Forgiveness

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Forgiveness—the key to healing

It’s probably true to say that most of us have been hurt in someway in our childhood. Too often we remain, to a greater extent, bound and oppressed by the resulting negative emotions and feelings from the past. These arise from our memory of the hurts that may be stored in our conscious or subconscious. So we have difficulty in living in peace with ourselves; and when we marry we may both bring this “baggage” of anxiety, rejection, anger, inferiority or low self-image into our relationship, with often disastrous results, and probably without knowing why.  Continue here…

 

© Tony & Betty Dady

Further reading:

“Hidden Springs to Healing” Sr. M. Usha

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“Marriage a Beautiful Covenant between God, Man and Woman”

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Let us not set aside what God has planned for us, a perfect gift of love.

 

THE EFFECTS OF THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

1638 “From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a special sacrament.”

The marriage bond

1639 The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself.  From their covenant arises “an institution, confirmed by the divine law, . . . even in the eyes of society.” The covenant between the spouses is integrated into God’s covenant with man: “Authentic married love is caught up into divine love.”

1640 Thus the marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved. This bond, which results from the free human act of the spouses and their consummation of the marriage, is a reality, henceforth irrevocable, and gives rise to a covenant guaranteed by God’s fidelity. The Church does not have the power to contravene this disposition of divine wisdom.

The grace of the sacrament of Matrimony

1641 “By reason of their state in life and of their order, [Christian spouses] have their own special gifts in the People of God.” This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple’s love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they “help one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children.”

1642 Christ is the source of this grace. “Just as of old God encountered his people with a covenant of love and fidelity, so our Savior, the spouse of the Church, now encounters Christian spouses through the sacrament of Matrimony.”  Christ dwells with them, gives them the strength to take up their crosses and so follow him, to rise again after they have fallen, to forgive one another, to bear one another’s burdens, to “be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ,”[148] and to love one another with supernatural, tender, and fruitful love. In the joys of their love and family life he gives them here on earth a foretaste of the wedding feast of the Lamb: How can I ever express the happiness of a marriage joined by the Church, strengthened by an offering, sealed by a blessing, announced by angels, and ratified by the Father? . .  How wonderful the bond between two believers, now one in hope, one in desire, one in discipline, one in the same service! They are both children of one Father and servants of the same Master, undivided in spirit and flesh, truly two in one flesh. Where the flesh is one, one also is the spirit.

 

 

Resource:  Catechism of the Catholic Church

Read more:  http://foryourmarriage.org/marriage-as-covenant/

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“The Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb are a contemplative community that enables girls with Down’s syndrome to respond to a religious vocation.”

 

“We follow every day the ‘little way’ taught by Saint Therese; knowing that ‘great actions are forbidden to us’, we learn from her to receive everything from God, to ‘love for the brothers who fight’, to ‘scatter flowers for Jesus’, and to pray for the intentions entrusted to us.”

Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb via Laodicea
Little Sisters with Big Grins via The Anchoress

Candlemas Day – The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

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Today’s first reading gives us an important insight to understand profoundly the mystery of the Lord’s Presentation in the Temple by Mary and Joseph, in accordance with the cannons of Mosaic Law. The text, taken from the Prophet Malachi says, ‘I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me; and suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord who you seek’ (Mal 3:1). From all the Gospels, we know that it is the Precursor, St John the Baptist who was born 6 months before Jesus, that God sent to prepare His way. Putting these evangelical facts together, we can comprehend the words of the Prophet Malachi. The Lord God promised that He would send a Precursor to prepare His way. Since there is only 6 months between the birth of St John the Baptist and Jesus it is clear that the prophecy meant that suddenly after the Precursor, the Lord Himself will come. So, soon after the Baptist’s birth, God entered His temple. Jesus’ presentation signifies God’s entrance to His temple. God made man entered His temple, presenting Himself to those who were really searching for Him.

Today’s Gospel introduces us to different people and events that in themselves provide numerous lessons and themes for further reflection. First of all, Mary and Joseph respect the Mosaic Law by offering the sacrifice prescribed for the poor: a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

Simeon and Anna were two venerable elderly people dedicated to prayer and fasting and so their strong religious spirit rendered them able to recognize the Messiah. In this sense we can see in the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple an extension of the ‘Pro OrantibusDay’ (For those who pray) that is celebrated on the feast of the Presentation of Mary (21 November). On this day, the Church demonstrates its gratitude to all those in the community that dedicate themselves in a privileged way to prayer, to those who have a particular religious vocation to the contemplative life. In the figure of the venerable Simeon, Jesus’ presentation in the temple, also reminds us that prayer and contemplation are not just a waste of time or an obstacle to charity. On the contrary, time could not be better spent than in prayer as true Christian charity is a consequence of a solid interior life. Only those who pray and offer penance, like Simeon and Anna, are open to the breath of the Spirit. They know how to recognize the Lord in the circumstances in which He manifests Himself because they possess an ample interior vision, and they have learned how to love with the heart of the One whose very name is Charity.

At the end of the Gospel Simeon’s prophecy of Mary’s sufferings is emphasized. Pope John Paul II taught that, ‘Simeon’s words seem like a second Annunciation to Mary, for they tell her of the actual historical situation in which the Son is to accomplish his mission, namely, in misunderstanding and sorrow.’ (Redemptoris Mater, n16) The archangel’s announcement was a fount of incredible joy because it pertained to Jesus’ messianic royalty and the supernatural character of His virginal conception. The announcement of the elderly in the temple instead spoke of the Lord’s work of redemption that He would complete associating Himself through suffering to His Mother. Therefore, there is a strong Marian dimension to this feast and so in the Liturgical Calendar of the Extraordinary Form it is called the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This refers to the other aspect of the presentation that consists of the ritual purification of Jewish women after they had given birth. In Mary’s case this purification was not necessary, but it indicates the renewal of her total offering of herself to God for the accomplishment of His Divine Plan.

Simeon’s prophecy also announces that Christ will be ‘a sign of contradiction’. St Cyril of Alexandria, in one of his homilies, interpreted the words ‘sign of contradiction’ like a noble cross, as St Paul wrote to the Corinthians ‘a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles’ (1 Cor 1:23) […] It is a sign of contradiction in the sense that those who loose appear as foolish while in those who recognise its power [the cross] reveals salvation and life’ (c.f PG 77, 1044-1049).

— Excerpted from Congregation for the Clergy

 

 

Things to Do:

  • Ask your parish priest to bless the candles that you will be using on your home altar this year.
  • Have a family Candlemas procession, found in the prayer links.    (see links below)
  • Read Luke 2:22-35, the account of the presentation including the Canticle of Simeon.
  • Meditate on the constant fiat of Our Lady of Sorrows, who embraced the will of God even as Simeon predicted that a sword would pierce her heart.
  • The Seven Sorrows Devotion

http://www.themostholyrosary.com/appendix1.htm

 

Daily Readings for:  February 02, 2012
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: Almighty ever-living God, we humbly implore your majesty that, just as your Only Begotten Son was presented on this day in the Temple in the substance of our flesh, so, by your grace, we may be presented to you with minds made pure. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

 

Resources:  

http://www.catholicculture.org

http://www.themostholy rosary.com

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Saint Brigid of Kildare

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Daughter of Dubtach, pagan Scottish king of Leinster, and Brocca, a Christian Pictish slave who had been baptized by Saint Patrick. Just before Brigid’s birth, her mother was sold to a Druid landowner. Brigid remained with her mother till she was old enough to serve her legal owner Dubtach, her father.

She grew up marked by her high spirits and tender heart, and as a child, she heard Saint Patrick preach, which she never forgot. She could not bear to see anyone hungry or cold, and to help them, often gave away things that were Dubtach’s. When Dubtach protested, she replied that “Christ dwelt in every creature”. Dubtach tried to sell her to the King of Leinster, and while they bargained, she gave a treasured sword of her father‘s to a leper. Dubtach was about to strike her when Brigid explained she had given the sword to God through the leper, because of its great value. The King, a Christian, forbade Dubtach to strike her, saying “Her merit before God is greater than ours”. Dubtach solved this domestic problem by giving Brigid her freedom.

Brigid’s aged mother was in charge of her master’s dairy. Brigid took charge ,and often gave away the produce. But the dairy prospered under her (hence her patronage of milk maids, dairy workers, cattle, etc.), and the Druid freed Brigid’s mother.

Brigid returned to her father, who arranged a marriage for her with a young bard. Bride refused, and to keep her virginity, went to her Bishop, Saint Mel of Ardagh, and took her first vows. Legend says that she prayed that her beauty be taken from her so no one would seek her hand in marriage; her prayer was granted, and she regained her beauty only after making her vows. Another tale says that when Saint Patrick heard her final vows, he mistakenly used the form for ordaining priests. When told of it he replied, “So be it, my son, she is destined for great things.”

Her first convent started c.468 with seven nuns. At the invitation of bishops, she started convents all over Ireland. She was a great traveller, especially considering the conditions of the time, which led to her patronage of travellers, sailors, etc. Brigid invented the double monastery, the monastery of Kildara, which means Church of the Oak, that she ran on the Liffey river being for both monks and nuns. Saint Conleth became its first bishop; this connection and the installation of a bell that lasted over 1000 years apparently led to her patronage of blacksmiths and those in related fields.

Resource: http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-brigid-of-ireland/

Prayers Needed – Adoption Battle

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Adoption Battle Over 5-Year Old Boy Pits Missouri Couple Vs. Illegal Immigrant

 

By LAUREN GILGER,  (@brianross) and ANGELA M. HILL
Feb. 1, 2012

PHOTO: Encarnacion Bail Romero claims that her son, Carlos Bail Romero, was taken from her while she was being held in custody for an immigration-related crime, saying she was helpless to stop the adoption process.

Encarnacion Bail Romero claims that her son, Carlos Bail Romero, was taken from her while she was being held in custody for an immigration-related crime, saying she was helpless to stop the adoption process.

 

A tug-of-war over a five-year-old boy is at the center of a national debate over parental rights and immigration, and a sign of what critics say is a growing trend in which immigrants are being deemed unfit parents because they crossed the border illegally.

 

Seth and Melinda Moser of Carthage, Missouri say the boy they call Jamison is their son, and that returning him to his birth mother after five years will cause him untold harm.  continue

An Undying Love

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Yesterday I tried to help my daughters wash the dishes.

“Go and sit down, Mum! We can do this.”

“I have to be a good example, “ I insisted.  “I’ll get lazy if I don’t work. One day there will be just me and Dad left at home and we won’t know how to do anything. We’ll sit here useless and what will we do then?”

“But I’ll always be here,” insisted my seven year old daughter, Gemma-Rose.

“No, one day you will get married and leave home,” I predicted.

“No I won’t. My husband could live here with us.”

“What if he doesn’t want to live here?” I asked.

“Then I won’t marry him!”

The other night, Gemma-Rose climbed onto my knee for a big hug. She touched my face gently and said, “I think you’re the best mother in the world.”

“I bet other little girls think their mothers are the best,” I replied.

“You’re my best mother. You’re so pretty.”

“But I’m getting old.”

“No you’re not. I think you’re gorgeous.”

“You’re only saying that because I’m your mummy.”

“No I’m not. I don’t say things that aren’t true!” Gemma-Rose was rather indignant.

And then she hugged me tight and I enjoyed a very special moment.

Gemma-Rose’s love is so sweet, so unconditional. To her, I am perfect. She hasn’t started to look at me and find me lacking. And she thinks she will love me this way forever.

I am savouring these last moments of pure joy. Soon my youngest daughter’s world will expand beyond me, and the bonds between us will stretch. I hope they will never break but she will certainly move away.  Inevitably, pain will enter into our relationship and into our love for each other.  One day she will realise I have my faults and I am not everything to her.  I will have to let her go. And that will hurt.

I think of Thomas, my son who died as a baby. He never threw his arms around my neck and declared his undying love for me. He never told me I am the best mother in the world. He never promised to stay with me forever.

I have already had to let Thomas go. But the love between us? That is still pure and full of joy and unconditional and that will never change. It will never be tainted by anger, jealousy, criticism, misunderstandings… It will continue to grow unblemished until the day we meet again.

And on that day, Thomas will throw his arms about me and he will tell me I am the best mother ever. He will declare his undying love and promise to stay with me forever.

And he will.

Please share more of my grief stories at my blog, Sue Elvis Writes

The Novena to St Colette begins today…

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Dear Little hearts,

The Novena to St Colette begins today- join us in spirit as we pray and sing the chaplet each day in preparation for her feast day Mass & Celebration here next Saturday. Place your intentions in Colette’s hands.

Lovingly all your sisters,

TMD Poor Clare Colettine Community

http://poorclarestmd.org/

 

The Chaplet

Blessed be the hour in which our Lord Jesus Christ, God and Man was born. Blessed be the Holy Spirit by whom he was conceived. Blessed be the glorious Virgin Mary of whom the Incarnate Word was born.      May the Lord hear our prayers through the intercession of the glorious Virgin Mary and in memory of that most sacred hour in which the Incarnate Word was born, that all our desires may be accomplished for your glory and our salvation.  O good Jesus! O Jesus our Redeemer, do not abandon us as our sins deserve, but hear our humble prayer and grant what we ask through the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of your Holy name. Amen.

 

As God pleases

As God wills (prayed ten times)

 

Let us praise the Father in his mercy and the Son by his passion and the Holy Spirit the fountain of peace and sweetness and love. Amen, amen without recall!