The Trinity is the most powerful entity in the universe. It is capable of doing anything and can fulfill any prayer request. The life-giving Holy Spirit is the outpouring of love between the Father and the Son and is lavished upon the Earth in abundance.
Creating a thriving marriage in this culture is nothing short of miraculous because we are in a time in which traditional marriage is threatened and diminishing in importance in the eyes of many young people.
In his very beautiful book, “Rescued: The Unexpected and Extraordinary News of the Gospel,” Father John Riccardo explains that faith requires a relationship with God that is so reliant, if we leaned on him and he wasn’t there, we would fall over. I have a soap dispenser on our kitchen counter that states, “Faith is not believing God is there, it is KNOWING He is!”
Lent began on Ash Wednesday, March 5. We have 40 days to prepare ourselves for the Triduum by allowing God to purify us through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.
Dedicating the new year to the development of holiness and virtue seems like an appropriate way to begin 2025. It is the quarter-century mark of our new century and millennium, which invites us to establish habits and behaviors of which we can be proud. The old habits and behaviors may be the very actions that led to sin, which required us to seek the sacrament of reconciliation.
Each one of us in marriage is expected to provide a positive spiritual influence for our spouse. This presupposes that we ourselves have a faith life that can be shared to offer an impact on our loved one’s life. This is a gift we can give to our spouse daily, which begins in our own prayer rituals and spiritual commitment to our precious Catholic faith.
A lovely deacon suggested I pray the daily Ignatian Examen, which I have been doing for about six months. The overwhelming change in my life is the sense of gratitude I have every day. Most days, I feel like I am floating with joy. I wondered what would happen if I adapted this prayer for my marriage.
Most people would say we are living through one of the most difficult times in human history. Even though we have advancements that would appear to indicate we are a superior society, it is our civil, moral and social maturity that signifies our true advancement as human beings. In other words, how we treat each other is the real indicator of how well-developed we are as human beings.
Forming our conscience is not an easy or simple task, and yet it is a task we each must engage in, especially as we approach the presidential election.
Imagine being in the closest relationship you can envision, and the other person always sees you in the most positive light possible. This person cherishes you, does not hold petty grievances against you, encourages you and loves you with such a deep and compelling love that it astonishes you.
Independence Day is celebrated on July 4 every year, and while independence is an important concept for free people, interdependence is equally important and arguably more difficult to attain.
Apostolic messiness