I love the Sacrament of Marriage.  I love working with engaged couples.  I love FAMILY LIFE!  Because of this, I am always looking for ways to stay hopeful in a world where the sacrament of marriage is often looked down upon and where relationships, be it with spouses, family, or friends, are too easily thrown away.

Growing up, I believed that going to confession was one of the scariest things that I could do. I was incredibly nervous because confession is uncomfortable. We have to dig deep, reflect, sit in silence and be sincerely sorry for the things we have done that hurt another. As humans, those things seem hard, scary and many of us would much rather avoid them. 

“Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way. 

The tomb the Living did enclose; I saw Christ’s glory as He rose!”

Victimae Paschali, Sequence for Easter Sunday

Victimae Paschali Laudes, the medieval sequence chanted before the proclamation of the Gospel on Easter Sunday, tries to express in beautifully inadequate words the reality of what we celebrate during the Easter liturgy. 

When an engaged couple comes to us for marriage prep classes, one of the first things we do is ask them to do is to tell us their love story:
   How did you meet?
   What attracted you to one another?

We also ask them what motivates them:
   What is most important to you?
   Why do you want a Catholic wedding?

These questions might seem easy at first glance, but I think all Catholic couples could benefit from answering them. Let’s examine each one.

Painted door Morocco C.Meert

It is striking that non-Western – and often non-Christian – people seem to be able to teach us essential lessons about life. Lately, two encounters with non-European women have made me question our individualistic lifestyles in a particular way.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

There’s a lot of eating going on in the Scriptures. Every important event seems to involve a meal. When Moses is finally allowed by Pharaoh to take the Israelites out of Egypt, they celebrate with the Passover meal, which is the same meal Jesus celebrated with his disciples the night before he died, and which Jesus commanded us to eat:“Take and eat; this is my body.” Matthew 26:26

Let’s file this under “things I never thought I’d have to write about.”