Gospel (Mt. 19:3-12), the Pharisees approach Jesus and  question him on the "lawfulness" of divorce, to which he replies,

“Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”

He later goes on to say “Not all can accept this word, but only those to whom that is granted."

We don’t have to look very far to see the effects of the break down of marriage and family in our society today. Sometimes the effects are as close as our own front doors. In a culture of instant gratification and personal satisfaction, the thought of patience and long-suffering with joy (Colossians 1:9-12) for the sake of another is seldom embraced.

But, real love entails sacrifice. We must be willing to give of ourselves and to compromise from time to time.

 I have often heard it said that if we put as much effort into our marriages and families as we put into our careers and personal desires that we would find ourselves quite content. I believe this to be true.

O Dear Jesus,

I humbly implore You to grant Your special graces to our family.

May our home be the shrine of peace, purity, love, labor and faith.

I beg You, dear Jesus, to protect and bless all of us, absent and present, living

and dead.

O Mary,

loving Mother of Jesus,

and our Mother,

pray to Jesus for our family,

for all the families of the world,

to guard the cradle of the newborn,

the schools of the young and their vocations.

Blessed Saint Joseph,

holy guardian of Jesus and Mary,

assist us by your prayers

in all the necessities of life.

Ask of Jesus that special grace

which He granted to you,

to watch over our home

at the pillow of the sick and the dying,

so that with Mary and with you,

heaven may find our family unbroken

in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Amen.

Notes:  A Family Prayer

Family Matters

She became a wife at the young age of eighteen.

Just as she held me then, she holds me now.

Her strong faith has always kept me focused, even in the darkest times.

She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs at the days to come.

She opens her mouth in wisdom, and on her tongue is kindly counsel.

She watches the conduct of her household, and eats not her food in idleness.

Her children rise up and praise her; her husband, too, extols her:

"Many are the women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all." ~Proverbs 31:26-29

We have shared many cups of tea throughout the years.

He was never to tired for me then, he is never to tired for me now.

His love shaped my life.

Father! - to God himself we cannot give a holier name. ~William Wordsworth

They created many memories then....

They create them now.

With hair of silver and hearts of gold,

 they laugh with us,

they cry with us,

they pray with us,

because they know just how much family matters.

God made us a  family.

We need one another.

We love one another.

We forgive one another.

We work together.

We play together.

We worship together.

Together we use God's word.

Together we grow in Christ.

Together we love all people.

Together we serve our God.

Together we hope for heaven.

These are our hopes and ideals.

Help us to attain them,

O God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

May God  bless each member of your families today and always........

Family, Our Hope For The Future

I see them joined in prayer and my heart skips a beat,

A sign of His presence in a world that has lost its way.

Could there be a greater witness to the world than a family joined in prayer?

One father, one mother, sharing their greatest gift with their children,

The gift of faith.

Together, as one, they witness with their lives, they pass on true values,

And they teach the importance of commitment to another person.

Family, the domestic church, our hope for the future.

“Dear parents, commit yourselves always to teach your children to pray, and pray with them; draw them close to the Sacraments, especially to the Eucharist.”

“Introduce them to the life of the Church; in the intimacy of the home do not be afraid to read the sacred Scriptures, illuminating family life with the light of faith and praising God as Father.” Pope Benedict XVI 

“Dear children, tonight your Mother wishes to call you, as I have before, to renew prayer in the family. Dear children, families need to pray today. It is my wish, dear children that you would live my messages through family prayer. BVM, Medjugorje, January 1, 1990 



God Has Shown Me The Better Part

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her." Luke 10 38:42


The alarm clock goes off before the sun has finished its morning yawn. We hit the snooze button and role over for just ten more minutes of slumber before we jump into the showers, then rush over and pour that first cup of coffee. Awe caffeine, what a wonderful stimulant you can be! Back to the daily routine of traffic, deadlines and time is of the essence contracts to fulfill. In a word I am referring to “obligations”.

Vacation has come to an end and it is such a bittersweet. Although I love my home and have become accustom to my daily “normal”, what a treat it has been to have seventeen days of vacation time in the Eastern Sierra Mountains, in the cabin my husband and I have been building for the past three years. Ten of these treasured vacation days being spent with loved ones, my children and grandchildren, my parents, and a nephew; a truly full house!

I have always had a tendency in life to be a little hard on myself, always trying to be a good parent, but always wondering if I really was a good one or thinking to myself, “If I only knew what I know now, I would have done so many things differently”. Thank God for my Christian faith and thank God for giving me every new day to start over again.

I live very close to my children and grandchildren, but I had never spent so many days in a row with my children and their families under one roof, observing their interactions with one another and seeing what my children were passing on as values to their own children. It was a time of treasure and delight!

As our days of fun and adventure came to an end, my children packed their families for the long journey home. No more campfire nights with my dad playing his harmonica and grandchildren eating smores. No more little feet running on hardwood floors, "Grandma, tell me another story about bears!"   My husband and I waved them all goodbye; tears of joys filled my eyes.

Arm and arm, we walked back into our cabin, picked up Mrs. Potato Heads earring and purse off our sofa as we sat down, looked at one another and smiled.

I thank God for all the blessings in my life, for every moment that lead to this precious time together as family. God had shown me the better part, and I am forever grateful.

Be it done to me according to your Word

Let justice descend, O heavens, like dew from above,

Like gentle rain let the skies drop it down.

Let the earth open and salvation bud forth;

Let justice also spring up!

I, the Lord have created this. Isaiah 45:8

Be it done according to your Word! (Lk 1:38)

For thirty three days I have been praying for the Total Consecration of my family to Jesus through Mary.

Today on this feast of the Annunciation, before the holy tabernacle of our Lord Jesus Christ, I consecrate them officially to  Jesus through you, oh mother Mary. You alone are their mother, their protector, their intercessor. Be the mother to them that I never was. Hold them close to your motherly heart and present them to your Son daily, that they may grow closer to him daily.

May their love for your Son and their love for others blossom like the flowers of spring, attracting all those you send their way. May their hearts be filled with peace, that they may become bearers of peace to all they meet each day. May their joy be so contagious that all they meet might catch it. And may their arms always be open, as your son Jesus arms are always open to comfort those in need.

In His name I pray.
Amen

Mirror of the Soul

If I were to gaze into the mirror of my soul,

What reflection would I see?

Would I see the smiling eyes of love gazing back at me?

Would I see a heart that radiates a burning love so true?

Would I see a hand of mercy outstretched to hold onto?

As I end this day O Lord, I ask you to purify my soul, that it may be a reflection of Your love. And, for all the many blessings you have bestowed upon me and my family, I give you thanks