Feast of the Archangels

A touchy Marriage question and Holy Communion

Marriage Question




Q. Many people in our parish who receive the Eucharist have been divorced and are remarried. I'm sure not all of them have received an annulment. Is it just between them and God, or should the priest or someone say something to them?



-- D.S. via e-mail



A. Here is a reply from Father Francis Hoffman, J.C.D.:



Is it just between them and God? Not exactly, because marriage is one of two sacraments at the service of communion in the Church, the other being holy orders. For that reason, those sacraments take on a public character. That is why witnesses are required for a valid marriage ceremony.



If people are divorced civilly, they must have an annulment before they can contract a valid second marriage in the Church. If their second marriage is irregular, they should not receive holy Communion. If their behavior confuses and scandalizes the other faithful in the parish, someone should say something to them -- preferably the priest.



This is not being "judgmental" (you are not judging their intentions); it is simply following Our Lord's exhortation to practice fraternal correction.

HT:  Our Sunday Visitor, Sept. 28, 2010

Prayer as a Source of Security

Prayer as a Source of Security

A Word about Evenings WITHOUT Television

There are so many things that are far more thrilling and fulfilling to do in the evenings than vegetate in front of the "Boobtube" as my parents called it. In my house, we have children, a husband, wife, and a television...all the ingredients to make for a evening full of glassy-eyed couch-potatoes, robotic ally munching on snacks, but NO! We don't give in to this societal expected household activity. Instead, our children are usually practicing their instruments (fighting for the dining room, which has been converted to a music room), or reading their latest book, outside gardening before dark with daddy, playing with the neighborhood kids, or continuing the chalk art on the driveway. When, and IF, the TV does go on, it is PBS with "Nature," or a movie that was approved by mom and dad (and kid enjoyed).

What the television represents now is the opinions of Corporate America. This money-hungry giant has become an immoral monster, but worse, it has become and continues to be the "teacher," "babysitter," and "role model" for the next generation. It does not care what impressions it makes morally speaking. GK Chesterton talked about the media back in the early 1940's in his "Orthodoxy" and I am shocked that we haven't begun to see through much of this poisonous influence to our young. The snotty, know-it-all attitudes that are portrayed in the media by children toward adults, or other figures of authority, and adults being shown as idiots is a shameful representation of the family structure.

Parents, it is our job to bring back the family evenings with activities like: board games, books, walks, just talking together, learning a craft, developing a hobby, visiting with long-distance relatives on telephone, or just playing with the family pet, taking a long soaking bath, listening to music, or better yet, making music, getting to bed early. These simple activities could fill an evening in a much more productive and positive way.

All the days in our lives are stored in a bank account, each day is a withdrawal. We can't put days in, they are just spent. So, every day is precious, never to be again, so make the most of it. Television, used wisely, can be a good thing, but abused and over used has already proven to be very detrimental to the person, much less society.

Get creative, get some exercise, play a sport, do a hobby, learn something, share a smile, hug, or a conversation with those you know and love. When I take a walk in the evenings in my neighborhood, I can see the blue hue of the television on in many levels in most of the homes. It is too bad that so many days are spent not with our families at the same address. You know how that old saying goes, "when it is all said and done, you won't hear me saying, I sure wish I'd spent more time at the office?" Don't be caught having to say, "I sure wish I had spent less time in front of the television and more time with my dear ones that needed me."

Things I wish the Priest would say on Sunday

Welcome to the Lord's table, this is your celebration, this is our celebration!

Please remove the gum from your mouths, fasting includes chewing gum.

Please have everyone in your family sit tight and listen for one hour, I promise if you listen it will be interesting.

Check out your outfit, it is one that you would wear to greet your Savior, the Creator of the universe?

Has everyone gone to the bathroom before getting here?  It's just an hour, if you are school-aged, you can wait until Mass is over.

Please turn off your electronics for one hour, Yahoo mail can wait for your reply....unless you are a doctor.

When it is time for the "Great Amen" Please say it loud!  If you believe that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, that a miracle just happened in the changing of the bread and wine into Christ's body and blood.  Then say, "AMEN" with enthusiasm.

If you are serving today at Mass as Usher, Greeter, Eucharistic ministers, please dress up!


I'm sure I have more, but until then.....

Soul to soul

There are people in the world that we will only know about through the newspaper, television, or other media.  These people are those who we have very little if any personal interaction, so whether they are "real' or not seems automatically not an issue.

Then there are those people that we know on a personal level, but will never see in person.  They have touched us soul to soul.  Pope John Paul II's amazing "Theology of the Body" brings to light the ever more perfect attitude of the human person...a soul body.  As we share ourselves with others, it is not our body, but our soul that is doing the sharing.  Our soul is so much deeper than the flesh, which means so much more in the interaction.

Whether we have friends next door or across the continent or world, every time we phone them, email them, chat with them, it is a soul to soul conversation.  It is a share that cannot compare to anything else.  You can make it special and bless another with this in mind.

Have a soul to soul conversation with someone today.

I say a little prayer for you

Everyday as my knight-in-shining-armour drives off to work, I say a little prayer for him. First I say the St. Michael prayer to protect my knight-in-shining-armour from the evils of temptation, and then I ask Mother Mary and Pope John Paul II to keep him under their mantle of prayer and intercession.

How important is it that we make sure our families are well fed, clothed, and happy by our loving hands, how important is it that we make sure our children know that we love them and keep them close to our hearts every minute of our being, and how important is it that our spouses know how desirable and needed they are is the very reason we should turn to our Heavenly Mother for her much needed intercession to her Divine Son.

Our Mother, the very vessel of love and self sacrifice, gives us all her love and support from her holy place with Christ. As we care so deeply for our own families, our Mother cares for us. We are very blessed to be the beneficiaries of such love. Turn to her right now, remember to turn to her tomorrow and everyday. She is waiting for you!



Hail Mary, Full of grace!

The Lord is with thee!

Blessed art thou amongst women!



And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus!



Holy Mary, Mother of God!

Pray for us sinners now

and at the hour of our death!



Amen!

A father/daughter Relationship and "Why God Matters"

Fathers are so cool, they can be the best person in a child's life....or the worse.  It's their choice.  Much of it depends on their own bringing up, how they interpret the role of parenthood, especially the role of being the father.  Fathers balance the family scales with mothers, giving the children in the nest two places to rely on.  From the dawn of history, mothers were the nurturers, the consoler, and source of gentle loving confidence.  Fathers, on the other hand, provided the means to which the family survived, food, money, shelter, and protection from the outside.

Children, therefore, saw in a father the strength of one beyond their own capacity.  The automatic dependence was a source of security that only in the strength of the father could a child even think of venturing outside the cocoon of the mother's nest.

The father's dependence on the mother was also a sign of strength to the children.  His love and devotion to their mother impressed upon their children that strength is a sign of wisdom when it can bow down to dependence and devotion to another.

In August, at the Catholic Media Network and Catholic Writer's Conference Live event in Philly, I was able to meet just such a father in Deacon Steve.  He and his daughter, Karina, wrote a book together sharing their history and growth in their belief and dependence in God.  "Why God Matters," is a compilation of experiences and life lessons that both brought them closer together and instilled in them that God is there for them at each and every corner of their lives.  Both are a complete delight and without saying a word are beacons of hope for those around them in God. Just by their actions, you can tell they have joy in their hearts and hope on their sleeves. They know God and God knows them.


Meeting them both, I can see that Karina is the person she is because of her father's role in her life.  Deacon Steve, has truly been a devoted father to both his daughters and completely devoted to their mother.  Yes, trials followed him throughout their family life, but it never dimmed their love for God, on the contrary, it strengthened their awareness of His presence.

The stories in their book will make you laugh, cry, and even give you an "Ah ha" moment through their life lessons section following each chapter.  I loved the book and went away from reading it with the wide-open message that fatherhood is so imperative to a child's psyche and security.  Karina is blessed and Deacon Steve is a blessing.

Prayer Life

How many pictures of our beloved Pope John Paul II kneeling in deep prayer are there in the world? As the former world leader of the Church, much was his responsibility. The pope depended on his many conversations with our Lord God and Mother Mary for guidance, encouragement, and supplication. Looking at him in this submissive posture revealed the humble dependence of this great man upon God.

Jesus, Himself, spent a great deal of time on His knees seeking guidance, reassurance, and supplication during His ministry here. His teaching of his prayer to the disciples impressed up us the importance of communicating with the Father.

Prayer then, is not an exercise in discipleship rather, it is the acknowledgement of God's existence and the seeking of a relationship with Him.

The Roman Missal translation issue.

Fr. Z of What does the prayers really say" blog has a poll out concerning the new Missal translation.

I'm curious, too. Let me know what you know, if you know, and how you feel about the new "corrected" translation of the Roman Missal.

Why God Matters????

Gold

At Adoration yesterday, deep in thought with Christ, I noticed a gleamy shine in two place in my sight.  One was the monstrance, where the Holy Eucharist was displayed; the other was on my own hand. My wedding bands seemed to match the golden monstrance made to enhance and protect Christ's body in the humble form of bread.

When the monstrance is displayed on the Altar it represents something very special, it is the throne of Christ during Adoration.  It is the symbol of Christ's love and redeeming care for us. Time spent in Adoration to Christ has proven time and time again to be beneficial strengthening the love and hope of the believer.  During Adoration, we reach out to our God, trusting Him and loving Him and letting Him know this with our time and heart.

My wedding bands are displayed on my hand to represent something very special.  They are a symbol of the unending love and devotion I have for my husband.  Time spent with my husband prove time and time again to be beneficial to strengthening our love and hope for the future.  Together with Christ, we reach out to God, trusting Him and loving Him allowing Him to work through our marital bond to bring life and love into the world.

Gold from the Altar to my own hand, the connection of my devotion to Christ and to my husband.  Both the monstrance and my wedding bands are sacramentals that represent the most amazing thing in the world......... love.

AVON Calling!

This is the monthly plug for my Avon business. If you would like to receive a bi-monthly sales flyer with current products and promotions and you live in the US, please visit my Avon website and sign up!

My Avon website is easy to use and several of my family and friends already enjoy the ease of ordering and getting the products they like when they want them.

Thanks....we now bring you back to your regularly scheduled pillars.